Two-star

After getting the pills from the siblings, Rut left the building. As he went past Shui, he lowered his posture and meekly left. The feeling of having control over Rut's life and death didn't leave Shui with any special feelings as he only viewed him as a tool. It could be said that he was cruel for his age, but as long as this didn't produce a heart demon Shui didn't let it bother him.

"Mr. Shin, should we get going?" Ryan asked.

As time passed, Ryan was able to talk normally with Shui like he did with Lily, excusing the strong admiration that seemed to appear in his eyes whenever they conversed.

"Yeah, let's get a good one."

Just as they were about to leave the building, Shui glanced at something that caught his attention on the task board.

[ Notice:

A new great beast has been discovered in the outskirts of Malirin Forest. Be wary of beast spirits and high beasts wandering away from their territories.]

Malirin, was the name of the forest they always went to. It was originally named after a past king's sister who died young, due to the fact that it was her favourite place. This was before a beast lord ruled it so it had a very peaceful and beautiful scenery.

The notice had few words but any proper worker would be able to read between the lines. An evolved beast that had reached great beast stage threatened the power balance of the forest. It didn't state what kind of evolved beast it was, but the second line indicated that it was very aggressive. It had probably killed many other evolved beasts and so the territories that weaker beasts would reside were no more. Before this trouble, it would be very rare to find a beast spirit near the edge of the forest, but with the great beast running wild that was no longer true. Beasts who managed to flee would either run to a strong ally, or to the edge of the forest.

When he saw this notice, hesitation sprouted in Shui's heart. Though the chance was still small, it wouldn't be odd for them to encounter a beast spirit or worse during their hunting trip. However, giving up on his last day was also something he was reluctant to do.

"Mr. Shin?"

Noticing him stuck in place looking at the task board, Lily called out to Shui from the entrance. Since he was starting to hesitate, Shui decided to ask Lily for her opinion.

"What do you think?"

"Hmm, I think we'll be fine as long as we stay within sight of the plains. But if you disagree we don't have to go. Thanks to you even if this situation lasts for a while we have enough money to take care of ourselves."

Shui knew that Lily wasn't twisting the truth to make him feel better, so he took her words as they were.

"Okay, we'll follow your suggestion."

He had become more familiar with battle, but there were very few fights that gave him trouble. Therefore, it would be a lie if Shui said he didn't want a harsher challenge. However, there was always a thin line between courage and recklessness, not to mention how worried certain people would be if he got injured too badly. He was still just a child so he couldn't afford to risk his life often.

When they made it to Malirin forest, Lily quickly found a pair of rabid monkeys. Rabid monkeys were evolved beasts that had the body of monkeys but with dark red fur and large fangs. He couldn't teach her his way of detecting them, but Shui could give Lily advice on what sensory details to look for when hunting. This advice was a combination of his own experience and the knowledge he gained from the Library.

Rabid monkeys always travelled in groups of at least two and had excellent teamwork. If one was caught in a large group of rabid monkeys, not just him, even a beast spirit would be killed.

"I'll block them off." Shui said before increasing his speed up to a higher level than the rabid monkeys.

The little nuisances were very nimble in trees, but that wasn't enough to beat Shui in pure speed. While Shui stayed ahead of the monkeys, the siblings would pin them down. Lily shot three arrows while chasing the two beasts and one of them went through a rabid monkey's leg. Rabid monkeys had a great sense of loyalty and companionship so they would never leave a fallen member behind. This was a quality that Shui honestly admired, but that didn't stop him from hunting them.

With one of the rabid monkeys pinned down, the other guarded it in its embrace while growling warily at the three of them.

"Grrr..."

Even though they had them surrounded, neither Shui nor the siblings let their guard down. Even a rat could bite a cat when cornered, much less this creature. Shui stayed on one side while Ryan approached from the other with Lily and her arrow aimed at the rabid monkeys. As his feet neared them, the beasts became more tense and the hair on their backs were raised stiff.

Seven feet before he reached them, the one with an arrow in its leg pounced at Ryan. It was a template surprise attack, but no one was surprised. This wasn't the first time they had dealt with rabid monkeys so they were used to these tricks. The first time this happened, Ryan almost had his eyes plucked out and was only saved due to Shui's timely intervention, but this time, the sword in his right hand made a clean diagonal cut to the upper-right.

Seeing its comrade be split into two right in front of it, the remaining rabid monkey's eyes became complete red.

"It's gonna blow!" Lily shouted.

Two seconds later, the body of the rabid monkey exploded into red mist and mangled organs. This was the main reason why rabid monkeys were trouble, not only did they like attacking in groups, but they also committed suicide bombing when the odds were against them.

Who would like it if they put in so muck work, only to see their quarry waste itself?

Since they had retreated behind trees in time, none of them were injured. However, they all had to sigh. Though they still had one carcass, the smell of the one that exploded would quickly pervade throughout the forest and attract other beasts.

They had no choice but to leave with the lone prey. The siblings knew about Shui's satchel, but since it was still just a bag with extra storage space, putting a carcass inside was an absolute no-no since he had many things he didn't want blood touching in it.

With Ryan carrying the carcass, they walked to the exit of the forest when suddenly, Shui felt a quickly approaching presence.

"Huh?"

Before he could relay this information, he checked behind him and spotted a four-legged beast rushing after them.

"Oh no,"

"What is it Mr.-"

"Run, run, run!"

Before Lily could finish asking what was the problem, Shui told them to run.

"Ryan, drop the monkey!"

"But-"

"I said drop it!"

They didn't know why they were running but since this was the first time they had seen Shui so serious, they didn't show hesitation. Furthermore,

*Roar*

The sudden noise that came from behind told them all that they needed to know. The ferocious beast chasing them wasn't as weak as the evolved beasts that they had encountered. It was of a level they couldn't confront.

For all three of them, this was their first encounter with a beast spirit.