When the first winter was at end, Venir was happy to be able to venture out into the forest once again. Most animals stayed away from him after he killed the demon bear so he had to hunt them down if he wanted food.

Which he didn't mind, he had started to feel sorry for some of them being stupid to attack him. He could hardly eat all the meet they left after them.

He could of course not tell how much his body had changed. Feeling a lot more alert. Faster, stronger and more flexible but with nothing to compare to he was just thoughtlessly happy to have survived a winter.

Venir didn't meditate for several weeks after what had happened because it had frightened him and he didn't want to experience it again anytime soon. Instead he was exploring the area around the cave in parts. One area to the south, then north, then east and lastly south.

There were just forest all around him so he picked a random direction and started to walk, unknowingly where it would lead him. It continued like that for a long time.

He walked, then hunted for months.

At first he killed like he normally did, with his sword in his right hand he stroked out.

It was too easy and the creatures died after one strike so he started to used his left arm instead.

He didn't use any magic other then when he needed to cook some food, but soon he found out that he was just as good with his left arm as he was with his right.

'I can't use my feet to wield a sword...'

Venir clearly started to get delusional in his loneliness. But after inspecting his sword closely he noticed for is first time. His treasured sword that have saved him many times, the sword he got at his birthday was close to falling apart.

He felt stupid and was close to tears.

'Should have taken better care of it. Its jagged and rusty from all the blood I left on it.'

After that moment he tried to handle it with better care, but it was already in a pretty crappy state.

Instead of using the sword he was from now on using his feet and fists to fight beast. It sure took longer but that was because he didn't know any martial arts.

Still the beast he fought all died in the end. And the meat got nicely tenderized by using his fist and feet to beat it to death.

'Hmm. That is one of those that taste like chicken when grilled. Too bad there are no nice herbs around to make it taste even better.'

Demon beast was soon nothing else then food to Venir after a long of fighting. His skills at fighting had greatly improved under this time.

He was like a beast when moving in the forest and not many animals did dare to get to close anymore.

By now it had gone a long time since he last meditated and he had nearly repressed what had happened last time.

One day when bored he sat down to meditate, he was careful and took his time. At that instant he found out that his body was clearly different from befor. Every cell and part in his body was filled with mana, but instead of being filled to the brim and laying still. It was now more a part of him. Moving with every part of him.

The mana he tried to refine and pull inside was more naturally absorbed then before.

It was a very pleasant experience and he could feel his body grow every time he sat down to use the body refining meditative technique.

After that day he started to meditate daily once again. He have nearly full control over his mind and did only suffer relapses when he himself concentrated on only one thing. But that was a good thing. Because when he was fighting beast he could at will now slow down time.

Only troubling thing was that it was a mental strain. To changed between each sense of time over and over made him feel sick in the long run. There was clearly a drawback to it, but now he could at least use it in whatever way he wanted, more or less.

He also believed that it will only get better the higher his body refining become. If he manage to get to the highest degree of body refining he might not suffer at all from changing his sense of time.

...

Years passed and Venir had by then walked pass several minor cities, towns and roads thanks to his bad sense of direction. If he had just gone straight he would have easily found a road or some sort of human life. But thanks to him going in crisscrossing way and then taking another turn when finding an animal to fight.

Sometimes it even happened he went back on himself.

Currently he is a hundred mile from his parents house and close to a main city road.

Thankfully it is on this day he will meet his first human being in a very long time.

If he had known, perhaps he would even have taken a dip in a nearby brook. Not that it would have helped much as his clothes was now very dirty and close to fall apart.

He had gotten a beard over the time. His hair is now about shoulder length and so dirty it is hard to tell if it is a dirt blond color. Only his Gray eyes looks clear and sharp.

He is now a 16 year old forest hobo that's around 1.8m tall. Clearly he looks much older becouse he is covered in dirt and a beard.

He is physically very fit after living so long in the forest trying to survive on his own. It's just hard to tell with the shabby cloths and dirt covering him up. Only thing that make him stand out is his eyes and a silver necklace he wear around his neck, clearly made for a woman the wear. Thankfully its barely visible.

....

*The Hero saves the damsel in distress to later on cook and eat the beast.*

After saving Dina from a monster like beast, Venir thought it would be a waste to not cook and eat the exotic animal he killed. It might taste very good so he made a fire like he usually did to grill it.

With his right hand he casually made fire out of thin air form without a word. It shoot out like a small flamethrower from his hand and ignited the dry wood instantly. For a demonic beast this fire wasn't enough to kill it so it was of no use other then to start a fire.

-H-how did you do that? (Dina)

Dina was shocked from seeing it happen without a any chanting, she was just about to offer to do it when he lighted the fire with the flick of his hand.

Venir wasn't used to talk with other people anymore so he scratching his head and tried to find the right words to describing it. When he couldn't, he shrugged his shoulders helplessly and started to grill the meat in embarrassment.

Dina hunched down at the opposite side of the fire and looked at Venir as discreetly as she could. It made Venir feel uncomfortable as this was his first human contact he had for years.

To add it up its a person he have meet before.

It was when he had became five years old and gone to the city with his dad to officially inscribe his name that he had met her. She was a novice mage at that time and had called him a shrimp.

Clearly she doesn't remember him. But then again, he was only five at that time and he have changed a lot over the years that passed.

He only remember her because of her pretty face and the grudge he had for a while from hearing her call him a shrimp out of the blue.

Looking closer at her she have also grown a lot. Unknowingly his eyes went to her bosom and she soon stared daggers at him.

-You got a death wish? (Dina)

Red in face he looked away and passed her some meat she instantly refused. Perhaps it was because of his dirty hand that held it? Either way he ate it and tried to pretend she wasn't there.

-What are you doing in the woods dressed up like that anyway? (Dina)

She was pointing at his cloths and made a sign as if he smelled. Venir didn't take much offence from that because he had not found somewhere to bath under the nearest three days. He knew he must stink pretty badly.

Lost. (Venir)

Lost? In this forest... For how long? (Dina)

Hmm.. (Venir)

He wasn't sure how much time has passed so he just shrugged his shoulders and continued eating. It made Dina a little angry.

'He is way to nonchalant. And who the heck would lose track of time... Eh.. No way. He have been here for months, all alone?' (Dina)

That was Dina's only explanation to his shabby cloths and behavior. He must have been lost for a month and survived somehow. She had no idea it was much longer than that.

-Alright. Don't worry. I will help you because you saved my life. (Dina)

-But we should take a part of the beast with us before we burn it. A proof its dead and report what have happened to the... (Dina)

- Erm.. And you shouldn't really be eating that. (Dina)