The Dread of Damned

"Now, let's take this as a target," he said, as a human-shaped mummy rose from the ground. Made of white marble, it looked as sturdy as the surrounding walls and floor.

"First, let's discuss which parts of the body you should aim for during a fight."

"The heart," he began, pointing to the mummy's chest. "This will be your most important target. You know that Nocturnals can heal from almost anything, even being blown to pieces, as long as they have essence. The bigger the wound, the more essence required to heal. You want to inflict fatal wounds, forcing your opponent to use their essence repeatedly until they run out, allowing you to finish them off. Attacking the heart is the most efficient strategy because it's the most vital organ, responsible for supplying heart blood, which holds the very essence that determines life and death in battle. The amount of essence needed to heal the heart is monumental, the highest."

He continued, "The second most crucial target is the head. It also requires a significant amount of essence to heal."

"If you can't hit either of these targets, try to inflict as much damage as possible to deplete their essence." He looked at me intently.

"For us, every battle is a test of perseverance, a struggle over one's reserves of essence, of who can use their essence more efficiently, whose essence is more refined." He explained this while walking to the side.

"Now, we will practice your aim and your ability to switch between different forms more efficiently. We also need to make your attacks more refined so that you use the least amount of essence while maximizing its effectiveness, ensuring your reserves last longer."

I lifted my hands and formed a sword. As I slashed, a ripple of essence traveled through the air, leaving a streak of silver as it embedded itself slightly below the heart of the dummy.

"Good for a first attempt. Let's keep practicing," he encouraged.

I slashed again, this time the ripple landing directly on the heart.

"Good. We will learn to use different forms gradually until you master them all. For today, let's focus on the sword. Also, try to control the amount of essence used with each slash, ensuring none is wasted."

I continued slashing, each time shortening the interval slightly. Controlling my essence was challenging; it felt slippery and eager to rush out.

It was easier to add essence, but controlling or reducing it proved harder than I anticipated. After countless slashes, I finally managed to control the amount of essence, delivering an attack smaller but more precise than usual, landing on the heart.

"Good. It will become more natural with time. Ensure that all the essence you release is refined and converted into the slash. You don't want to lose momentum or power, as that could be a fatal mistake in a fight," he advised.

I slashed repeatedly. Although it didn't seem to affect my body much, my essence was depleting rapidly as I tried to implement his instructions.

It would be much easier if I could just form a gun and shoot, but I need to understand the structure of what I'm manifesting for it to be usable and maintain its form. Besides, I haven't seen a gun in this world yet, so manifesting one now could raise suspicions.

I kept attacking the heart and head, each strike faster and more precise than the last.

"That should be enough for now," he said, stepping between me and the dummy, which sank back into the ground.

"Your development is phenomenal. At this rate, you might be the fastest student to graduate."

"Is this all? Weren't we going to fight?" I asked.

"Yes, this is enough for today. We need to perfect your attacks, your use of essence, your form changes, and attacking while moving. Only then will we fight to identify and patch any gaps in your fighting style. If you train too much now, your essence could be depleted," he said, looking into my eyes.

"You never want to be completely depleted; it's fatal," he concluded.

"Well, see you tomorrow then," I said, walking out.

I entered my room and went to the washroom, shedding my training trousers and shirt. Submerging in the tub, I closed my eyes, letting the water soothe my muscles.

Afterward, I put on a silver silk robe and filled a glass with silver blood from the gallon in the room. Drinking it, I felt the pure essence invigorate my being as the blood flowed through my body. I guided the essence to my lungs, focusing on a clear white spot. I repeated this process four more times until a small spot appeared beside the already formed white one, but my blood began to flood again as my lung started to swell.

I placed the glass down and lay on the bed.

It looks like this is all I can drink at my current stage, I thought, my mind drifting to the guy I had met today.

I need to figure out how to get Lucian on my side. To do that, I need to learn everything about him, the thought ran through my mind as I closed my eyes and my breathing steadied.