My Livelihood And The Beginning Of Being The Strongest

 

The outskirts of the Silent Demon’s Forest, one of the Four Forbidden Regions on the entire continent, is my new home now. It is considered forbidden because of monsters inhabiting the woods and also because of the unidentified dark energy eating away at the forest. It is also rumoured to harbour a powerful demon with an incomparable power, but no one had been able to confirm that rumour (since people who apparently encountered the demon never survived).

I live with Barbra, the woman who found me, whom I call Gram. I managed to learn a few things about this world. One of them is that magic exists in this world. The other is that demons and monsters exist. The concept of magic fascinates me, thus I began learning about magic through the books Barbra has. 

Since I am young, appearance-wise, I don’t want Barbra to be suspicious of me so I study in secret. Of course, I don’t know this world’s language so it took some time to master it. I learned the language via storybooks that Gram would read to me and other everyday words.

The books went on and revealed that every living human in the world has energy called mana. This mana can be used for either magic by mages or body enhancements by knights and swordsmen. Mana is produced by the mana core which is found in the chest. Magic is the result of imbuing mana with magic spells. If mana is like fuel, then magic spells would be the flint that ignites the fire creating magic.

Although I am fascinated with magic, I am still too young to be shooting fireballs with my palm so I focus on learning how to use mana. It is a good thing that it is night time, otherwise Gram would have been watching me like a hawk. 

I close my eyes and feel the mana inside of me. In the book, it is mentioned that people feel mana between the ages of thirteen to fifteen years old, but some are able to perceive it at the age of nine. I am only a year and two months old, even so, I need to become strong quickly. Even if it is impossible, I have to at least give it a try. To feel mana, I need to clear my mind.

With sheer will, I start my training and after an hour of trying, I can’t feel a thing. I am frustrated since I had never cleared my mind ever since I was reincarnated. It’s been one thing after the other after all. 

Even in my previous world, I was always busy. If only I was still drifting in that endless abyss, then I might be able to do it. It was quite comfortable and peaceful. 

That peaceful feeling where I just drifted into the abyss… With that thought running through my mind, I suddenly feel a warm feeling in my chest. When I open my eyes, I am shocked by the glow radiating from my chest. I am also shocked by the tiny tinkering lights all around me. 

“So, this is mana,” I think, astounded. 

Even though I was sleepy a second ago since babies spend most of their time sleeping, I couldn’t have imagined I would feel this refreshed after sensing mana. I am so excited by this newfound energy that I spend the whole night awake. 

                                                      

                                                     ***

Six years went by in a blink of an eye and I am now seven years old. As usual, I wake up and do my chores, and then start my training. I am content and happy, as on this day I am supposed to hunt my first monster. I have been training my physique and my mana and hunted horned rabbits for food. I also picked some herbs that could be turned into low-level potions and sold them in the village. Since Gram was an Arank healer back when she was an adventurer, she has tons of books about herbs.

I never did go in deeper into the forest because of how dangerous it is but now, after six long years of training, I believe I am ready. I take out a knife I bought from the village’s blacksmith and my leather bag which has some food in it, and set out. 

I am nervous about fighting monsters but I still hope to meet a low-level one. Thirty minutes after I entered the forest, I stumble upon my first prey, a goblin. 

A goblin is a green unsightly creature half the size of an adult human, which means it is the same size as me. They are violent monsters who attack on-site and they specialise in sneak attacks. They are vile creatures that kidnap women and use them for reproduction and the continued existence of their species. One goblin isn’t considered a threat but if there is a horde of them, then even the most skilled adventurers will have trouble dealing with them. At least that’s what the book says.

As I ready myself to pounce, two more goblins lumber out of the thicket, and I recede behind a boulder, forced to reassess my strategy. They are armed with an arsenal of clubs and simple stone axes. It seems that they were foraging for food. I still have the element of surprise, but I am shaking with fear. 

This is going to be my first time killing something that has a similar build to that of a human, but I know it has to be done. I don’t feel any need to hesitate anymore. 

As they are masters of stealth, goblins rarely expect anything to have a jump on them. As I leap from behind the boulder, the goblin nearest to me only realises the impending danger when I am right on top of it. It lets out a startled gasp as I impale the blade into its heart - at least the heart is in the right place.

The sound of their comrade thudding the ground draws the other two goblins’ attention in my direction. Clubs raised, they speed towards me so briskly it is as if their hulking, heavily calloused feet do not touch the ground. They are shrieking deafeningly as they run, and I know I have to finish this quickly as the shrieking isn’t just a war cry, but also a distress call to other goblins that could be nearby.

 As they unleash the clubs on me like batons, I haul up their dead comrade’s corpse and use it as a shield. Realising that the blows they are unleashing are futile, they stop the onslaught and begin to circle me, grunting, snarling and baring stained teeth at me like cornered beasts. Their fiery eyes drill unblinking into me as they craft their next point of attack, cautiously boxing me in so that at least one of them will be in my blind spot.  

For a while I do not let either of them out of my sight, so I rotate with them as they circle me, keeping both at the corners of my eyes. All the while they grunt, shriek and bawl, and it is only a matter of time before more goblins storm in, in response to their comrades’ distress calls. I have to end this, and fast.

I stop turning, keeping my eye on the goblin in front of me. This is exactly what they wanted me to do; to give the goblin behind me the upper hand. The creature vaults into action, but I have kept a vigilant eye on its shadow which is within view at the corner of my left eye. Within a split second I turn and stab it in the eye in mid-air. It drops like a sack on the ground, its body shuddering as life ebbs out of it. For good measure, I thrust the blade at the back of its neck and twist, slashing vein and splitting the spinal cord. It jolts, and then dies.

The last goblin, eyes outbulged and shrieking louder in a blend of grief and rage, throws caution to the wind and charges. I can feel a slight tremor under my feet as the creature’s flat, colossal feet pound the earth, the vibrations sending a shiver down my spine. It is swinging its axe as it plods forward. But it has made one colossal mistake; it reacted in rage and emotion.

The goblin unleashes the blow, but I simply have to step aside a pace. A gust of wind trails the blow as it misses its target. The creature has put so much power in the bluster, when the club fails to connect with the target, it drags the goblin with it at least three paces. When it turns, the body is already headless. I have sliced its head clean off its shoulders using my super-fast reflexes and strength.

Panting heavily, I rest against a tree. It is nerve-wrecking fighting these creatures. Even though they are not strong, but had I made the tiniest mistake, I would’ve been a goner, that’s for sure.

I take my knife and start scavenging for the materials found in goblins. I read in the book that monsters possess a magic core. It seems to serve the same function as a mana core in humans. These magic cores can be sold and used to make medicine, antidotes, or magical items like magic staffs and magical swords. But these were magic cores of low-level monsters so they are only good for medicine. It doesn’t matter though, as I plan to use them for my experiments in understanding magic itself or sell them.

I manage to remove the magic cores from their bodies. They are small in size but that is to be expected. Size matters in magic cores because the bigger the core, the more magical power it has.

I then continue with my hunt. I meet a few more goblins and take them out. I don’t only meet goblins but also wild boars, which are edible unlike goblins. The wild boars have a tendency to charge at a person directly so it was easy defeating them after I figured that out. Because of their thick fur, it isn’t easy cutting them without using mana. Besides the thick fur, they also posses power and in a direct attack, they would cause a significant amount of damage. 

After killing the wild boars, I dismantle them for their meat, fur and teeth which I will sell in the village. I leave the rest like the intestines and bones for nature’s cleaning regiment, the vultures.

It is getting late so I decide to head back home. On my way home, as I am walking with happiness filled inside thanks to my successful first hunt, I suddenly feel a chill down my spine. I know instinctively that a high-level monster is nearby, so I take cover. It is quiet and I can’t stop my heart from pounding. The stillness is strange to the point that I feel uneasy.

I am alarmed by the sound of a branch snapping behind me, and as I turn, I catch sight of what I initially think is a huge rock catapulting towards me. I leap out of the way, and realise as the object hits the ground, shaking the very earth where I crouch, that it isn’t a boulder but a giant club. If I had been a second late dodging the blow, I would have been flattened into the earth.

A cloud of dust erupts with the blow, leaving me choking in its midst. As the cloud clears, a giant figure looms out of the dust. Green skin, with giant fangs sticking out of its mouth, the monster towers over me, and its red eyes fixed at me like crimson embers. It is at least twice the size of an average man, and maybe four times as strong.

This monster is none other than an orc. It rests the large club on its shoulder, stares down at me and guffaws, as if it is impressed by my ability to evade its attack. 

Orcs are known for their incredible strength. I didn’t know its rank in the monster ranking system since the book only has a brief description about it, but I know that I am not a match for it.

“Damn it, where did this guy come from?” I mull over silently. “And the fact that I let him sneak up on me with that giant of a body. How did I not notice him? This guy is bad news, I have to get–“

The orc pummels me with its club, sending me crashing into the trees and rolling on the ground like a log of wood. I am so engrossed in my thoughts, I only see the blow a split second before it crashes into me. The sheer force of the blow is enough to kill anyone, but thank God I reacted in time and shielded myself with mana. But I still get my arm broken. “I get the feeling that you won’t let me get away, right?” “Grrrrrraar!” the orc grumbles as if to agree with me.

“Very well then, I’ll fight you with everything I've got.”

I know that I can’t defeat this monster, but if I don’t fight him here and now and defeat him, then he will make his way to the village which is something I don’t want.

Emboldened by these words, I use my mana to strengthen my body and also to increase my strength and speed. I imbue my knife with my mana and compress it to make it sharper. This is the result of my training in these past few years and I am about to put it into action.

“Grrrrrrraaah!” the orc roars, sending a shockwave across the forest. 

It then swiftly charges at me, each step it takes the equivalent of five paces of a grown human. It is incredibly fast for its size. It swings its club straight towards me and, using my enhanced speed, I veer off the blow. The club digs a massive crater where the blow has landed on the ground.

I charge at the orc using my enhanced speed, and again it sweeps its enormous club on the ground to counter me. I evade the attack by leaping into the air, which is what it was aiming for. It smirks and delivers a punch straight at me, but I am prepared for that attack. I lower my weight using mana so that his attack misses me by a whisker. I then step on its fist and weigh down on its massive arm. 

The orc swings its arm trying to throw me off it, but I am already close enough. Close enough to take its eyes. I slash both of its eyes, its thick greenish blood pouring out like a waterfall.

“Aaaaarrg!” it cries, its scream sending tremors through the forest. Enraged, it flaps its arms blindly in a wild, frantic counter-attack. One strike catches me as I somersault mid-air, sending me crashing into the ground. 

I roll back onto my feet and square my shoulders, panting but ready to fight on. 

“It seems I only made him angry,” I murmur through gritted teeth.

I can feel my body is at its limit. I have a broken arm and possibly a few ribs too. I also have one injured eye and internal injuries too. And all of that inflicted in only two attacks. If it wasn’t for my mana barrier, I would have died. Even though I keep using it, it only reduces the force only by a fraction.

Without its eyesight, the orc starts swinging recklessly to try and get to me. I don’t really care as long as it doesn’t see me. As I am dodging its volley of attacks, I realise that at this point, it is just laying waste to the forest. Trees are being smashed to smithereens. Looking at the scattered trees, I get an idea. 

I release all the mana I could muster into the knife. I then charge at the traipsing monster from the front. But the stinking orc smiles in anticipation of my move and swings a death strike.

The blow connects with the target, and the forest shakes from the orc’s attack. Huffing and puffing, it lowers the club and wipes its brow in sheer relief, convinced that the battle is over.

“So, that was your plan, but I already prepared for that to happen, so goodbye.”

My mocking voice alarms the monster and it swings its club blindly and widely, pausing only for its large nostrils to sniff the air and sharp ears to listen for disturbances on the forest floor. 

I am not in front of it. I slash its neck off from behind, and watch as its head tumbles to the ground with a heavy thud and that concludes the fight. 

Orcs have a great sense of smell so even if you manage to blind them, they can always find you by your scent. I know that fact, and used its biggest strength against it. I manipulated my mana to hide my presence including my body scent, and snuck up on the monster from behind. What the orc had struck and thought it had won the fight, was a log from a smashed tree with a piece of my clothes on it. It fell for a decoy.

It thought I was attacking it from the front due to its acute sense of smell but thanks to that, I was able to sneak behind it and beheaded it in one fell swoop. That's why it was able to find me in the first place when I was hiding and that was because of its keen sense of smell. Heh, and I killed it the same way it was trying to kill me at first which was from behind.

How ironic.