Several long months passed without Shen Zuo running into any real danger worth mentioning. All he did was train, build up his energy, and refine the new Phantom he'd gotten from the lynx. It turned out that Phantom's ability was gradually increasing muscle mass, and within just two weeks of using it, Shen Zuo's body looked like someone who'd spent a full year on bodybuilding training.
Alongside that, Shen Zuo gathered a number of other Phantoms. One of them had the ability to secrete small needles that attacked an opponent directly, and as these needles accumulated inside the enemy's body, their focus would gradually fade away... until they lost consciousness entirely. Shen Zuo found this Phantom after killing a Level Two hedgehog, one that had already been near death after fighting another beast.
He also discovered another strange Phantom that took days to figure out: one that permanently increased physical activity. The increase was tiny at first, but built up over time, exactly like the muscle Phantom. This type of Phantom was typically what beasts relied on to slowly increase their physical strength, eventually reaching extraordinary limits.
Beyond the Phantoms, Shen Zuo's poison arsenal had expanded further and further. He added new types of poison, developed some new formulas that boosted both quantity and effectiveness at once, until he had a stock large enough for the next phase.
Now only three months remained... he hadn't even killed half the quota of Level Two beasts he needed, and certainly hadn't killed a single Level Three beast.
Beyond all that... Shen Zuo had come close to dying more than once. He'd lost an entire arm once, though it eventually grew back. It took long months for it to fully regenerate.
During this time, Shen Zuo rebuilt his map again from scratch, mastering the details of the terrain, the passages, the safe zones, and the dangerous ones. The Rock Mutation Phantom had come close to total destruction from overuse, forcing him to search for a specific kind of stone, which he finally found in the exact same spot where he'd first obtained the Phantom.
As for the rest of the Phantoms... he searched and found several other alternatives, herbs, stones, and materials that helped him repair the rest.
He fired the small needles all at once toward the hawk, which was flying above Shen Zuo with an easy grace, as though mocking him. The bird moved effortlessly, weaving around as though this was just a game to it.
But when it closed in, trying to slap Shen Zuo with its wing, he finally moved. He reached out and grabbed the bird's wing with a lightning-fast grip. That moment gave him the opening to unleash another wave of needles at the hawk.
But the needles... suddenly stopped mid-air before ever touching its body, falling to the ground with no effect whatsoever. The hawk yanked its wing free with force and lifted off, without losing so much as a single feather.
Then came the second attack, without any hesitation. The bird froze Shen Zuo in place again, as though it had stripped him of any ability to move, and fired three sharp feathers straight at his body.
The first feather pierced his left shoulder.
The second struck his thigh.
The third, he barely managed to dodge, his body scarcely able to move at all.
The pain didn't push Shen Zuo to scream. He focused all his energy, trying to regain control of his body as fast as possible.
The hawk lunged again. This time it got closer than it should have. Shen Zuo had already turned both fists into sharp stone masses, ready to strike, but the paralysis returned at the critical moment.
The hawk landed on his shoulder, without a hint of fear, without any hesitation.
It extended its head, as though inspecting his body.
Shen Zuo watched the bird's eyes... it wasn't hungry, it was just amusing itself.
The hawk chose to sink its beak directly into Shen Zuo's chest. He barely managed to form a quick layer of stone over his chest, but the beak pierced through it... tore through skin and flesh, stopping just short of his heart, but leaving a deep wound and a sharp wave of pain.
Shen Zuo finally moved. A stone fist struck at the bird, but it dodged the blow before it landed.
Even so, he didn't back down.
Shen Zuo fired another volley of needles, trying to take advantage of the close distance. The bird didn't retreat. It stayed right there, watching Shen Zuo with a condescending look, as though saying: "Is that all you've got?"
Shen Zuo smiled stubbornly, both fists still made of stone.
"Come on... let me show you."
The bird didn't back off. It hovered dangerously close to Shen Zuo, its blue eyes blazing with something mysterious... something between amusement and threat.
Shen Zuo didn't wait.
This time he lunged forward with everything he had left. His left, stone-covered hand shot forward in a straight punch toward the bird's chest.
But the bird raised its wing with fluid ease and knocked Shen Zuo's hand aside, then attacked with its other talon toward his neck.
Shen Zuo moved slowly... but he moved. His head tilted to the side by some miracle. The talon didn't land directly, but left a deep gash across his already torn left shoulder.
Shen Zuo's right fist swung back toward the bird's wing. A quick strike, not strong enough to crush it, but it grazed the tip of the feathers, the first time he'd actually managed to land a hit.
The bird pulled back slightly, flapping its wings, but it didn't leave. It went back to circling above him, wide loops, its gaze locked steadily onto its stubborn prey.
Shen Zuo was struggling to breathe, his chest dripping blood, the stone covering him cracked and partially shattered, his hand barely able to lift the axe.
The bird fired three more feathers. This time Shen Zuo rolled across the ground, dodging two of them, but the third pierced his right thigh.
He fell.
His breath rattled in his chest.
But he raised his eyes. He raised his fists.
He smiled.
"Come on," he said to himself, no voice, no strength left. But he was still standing.
The hawk stopped.
For a moment... just one single moment... it didn't move.
Then it turned, flapped its wings, and vanished above the trees.
Shen Zuo stayed standing there... unable to chase after it... but alive.
Good progress... huh? Shen Zuo thought to himself, slowly pulling the feathers out of his body, the pain squeezing at his chest, but he barely paid it any attention.
Anyway... that was the last training session with that damn hawk. Only three months left... and he still had no idea how in hell he was going to kill a Level Three beast.
Pull out a feather. Blood. Pain.
That damn hawk was Level Three too... if only he could kill it.
He smiled bitterly, tossing the remaining feathers aside.
"Hey, feather brain... come here, I've got a deal for you."
Shen Zuo called out loudly, sitting down and trying to recover his energy, which was nearly spent.
The bird landed in front of him.
Impatience was clear in its gaze... and apparently, if it didn't like the offer, it wouldn't hesitate to take another bite out of Shen Zuo.
"Alright... how about you go fight that Level Three lion? I don't think you're too fond of it being around here anyway."
Shen Zuo paused for a moment... the bird stayed right where it was, waiting for him to continue.
"All you have to do... is put it right at death's door. I'll handle the rest. I won't take a single thing from it. I promise."
The bird's expression didn't change.
Pure mockery.
Sarcastic... as always.
The bird kept looking at him with that same mocking stare... a look that clearly said:
"And what exactly do I get out of that?"
It didn't move... didn't blink... just those blue eyes radiating mockery and contempt.
Shen Zuo sighed, then continued his offer:
"Alright... any beast I kill that's Level Two, it's entirely yours. I won't poison it, I won't take any Phantoms from it. Everything's yours."
The bird stayed exactly where it was, its expression unchanged. If anything...
the contempt in its eyes only deepened, as though hi
s words were laughable, almost pitiful.
As though the bird were saying:
"You don't have anything worth giving me in exchange..."