The fog still covered the ground of the arabisel forest as shimoro began advancing with cautious steps between the tangled trees. Every branch moving in the wind seemed like the breath of a hidden monster.
Dry leaves fell under his feet, and a slight vapor rose from his mouth with every breath.
(Ryo said I had to return with the monsters' corpses... It sounds easier in words.)
He looked up, the sun barely penetrating the thick clouds. He could hear nothing but the rustling of the wind, until he suddenly stopped—a sharp sound, like a short cry.
He crouched behind the trunk of a massive tree and slowly glanced toward the direction of the sound.
There...
A short-bodied creature, covered in a layer of green moss, its eyes wide and glowing yellow, its claws cracked like stone.
Its breath emitted faint toxic vapor, and the air around it seemed heavier.
(A monster... it looks simple, but if I make a mistake, it could be the end of me.)
shimoro retreated slowly, trying to assess the distance, but the ground slipped slightly beneath him, creating a soft crunching sound.
In an instant, the monster turned toward him, roared sharply, and charged with unexpected speed!
shimoro jumped backward and quickly raised his hand:
"Ice Orb!"
A thin wall of ice formed in front of him, but the monster pierced it with its claws, shattering the ice into scattered fragments.
shimoro fell to the ground, rolled quickly, and dodged another strike that nearly hit his neck.
"Too fast...!"
He reached out his right hand toward the ground, drawing cold energy from the air, then directed it toward the ground:
"Ice Shards!"
Small icy fragments shot out from his hand toward the monster, but they barely scratched it.
The creature snarled and prepared to pounce again.
But this time, shimoro did not move.
(If I attack it directly, it will kill me. I must be the hunter, not the prey...)
He took a deep breath, then slowly retreated toward the darker trees.
He disappeared among the branches, while the monster cautiously approached, searching for him by scent.
At that moment, shimoro created an ice pillar behind the monster—he hadn't tried this before, but instinct guided him.
The monster attacked the pillar, which exploded into icy fragments that stabbed its body from behind.
The monster screamed in pain, staggering slightly, and shimoro emerged from the shadows and ran toward it:
"Your turn is over now!"
He struck it in the chest with his ice dagger, and the monster's body gradually froze before it fell silent, completely petrified.
shimoro sat on the ground, breathing heavily, looking at his trembling hand, astonished by himself.
"I succeeded... somehow."
He smiled lightly, then looked toward the frozen corpse and said:
"Maybe... I'm starting to understand what Ryo means by hunting.."
On the other side, Ryo was walking along the bank of a narrow river, his eyes searching for a cave suitable for shelter.
He pulled out a small map from his bag, torn at the edges, vaguely drawn, appearing to have been sketched by a human with a stick or a stone, and pointed his finger at a potential location.
"The next spot north... should be the third cave..."
But something caught his attention—massive footprints on the muddy ground. They were not human.
Ryo bent down to examine them, his eyes narrowed in focus:
"This size... belongs to a creature of at least Rank D. It seems arabisel never rests."
He raised his head, looking toward the tall trees, and whispered:
"I hope shimoro is okay... He still has a long way to go."
Then he continued walking, while the wind quietly swirled around him, as if watching the path with him.
The first day of shimoro's training was passing heavily, but somewhere deep within the forest—the first thread of the hunter's instinct was born in his heart.
shimoro began dragging the frozen monster's corpse across the muddy ground, sweat and cold competing on his forehead.
His breath was heavy, and the fog around him grew thicker as evening approached.
Finally, when he found a place to rest, he sat on a moss-covered rock and closed his eyes briefly.
(I did it... my first hunt. But...)
He opened his eyes slowly, looking at the icy corpse lying before him.
The monster's features were frozen, but they still held something resembling an expression... Sadness?
In a moment of silence, shimoro felt a strange pang in his chest.
"Did... did it have feelings?"
"Do they have feelings like us? Or do we just project our humanity onto them to cope with what we do?"
But before he could find an answer, the quiet was split by a sharp sound—a familiar cry... the same cry he had heard hours ago.
He raised his head quickly, his eyes widening.
From the shadows emerged three creatures exactly similar to the monster he had killed—but slightly smaller in size, moving with visible agility and anger.
Their eyes were glowing with malice, their breaths emitting red vapor, like an angry father who had lost his young.
shimoro stood up slowly, his hand trembling as he muttered:
"No... they can't be..."
(They are... its family?!)
His body shivered between fear and regret, but he had no time to think.
One of the three monsters instantly pounced on him, leaping from between the trees.
He dodged the first strike, but the second claw tore a deep scratch into his shoulder.
shimoro screamed in pain, retreating two meters, raising his hand with hesitation:
"Ice Wall!"
An ice wall formed, cracking instantly from the force of the attack, but it barely blocked the next strike.
The other two monsters circled him from the sides, cornering him like a small prey in the middle of a circle.
(Damn it... I can't escape, I can't...)
He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Ryo's words:
"When you are alone in battle, do not expect mercy from anyone... not even from yourself."
He opened his eyes again, a cold spark shining in them, and extended his hands in front of him.
The air around him began to cool rapidly, dew drops froze on the branches, and even the ground itself was covered by a layer of thin ice.
"Ice Arrows!"
Icy pieces shot out like arrows, piercing the body of one monster and sending it crashing to the ground, struggling to crawl.
But the other two roared in unison and attacked him again.
shimoro retreated, his hand bleeding slightly, but his expression was no longer fearful—it was resolute, like someone who had made his decision.
"You... you are defending your family, aren't you?"
"Then... I will fight you as one defending his life!"
And he charged forward, the ice on his feet leaving a trail on the ground, striking and parrying, breathing heavily but not retreating.
On the other side, Ryo was walking silently between the tall trees, the wound on his left arm starting to bleed again.
He was moving cautiously, watching the ground and the air simultaneously.
But the wind suddenly changed...
The smell of burnt flesh, and a slight crunching sound like crawling.
Ryo stopped immediately, then slowly raised his head.
From between the shadows appeared a massive Rank D beast, its body covered in a layer of ash and rocky skin.
The monster cried out with a sound like boiling, then began to crawl towards him slowly.
"Not a good time... damn it."
Ryo hid behind the trunk of a huge tree, holding his breath, watching the monster through the shadows.
He began moving between the trees lightly, choosing his steps carefully, using the wind to muffle the sound.
But the monster raised its head, as if sensing his presence.
(It relies on hearing... I can't hide for long.)
He closed his eyes, concentrated his energy, then suddenly jumped in the opposite direction, then used his energy to create a sound toward another tree trunk.
The monster lunged toward the source, while Ryo slowly retreated.
(In my current state... any direct fight means death.)
The wind around him was moving slowly, as if protecting him, as if understanding his fear.
He muttered a silent phrase that no one could hear:
"Sometimes, survival... is the most violent form of fighting."
Then he gradually disappeared between the fog and the trees, heading north toward the old cave.
In that moment, ice was breaking, and breaths were blazing.
Both were fighting to survive, each in his own way, one fighting and the other fleeing.
But shimoro, amidst the chaos of battle, felt something new forming within him... not just the power of ice, but a faint sense of compassion amidst the destruction.
(Can a hunter feel regret... while fighting to stay alive?)
To be continued...