Every breath burned his throat.
His feet sank into the soft dirt as he dodged the massive creature lunging at him.
The serpent — nearly ten meters long — moved with terrifying speed. Its mouth opened wide, revealing fangs long enough to pierce through his entire body.
— "Damn it… how the hell am I supposed to survive this?!" — Clint growled, stepping back.
His body screamed in pain. Muscles throbbed. But in the middle of the chaos… something felt off.
His body... felt lighter. Faster. Stronger.
He clenched his fists.
That sensation... that warmth… that vibration… it was the same as before.
The same feeling that allowed him to push beyond his limits.
— "So... this is... that thing... Mantra…?" — he thought, narrowly dodging another strike that would have split him in half.
The serpent lunged again. Clint didn't think. He rolled sideways, grabbing a rock mid-motion, and threw it with all his strength.
The stone struck the creature right in the eye. A deafening screech shook the forest.
"It felt that… it works."
His entire body pulsed. The vibration in his legs felt different now.
Like something waiting… something that could explode outward... if he could just focus.
He remembered Darius' words at the start of training:
— "Focus. Feel. Your entire body must respond to your command."
He closed his eyes for a second. Breathed deep.
"Focus... channel it... it's not just instinct... it's control."
When his eyes opened, the world became sharper.
The sound of leaves. The scraping of the serpent's rough scales. The subtle tremors in the ground.
Everything. He sensed everything.
The creature lunged — a deadly strike.
This time, Clint didn't run.
With a roar, he bent his legs, feeling the Mantra surge up from the ground through his muscles.
He dashed to the side — faster, sharper — and his hand gripped the sword.
The steel flashed.
The slash wasn't pretty — it wasn't elegant — but it was brutal. Wild. Precise.
The blade tore through the creature's side, leaving a deep, bloody wound.
The serpent shrieked, its massive body thrashing in agony, spewing blood and fury.
— "I CAN DO THIS!" — Clint shouted, half to himself, half to the world.
Now he understood.
Mantra wasn't just something that activated in desperation.
It was an extension of his will. A weapon. A shield. A fire that would burn anyone who tried to extinguish him.
The beast struck again, but Clint was ready.
He stepped forward, letting the energy flood his legs, then slid underneath the serpent's lunging body.
With a powerful thrust, he drove the sword deep into the soft joint where the jaw met the neck.
The creature howled — an ugly, horrible sound.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
It tried to retreat… but it was finished.
Two more slashes. Then three.
Until the massive serpent collapsed, its body twitching... until finally still.
For a long moment, Clint stood there… staring. Breathing heavily.
The smell of blood was suffocating, but... he was alive.
— "I... did it." — he whispered, staring at his trembling hands.
But it wasn't fear.
It was... excitement.
His first real victory. His first real step forward.
He clenched his fists.
— "This... is only the beginning."