Vain could not identify this creature at all. He had never seen it or read about it in any of Uncle Ale's books but he could still identify its relative strength based off of the tug of war he just had with it when he was pulling in his fishing line. Vain thought this odd looking thing should be around the Human Rank nine or Bone Conditioning Rank one area because it was just about as strong as him physically. Guessing this, Vain did not want to back down or call out to Uncle Ale for help. He figured that a half fish creature that was now on land shouldn't be too dangerous for him to engage in battle with. What's more, is that Vain already thought of a tactic to defeat this odd looking fellow. That is, to find a thick tree nearby and have this creature get its horn stuck in the tree, but this was easier said than done. Not giving Vain anymore time to think, the creature leaped with its front two legs and darted towards Vain at an incredible speed. Seeing how fast the creature flying towards him was, his scalp went numb and a cold sweat started to drip down Vain's back. He did not expect a creature he pulled out of the river to be so quick on land. Vain did all he could and rolled to the side again barely dodging the horn of the creature. Vain then scanned his surroundings swiftly and found a tree he thought was suitable for his plan. Vain dashed towards the tree dodging the creatures attack two more times on the way there, but he wasn't so lucky the third time. Right before Vain got completely in front of the thick tree, the creature leaped towards Vain again and its single horn pierced straight through Vains leg sticking into the tree. At this moment, Vain and the creature were attached to each other by the horn and were both stuck to the edge of a giant tree stump that was sticking out of the ground. Vain couldnt find the time to scream because in the next moment he felt the creature take a bite out of his thigh revealing a huge wound that immediately bled profusely. Vain didnt know what to do and was panicking crazily, but fortunately, Uncle Ale saw Vain going deeper into the woods and decided to follow him secretly. Seeing Vain's current predicament, Uncle Ale immediately took action, he dashed forward aiming towards the creatures neck and severed its head on the spot. The creatures horn was still sticking through Vain's leg and was attached to the tree, but this was done purposefully by Uncle Ale. He thought that if the horn was removed immediately, then Vain would lose too much blood, so Uncle Ale pulled the grayish gold creatures head and horn out of the tree and carried Vain back to the cabin very swiftly. Fortunately, they were only a few hundred meters from the cabin so the trip back was quick and without incident. Uncle Ale and Vain didnt say a word the entire short trip, but the moment they got back to the cabin Vain thanked and apologized to Uncle Ale. Uncle Ale nodded not paying mind to Vain's words and quickly rushed around gathering some medical supplies and immediately started patching up Vain's wounds. Vain wanted to faint when Uncle Ale pulled out the creatures horn but Uncle Ale actually did some weird method that forced Vain to stay conscious. He wanted Vain to know the pain that carelessness could cause. Yes this is cruel, but it's also the easiest and most effective way to teach someone how dangerous and cruel the world can be. Uncle Ale patched up the chunk of flesh where the creature bit Vain's thigh and where the grayish gold creature pierced through Vain's leg, Uncle Ale first rearranged the bones and muscles then applied a healing ointment that burned terribly. Vain started sweating profusely and was biting down on his teeth so hard that some of the baby teeth in his mouth cracked causing his situation to worsen. But he endured it. A few minutes later, all of Vain's wounds were patched up but there were still no words exchanged between the two. They've been together long enough to understand each other others thoughts and intentions with a few glances and facial expressions so there was really no need to exchange the angry and sorrowful words at this point. Uncle Ale carried Vain into the cabin and laid him down on the bed. Uncle Ale went back out of the cabin and soon returned with the grayish gold creatures corpse so Vain could absorb the blood. After all, it was how Vain got stronger and Uncle Ale did not want to limit Vain's growth. Seeing this, Vain stuck his hand out without emotion and said "Thank you."
"Rank one Mutated Bone Conditioning Froblin blood absorbed, blood essence obtained:
Mutated Froblin. Innate Ability Obtained: Devastating Leap. "Jackpot!" Vain said aloud causing Uncle Ale to look at him suspiciously. Vain cleared his throat, the excitement of getting a new blood essence and power at the same time dulled his pains from the previous battle. After this, Since Vain was seriously injured by the Mutated Froblin, He had nothing else to do but lay in bed, meditating and eating everyday. Vain still had six months left to choose a weapon that Uncle Ale would make him so he kept trying to figure out his powers more and more. Now that he had figured out how to use bloody needle and had tied the ability to use the power to the defining body part of the Mutated creatures, Vain had a path he thought he could walk. Taking these thoughts, Vain didnt dare to try and use Devastating Leap because of his injuries but he did try to use Camouflage. Day after day, Vain tried using camouflage. Each day, he focused all of his energy into this practice trying to figure out how to use the camouflage power. Just like this, six more months passed. Vain's injuries were fully healed and today marked the sixth year since Uncle Ale and Vain met in the woods, so according to Uncle Ale, today was Vain's birthday. About three weeks ago, Uncle Ale asked Vain what kind of weapon he wanted and why, so Vain told Uncle Ale he wanted a weapon that was good with assassination. His reasoning was that his powers, bloody needle, camouflage, and devastating leap, were all good with concealment and positioning. Uncle Ale thought that this made perfect sense so he readily started designing some weapons he thought would be of great use to Vain. Now on Vain's designated birthday, Uncle Ale was ready to give the weapons as gifts. But first, Uncle Ale and Vain went on a hunt, had a sumptuous breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then dessert. After the fulfilling day, when they were both gathered around a bonfire in the woods, Uncle Ale pulled out the gifts and handed them to Vain. Vain's eyes seemed to glisten and reflect the fire light. He excitedly took the gifts and gave a generous "Thank you Uncle!" Uncle Ale had a beeming smile that said everything, hence, no more words were needed. The gifts Uncle Ale gave Vain were a dagger made out of materials Vain couldnt identify, a pitch black cloak made out of an Organ Conditioning Raven Hide Bull, and a box of needles that were made from the Mutated Froblins horn. There were about fifty needles and Vain guessed that the entire horn of the Froblin was made into needles. The dagger gave off a radiant sheen, seeming to glow a light blue color even in the red fire light. The aura of the blade felt chilling to the bone and just by looking at the dagger Vain could feel how terrifying it was. Strangely, the dagger also smelled wonderful, it was like a forest of peaches that had just blossomed and were ripe for the picking. Seeing Vain's disbelief, Uncle Ale explained "This dagger is made from the core of a spiritual tree called the Sweet Slumber tree. This tree got its name from the sweet smelling fragrance that it emits at all times and the tale of When the tree was first discovered.
It is said that the first people who discovered the Sweet Slumber tree thought the tree smelled so good that they set up camp around it for the night. The next morning they were all dead. As it turns out, the fragrance emitted by the tree is extremely poisonous, as is the rest of the tree." Vain dropped the knife and took a few quick steps back, not daring to stay around the blade. Uncle Ale laughed and said "Relax, the small aroma from the dagger won't be enough to harm you unless you inhale its scent for ten minutes. Also, this sheath can contain and condense the toxic fumes." Uncle Ale picked up the blade and sheathed it, handing it back to Vain. Vain heaved a sigh of relief, happily taking the dagger back. He then deeply bowed and said "Thank you Uncle." Uncle Ale smiled and didnt say anything else. They put out the fire and returned to the cabin for a good night's rest. Before going to bed, Uncle Ale told Vain that tomorrow he would start training him in general combat, so that Vain wouldn't only have his powers(innate abilities) to rely on and so Vain could integrate his powers and combat skills in the future. These last words from Uncle Ale before bed got Vain so excited he could hardly sleep. Little did he know that from tomorrow on, his life would be a living hell. The next morning, Vain woke up from the couple of hours of sleep he could get and he ate a sumptuous breakfast as always. After the breakfast, Uncle Ale took Vain to a clearing in the woods than Vain had never seen before. It must've been five to six kilometers away from the cabin and Vain didnt dare to venture that far into the woods alone. Therefore, even though Vain had lived in the woods for six years, he has barely been through any of it. Uncle Ale didnt beat around the bush and sternly said, "Ok, we're here. Now run to the other side of the clearing and back five times." Vain looked at Uncle Ale with doubt and said, "Aren't I supposed to be learning combat skills?" Uncle Ale - "Aren't you a little out of shape little fatty? Now start running or you won't get any dinner." Vain was sad. He didnt want to run at all. What was even more depressing was that the clearing was at least two hundred meters long and he had to do it five times. But Vain knew that Uncle Ale wouldn't give him a useless task, he knew that it would be important in the long run so Vain gritted his teeth and started to jog back and forth. Vain persevered and completed this task. After this, Uncle Ale gave him a plethora of other tasks and trainings to do and Vain completed them each one by one. Just like that, Vain started his rigorous training regime.
(A Sect is a gathering of numerous families and individuals not necessarily caring about family ties or bloodlines but also not disregarding them. Talent is the most important thing to a sect, so from a young age the members' talents, natural powers, cunning, and all aspects are tested. Outsiders are often welcomed in through a myriad of tests but often have to meet the requirements of very strict criteria to join. Sects openly share specific powers, spells, and techniques among each other through competitions, challenges, and etc because they simply want the strongest members they can have. This causes Sects to typically be stronger overall but at the same time, it can cause sects to have a lot more unfriendly competition and be less stable. A family/clan is exactly as it sounds. These forces usually don't welcome outsiders in and the members have to have the bloodline of the clan to be an official member. The techniques, powers, spells, and etc are usually specific to a family/clan but some can be contributed to the members joining sects and returning to their families with numerous gains. The sects don't mind this because its just another tie they'll have in the end. Of course, the strongest techniques and so on won't be so easily shared. Families and Clans also have fierce competition among the heirs but its not as exaggerated as the sects. The family head will have children and the most talented among the children will take the throne or head seat. Its not always the most powerful. Often enough, the family/clan will test political strength and cunning through different means. This was previously showed in the Nanlong family. The first prince was a love child between the Emperor and a maid but because the first prince's mother was a maid, he didnt have any backing despite his outrageous talent. The Emperor favored the first prince but the heads of a family/clan remain impartial as to keep the inheritance drama to a minimum. A large faction leader often has many wives/concubines so remaining impartial is also beneficial as to not upset the wives' families. This causes families to typically have tighter bonds and remain more stable than sects.)