Kael stood under the rushing waterfall, letting the water cascade down his body, washing away the sweat, grime, and dirt from the past few days. The water pounded against his skin, massaging tired muscles, and soothing the few new bruises and scrapes he had accumulated. He exhaled through his nose, tilting his head back, allowing himself to enjoy the moment of stillness, and the ambient sounds.

  It had been two days since his last assault on the Gloomkin, two days since he had lured them into the forest and butchered them in the dark. Since then, he had not relented. Instead, he had been hunting them even more aggressively, taking greater risks, attacking more frequently, and forcing them into an even higher state of Alertness. And to his amusement, it seemed to be working. If monsters could feel paranoia, Kael was sure the Gloomkin were.

  It was safe to say they were terrified now, much more than before.

  Their movements had changed, even more than they had started to do a couple of days ago. They continued with no longer straying far from their village, preferring to stick and hunt close to it. Their patrols were even tighter, their formations more compact, and they jumped at every little sound in the forest. He had even seen some of the cowardlier flinch at shadows, while some attacked anything that made a noise or moved, a sight that had nearly made him laugh out loud.

  But their continued caution didn’t save them. Kael had adapted as well. When they stopped wandering too far, staying in smaller areas, he stalked them within their smaller hunting grounds. When they started patrolling together in larger and larger groups, he baited them into splitting up. When they became too afraid to leave and hunt at night, he killed them during the day. It didn’t matter how much they tried to adapt—Kael was always a step ahead, as more of them died the less the groups sticking closer mattered, unlike when they first started doing this tactic, kael having been limited with what he could do, due to the numbers. Now, he estimated that their numbers had been cut down to around forty, which was low enough for what he had planned next. Something he had been truly looking forward to for a while now. Ever since they took his first home in this new world.

  His smile widened, and he let the thought drift away, continuing to focus on enjoying the moment. Kael shifted his weight under the waterfall, feeling the muscles in his back loosen slightly as the water pounded down against him. He had been pushing his body these past few days, but despite the exhaustion, he felt stronger.

  Part of it was due to him making progress with his Essence control. He still struggled with shaping his Essence into something sharp and useful for a fight. But after hours of practice and refinement, he felt he was getting closer. As a by-product of all that practicing, the time it took to shape constructs was now a bit faster, not fast enough that he could make new constructs on the spot, but fast. The act of molding the energy into form was becoming less of a struggle the more familiar he was with the processes.

  Kael also decided to continue to refrain from using his constructs in combat, at least for now. Even if he was making improvements, the constructs were still too fragile. This meant Kael would have little use with them before they broke and he couldn't make a new one on the spot quick enough. Despite that as a setback, overall there was progress, and progress was progress.

  But there was something Kael had properly succeeded in.

  A few hours ago, he had finally managed to will and connect a bigger tendril from his core to his body. Increasing the amount and rate at which Essence flowed into his body. With the last level up his core had increased in size again, this new tendril would allow Kael to get more Essence out of his core faster and have more to use.

  It wasn’t easy. Increasing the size of the tendril also increased the strain on his focus, and directing that much energy at once had taken some trial and error. But once he had managed to control it properly, the difference was immediate.

  With this, he could enhance his body more, making it more effective and stronger. He still needed to train with it more, and regulate the amount, as the greater flow had resulted in the veins glowing more, not by much but enough for him to notice it.

  Kael let out a slow relaxed breath. Then he opened his eyes, looking at the cascading water before him. The forest beyond was calm and illuminated by the rays of sunlight. Looking to the side Kael saw a few insects on the ground rustling fallen leaves.

  Then—something shifted at the edge of his vision. Kael frowned slightly, his instincts flaring.

  His eyes flicked downward, toward the water pooling around his legs. Something long and dark was moving beneath the surface, slowly slithering closer.

  He didn’t react immediately. Instead, he remained still, watching. A second later, a notification flickered into his vision.

  [ Earthen Sucuri (Common) - Level 6 ]

  The massive serpent crept closer, its sleek, earth-toned body partially submerged, only the faint outline of its scales visible beneath the rushing water. It was at least four meters long, its movements slow and deliberate as it stalked its prey.

  Kael didn’t move. He waited.

  The snake slithered closer, its head rising slightly above the water, forked tongue flicking out. Then, just as it prepared to strike—

  Kael moved.

  His hand shot out, gripping the snake by its head before it could lunge. The creature immediately thrashed, its powerful long body wrapping around his arm and chest, trying to crush him. Kael felt the weight and the strength of the creature, even with his increased stats.

  His muscles strained against the pressure, but he was ready. With his free hand, he grabbed a nearby rock. Then—he slammed it down onto the serpent’s skull.

  The first impact stunned it. The second cracked bone. By the third, the snake had stopped moving.

  [ Experience Gained! ]

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  Kael exhaled, feeling the last remnants of tension leave his body. The serpent’s lifeless coils slowly loosened around him, and he pried himself free, dragging the corpse out of the water. Kael was hungry, and the snake conveniently presented itself as food.

  It wasn’t the first time he had eaten snake meat. This big one was pretty similar to the smaller snakes Kael had eaten and caught before. He had no issues adding this one to his food supply.

  After taking on his clothes and boot sandals Kael lifted the carcass over his shoulder and moved away from the waterfall. He didn’t want the scent of blood attracting predators while he worked. Finding a suitable place further away, he set the snake down and retrieved his knife.

  The scaled skin peeled away not so easily, the knife's edge having started to dull after all this time. But Kael pushed on revealing dense muscle beneath. He proceeded to cut away strips of meat, careful to avoid the stomach, where the snake’s last meal could still be digesting.

  After gathering enough he lifted and carried the meat, making his way back to his cooking station behind the waterfall. There, he relit the small fire and began roasting the meat over the flames.

  As he watched the flames lick at the flesh, his mind drifted back to his plan.

  He had already scouted the Gloomkin village the day before after finishing his hunt of them, and he had noticed something interesting. Not so surprisingly, several of the huts were now empty. He had watched the village for hours to make sure, waiting to see if any Gloomkin entered them. But none did. That meant they were abandoned, that they were now free real estate, and Kael planned to make use of them when he set the village on fire.

  Burning down the Gloomkin village wasn’t just about revenge—though that certainly played a part. It was about eliminating them. About ensuring that these creatures understood that their survival in this forest was not a right, but a fleeting privilege. One that he would soon strip away entirely. But first, he needed to prepare.

  As the fire crackled softly, Kael reached down and unwrapped the strips of cloth around his forearms. The fabric was worn and frayed, having seen repeated use over the past days, but it would serve its purpose again. He laid them out beside him, then dragged closer to himself the small bundle of dry sticks and leaves he had gathered prior.

  The first part of his plan was simple. He needed multiple ignition points within the village to ensure the fire took hold, spread, and distracted them. Starting one blaze wasn’t enough—if the Gloomkin put it out fast, then all his effort would be wasted. Instead, he needed several fires burning simultaneously, positioned in different huts to prevent them from stopping them in time. After finishing his meal, Kael put out the fire, leaving behind only smoldering embers. Then, he carefully wrapped the sticks and dry leaves in the cloth strips, tying them into tight bundles. These would serve as his makeshift fire starters—once lit, they would hold the flame long enough for the fire to properly start inside the huts before then igniting the structures as a whole.

  Satisfied with his work, he adjusted the bundles, securing them with a few extra strips of cloth, where it was needed. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. Grabbing the bundles, Kael stood, rolling his shoulders as he took a slow, deep breath. Then he started heading out.

  Kael moved through the forest with practiced silence, stepping over tangled roots and avoiding the areas where the ground was too soft, where his steps might leave tracks. The fading daylight pierced the thick canopy, leaving long shadows in the landscape.

  As he neared the Gloomkin territory, he took extra precautions, moving low and slow. The last thing he needed was to fall for one of their traps before reaching his destination. His eyes flicked to the side, spotting one such trap. A large burrowing insect had made a home inside one of the pitfalls, its multi-eyed head peeking out as it sensed movement. Kael maneuvered past it.

  Keeping to the trees as cover, he moved further south, wanting to sneak inside the village from that side, where he had spotted more of the empty huts on his last scouting. After some careful maneuvering kael, managed to position himself south of the village, still remaining inside the forest. The task was easier now that the Gloomkin patrols were fewer, their fear practically palpable in the air.

  Surveying the village Kael spotted the Chieftain standing on the wooden platform in the village center, its eerie staff glowing dimly as it overlooked its remaining kin. The two hulking bodyguards flanked it as always, watching, and waiting.

  Kael settled better into position as he continued scanning the village, the night fully setting in. Most of the remaining Gloomkin were walking around restless, their usual activities no were to be seen. The patrols moved stiffly looking around the area, all of them under the ever-watchful eyes of their leader.

  They looked and acted as if they were waiting for something or someone to attack. Which they would be correct in doing.

  After some time had passed, Kael moved a bit further up north in the woods, the new position he found was just far enough for the Gloomkin to see, but not so well that they would spot him yet. Then finding a good small area behind a short bush, Kael reached down, unwraping the cloth holding it, and setting down one of the fire bundles he had made earlier. He placed the bundle of sticks in a way to improve ignition, then took out a smaller, thinner stick. Kneeling, he pressed it against a dry patch of bark and began rubbing. The friction built heat. Tiny embers formed.

  Kael leaned in, carefully feeding the ember with dried leaves, blowing softly until it flared into a small flame.

  He didn’t need much—just enough to ignite the first distraction.

  With practiced and hurried movements, Kael placed the flame at the base of the sticks, which he had positioned just at the edge of the bush. The flame caught immediately with the help of some leaves he placed, the dry vegetation quickly feeding the fire. Then he moved back to his position further south, careful not to be seen.

  The fire behind him flickered, casting an orange glow against the darkness.

  The moment it was visible, he heard the reaction.

  Guttural screeches. The sound of scurrying feet. The Gloomkin patrols immediately turned toward the fire, panicked voices rising.

  Kael allowed himself a relieved smile seeing the small distraction working. Perfect.

  As the village guards rushed to investigate, their focus directed elsewhere, Kael took the opportunity to slip into the open, dashing across the grassland toward one of the abandoned huts. He pressed himself against the wooden structure, his heart steady, and his movements precise. After checking and seeing it still empty, he put down another bundle.

  Kael repeated the same fire-starting process, first, he unwrapped the cloth holding the bundle, followed by wrapping it on his forearms instead, then lighting the bundle, this time placing it inside the hut. The dry leaves, sticks, and wooden supports caught the flame instantly smoke curling toward the ceiling.

  Kael didn’t wait to watch it burn. Sneaking further into the village along the south, taking advantage of the commotion.

  He moved to another hut. Another fire.

  And then another.

  By the time the first hut was fully ablaze, Kael had set three separate fires, each positioned in different sections of the southern part of the village.

  The moment the flames spread, the village erupted into chaos. Gloomkin screeched in panic, their movements wild as they scrambled in all directions.

  The patrols returned from the treeline, realizing too late that they had been tricked.

  Kael watched from the shadows, observing the confusion unfold.

  Some Gloomkin rushed to put out the fires, throwing dirt and hide onto the growing blazes. Others ran aimlessly, too confused to act, looking around for something to attack.

  Kael’s grin widened seeing the growing chaos.

  The Chieftain stood on its platform, screaming orders, its staff’s glow flickering in frustration. The bodyguards remained by its side, their muscles tense, eyes scanning the flames.

  They still won’t leave its side. Good.