Slice
[CE: +728]
After the final slash, Kael finally managed to kill the corrupted Baltic Leon he was fighting, and a message appeared in front of him, informing him of the exp he had received from the victory.
He smiled, satisfied.
But then,
[Burn the body.]
He heard a voice in his head.
It was Veylara, who was watching from afar. Kael did as he was told and created a fireball to burn the body.
[When you kill a corrupted beast, they release the power of corruption that harms the environment. This cannot be completely prevented, but burning the body to ashes contains the power of corruption to a significant degree. Always burn the body of the beasts you kill.]
The Mentor explained, and Kael nodded, noting her words.
[Now move away. Fire attracts attention, and a hunter never attracts attention.]
Again, Kael did as he was told and started running, but then,
Snap
He stepped on a twig, something he didn’t mind very much, but suddenly,
Whoosh
“Aaahh!”
A stone was thrown at his leg, almost crippling him as he fell on the ground.
[I told you to be careful of the twigs. Repeat the same mistake again, and next time, I’ll throw a boulder instead.]
“…”
Kael stayed silent, his mouth twitching.
Who in her right mind hits her student when he is HUNTING?
And the woman had attacked right under his knee, making it impossible for him to walk normally now.
[Quit whining. I know your wound has recovered. Start running. Don’t make me throw another one.]
“…”
Kael quietly stood up and did as he was told. In his mind, he regretted the day the woman found out about his regeneration. It almost feels like the woman now has no regard for his physical health.
Heck, more than once, Kael had noticed her staring at him, almost as if she wanted to rip him apart to see if he would regrow.
Kael trembled at that thought. He then shook his head and continued running, this time, he was much more careful than before, not wanting a boulder falling on his head.
[Don’t just run. Keep an eye around your surroundings, look for hints.]
Veylara spoke.
[Your senses are sharper than normal. Use them to your advantage, especially your nose. The stench of corrupted beasts is unique. Look for its traces.]
Kael nodded.
He still remembered how the woman forced him to smell what she called the essence of corrupted beasts. It was a much stronger, stinkier version of the corrupted beast smell. Kael almost felt like he had lost his ability to smell after she put that thing away from his face.
The woman said it was a way to train one’s nose to become sensitive to corrupted beasts. Honestly, just the thought of actively looking for that stench made Kael want to vomit, but he endured.
He knew it was all for his own sake, so he obediently followed his mentor’s words. He continued running until finally, he noticed something.
A claw mark on a tree, and in an instant, he paused.
And just then, Veylara spoke up as well.
[A claw mark on a tree of a stone usually means that the area you are about to enter is a Strong Magic Beast’s territory.]
Kael nodded in understanding as the woman continued,
[When in forest, corrupted beasts aren’t your only enemies. Before the corrupted beasts even existed, the forests had always been a battle place between humans and magic beasts.
You might think that this goes against what you were told before, but you have to understand that not every magic beast is a human ally. Most wild beasts do not like humans, especially when we are inside their territory.
So once you notice these territory marks, immediately become wary.
Study the terrain around you, observe the footsteps to know whether you are dealing with a heavy beast or a lighter one. If you see a blood trail, try and follow it. You might find an injured beast.]
The lesson continued as Kael continued to walk forward.
Honestly, the hunting lesson didn’t go as he expected. He was half expecting to be thrown in the middle of the beast tide and forced to fight, but Veylara’s methods were quite methodical.
She made sure he didn’t go all out. Even when the beast he was facing was weaker than him, she didn’t allow him to let his guard down and gave him direct instructions.
The corrupted beasts didn’t feel any pain. They fight to the death, so Kael was told to always target either the vital organs or joints.
Dealing pointless damage and wasting one’s energy on it was foolish. Every attack should have a purpose, either to kill, weaken, or slow the beast down.
Also, the CE Kael gained in the day was much less than he was expecting.
Most of the time, he was only told to avoid the beasts as he walked around the forest. Veylara focused on his movement and attacked him whenever he made an unnecessary noise.
Rather than a hunt, this seemed more like a class where he was taught how to spend time in the forest and avoid battles.
The woman even taught him how to skin a beast and cook it. It was almost as if she was preparing him for the worst.
And she was.
Veylara, who stared at Kael cooking the magic beast he had just killed, clenched her fists. Her mind was still thinking about the vision Kael had told her about.
Yes, even though Veylara had told Kael to stop thinking about it, it didn’t mean she did the same. Her mind was constantly thinking of possible scenarios where Kael’s vision came true, and even though she constantly thought of ways to avoid them, if, in the worst-case scenario, this did happen, she needed to make sure he knew how to survive in the wild.
That was the aim of this training.
“Mentor.”
While Veylara was lost in her thoughts, Kael turned towards her and offered her one of the beasts he had cooked.
Veylara nodded as she walked towards him. She looked above and noticed that the sun was about to set.
The two ate what Kael hunted. Then, as they put the fire down, Veylara summoned Inkar and glanced at Kael,
“Be prepared for a much more intense session tomorrow.”
Kael nodded at those words as he climbed on top of Inkar.
Today’s hunt was over.