Chapter 36: Dangerous Training.
Two more months passed. Winter retreated silently like a long dream. Spring arrived gently like a mother's nightly lullaby.
The faces of all three froze in a silent, weary expression, looking as if they could melt into the wind. Eyes dazed, half-closed, gazes drifting aimlessly, not bothering to focus on anything ahead. Eyebrows knitted slightly, not from anger, but from exhaustion. Mouths slumped, as if one more stupid word would make all three collapse to the ground and sigh until sunset.
The old wolf tilted his head, shoulders slumped as if lost. A light sigh escaped.
"Haizzz, that Wyvern was old, dying was natural. I guess we must find a stronger monster to train."
Kazuka kept his bored face. He finally opened his mouth, voice drifting as if disconnected from life.
"But we wanted to fight it more. We lost to it before and still haven't accepted defeat."
Airi and Takeshi nodded repeatedly, as if that were their only goal at the moment.
"That's right."
"That's right."
The old wolf shrugged, unable to change anything.
"I'm powerless."
The old wolf scratched his head with annoyance, face slightly grimacing. Like he was reluctant.
"How about you go down to the Monster Dungeon?"
The eyes of the three sparkled like newborn babies as they pressed close to the old wolf and spoke in unison:
"Monster Dungeon?"
The old wolf, annoyed, pushed the three back.
"Stop that face. This dungeon is more dangerous than that Wyvern, but if you want, I'll let you go down and see."
Takeshi thought about the words and spoke immediately:
"More dangerous than a Wyvern?"
The old wolf's face suddenly sank. Every line became rigid and cold. His eyes no longer reflected light, leaving only the depth of suffocating focus and tension. Eyebrows knitted, mouth clamped shut, and his entire aura carried a quiet power that made others dare not speak.
"Kid, you haven't been out much so you don't know. A pack of monsters is more dangerous than one strong monster."
"Simply because one target is easier to control than many. And specifically, this is a small monster dungeon, not very dangerous, but it is their lair. And who knows which corner they will appear from when you aren't paying attention?"
"Decide now. Go or not?"
Kazuka puffed his chest and shouted, confidence radiating:
"Of course we go."
"I'm warning you, I'm very weak now. If you face danger, you're on your own. I won't know."
Walking along the foot of the mountain, they reached a large hole. All four stood before the mouth of the hole. Kazuka looked curious.
"Is it this place?"
The old wolf nodded with a bit of contemplation:
"Yeah."
"Treat this as combat training in cramped spaces. This place is sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, hard to say."
Airi looked at the old wolf with a confused face.
"Do you have a barrier?"
"Of course. Without a barrier, they would have climbed out of a hole this big long ago."
"It's quite dark here. I taught you the sensing exercises already. Remember, don't die. Actually, burrowing monsters will use glowing stones to light the cave when they find them, so don't worry."
Takeshi pointed deep into the hole and asked:
"Is this hole deep? It looks quite dark."
Old wolf: "Not very deep. Charge a lot of energy into your legs and jump down, you'll be fine."
Takeshi immediately turned to Kazuka. Both understood each other, gazes calm but fearless. Both nodded and jumped down. Airi, standing there, was surprised they jumped first. She jumped right after.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Landing in the cave, both immediately looked around. Airi landed, her voice slightly pouting.
"Why jump without telling me?"
The space around the large cave was a bit dark. Only light from the glowing paths shone out, and four sides of rough rock protruded and receded.
Takeshi signaled for silence. Seeing this, Airi stopped talking. Growls and screams echoed from all directions. Around them were 10 different paths. Every path hidden deadly lurking.
Airi walked to their side.
"Which path should we choose now?"
Takeshi shook his head, not knowing.
"Every path is mysterious, hard to choose."
Kazuka spoke up: "Just pick one at random. It's training anyway."
Takeshi nodded, but his eyes were still thoughtful.
"Fine. Let's pick the first path. It will be easier to identify later."
Airi pointed to a path; it seemed to be the first one.
"Pick the one in that corner."
Both turned to look where Airi pointed and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, let's go."
"That works."
Approaching the path, it wasn't too large. About 1.5 tharns long and 1 tharn wide. All three stood there looking into the path. They were a bit worried, not knowing what creature awaited them inside.
The old wolf said they had to handle it themselves, meaning death was possible here.
Kazuka pointed into the glowing cave.
"These caves have glowing stones embedded everywhere on the walls."
Takeshi stepped forward first, brushing aside the possibility of danger. He left only courage and recklessness inside him.
"Whatever, let's just go in."
The three entered alertly. Their steps were slow, making no sound that could alert the monsters. They placed their heels down first, then stepped gently.
Kazuka swallowed a mouthful of saliva, as if swallowing a bit of fear. He drew his sword as a precaution, the sound of friction against the scabbard rising slowly.
Airi opened her hand wide. Energy mixed with blood continuously transformed like a living creature. She created a bright red sword. The group's focus was at a very high level.
Stepping further, it was a vast space. Loud noises everywhere. Many monsters were cheering as if rooting for something. All three hid behind a rock block like a large chair and observed.
It was a vast space shaped like an inverted rounded triangle. At the very bottom was a massive arena of monsters. The surroundings were like a large grandstand, crowded and noisy.
The pungent smell of blood spread through the space like a battlefield. Below was exactly an arena for packs of monsters to massacre each other and satisfy their killing instincts.
Here were monsters like: orcs, wolves, goblins, one-eyed giants, armored skeletons, giant snakes, three-eyed lions, those with human bodies but horse heads…
In the arena, a White Wolf was facing a massive Orc.
The white wolf, with a triumphant expression, launched consecutive attacks at the orc, making its body bleed incessantly. Claws repeatedly tore into thick flesh, blood splashing across the floor.
The Orc was beaten back, receiving a rain of blows. Feeling he had endured enough.
The wooden club swung down like a sledgehammer wanting to crush everything, but the white wolf's claws crushed that wood.
The size difference did not hinder the white wolf. It bared sharp teeth like razor blades and jumped up.
It bit the orc's neck with a horrific jaw force capable of crushing metal. The massive orc, about 2 tharns tall, was in agony, trying to struggle but in vain. Its eyes turned white, and it died. The massive body fell backward.
BOOM!!
Blood flowed continuously and spread across the arena floor. But no one cared about the dead orc.
The white wolf, about 1.2 tharns tall, stood on the orc's body and howled loudly in the majesty of victory. He stood and glanced around the arena stands in arrogance. A black wolf, with a body only slightly larger than a normal dog, shouted toward the stands.
"The winner is the White Wolf!"
Its voice was like a baby who had just learned to speak. The crowd of monsters above also cheered loudly. Some stood up and danced, some smashed giant stone chairs in anger, crushing the goblin sitting there, who didn't even know why he died. The monsters sitting nearby felt even more excited.
"Great fight!"
Kazuka's group hid behind the chair of a large orc. They didn't dare breathe loudly, covering their mouths. Airi cupped her hands and whispered into Kazuka's ear:
"Retreat."
Kazuka also cupped his hands and whispered into Takeshi's ear:
"Retreat."
They entered the path they had just walked. Before their silhouettes could vanish, a nearby wolf sniffed as if smelling something strange. Eyes snapped open as it sensed something abnormal.
"Strange smell."
It turned back in suspicion, wanting to clarify, and saw Kazuka's group vanishing. That wolf stood up and shouted.
"Humans are down here. Kill them quickly!"
The monsters leaped up and ran toward the entrance as if pre-programmed to kill humans upon sight. Wolves, three-eyed lions, and snakes all thought:
"No wonder I kept smelling something strange."
Hearing the noise, Kazuka's group ran fast in panic.
Takeshi shouted:
"What the hell? Why did they find us so fast?"
Airi analyzed while running.
"If we climb up now, we might not make it. The hole is deep. There are huge wolves, tigers, and lions there. One jump and they catch up."
Kazuka panicked, his face pale like meat dipped in boiling water.
"Then what do we do?"
Airi thought of the final option. No choice or hesitation left. They were forced to run deeper. Even with the possibility of encountering other more horrific dangers.
"Run into another path!"
They ran outside. Six eyes darted continuously in their sockets. Without hesitation, they immediately ran into the adjacent path.
Kazuka: "I hope this cave is okay, otherwise we are dead for sure."
Airi grumbled: "Saying that is useless, Kazuka. Focus on finding a way."
Kazuka: "Then you think, Airi!"
Airi, tense and annoyed.
"I am thinking! You are too loud!"
Kazuka shouted.
"Takeshi, use your ability to create a large hole on this road. That will cut them off."
But Airi disagreed and countered:
"No. Doing that only confirms we are here. If they gather to search, no matter how big this cave is, we won't escape."
Kazuka thought of another way:
"How about we find a corner to hide, then use Takeshi's ability to cover it?"
"That won't work either. They've smelled us."
Kazuka panicked and screamed.
"Then what must we do?"
Airi, annoyed.
"Why didn't you act like this before we came down?"
Airi's eyes widened as if she just thought of something.
"Kazuka, quickly take the glowing stones around here."
Kazuka was stunned and confused, not understanding Airi's intent.
"Huh? For what?"
"Hurry, I have a way!"
Kazuka followed. While running, he plucked glowing stones embedded on the walls.
They reached a slightly large space. Right ahead, three paths appeared.
Unsure what was inside, but the plan had to be tried.
Airi gave the plan while running, her voice mixed with heavy breathing.
"Three paths ahead. Takeshi will run into the right corner path. Kazuka and I will use glowing stones to mask our body heat and scent. Takeshi, when they enter the cave with you, you must build many thick stone layers consecutively to protect yourself. Those large lions can break a few stone walls. So you must build many."
"When entering the cave mouth, you must leave an energy thread as a lead. This will be difficult as you must control energy from a distance into a thread, but you must try. Then use your ability to trap them inside. When done, remember to use your ability to open a path for us to reach you."
Takeshi nodded.
"Understood."
Kazuka, while running, pried out large glowing stones. He threw them to Airi.
"Airi!"
She reached out and took 3 stones. They reached the place planned. A loud roar echoed through the large cave again.
Airi: "They're almost here. Hurry!"
They split up as planned. Airi and Kazuka ran into the middle path. Takeshi ran into the right corner path. Running into the large tunnel, Airi's eyes widened in a panicked expression.
"Oh no, I should have given Takeshi a piece of our clothes. Suddenly my scent and Kazuka's will vanish; some smart monsters will definitely realize."
"Then what do we do, Airi?"
Airi, serious. The problem was escalating.
"Pray."
After a while, the monsters caught up. They rushed like a flood. The large cave shook continuously and violently. They rushed into the cave Takeshi had just entered. Takeshi inside was running very fast, charging straight ahead, legs thick with orange energy.
But the white wolf that had just fought in the arena and three other white wolves stopped. Their eyes showed clear suspicion. They lifted their faces, sniffing everywhere to detect any abnormality.
"Cannot find the scent of the other two. Only one went into the right corner path."
The three-eyed tiger, the snakes, and a few black wolves ran up. They stopped with the four white wolves.
They spoke in unison, voices suspicious:
"Lost the trail of the two?"
A gray-black snake spoke, stating its speculation:
"Possible that one running is bait to let the other two run into one of these two paths."
Another snake spoke, wanting to dismiss what the gray-black snake said:
"Not sure. Maybe they want to trick smart ones like us and destroy all those fools."
Inside Airi and Kazuka's tunnel, every step trod on rough stone. Every step echoed throughout the cave.
Kazuka was curious; he still didn't understand Airi's plan:
"Why didn't we run with Takeshi?"
Airi patiently explained:
"Actually, I wanted it this way because: if all three used stones and scents vanished, they would split and run all three paths. We'd be dead. So I let Takeshi alone reveal his scent to draw attention. They will chase him, and when trapped, I will use blood chains to massacre them inside where Takeshi trapped them."
"As for not going together, I feared we would hinder Takeshi. He uses the Earth element and can burrow and hide. If we went together, he would have to maintain a longer underground tunnel while moving. That would be hard for him. Elements are very hard to use."
Kazuka frowned for a moment, then his face relaxed. A spark of realization appeared in his eyes. This time, he only gave a small, understanding "ah."
"So you think the end of Takeshi's path is a dead end? And running together would make it hard for him."
Airi smiled slightly, nodding slowly as if confirming what the other just realized.
"Correct."
Consecutive shock sounds echoed like thunder underground, making the entire space shake violently as if the cave was about to collapse. Pebbles and rock fragments from the cave ceiling began to fall like a gray rain, clattering chaotically on the stone floor. The ground beneath their feet vibrated repeatedly, so much that small stones were like they were attached to springs, jumping wildly.
From Kazuka and Airi's position, everything appeared terrifyingly clear. Every trail of dust flew in the air, and the echo in the cave sounded like the roar of a monster just awakened.
Kazuka was a bit panicked, glancing and sensing toward Takeshi. The energy he radiated right by the wall was easy to feel.
A spark of realization flashed in Airi's eyes. Her face immediately tightened. No one needed to speak; she clearly sensed the situation. Her posture changed immediately, breathing slowed, and focus suddenly appeared in every muscle.
"He trapped them."
Outside, the somewhat smart monsters were also confused. They grimaced, looking bewildered left and right to check.
"Why is there such a strong vibration?"
A stone wall was slowly rising at the right corner cave entrance, like a giant sprout piercing through the ground and reaching up for life.
CRASH!!!
The giant stone block collided with the cave ceiling and made a loud, piercing noise, as if wanting to tear the eardrums.
The white wolves approached in suspicion, cautiously. They touched it. The wall was strangely smooth, not belonging to Mother Nature.
The screams of other monsters were echoing incessantly from behind the stone wall that had just grown to block the entrance. They were in panic, screaming and trampling on each other's bodies. Just hearing it revealed the chaos.
"This is likely a trap to lure us, then trap us inside."
A black wolf stepped forward, pointed at the three-eyed tiger, then pointed at the stone wall Takeshi created.
"You. Can you break it?"
The massive three-eyed tiger approached the wall Takeshi created slowly, placing a front paw on it thoughtfully.
"I don't know. Don't know if this wall is thick."
The black wolf continued, providing evidence by majority to force the tiger:
"Just try. You're the only four-legged one here."
The tiger, annoyed, frowned and shouted:
"You guys are four-legged too!"
The cunning black wolf shrugged and shook its head, as if they were different.
"Don't you see us standing on two legs?"
The snake nearby spoke, wanting to brush it off and force the tiger:
"I have no legs."
The three-eyed tiger glanced at the crowd. Everyone wore a friendly smile. Still angry, it had to do it with frustrated annoyance.
"You bastards."
It immediately got to work. The tiger tensed. Purple energy surrounded it. It lifted its front right paw and swung it toward the large stone block blocking the way. The massive paw swung as if wanting to crush everything and compress the air.
BOOM!!!
The cave shook slightly. The stone wall emitted a loud explosion. Smoke and dust puffed out everywhere. It immediately jumped and retreated.
The dust cleared. The stone wall was cracked and broken in many places like a giant spiderweb, but the wall was not yet completely destroyed.
The monsters stood there in surprise, staring at the indentation on the wall.
A white wolf spoke, somewhat admiring the sturdy wall:
"Unexpectedly this wall is so large."
The three-eyed tiger still did not submit. The pride of a monster did not allow it to submit to a trivial stone wall. It roared a dull sound like cracking stone underground, then suddenly stomped all four legs down, creating a powerful bracing posture. Its four limbs splayed wide, sturdy as four giant pillars pinned deep into the ground, transmitting a horrific pressure into the earth so much that small cracks began to spread under its claws. Its massive frame was rigid, muscles rippling.
The monsters were a bit surprised but only watched silently, waiting for the result.
Its jaw relaxed, mouth opened wide. An energy ball from its throat appeared small; energy was constantly kneading it and making it larger.
Immediately, it fired the energy source into the stone wall.
BOOM!!!
A large explosion made the cave shake violently as if about to collapse. Smoke and dust covered and surrounded the vast space.
The dust gradually cleared. Rocks lay scattered everywhere, large and small.
But they opened their eyes wide in surprise. Not because the tiger's attack was too strong.
The tiger had exploded two walls at once, but inside there was still another wall.
The white wolf looked in, then frowned, grimacing with annoyance.
"Damn it. It seems there are many wall layers, not one. Looks like we can't get in."
On Takeshi's side, he was kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath repeatedly. The sound of breathing overwhelmed all other external sounds in his ears. His face showed clear exhaustion and depletion. His body was heavy as if carrying thousands of stone blocks.
"Damn... it..."
At his fingertips was an orange energy thread; it seemed to connect to the cave entrance.
The image of the old wolf reappeared. All three were sitting around him in the cold winter on a grass field covered in white snow.
"Alright. Your energy control is quite good now. Now we will increase the difficulty."
"Today we will learn about high-focus energy control by turning energy into a thread."
The old wolf's two fingers on both hands pointed toward each other. An energy thread appeared.
"This is an energy thread. You must focus to do it."
Takeshi and Kazuka, with interest, leaned in close and observed. Their eyes were curious like children seeing something new.
Kazuka spoke first with praise and curiosity:
"Truly interesting."
Takeshi's voice also carried curiosity.
"Yeah, looks so strange."
Airi, with an uncaring face, turned away. The old wolf noticed.
"You've learned this, so teach these two boys, or train more. Want to be lazy again?"
Airi turned her face away in arrogance.
"Hmph. I know how to do it, so why learn?"
"Learn to be more proficient. This works very well as a trap."
Airi didn't care.
"Only traps for the weak."
Returning to the present, the energy thread in his hand disappeared. Pressing his hands on the ground, slightly trembling, the rough feeling from the ground transmitted an imperfection. He stood up with exhaustion.
"Used too much energy. My control is still quite poor. Moving this far consumed too much energy."
Takeshi closed his eyes and sensed.
"Where are those two?"
He searched for his two friends. Their energy was not far, only separated by a large rock wall.
"Ah, found them."
Going deep inside for a stretch, he placed his hand on the stone wall. Takeshi tensed. His energy erupted. A path opened.
BOOM!
Kazuka and Airi were sitting right in front. Seeing Takeshi, both ran over and threw the glowing stones away.
Airi smiled slightly with satisfaction.
"Well done, Takeshi."
Takeshi was also a bit happy.
"Yeah."
Kazuka extended a fist in front of Takeshi and flashed a smile. Takeshi understood and bumped fists with Kazuka.
"Good job."
Airi changed her expression, returning to seriousness. Her facial muscles seemed reset.
"Takeshi, now create a hole for me on this stone wall so my blood chains can enter."
Takeshi nodded. It was quite easy to perform.
"Wait a bit."
Takeshi reached out and touched the stone wall. In his mind, he was imagining a hole on the wall. After a while, he opened his eyes and removed his hand from the wall. There was a hole just big enough for an arm to fit through.
Airi stood there, eyes closed. Red energy surrounded her. Chains were gradually appearing and hovering around. Kazuka and Takeshi retreated.
Kazuka complained:
"This pile of chains makes it too cramped."
The chains, with a fiercely burning pink flame, crawled into the hole in the wall Takeshi created.
Outside, the monsters smelled the scent of all three.
The white wolf spoke first, a bit tense and excited:
"Smelled them. They are in the middle path. No, they moved through the right path."
A snake spoke in admiration while knowing nothing.
"Didn't expect them to hide there. Let's go. It's hunting time."
The monsters rushed into the middle path.
On Airi's side, her chains were entering that hole continuously. The screams of the monsters inside were extremely pitiful.
Inside, the chains moved continuously like a snake and attacked monsters from large to small. The flickering pink flame inside the darkness was constantly incinerating them. The sounds became more pitiful.
Those struck but not yet dead rolled on the ground struggling in despair, then were incinerated to death by the flames or trampled by others. Those killed in one blow also had their corpses incinerated by the flames. The common point was the same ending.
After a while of hearing those screams, finally Airi finished cleaning. She retracted the blood chains; they vanished in mid-air.
Airi turned back and smiled after her massacre without looking.
"Done."
Kazuka was a bit happy, talking while walking:
"Yeah, let's go."
Suddenly, he sensed the energy of something rushing over. His happy expression vanished, turning into panic.
"Not good. There are still other monsters coming."
Airi and Takeshi were surprised by what they heard. Airi's expression carried shock.
"What? Still more? So some didn't chase Takeshi but stayed outside to guard?"
Takeshi spoke his speculations.
"In that case, it's possible they are smarter than the ones we trapped."
"You two, 13 are rushing here."
Airi snapped toward Takeshi and shouted with urgency:
"Takeshi, quickly dissolve these stone walls! This place is too narrow. Now we need to run back to the entrance of the three paths."
Takeshi nodded.
"Yeah."
Takeshi knelt on the ground, hands placed down, teeth grit in tension. The thick stone wall lowered gradually. A slight vibration but negligible, leaving a bit of dust.
"Hurry up!"
The three ran back and approached the exit very hastily.
A white wolf running with another black wolf ahead felt something was wrong.
The black wolf snapped back toward the rear, the path they just ran, and shouted:
"They know we are chasing! They are running back!"
"Damn it!"
The monsters ran back the path they just traveled.
Kazuka was running. His energy was still radiating to sense.
"They are only one wall away from us. If so, when we exit the cave, we might bump into them immediately."
Airi was running. Her voice was still very calm. She had decided to confront them, as this was the best choice possible instead of running and wasting stamina.
"Just confront them directly. Running more now only wastes stamina. But we need to hit and fade, fighting while probing."
Kazuka's group exited the cave first. The monsters were right behind. Both sides stopped and looked at each other.
Both sides with hostile gazes scanned each other's entire force in tension and a deadly atmosphere.
The white wolf spoke first, warning the remaining monsters:
"These kids are not ordinary."
The three-eyed tiger, without a word of warning, opened its mouth wide and fired a large energy source toward Kazuka's group, opening the battle.
Kazuka's group jumped out of the aim of the energy blow the three-eyed tiger fired.
BOOM!!!
All three were tricked and forced to scatter to dodge the blow.
The other monsters also rushed in. 4 white wolves surrounded Kazuka. 5 black wolves surrounded Airi. Three snakes and the three-eyed tiger surrounded Takeshi.
The battle was divided.
Surrounded, the three entered a state of alertness. All understood, this was a race.
Whichever side could quickly take down one of the three could run and support.
Kazuka stood there, eyes glancing around.
"Hmph. This is not good. It's very hard to support those two."
The white wolves rushed in. Seeing this, on Airi and Takeshi's side, the monsters also rushed in.
The white wolf from the arena rushed over. Its thirst for blood was as if waiting to be released. It swung sharp claws at Kazuka. He lifted his sword and blocked the attack.
CLANG!!!
Both sides were in a stalemate. No side would retreat, as retreating could create an opportunity for the other to strike first.
Seeing this, three other white wolves rushed over. Kazuka was gritting his teeth in resistance. His energy was surging stronger to end it quickly.
He glanced around. He made a grand threatening declaration and a final warning for the monsters.
"I once killed your friends. If you're so brave, come here. I will let you all reunite."
He used force to shove that white wolf's claws away. Then he turned his body with massive energy like a whirlwind, attacking and defending against the vicious but weak claws.
He blew them all away.
The white wolf that rushed first and was close was blown back into the wall. It was in pain, its body bouncing off the wall.
Taking advantage of this chaos, Kazuka rushed. The ground beneath his feet cracked. His legs were like a spring that had accumulated force. A white wolf he just blew back was sliding long on the ground, dragging two parallel trails. It had just stopped and looked up when right before its eyes was Kazuka, his entire body blue energy like a demon god with killing intent pressing on monsters like them. His eyes were covered by blue energy.
Kazuka closed in enough. Energy was transmitted to the sword. He swung the sword from top to bottom, intending to split this white wolf in half.
—"Can it block?"
The white wolf raised its two front legs to block. The characteristic purple energy of any monster radiated. Kazuka's slash descended. The blue energy of the human race and the purple energy of the demon race collided and neutralized each other.
But Kazuka's slash was too strong. It cut off all the white wolf's claws. The slash continued to descend toward its head. The white wolf's eyes widened, then it retreated in terror.
Kazuka roared:
"DIE!!!!"
The white wolf thought it escaped Kazuka's slash after retreating. But his hand still lowered the sword deeper.
That was not a close-range slash. It was an energy slash.
The energy slash was released and aimed at the white wolf. The tip of the sword lightly touched the ground.
His slash still flew, no mercy for these creatures. It tore the ground and pierced the air.
The white wolf could not react to this extremely strong and fast deceptive slash. It just stood still to receive it. Its gaze still couldn't believe it had been tricked. Immediately, Kazuka's slash split its body in half, and it died on the spot.
The weak energy of a human who only had a bit of intellect could not possibly resist.
Before Kazuka could breathe, other white wolves rushed right behind him.