Chapter 222 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 13

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 07:38

The group continued the search, following the same pattern of meticulous tracking that Ren had demonstrated. Under his guidance, they found and defeated two more bark stalkers during the next two hours, each in a different location but always following the same pattern of camouflage and behavior. By the time they finished processing the third bark stalker, almost three hours had passed since they began the hunt. The sun was high in the sky, indicating that a good part of the day still lay ahead, golden light filtering through the canopy above. "Enough materials?" asked Taro while helping Ren organize the last components. "Enough," confirmed Ren with satisfaction, his mushrooms pulsing with quiet contentment. "Now we can head to the cave." "Are we doing the entire shadow stalker cave today?" Min groaned theatrically, though everyone knew he would follow Ren without hesitation. "Without a doubt," Ren smiled, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Fine, fine, but let me go and urinate before we continue plundering this poor forest with your predatory gaze," Han commented, earning laughs from the boys and varied opinions from the girls. When he returned, Min and Mayo teased him for a while, as his bladder tended to constantly trouble him during excursions. With the guards’ beasts serving as improvised transport, they secured the valuable parts of the three bark stalkers to take back to camp. The enormous carapaces and specialized organs would fetch a handsome price, far exceeding what most students could hope to obtain in their entire stay at the academy. The other students were surprised again by the procession, this time even earlier in the day, their faces betraying a mixture of awe and envy as they watched Ren’s group return with their bounty. ♢♢♢♢ When they reached the cave entrance, they found another male shadow stalker mounting guard. Unlike the previous day, today Ren seemed much more confident with his bow, his stance relaxed yet focused. "Let me help you today to ensure the first shot," said Han, offering to shoot to also redeem himself after the teasing. "It won’t be necessary," responded Ren with quiet confidence. He drew the bow, breathed deeply as Han had taught him, and released the arrow. The projectile flew with deadly precision, embedding itself directly in the point between the shadow stalker’s sensors. The creature staggered, clearly wounded but not defeated, its wings beating erratically as it struggled to maintain its position. As Ren stepped forward, one of the guards made a fluid movement with her hand. Her coral beast partially manifested, creating a brilliant barrier of crystalline mirrors that surrounded Ren, their surfaces catching and refracting the afternoon light. "In case you miss," explained the guard, her eyes never leaving the wounded creature. Ren nodded in thanks, though his expression suggested he considered the precaution unnecessary. With calculated movements, he prepared his spear, measured the distance, and threw it with precise force. The spear cut through the air, impacting directly in the center of the creature. The male shadow stalker collapsed instantly, without even time to emit an alert call. "Impressive improvement in bow use in just one day," commented Liora, genuinely admiring his progress. "I had a good teacher," Ren responded, looking at Han. Han, on the other hand, shook his head intensely... He hadn’t taught him so well as to warrant such instant improvement. Ren was a learning monster, absorbing skills at a rate that defied explanation. With the guardian eliminated, the group entered the cave again, this time with greater confidence and efficiency. They knew the protocol, understood the dangers, and moved as a well-coordinated unit, their steps almost silent on the cave floor. Soon they found new molting chambers guided by Ren, as full as the previous ones, and began the collection process. But Ren seemed slightly distracted, his mushrooms pulsing in irregular patterns while he occasionally stopped to touch the cave walls, as if listening to something only he could perceive. "Is something wrong?" asked Luna during a pause, her eyes searching his face. "No," Ren responded, turning his attention back to the task. "Just... verifying something." But the way his mushrooms continued pulsing in unusual patterns suggested to Lin that, even amid another successful gathering expedition, part of his mind was still analyzing the anomalies of the previous night. ♢♢♢♢ For the second time in the day, the group ventured deeper into the cave. It was already familiar to them, and the sleeping females that once inspired an almost paralyzing fear were now simply another obstacle to navigate carefully, their translucent bodies pulsing softly in the dim light. As they advanced toward the deeper areas of the cave, Lin noticed that Ren still stopped to touch the walls, his fingers splayed against the cool stone. "Did you feel something again?" she finally asked, approaching him during one of these pauses. Ren remained silent for a moment, his mushrooms pulsing while he seemed to listen to something the others couldn’t perceive, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Yes and no," he finally responded. "There’s a strange sensation, but I can’t precisely identify it." "Any worms? Perhaps another beast from the depths?" Lin studied his expression carefully. "No," Ren shook his head. "From everything I know... It’s not a beast. It’s just... a feeling." Lin observed him a moment more before nodding. "Let me know if you feel something concrete. But don’t worry too much, it could simply be a residual effect of the changes we discussed last night." Ren nodded, but the slight wrinkle between his eyebrows suggested he wasn’t completely convinced. "We should finish soon," he decided, resuming the advance. "Before night falls and the females wake." The group increased their pace, moving more quickly through the tunnels. This time they delved deeper, discovering two additional molting chambers, their walls lined with the silvery discarded skins. While collecting the skins, Han approached Ren, who was meticulously examining a particularly well-preserved specimen. "I wanted to thank you again," Han said quietly. "For the cultivation advice and for the help with the exam. Not just for me, but for everyone." "You would have done the same," Ren continued with his task, though his mushrooms pulsed softly. "If I had all that knowledge," Han continued, "I’d probably be too greedy to share it. I think your head is worth a fortune." "I don’t think you would be," Ren finally responded, storing the skin. "You shared the bow technique without hesitation." Han chuckled. "That’s not worth much. Anyone can learn to shoot a weak bow with practice. What you have..." he gestured encompassing the chambers, the skins, all the materials they had collected, "that’s worth too much." Ren looked at him directly, his mushrooms pulsing with a soft but intense rhythm. "You shouldn’t think that way about what you taught me with the bow. Sometimes, the things people believe are worthless are the most valuable." Han seemed to reflect on this as they continued advancing, his expression thoughtful. Upon finishing emptying the chamber, the group began their journey to what would be the day’s 4th and final chamber. Ren led the way through the intricate tunnels, occasionally taking alternative routes that he seemed to know by instinct. At a fork, he turned left without hesitation, followed closely by Han, the others trailing a few paces behind. Suddenly, his mushrooms pulsed with alarming intensity, brightening the narrow passage. A strange sensation, like an invisible pressure wave, traveled through the tunnel. Ren looked up and barely had time to register a disturbing sight, several shadow stalker carcasses scattered further ahead in the tunnel. But he had no time to process what he was seeing. In the next step, the ground simply disappeared beneath their feet. There was no warning, no prior cracking or change in texture. One moment they were walking on solid ground, and the next, both Ren and Han were falling into an unexpected void, swallowing them in an instant. Taro and Shizu, just a few meters behind, had no time to react. Not even Lin, with her trained reflexes, could anticipate what happened. There was not even a hole. The fall was so sudden, so impossible, that no one was prepared, especially because it was Ren, the one who always knew exactly where to step, the one who never made mistakes in exploration.

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