?The sun rose over La Sexta Ind. The sky was clear blue, with only a few white clouds floating by on an otherwise perfect day. It wasn''t too hot yet—the temperature had been dropping steadily as summer approached its end. Thest few days had been a blur for Jackson, releasing his anger and frustrations while also collecting valuable items he had sorely needed.


    He practiced on the beach next to his campsite, spinning and twirling the two basic swords around himself while he focused intently on keeping them from touching each other at any point along their length. He''d been doing so since before dawn broke; now he had to prepare himself for the three dots approaching on his minimap.


    Since Sera had disappeared through the portal, nothing was standing between The Tower and Jackson as it threw wave after wave of beasts at him. Since the mysterious woman had stopped the waves so quickly and easily, the difficulty had ramped up considerably.


    The first few waves he faced wererge packs of wolves, slowly decreasing the number of wolves as more alphas were introduced. Thest few waves had been these oversized jaguars, and three more were charging toward him.


    His swordy improved dramatically during training sessions such as today''s, whichsted nearly four hours straight without pause until the next wave urred. His speed increased by leaps and bounds thanks to both practice and experience gained against monsters.


    But even though he knew exactly where everything would being from based on past experiences, nothing prepared him for how fast the creatures actually moved once they got close enough. They darted forward more quickly than he expected, forcing him into quick reactions.


    Aside from being able to dodge attacks better, he still needed to find ways to counterattack effectively. Your mind can quickly be cloudy when you''re fighting off multiple foes simultaneously unless you''ve trained yourself well beforehand. Even when one enemy is down, another wille right behind it, ready to attack. And because of that, most people who fought alone ended up dead within minutes.


    But despite those early difficulties, Jackson continued pushing onward...and eventually found some sess. After getting hit a few times, he realized something important regarding the Raging Behemoth: His best bet wasn''t attacking back immediately every time he was hit. Instead, he needed to learn how to take advantage of openings created by dodging out of range.


    So instead, he began waiting patiently while dodging, parrying, and blocking attacks, waiting for moments when the enemies woulde too close before stepping backward slightly. He would immediately swing hard at whatever part of the beast''s body appeared closest to him.


    This strategy allowed him to avoid taking damage altogether many times throughout the ensuing battles. Afterward, he would take a break and eat lunch before taking a nap until the next wave. Once that wave had finished, he would return to practicingbat techniques under different conditions.


    He had already repeated this process countless times, but things seemed easier nowpared to earlier attempts. It could be due to having gotten used to all the new challenges thrown at him. Or perhaps it was because he finally understood what tactics worked best for him personally. Either way, progress could not be denied.


    "Not bad! Not bad at all." He shouted triumphantly as he blocked several shes from a wolf pack rushing towards him together.


    A sudden roar interrupted his thoughts. A massive ck shadow loomed above him like a dark wall blotting the sunlight overhead. He quickly rolled to the side to avoid the I Jaguar high above him and crashed into the sand below. Its long tail whipped about wildly, smashing trees nearby aside as if swatting away flies.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This monster wasrger than any creature he had ever seen thus far. It looked almost demonic, with thick fur covering its entire body except for sharp ws protruding from beneath its paws. It roared again and charged directly downward, aiming squarely for Jackson.


    Its eyes glowed red with rage as it rushed headlong toward Jackson, determined to kill him. As soon as it drew near, he jumped upward onto a tree branch high above him. The jaguar immediately followed, chasing after him as he leaped from branch to branch.


    Once atop a tall palm tree trunk, Jackson spun around and swung his de sideways across the top of the trunk, slicing clean through it. The sound echoed loudly in the air, causing the animal to stop in midair. It fell heavily upon the ground,nding awkwardly on its front legs before copsing facefirst into the dirt.


    With a satisfied grin, Jacksonnded beside it and raised his sword victoriously. But then he noticed movement on the horizon. Another giant cat stood among the treetops, staring at him curiously.


    "Seriously..? Another one?!?" he muttered angrily.


    The second feline must have heard him talking, because it turned its attention toward him and growled menacingly. It padded closer, sniffing the air suspiciously and growling louder. Then suddenly, sprang forward and attacked.


    Jackson barely managed to block her powerful blow using both des. Its paw struck the left-hand guard of his primary weapon, sending sparks flying everywhere. He might have lost his grip entirely if he hadn''t caught hold of the hilt tightly.


    The force of the impact sent him tumbling backward, falling t on his rear end and rolling along the grassy in. The wind knocked out of him momentarily, and he coughed and wheezed painfully while struggling to regain his breath.


    When he opened his eye, he saw that the jaguar had taken position mere feet away from him, snarling ferociously. Blood dripped down its snout, but it didn''t appear injured. In fact, it looked as if the beast was smiling smugly, clearly enjoying itself immensely.


    It lunged forward again, swinging its colossal wed paw straight at him. Just before contact, Jackson pivoted, reaching up and grabbing the wrist holding the deadly limb.


    He twisted sharply and pulled outward, yanking the beast off bnce as he mmed the jaguar into the ground. Then he thrust his own arms forward, driving the tips of both swords down, deep inside the chest cavity of the beast. Blood gushed forth violently as he ripped them free, as a window appeared in front of him.