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

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.