Jimmy seized Jacob by the arm, urging him to rise swiftly. He instructed him to dash either to the left or right with utmost haste, seeking refuge in the farthest direction possible. Without a moment to spare, they and their companions sprinted frantically in various, unpredictable paths, fully aware that their survival hung in the balance.
The thunderous gallop of approaching danger grew alarmingly near, leaving them no choice but to abandon their horse and belongings, praying for a miraculous escape for their faithful steed.
As Jacob sprinted, his pace outstripped that of all the adults on the expedition, his sole focus on increasing the distance between himself and the danger. However, Jacob, in his haste, discerned that the stampede was not confined to one distant location, but instead encroaching from all sides of the tree line.
Desperately wanting to warn the others, he glanced back, only to find the gap between them insurmountable. With a heavy heart, he turned away from the forest's edge and fled in the opposite direction, silently hoping that the others would make it on their own.
As Jacob sprinted away from the edge of the forest, he began to meticulously channel his mana through the network of nodes within his body, at a lowered output inducing a restrained influence over his bloodline.
This subtle manipulation served to slightly augment his physical attributes without triggering a complete transformation, a technique that L had diligently drilled into him during the course of the night while focused on understanding the basics of his bloodline.
His eyes underwent a subtle shift in hue, while his ears assumed a more tapered contour, all while his pace subtly quickened.
Jacob continued to increase his pace, yet he felt no hint of exhaustion or strain even while sprinting at his utmost speed. A resonant growl echoed in the distance, prompting Jacob to glance back and witness the emergence of the first of the creatures from the depths of the forest—a sizable herd of boars.
Emerging behind them was an extensive herd of deer, closely followed by a multitude of animals. Pursuing them not far behind, a pack of relentless wolves and bears surged forth from the forest, ruthlessly attacking every creature in their path.
Jacob persisted in his sprint until a sudden spark of inspiration illuminated his thoughts. "Dear L, wouldn't this tumultuous scenario present the ideal opportunity for me to extract some essence?" Jacob inquired.
"Certainly, my young friend, why not take advantage of it? Provided, of course, that you are assured of your own survival," L replied, laughing heartily.
Jacob beamed and promptly pivoted on his heels to face the throng of creatures scrambling over one another in their desperate flight towards him. He could nearly taste the promise of newfound strength that would undoubtedly accompany each adversary he dispatched.
Jacob was unaware that the subtle modification to his genetic composition was subtly shaping his notions on the topics of death and carnage. As long as no sudden traumatic event occurred, he would gradually become desensitized to the notion.
For the young boy, the act of slaying these oncoming creatures appeared merely as a trivial pursuit, a means to enhance his prowess.
The concept that a child of his tender age ought to harbor trepidation in the face of dispatching beings twice his size never crossed his mind.
L, who was covertly observing from the depths of Jacob's consciousness, found himself greatly pleased by the boy's eagerness to grow in strength and lack of reaction to the concept of sacrificing the animals for enhanced strength.
He recognized that by nurturing the evolution of the boy's perspective at this stage, it would greatly facilitate the process of equipping him for the plans he had conceived for the future.
Jacob unsheathed the dagger that he had fastened to his waist during his escape and grasped it firmly with both hands. As the first of the boars approached and tried to charge at him, Jacob cycled his mana in full force, completing his transformation.
With the others of the group now far out of sight and on the brink of being engulfed by a herd of stampeding creatures, any fears or hesitations he had about being discovered vanished, and he let loose.
Jacob's stats increased further as he fervently brandished the dagger at the first of the boars. The dagger cleanly severed the boars head from the rest of its body with no resistance.
Jacob was oblivious as another boar charged towards him. With the same ease as before, he effortlessly cleaved the boar in half. A sense of euphoria washed over Jacob, reveling in his unmatched strength.
He proceeded to dismantle any creature that dared to challenge him, creating ripples in the horde of oncoming creatures.
Immersed in a profound exhilaration, Jacob unconsciously began to invoke the latent power of his bloodline as the essence of every creature he had triumphed over and continued to conquer began to resonate and swirl around him.
The blood was coalescing into an orb as its essence was drawn towards a singular, compressed focal point. As the essence was extracted from the blood, its hue dimmed and it descended to the ground, forming a swelling crimson sphere that swiftly expanded, only to be further condensed and compressed as it absorbed more essence.
Jacob was consumed by his insatiable desire for power, seamlessly orchestrating the entire process without a moment's awareness.
Meanwhile, L, observing this unfolding spectacle, couldn't contain his maniacal laughter at the sight. He came to understand that the young boy had an intrinsic affinity for the dominion of the sovereign, revealing the reason why so many other stronger entities had faltered in harnessing this power, while this lowly shepherd boy had prevailed.
His bond with the element of blood was extraordinarily profound, granting him the ability to intrinsically wield its power, as though it were an inherent aspect of his existence.
With this realization, L began to strategize and revisit his plans for the future. This revelation was extraordinary, as it presented an opportunity to propel the young boy to unparalleled heights that others could only envision.
Meanwhile, Jacob, completely unaware of his surroundings, had already vanquished hundreds of creatures. The condensed sphere of crimson essence, infused with Jacob's mana, began emanating waves of power in all directions, disintegrating the surrounding creatures with each cycle of expansion and compression.
The resonant clang of metal striking metal echoed throughout the surroundings as three enormous hammers, crafted from pure mana, emerged around the densely compact orb and began their relentless assault upon it.
The essence in the vicinity was now diverging into four distinct streams, seamlessly merging and empowering the hammers. This transformation altered their appearance from a previously translucent and opaque hue to a subtle tint of scarlet. Simultaneously, the fourth stream continued its fusion with the undulating orb, causing it to expand and contract under the immense pressure exerted by Jacob's bloodline ability.
The tattoo positioned above Jacob's heart began to radiate and pulse with might, aligning seamlessly with each blow of the hammers against the scarlet orb. Gradually, the orb was morphing into the form of a formidable sword.
The orb continued to be compressed until it reached its threshold, halting the influx of essence. Instead, the essence began to augment the power of the hammers. With each surge of essence into the hammers, they expanded in size, unleashing increasingly resonant force with each impact.
Slowly yet steadily, a thick and broad blade took shape as the hammers gradually decreased in size with the diminishing intensity of the forging process. As the final remnants of energy within the hammers faded away, the ancestral sword crafted by Jacob's lineage began to unveil itself to the world, marking its debut in history.
As the luminescence surrounding the blade dimmed, a sword emerged with a blade as dark as the deepest night. The blade possessed a keen edge on one side, gently curved, and broadening towards its tip.
Resembling a Dadao sword, yet distinguished by serrations adorning its end. The grip, sufficiently elongated for dual-wielding, was meticulously fashioned, illustrating thorns of roses that appeared to weep with blood and adorned with spiked motifs along its perimeter and guard.
The blade's edge began to shimmer with a deep bloody glow and seemed to pulsate with an incredible power.
Jacob remained unaware of the sword's formation, engrossed in his relentless slaughter of the approaching creatures. As the sword completed its final stage, a resounding "Shing" reverberated across an unknown distance, seemingly heralding its emergence into the world.
The sword then hurtled towards Jacob, and without so much as a glance, he reached out and grasped the weapon. Its jagged edges punctured his hand, yet he felt no discomfort, as though the sword were merely an integral part of him.
As he swung down at the first creature that approached, instead of being severed in half, the creature was utterly obliterated, reduced to a vaporous mist by the wave of power radiating from the sword as Jacob commanded it.
The essence of the simian-like creature that had been vanquished was assimilated directly by the sword, enhancing its potency and causing the crimson aura surrounding its blade to intensify.
Concurrently, as the sword's power escalated, a surge of energy was directly transferred to Jacob himself, suffusing his being with a warm, invigorating sensation.
This prompted him to laugh exuberantly as he accelerated the pace at which he dispatched the creatures. He had evolved into a being akin to a fervently unhinged individual.
The creatures began to view Jacob with greater trepidation than they did their instinctual adversaries, making every conceivable effort to steer clear of him, thus positioning Jacob squarely in the trajectory of the wolves and bears.
These formidable animals, perceiving his intimidating aura, gradually settled down as they emitted low growls directed at him and scrutinized him with palpable wariness.