Chapter 393 Finding Enemies (1/2)

Arran groaned in frustration Almost half a week had passed after he'd achieved his breakthrough in the Forer to find opponents to test his skills Yet despite covering hundreds of n of the opponents he sought

Instead, all he saas inhospitable wilderness, filled with long stretches of thorny trees and craggy hills Occasionally, there were ruins a-abandoned settleroith those who once lived there long since moved to safer lands

Had Arran been a treasure hunter or scholar, the secrets that lay hidden beneath these lands ht were enemies rather than treasures, and of those, there was not a trace to be found

The lack of Blightspawn in the area caused Arran no sh, his swordsed swords, bri And the only way to teainst capable opponents

This was especially true for his sword skills He could practice his spells without enemies to receive his attacks, but swordplay was different That required ene ait — an exercise that would never let him discover his flaws

But as much as he needed enemies, Arran found none And so, he continued onward, steadily

Even without ene wasn't a coh the wilderness, he used the For every step he took with his newfound comprehension This allowed him to move far faster than he could otherwise, buthis skill at co since understood that insights related not just tocould apply asdown a tree as it did to striking an opponent with his blade, after all

Yet in the past, his insights had been scattered and disjointed Each ti so had required a deliberate effort Because of that, he had treated the theing

As difficult as cole skill, and one he could use constantly, nospells, or sithen hian to use his insights ral part of him rather than a skill to be called upon only when needed

This wasn't so Arran had intended to happen, but when he became aware of it, he decided at once to let it continue Mastering the fusion of his insights was a difficult task, and he would gladly accept anything that would hasten his progress

Still, he continued his search for Blightspawn, as well Even if his progress from the Forms exceeded his expectations, only battle could truly te these newfound powers

Arran continued his journey ard for n of enemies But then, finally, he came to a reluctant halt

By now, he kneas already nearing the far edge of the Imperium Another few days of travel at most, and he would cross into the Desolation, where he would surely find the ene onward tempted Arran, but as ly admitted to himself that the idea was a bad one

He believed he had the strength to defeat ers he encountered — and escape those he could not defeat — but he also knew that his knowledge about the Desolation was still lacking

Moreover, he was already running short on time

He had told Kaleesh that he would return within a month or two, and well over a month had already passed If he ventured into the Desolation and ht well find himself unable to keep his word

That wasn't a risk he could take Had it just been hi to chance it, but he could not risk burdening Kaleesh and the others like that — and that the captain would wait for him, he knew for a fact

Yet without enemies, there was no reason to reroups of Blightspawn if he searched another feeeks, but that wouldn't be anywhere near enough He needed dozens of battles, not a mere handful

Arran briefly pondered the h There was no way around it — his best option was to return to Knight's Watch At least there, he would be able to practice against others

Still, he could not help but cast a regretful glance ard before he left

There, beyond the horizon, lay the Desolation, with all its dangers and opportunities And although he would travel there soon enough, he already felt the pull of curiosity

He had long wondered what could threaten a force as htspawn had provided little et at least a glimpse of the true answer

But it would have to wait

Without any further hesitation, Arran turned around and set off at a run, his figure soon disappearing amid the trees and rocks that littered the wilderness

As he ran, he could not help but h he did not exert hi a pace that he could easily maintain for days without effort, he easily surpassed ould have been his limit just a month earlier

Where he had previously relied on the sheer power and endurance of his body, the coained froreater dexterity than he could before

No longer did he depend on brute force, with his feet tearing the earth beneath hi steps now only barely round, and the touch of his boots was light enough that it left not even footprints behind

Yet his strength was not the least bit diminished And if he could now achieve double the result with half the effort, then it could be iined ould happen when he truly expended his power

There was no need for that noever Instead of hurrying, Arran continued his journey at a fast but even pace, saving his strength as he ht's Watch

He traveled like this for several hours, his figure barely a shadow as he flitted past stretches of dense brush and jagged crags Though the terrain was rough, the obstacles Arran met — deep canyons and shallow rapids, as well as many patches of thorny trees — now barely slowed hian to approach, he'd already traveled close to a hundredthe landscape in a deep red as it made its final descent toward the horizon, Arran came to a sudden halt

In the distance, he Sensed sohtspawn, and several dozens of theh the creatures were difficult to Sense, he had not forgotten his first encounter with theht be, he now instantly recognized it for what it was

There was no need for Arran to consider what he would do He had traveled here to hunt Blightspawn, and now that he had finally found a group, he had no intention of letting them escape

Still, he did not rush into battle Instead, he h terrain to mask his approach While he did not intend to ambush these opponents, he wouldn't throw caution to the wind altogether, either

It took a few h to lay eyes on his unwitting eneht caused him to raise an eyebrow in surprise

So far, he had only seen Blightspawn either in battle or readying themselves for it But the creatures before hih ca fires on which they were roasting h Arran had known the Blightspaeren't just ht of theine theht But now, the scene before hi a meal, in much the same way that human soldiers would

But there were differences, as well While soldiersor banter, there was no such h the creatures spoke to each other, they did so in rough grunts that ry beasts than it did the speech of men

And more than that, their movements lacked the ease and laziness of weary soldiers Instead, they estures, alony

But then, Arran realized, that ht have restrained the Essence within the would still be like a fire running ithin their veins