Black Clover: Nah I'd Lose (UPDATED)

'He must have very good instincts to not only create a mana blade with that much compression but also to move mana inside his body to lessen the impact,' the man thought while readying a fire spell designed for high speed to reach the boy, who was far away from him.

Little did he know that the boy had achieved all that through sheer skill. The compression was something he had trained on his own, and the movement of mana inside his body was not instinctual but meticulously predicted and executed consciously.

It seemed to be the end for the boy, but an unexpected roar caught the man's attention. He turned around to see a boar charging at him.

'Fuck, when did that get here? No way... that boy distracted me, stopping my sensory field from activating properly, and his mana usage must have attracted the boar. I'm screwed if other animals come,' the man panicked momentarily as the boar charged toward him at lightning speed despite its large stature.

After all, it was a mana beast—deadly and fierce.

The man realized he didn't have a spell capable of killing the boar with 100% certainty at such close range. Forced into a quick decision, he fired a fireball, not at the boar, but at the carriage.

Before the boar could reach him, screams of pain and agony erupted from the carriage.

Being burned alive is an excruciating way to die, especially when the caster designs the spell to prolong the agony rather than deliver a swift death.

The screams drew the boar's attention, and it changed direction, charging toward the carriage. There seemed to be more people there, creating more noise.

It definitely wasn't fully sentient; otherwise, it wouldn't have made that choice.

The man's gamble had paid off. With the boar now targeting the carriage, he quickly prepared a spell at maximum output. Just as the boar reached the carriage, the man launched the spell, ensuring the boar couldn't dodge.

The boar was instantly incinerated, its remains obliterated by the spell's intensity.

'And there go my goods. Well, I can always earn more as long as I live,' the man consoled himself about his losses. But suddenly, his eyes widened as he felt the world spinning.

He saw the moon shining brightly above, followed by the boy standing beside his fallen body with fingers pointed downward.

Despite being the killer, the boy didn't have a single drop of blood on him.

The boy suddenly ran away from the man's fallen body.

'He must have used those screams to mask his footsteps and formed a mana blade exactly when I cast the spell, catching me off guard. Was that a coincidence, or was it all planned?' the man wondered. This was his last thought before he died.

Far away, the boy noticed the man's head now separated from his body and his grimoire, which had started disappearing, finally vanished.

'Okay, so he didn't have any spells that activate upon death. Should I loot him?' The boy contemplated, staring at the headless corpse.

Something told him it was a bad idea.

After thinking for five seconds, realization struck him. He quickly started running away from the scene at full speed.

Within minutes, mana beasts swarmed the area, fighting each other in a frenzy.

Meanwhile, the boy continued sprinting. 'Is there a way for me to increase my running speed?' he wondered, attempting to release mana from one of his feet as it left the ground. He felt a burst of forward momentum, almost stumbling, but quickly balanced himself by releasing mana from his other foot.

'Damn, this is awesome, but the mana cost is high,' he thought, frowning as he stopped using mana and changed direction to avoid being tracked by other animals or any potential accomplices of the slaver.

After several minutes of intense running, he crouched inside a bush after thoroughly checking it and the surrounding area.

His breathing was heavy, but he ensured it was quiet as he inhaled deeply.

'So, they're all dead, huh,' he thought of the other slaves in the carriage. Not only had they lost their lives as bait, but they had suffered painful deaths.

'Then again, like every world, this one also follows "the strong kill the weak." In my previous world, money was the main indicator of strength, along with some other factors. Here, it's your lineage and strength. Despite anime glossing over it, the Clover Kingdom was divided into the Forsaken Realm, Noble Realm, and Royal Realm, or something like that.'

He didn't feel much remorse over their deaths, as he wasn't directly responsible. He had to survive, and he did what he had to. If given the chance, he might have used them himself to ensure his survival.

After all, he was a selfish person and acknowledged it.

'Anyway, I don't know how to survive here. This is an unknown forest, and I don't know how to hunt or skin animals. I'll stick to a vegetarian meal and search for non-poisonous plants,' he sighed, closing his eyes and observing his mana slowly regenerating.

He noticed that focusing on it actively increased its recovery rate.

As his mana regenerated, he started shaping and compressing it into different forms. This task was less mentally exhausting now, allowing him to practice without tiring.

An hour later, he had fully recovered his mana.

Nearby, a rabbit was grazing.

'Why isn't it sleeping? Well, not that it matters. Do rabbits sleep during the day or night? I need to test something,' he thought, focusing on the mana inside his body.

He began shifting all his mana toward his solar plexus, compressing it further whenever it filled up.

He expected this process to take a few minutes, but he severely underestimated the difficulty. It took him hours to concentrate all his mana into his solar plexus.

Night fell and day came.

He had to take multiple breaks throughout the night to maintain focus. Sleep deprivation also made the task more challenging.

Despite setbacks, he finally succeeded in fully compressing his mana. The rabbit was long gone by then.

He realized the need for sleep. Without proper rest, he couldn't make optimal decisions.

'This body is young, so I'll need more sleep. I don't have an alarm, so I'll let myself wake up naturally,' he decided, moving to find a safe place to sleep.

However, as he moved, he noticed mana leaking from his solar plexus.

Redirecting his focus, he managed to prevent further leakage after a few more hours.

'Fuck, I need to sleep quickly. Things are getting tougher, and hunger is catching up to me,' he thought, searching for shelter.

He decided that finding proper shelter was critical, given his exhaustion. After failing to locate a cave or a safe spot in the forest for half an hour, he realized he would have to improvise.

Spotting a large stone nearby, an idea struck him. He decided to use it as part of his makeshift shelter. He quickly selected a spot near the stone, reasoning that it would serve as one side of a protective barrier, making it less likely for predators or other threats to detect him while he rested.

He focused on the mana within his body, guiding it to his palms despite some of it leaking into other parts. 'I'll deal with that later. Right now, I need to secure this spot and sleep.'

Using small, controlled bursts of mana, he softened the ground next to the stone. Once the soil loosened, he began digging manually with his hands, pulling the dirt away and forming a small, shallow pit. The process took longer than expected due to his dwindling stamina, but his determination pushed him forward.

After an hour, he had dug out a hole deep enough to fit his body. He carefully positioned the large stone to cover most of the opening, leaving a small gap for air circulation. To further conceal the space and provide additional protection, he layered leaves and smaller branches over the stone and around the opening.

Finally satisfied, he crawled into the pit. The stone provided some insulation and blended into the forest surroundings, while the loose soil around him made it somewhat comfortable.

As he lay down, his body screamed for rest, but he couldn't help but redirect his focus briefly to his solar plexus, ensuring his compressed mana remained stable. It was difficult to maintain control, but he succeeded in preventing any leaks.

'This will have to do,' he thought as his eyelids grew heavy. Despite the harsh conditions, he felt a sliver of pride at his ability to adapt to this unknown world. His hunger and exhaustion would have to wait—survival came first.

Within moments, sleep overtook him, his body surrendering to much-needed rest. 

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