Chapter 14: The Hunt Begins (Part 2)

Dragging the corpse of the Umbrolf a good hundred meters away from their base, Kael and his team returned to camp, their minds already on the next step.

As they gathered around, Kael laid out the plan he and Liam had discussed on the way back. He half-expected pushback, but to his surprise, no one objected. That didn't mean they were comfortable with it—far from it. Unease flickered in their eyes. Hunting monsters was one thing in theory. Doing it was another.

Liam clapped his hands together. "Alright, we leave in ten. Get whatever gear you need and meet up at the campfire. We'll go over the final strategy then."

A round of nods followed, and the group dispersed.

Minutes later, everyone reassembled by the fire, weapons in hand, eyes sharp with determination.

"So, what's the plan?" Michael asked, shifting his bow against his shoulder.

"We split into two groups of four," Kael said.

A ripple of surprise passed through the group—everyone except Liam. He was already in on it.

"Four people to hunt monsters alone?" Norvyn muttered, glancing at the stump where his arm had once been.

Kael met his gaze. "It's morning. The chance of running into something truly dangerous is low. Splitting up lets us cover more ground, hunt more efficiently."

"That's not the point," Michael countered. "Wouldn't a bigger group be safer?"

Liam shook his head. "Right now, safety isn't our top priority. We're not here for a casual survival trip. This is a competition. Experience points and survival points are divided among everyone involved in a kill. The bigger the group, the fewer points we each get. If we want to level up faster, we have to be efficient."

Silence followed. No one looked happy about it, but Liam's words held weight. The others trusted him, even if they weren't thrilled about the idea.

Then, Alysha, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "I agree with Kael. Splitting up is better."

That sealed it.

Liam took charge of dividing the teams, though Kael had already suggested the best balance.

Team One was composed of Kael and Norvyn as frontline rogues, Alysha providing magical support from the back, and Garve as the ranger striking from the flanks.

Team Two included Liam and Paul as warriors leading the charge, Michael supporting from range, and Orayne as their cleric.

Norvyn's frown deepened. "Isn't this lineup kinda… unbalanced?"

The others seemed to agree. Kael's group had no warriors, no healers—just two rogues, a ranger, and a mage. Meanwhile, Liam's team had a proper frontline and a healer to back them up.

Yet, no one objected.

Kael crossed his arms. "This lineup is perfect."

Norvyn glanced at him, remembering how Kael had taken down the Umbrolf single-handedly. He'd fought that monster himself—he knew exactly how much strength that took.

Kael alone made up for the missing warrior.

Seeing the unspoken understanding settle over the group, Liam nodded. "If there are no objections, we move out. Meet back here before sunset. If you're not back by then, we'll come looking. Understood?"

A round of nods.

And with that, the hunt began.

***

Kael's group moved carefully through the jungle, navigating past thick undergrowth and low-hanging vines. The air was damp, filled with the scent of wet earth and moss. Sunlight barely pierced through the dense canopy, leaving the forest in a constant state of twilight.

They kept formation—Kael and Norvyn leading, Garve and Alysha following just behind.

For the first ten minutes, nothing. A few insects buzzed around them, but no signs of anything larger.

Then Kael stopped abruptly, his sharp gaze dropping to the ground.

Faint tracks. Large ones.

He crouched, running his fingers over the imprints in the soil. "Something big passed through here."

The others exchanged uneasy glances as they gathered around.

Alysha tightened her grip on her staff. "What kind of 'something'?"

Kael exhaled. "No clue."

Despite this being his second time through the tutorial, he hardly remembered the monsters from this stage. How could he? He had fought against the several horrors of the upper stages—details like this tended to blur together over time.

"Let's keep moving," he said, standing.

The group followed the tracks, careful not to make unnecessary noise. The deeper they went, the more signs they found—claw marks on tree trunks, broken branches, disturbed soil. Whatever they were tracking, it wasn't far.

Then Kael halted again, raising a fist.

Instantly, the others froze.

He dropped behind a fallen log, gesturing for them to do the same. His gaze locked ahead. Through the dense foliage, he spotted movement.

"Looks like we found our prey," he murmured.

The others peered over the log.

And their breath hitched.

"What the hell is that?" Norvyn whispered, eyes wide.

The creatures before them were unlike anything they had seen so far. Up until now, the monsters in this tutorial had resembled animals they knew—oversized wolves, boars with strange features.

But this? This was something else entirely.

The creatures stood on four powerful limbs, somewhere between a big cat and a raptor. Their dark green fur blended perfectly with the jungle, making them nearly invisible in the underbrush. Each had curved talons that gleamed even in the dim light. Predators, built for the kill.

There were three of them.

Kael barely reacted. He studied them with the calm detachment of a seasoned hunter.

"Alright," he said. "Norvyn and I will flank. Garve, you take the shot—aim for the head of the one in the center. Alysha, hit the others the moment you get a chance."

Norvyn hesitated, his gaze flickering to the stump of his missing arm. He still wasn't used to fighting like this. But there was no time for doubt.

He took a breath.

Then he nodded.

They moved into position, careful not to step on dry leaves or snap branches. Kael slinked to the right, positioning himself behind a tree just within striking distance. Norvyn did the same on the opposite side. Garve nocked an arrow, steadying his breath.

A moment of stillness.

Then—twang.