Abyssal Sovereignty

In a cave, a young girl was roasting a cleaned rabbit over a fire, while beside her hung an entire row of unihorn rabbit corpses.

It had been a week since Yverantheia awoke in the cave.

Originally, she thought that with her third-level strength, catching a first-level rabbit would be a piece of cake. However, upon actual attempt, she discovered that these rabbits were unexpectedly agile. Combined with her unhealed injuries, despite having stopped the continuous bleeding, the lost blood and the damage to her muscles and bones had not yet recovered. Therefore, it took her considerable effort to catch the rabbit.

Nevertheless, through these experiences, she gradually got used to the inconvenience of losing her dominant hand.

“Pupu.”

A strange creature extended its tentacles from under the row of rabbit corpses, wrapping around one of them.

During this time, this strange creature had been inexplicably following her. She discovered that it fed on the bodily fluids of other creatures. The reason it crawled onto her when she was severely injured and unconscious was because she was covered in blood, which was exactly to its liking.

Moreover, it had another trait: if it was absorbing blood, it would secrete a substance that could heal wounds.

Regarding this, Yverantheia was puzzled. For a creature to survive, nutrients were essential. This ability, which reduced its own food, seemed illogical.

However, she didn't dwell too much on it. After all, there were many unreasonable things in the world. Besides, its blood-absorbing ability saved her a lot of trouble. What originally required a period of time to bleed out from a corpse was now processed in no time.

After replenishing her energy, Yverantheia stood up and walked towards the cave entrance. Her injuries had mostly healed; it was time to begin formal training.

But now the question was which direction to train in. Setting aside magic for now, she had no experience in close combat.

'Should I make a weapon? Or fight bare-handed...'

After a moment of consideration, she decided. Although bare-handed combat had its disadvantages in the early stages, once it reached a certain level, it would surpass other weapons. Moreover, she lacked the materials and skills to make a weapon at the moment.

Having set her goal, Yverantheia targeted a tree and punched it with her left hand.

It was just an ordinary tree, and with Yverantheia's third-level strength, the impact wasn't enough to injure her.

She repeatedly punched the tree trunk with her left hand, constantly switching attack methods, using hand blades, claw strikes, and even trying to mimic a technique called 'force exertion' she read about in a book.

However, before she could exert the force, the tree trunk broke due to her continuous attacks, and the whole tree fell.

"…Not enough..."

Even though it seemed incredible to an ordinary person to break a tree with bare hands without feeling pain, Yverantheia knew very well that with her current physical strength, she wouldn't even scratch the surface, let alone encounter those lofty beings.

Thinking of this, Yverantheia looked at the surrounding trees and clenched her fist.

Days passed by, and Yverantheia progressed from breaking a tree in dozens of punches to a few, then one. She moved from trees to rocks, leaving fallen trees and shattered rocks all around the cave.

During this process, Yverantheia seemed to grasp something.

The timing, speed, hand shape, body posture, kicking angle, breathing method... all these factors closely affected the power of her attacks.

After continuous practice, she could now easily shatter a rock larger than herself with the same force that initially took dozens of punches to break a tree trunk.

Having finished her practice, it was time for actual combat.

During her training, Yverantheia also went hunting and discovered a third-level magical beast in the area.

Magical beasts, due to their innate abilities and physiques, were generally stronger than humans of the same level. For Yverantheia, they were perfect opponents.

Without delay, Yverantheia set off towards the beast's habitat.

Her training had also improved her physical abilities. Compared to her previous role as a healer and buffer who occasionally raised a shield, she could now maneuver solo in guerrilla warfare.

“…Found you.”

Upon seeing her target, Yverantheia immediately jumped high and stomped down.

In an instant, dust flew, and the surrounding plants swayed from the sudden wind pressure.

"…Hiss…"

The magical beast was a python, nearly a meter thick, with short horns on its head—a feature indicating partial dragon lineage, making it even harder to deal with.

However, the corresponding rewards were also higher because anything related to the world's natural powerhouses—the dragons—was rare material.

“...Hiss…”

Despite its massive size, the snake moved with surprising speed, nearly matching Yverantheia's, who stood just under five feet tall.

With a leap, Yverantheia landed behind the serpent’s horns, as if she intended to ride it.

In fact, she grabbed onto one of its horns, applying pressure backward.

The snake, enraged by this audacity, began thrashing wildly. Its horns were not only symbols of its strength but also its vulnerable points. It slammed its head against the ground, trying to dislodge the girl clinging to it.

Aware that her small frame couldn't withstand the force of being crushed by such a gigantic creature, Yverantheia jumped away from its head just in time.

“Hisss!”

While Yverantheia was mid-air, the snake seized the opportunity, coiling its body around her and tightening its grip, aiming to crush her to death.

Just as the constricting body was about to make contact, Yverantheia struck the snake with a powerful blow, using the force to flip herself over its body.

“Hiss!!”

That strike wasn't just for escape. Yverantheia’s training paid off as she channeled her strength through the serpent’s scales into its skin and deeper still, affecting its internal organs. Upon closer inspection, the area where she struck showed scales falling off, blood oozing, and even impaired movement in the snake's lower body.

The serpent glared at Yverantheia, fully enraged. To be humiliated by a tiny bipedal creature was a grievous offense, especially for one with dragon blood in its veins. But this was nothing more than impotent rage. Against Yverantheia, who remained unscathed, it stood no chance.

Moreover, in a contest of fury, the snake was no match for Yverantheia.

Crack... crack...

As Yverantheia prepared to deliver the final blow, the sound of breaking branches grew louder.

“Oh? Is this what they call ‘when you beat the young, the old comes out’?”