‘I need a distraction.’
About a hundred meters away, Jin’s group worked near a particularly silk-rich area. Just above them, an especially large colony of Weavers constructed new networks, their white forms moving with deliberate purpose.
The annoying bullies hadn’t earned Ren’s true hatred, at least not enough to wish them death… Weavers first trapped their prey in enormous amounts of silk before filling the cocoons with digestive fluid.
It wasn’t a pretty death, but it was very slow, and a disturbed Weaver colony was an easy target for Professor Zhao’s eyes and intervention.
Jin’s group wouldn’t be in real danger.
With careful movements, Ren approached a nearby tree. A tap here, a vibration there… The threads began trembling in a way any Weaver would interpret as trapped prey struggling in their nets in Jin group’s general direction.
“Look out!” Cass’s cry came just as the Weavers, alarmed by the perceived meal, began descending en masse. Their white forms seemed to multiply as they dropped from above, wings spreading like living silk.
“There are too many!” Kai’s voice held genuine fear, all his previous bravado vanishing in the face of real danger.
“Use the flares, idiots!” Jin ordered, his usual confidence replaced by barely controlled panic. His tiger markings flickered erratically, betraying his fear.
“I can’t find it!” Kai sounded on the edge of complete panic. “They’re everywhere!”
“PROFESSOR!” Cass’s scream was followed by a flare’s brilliant flash and loud noise.
‘Perfect.’
While chaos erupted and Professor Zhao flew toward the commotion, his owl’s wings spread wide, Ren slipped away in the opposite direction. Before crossing the marked territory’s boundary, he strategically placed his camouflage blanket near a silk-rich area, creating a perfect alibi.
‘When he checks, he’ll think I’m quietly collecting.’
As he moved away, the screams and sound of multiple flares provided perfect cover for his escape. The professor would be occupied for quite some time controlling the situation with Jin and his group.
Now he just needed to find a Bark Stalker large enough for his plan. The mushrooms pulsed with anticipation at the hunt ahead.
‘One step at a time,’ he thought while entering unsecured territory. ‘First the decoy, then the real prey.’
♢♢♢♢
Jin’s group’s screams still echoed in the distance.
Ren smiled remembering how easy it had been to provoke the chaos. The panic in Jin’s voice was music to his ears, another small revenge for their harassment.
The terrain changed dramatically just meters outside the secured territory. Plants showed signs of massive predation, Shadow Stalkers draining the vitality from everything they found during their nocturnal hunts.
A crunch made him freeze in place. The mushrooms pulsed in warning, something large moved nearby, something that had survived in this dangerous territory long enough to grow far beyond normal size.
‘Easy,’ he reminded himself while slowly crouching. ‘Large Bark Stalkers are territorial. If there’s one here…’
The pile of “rocks” twenty meters away was chewing on a Weaver, its massive form shifting color with unnatural precision. Ren held his breath while observing the mass subtly change hue, adapting perfectly to the terrain once again.
‘This one’s the right size,’ he evaluated. ‘Three times larger than the juveniles in the safe area.’
The knowledge flowed freely: these mature specimens were large enough to resist a sentinel male’s absorption for several crucial minutes. Their enhanced vitality and thick armor made them perfect for what he had planned.
Ren began moving with extreme caution. One mistake and those claws could tear him in half. The Bark Stalker might appear slow, but if he got too close…
A new sound made cold sweat break out on his forehead.
A weak buzzing, almost imperceptible to normal ears. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed frantically, confirming what his instincts already suspected.
The route he was following was correct.
The Bark Stalker also tensed, its camouflage becoming nearly perfect. These beasts had survived this long for a reason, their instincts were honed by constant danger.
‘The Shadow Stalker males are the real problem,’ Ren thought while studying the distance to the cave entrance.
The sentinels weren’t the small black creatures he sought, but the species’ males. Larger, faster, and completely awake during daylight hours.
The knowledge showed him the hierarchy with perfect clarity: the black females slept deep in the cave, their special skin perfect for storing mana.
The males, with their more robust and aggressive bodies, guarded the entrance to their harems, defending them from other males and daytime dangers. They were practically Bronze-rank beasts, but could live in this ring thanks to the mana contribution from the numerous females.
‘I need the male to come out and attack the Bark Stalker,’ Ren calculated, his mind racing through possibilities. ‘Only then can I get to the females.’
But the first problem was moving the camouflaged giant.
The mushrooms pulsed while Ren observed its behavior, the Bark Stalker barely breathed, perfectly merged with its surroundings. As an ambush predator, it would only attack if something passed close enough.
‘And if it misses…’
The knowledge was crystal clear: these monsters didn’t chase prey. One attack, one attempt. If they failed, they returned to position to wait for the next opportunity.
These beasts were the very definition of predatory patience.
‘Being bait is useless,’ Ren bit his lip while thinking. ‘But if I can’t make it hunt…’
The mushrooms pulsed stronger when the idea formed. The answer was obvious, if he couldn’t make the Bark Stalker hunt, he’d have to make it flee.
‘I know exactly what it fears,’ the knowledge flowed while Ren began formulating his plan. ‘And with so much accumulated vitality, almost ready to reach Bronze rank, this giant has everything to lose if Shadow Stalkers detect it.’
♢♢♢♢
From the cave entrance, almost invisible in the gloom, a male mounted guard. Its body, more robust and aggressive than the black females, was a promise of immediate violence for any intruder.
Ren couldn’t afford mistakes.
The males could drain vitality as efficiently as females, but unlike them, had greater range and additional abilities that made them truly deadly.
‘One step at a time,’ he thought while beginning to move. ‘First, make our camouflaged friend decide this isn’t a good place to rest.’
The mushrooms in Ren’s hair pulsed while he observed the enormous Bark Stalker. The creature was a masterpiece of camouflage, its body the size of a large table blending perfectly with the surroundings.
‘So much accumulated vitality I almost feel sorry,’ Ren thought while the knowledge flowed and he extracted some tools from his bag. Each movement was carefully measured to avoid detection.
Ren began preparing his decoy. He needed the Bark Stalker to flee in exactly the right direction, close enough to the cave to attract the male, but not so close that the camouflaged giant would detect the danger too soon.
‘One mistake and everything’s ruined,’ he thought while working. If the Bark Stalker fled in the wrong direction, he would lose his opportunity.
Ren took a deep breath and began implementing his plan. It was time to make a perfect predator remember what it felt like to experience fear.