Kael Varen laughed heartily, a laugh that in no way reflected the state of his pockets. After drafting a grand plan in his head, he had just remembered one crucial detail he had nearly forgotten from his youth: he was poor. Utterly poor. With a slight awkwardness, he reached into his pocket and found only a few coins. After counting them, his total savings amounted to a mere 33 soul coins.
"Alright, friends," he said, holding back a smile. "Our operation requires a bit of capital. Gather all the money you have."
Eron, Nero, and Zein looked at each other before reluctantly pulling out their equally deflated coin pouches. Eron, the most extravagant when it came to food, had only 27 soul coins. Nero, who was more frugal, possessed 39 soul coins. And Zein, after counting his change, contributed 35 soul coins.
"The total is… 134 soul coins," Eron said pessimistically. "Is this enough, Kael? This isn't even enough to buy a single bottle of low-grade energy pills."
Kael patted Eron's shoulder confidently. "More than enough," he replied. "Come on, let's go to the market."
The four of them walked toward the central market of Kota Bintang, an area that was always bustling and overcrowded. The air was filled with various scents, ranging from the fragrance of freshly baked bread to the pungent smell of strange potions sold by vendors. Kael did not waste time. He headed straight for a weapon shop that looked the oldest and most modest.
"Four standard bows and forty iron-tipped arrows," Kael said to the shop owner, who had a thick mustache.
The owner looked them up and down. "Twenty soul coins for each bow, forty-five soul coins for forty arrows. Total is 125 soul coins."
Kael paid without haggling. Eron and Zein stared at him anxiously. "Arrows? Why are we buying these?" Zein whispered.
"Are we really going to hunt?" Eron asked, his voice trembling slightly. He much preferred fighting with his bare hands than having to face wild beasts in the wilderness.
Kael only offered a mysterious smile. "I'll explain later. For now, we need one more item."
With the remaining 9 soul coins in hand, Kael led them through narrower market alleys where herbalists and vendors of strange ingredients gathered. His eyes searched meticulously, passing piles of glowing mushrooms and brightly colored flowers, until he finally stopped at a simple stall owned by an old grandmother. There, inside a basket, lay a pile of dull brown dried grass.
"Grandmother, how much for this grass?" Kael asked.
"Oh, this Brown Grass? It's cheap, child. Five soul coins for three bundles," the grandmother answered.
His friends grew even more confused. Brown Grass was the most common herbal plant in the city. Everyone knew it had only one use: if crushed and applied to a wound, it could slightly reduce pain. That was it.
"Why are you buying pain-relieving grass?" Nero asked, finally speaking up.
Eron swallowed hard, his face turning slightly pale. "Could it be… this is for us? In case we're badly injured in the forest later?"
Kael laughed at his friend's wild imagination. "Don't overthink it. Just trust me," he said while paying the grandmother and taking three large bundles of Melancholy Grass—the true name of the plant, known only to Kael.
With a total expenditure of 130 soul coins, they finally returned to the academy. Kael did not take them to the dormitory, but rather to their usual spot: under the shade of the Ancient Tree behind the academy. This place was quiet and hidden, the perfect location for their secret preparations.
"Alright, everything is ready," Kael said as he laid their purchases on the grass. "Zein, can you get the grinding stone usually used for weight training near the warehouse?"
Though confused, Zein quickly ran and returned with a heavy, flat stone.
"What is the grass and the stone for?" Eron asked impatiently.
Kael took a handful of the dried grass. "This isn't just pain-relieving grass. Its true name is Melancholy Grass. In the hands of someone who knows how to process it, this grass can become a paralyzing poison that is highly effective against spiritual beasts, even demonic beasts."
The explanation left his three friends gaping.
"We are going to coat the tip of every arrow with this," Kael continued. Without waiting for a response, he began crushing the Melancholy Grass on the grinding stone into a fine powder. He then added a little water, stirring it until it became a thick, dark paste. He carefully poured the paste into an empty bottle he had brought, which would be enough to coat hundreds of arrows.
Once all preparations were complete, Kael looked at his still-stunned friends. "Now, I will tell you our target. We are going to hunt… Iron Deer."
That name instantly turned Eron's face pale again. Iron Deer were spiritual beasts famous in the Hutan Senyap. Although herbivores, their hides were hard and their strength was equivalent to a Peak Bronze rank fighter. Some large males could even reach the Early Silver rank.
"I-Iron Deer?" Eron stammered. "You're crazy, Kael! The four of us haven't even reached the Peak Bronze rank yet. How can we fight them?"
Seeing the fear in his best friend's eyes, Kael gave a reassuring smile. "Listen, to become strong, we need resources. To get resources, we need money. A lot of money."
He then continued with the tone of a master merchant. "And the Iron Deer is a walking gold mine. Every inch of its body is valuable. Its meat, if sold to a butcher, can go for 150 soul coins per kilogram. A single adult deer has dozens of kilograms of meat. Its heart, a key ingredient for several alchemy pills, is worth at least 500 soul coins. And the most expensive part is the hide. Iron Deer hide is the base material for making light breastplates. A single whole hide can be sold for 700 soul coins!"
Kael's explanation made his friends' breath hitch. They tried to calculate in their heads. A single Iron Deer could yield more than a thousand soul coins. That was a massive amount for them. Eron's eyes, which had been full of fear, now began to sparkle with the golden light of soul coins.
"But… how do we get out of the academy?" Nero asked, voicing the most important logistical problem. "This entire city is surrounded by high walls. The only gate leading to the forest is in the academy, and it's always guarded by at least two Silver rank guards."
"That's the best part," Kael answered with a smirk. "There is no such thing as a perfect guard. I know there is a time gap when the gate is unguarded. It happens during the shift change, right as dusk turns to night, and in the early hours before dawn. The guards leave their posts for a few minutes to report to the main post. Our window is short, but it's more than enough if we move fast."
The plan sounded insane, but also incredibly detailed. His three friends looked at each other, and finally, the same resolve appeared in their eyes.
"Alright, let's do it!" Eron shouted.
"We will hunt tonight," Kael said, finalizing their plan. "Prepare yourselves mentally."
Time felt as though it moved slowly as they waited for nightfall. The arrows had been coated with the paralyzing poison, the bows had been checked, and the plan had been refined. When the sky began to turn a deep orange, the four of them sneaked toward the back gate of the academy, hiding behind the bushes.
From a distance, they could see two guards in silver armor standing tall like statues. Their hearts pounded wildly. After waiting for about half an hour, the moment they had been waiting for arrived. The bell from the main tower tolled, signaling the shift change. The two guards signaled to each other, then turned and walked away from the gate.
"Now!" Kael whispered.
the four of them bolted from their hiding place. The gate was made of extremely heavy ironwood. It took the strength of all four of them to push it together. With a soft creaking sound that made their skin crawl, the gate opened slightly, just enough for their bodies to slip through one by one. Once everyone was outside, they pushed the door back until it was tightly closed.
Their breath came in gasps, not just from exhaustion, but from the adrenaline. They had made it. They were now outside the walls, on the threshold of the dark and mysterious Hutan Senyap.
A sense of relief washed over them for a moment, before finally being replaced by another feeling. The forest at night felt very different. Strange sounds echoed from all directions, and the darkness between the trees seemed to hide thousands of lurking eyes. Nervousness and a hint of fear began to creep into their hearts.
Eron shuddered. "This… is creepier than I imagined."
However, as the image of an Iron Deer—and the mountain of soul coins it would produce—flashed through their minds, that fear slowly transformed into a burning spirit. Their first hunt was about to begin.