“Why less time?”
“Three days is tradition!”
Zhao raised a hand to silence the protests, his owl markings shimmering with quiet authority. “As some of you may know, we have a student whose beast has… particular limitations with prolonged exposure to high mana concentration zones.”
All eyes turned to Ren. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly, as if confirming the professor’s words. Their usual glow seemed somehow dimmer under the weight of so many stares.
“It’s not fair!” someone protested from the back of the crowd. “Why should we all lose half a day because of the fungus?”
“Yeah, let him stay behind if he can’t handle it!”
Jin’s smile turned malicious, his tiger markings rippling with cruel delight. “Or better yet, let him come and we’ll see how long he really lasts with that useless beast.”
“Silence,” Zhao’s voice didn’t rise, but the owl in his eyes gleamed with unmistakable authority. “This decision is not open for debate. I prefer a shorter excursion to risking any student’s health.”
The protests transformed into resentful murmurs.
Several students shot accusing glares at Ren, as if he had personally stolen those precious hours of exploration from them. The tension in the air was almost palpable.
‘If they knew I spent hours in deeper levels with higher mana concentration than the iron ring, it would be even worse,’ Ren thought while adjusting his equipment, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with irony. Each soft glow seemed to mock their ignorance.
“Safety is our priority,” Song added, backing his colleague. His stance made it clear the matter was settled. “Two and a half days are more than sufficient for a first expedition.”
Zhao began explaining the expedition details, permitted zones, danger signals, emergency protocols. But Ren could feel the resentful stares burning into him, especially from those who already considered him a burden to the class.
‘Doesn’t matter,’ he thought as the mushrooms pulsed softly. ‘I have my own objectives to worry about for this expedition.’ The knowledge flowed through his mind, revealing possibilities his classmates couldn’t even imagine. While they worried about half a day lost, he was planning to make every available minute count.
After all, the best opportunities often lay where others saw only limitations.
♢♢♢♢
The student caravan advanced along the path toward the iron ring.
The carts, protected by experienced guards, moved at a steady pace as they left the city behind. The landscape gradually transformed, becoming wilder with each passing mile.
“I can’t believe they took away half a day!” a student complained from the front cart, voice carrying on the wind. “All because of the fungus!”
Ren, seated between Taro and Min in one of the last carts, smiled slightly. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with the vehicle’s movement, their rhythm somehow matching the cart’s gentle swaying.
“Ignore them,” Taro murmured, his beetle’s markings shifting protectively. “They’re just upset because they won’t get to brag about lasting three full days without bathing.”
Min let out a giggle, his water snake coiling playfully. “As if half a day less would make any difference in what they can gather.”
“Actually,” Ren lowered his voice conspiratorially, “it’s better this way. Mana is denser at dusk. They’re doing everyone a favor.”
“Really?” Taro leaned in with interest, his beetle’s markings rippling with curiosity. “How do you know that?”
The mushrooms pulsed while Ren considered how much to reveal. Each glow seemed to carry secrets waiting to be shared. “Let’s say I’ve been studying mana patterns.”
“The expert has spoken again, write it down!” Min joked, his water snake manifesting playfully around his neck. “Though after the Stone Lurker incident, I’m starting to believe you really do know everything.”
From another cart, Jin’s voice carried clearly: “I bet he doesn’t even last the first day! Who wants to take that bet?”
“I bet he’ll surprise us again, unlike idiot Jin who only bores us,” a soft voice cut through the laughter. Luna, seated in the adjacent cart, didn’t even turn to speak, her shadow wolf rippling beneath her skin.
An uncomfortable silence followed her words. Even Jin seemed at a loss for a response, his tiger markings dulling slightly.
“Did you hear that?” Min whispered excitedly. “Luna defended you!”
“She didn’t defend me,” Ren corrected, though the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with interest. “She’s just setting a precedent for when I surprise them again.”
“Shhhh!” Min elbowed him playfully. “Don’t ruin the surprise!”
“What surprise?” someone shouted from another cart. “That the rotting fungus is going to faint before we even get there?”
More laughter, but Ren noticed it was less enthusiastic than before. The Stone Lurker incident had planted seeds of doubt in many minds.
He observed the changing landscape thoughtfully. The trees grew sparser, the vegetation more untamed. They were approaching the iron ring, where the real challenges, and opportunities, awaited.
“Let them laugh,” he murmured. “Soon they’ll have other things to worry about.”
The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while knowledge flowed, revealing the opportunities that approached. The iron ring might seem dangerous to his companions, but for him…
It was a garden of possibilities waiting to be harvested.
“Though nothing here helps me evolve,” Ren murmured thoughtfully. “Everything has market value. And with the school’s exchange bonus…”
The mushrooms pulsed while he calculated potential profits, each soft glow seeming to represent another opportunity.
“If I play my cards right,” he whispered, “this trip could be quite profitable.”
“Look!” Jin’s voice interrupted his calculations. “The fungus is already counting minutes until we return!”
Laughter erupted from other carts, but Ren ignored it.
His mind was already mapping collection routes, calculating which zones would yield the best results.
From her cart, Luna observed the same landscape, her shadow wolf partially manifested.
For a moment, her eyes met Ren’s, and a slight smile graced her lips before she turned her attention back to the horizon.
♢♢♢♢
“See those twisted trees?” Ren whispered as the cart crossed the iron ring’s border.
The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while knowledge flowed through his mind. “They look normal during the day, but at night it’s Shadow Stalker territory.”
“The what?” Min leaned in with interest, his water snake mirroring his curiosity.
“Bat medusas black as night,” Ren explained, his voice low and focused. “They float in groups using gas sacs in their bodies. During the day they sleep in caves, but when darkness falls they emerge to hunt, absorbing mana from anything that passes beneath them. They’re practically invisible against the night sky.”
“And look at the trees themselves,” he pointed to branches where fine threads gleamed under the sun. “Moon Weaver territory.”
“They look like… cats?” Taro squinted, observing a white figure among the branches.
“Moth cats,” Ren corrected. “Their fur is white as silk and they have moth-like wings but can only glide. They weave nets between trees using threads they produce naturally. They’re daytime hunters, Shadow Stalkers are too dangerous at night.”
The mushrooms pulsed while he observed the ground. “And those mounds that look like grass or dirt… they’re not what they appear to be.”