26.Smoke and Stars

Note:-> From now on

Level -> Tier

Stage:-> Level

The black and white eggs were glowing softly. A calm light came from them, not too bright, not too dull. Moon and Kai were staring at the eggs without blinking. It was like they were expecting a baby dragon or some magical creature to come out right away.

Just then, Minji walked closer and spoke in a slightly amused voice.

"Staring won't help. You should look inside your soul sea instead."

Moon turned to her. "Soul sea?"

Kai nodded slowly. "Yes... a place inside your soul where droppings from the creatures we kill goes. Even echoes stay there."

Minji smiled. "That's right. Look inside. You might see something interesting."

Moon and Kai both closed their eyes. They focused quietly. Soon, they felt something. Their consciousness slowly sank into their soul sea. It felt like falling into warm, still water.

In front of them, each saw a beautiful door. The door looked royal. It had golden edges and deep, dark wood. The energy around it was strange. It felt alive. They didn't need any key. Just a thought was enough. The doors opened.

Ding.

[Beast Space has been unlocked. You can now store bonded creatures in this dimension.]

Moon and Kai opened their eyes slowly. The world around them felt normal again. They both reached out and gently placed their hands on the eggs. The eggs vanished instantly and were sent into their beast space.

Moon turned to Minji.

"Do you know what kind of beast is inside?"

Minji shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure. I couldn't look through the barrier. But when I tried to read the energy, I felt that the eggs are not from the same species. Maybe dog family... like wolves, or bears, or something like that. Maybe even cats... like lions or leopards. I can't say exactly."

Moon gave a small thankful smile. "Thanks for helping."

He and Kai started walking away. James followed them quietly without a word.

---

Next Day - 12:00 PM

Moon, Kai, and James stood near the teleporter inside their house. A soft light surrounded them as they were transported to Base #12072009.

Kai wore a white shirt and black pants. His look was simple but neat. Moon, as always, wore his black shirt and pants with clean white shoes.

After about fifteen minutes, Ruby and Minji also arrived at the base.

Moon clapped his hands with a smile. "Wow, you came early. Impressive."

Ruby and Minji ignored him. Ruby walked straight to Kai.

"Shall we go?"

Kai nodded. "Yes, but check your gear first."

Ruby, wearing a red top and blue jeans, checked her items. "Everything is fine."

Moon raised his hand. "Wait. I brought something. Give me a minute."

He disappeared inside for a few minutes and came back with a small pouch.

Kai looked at him. "What is it?"

Moon smiled but didn't answer.

Then Moon asked, "How long will our journey take?"

Kai answered, "At least three to four months."

With that, the journey began.

---

Team Roles:

Kai – Team Leader, makes plans, secondary fighter

Moon – Main fighter

Ruby – Main fighter

James – Support fighter

Minji – Sniper

This journey was different from before. It wasn't just about reaching a place. It was about fighting as many essence creatures as possible.

After five days, they had already traveled through one-fourth of the Sunken Canopy. They met many rookie-level beasts. All of them were defeated without too much trouble. Even though all five were rookie-stage hunters, they were far stronger than normal ones.

James had improved a lot. His punches were sharper now. Kai had started teaching him how to use a sword too. Moon was still wild and funny. He made the group laugh often. Even Ruby smiled sometimes at his jokes.

There were also many light-hearted moments.

Once during a long walk, Moon started walking backward and said, "You know, if I walk like this all the way, maybe time will go backward and we'll finish the mission before it starts."

James laughed. "Or you'll fall into a ditch again."

"Again?" Ruby raised her eyebrow.

Kai replied calmly, "Yes. He tripped over a bush and blamed it on a squirrel."

Minji smirked. "That squirrel had better aim than half the shooters I've met."

Moon pouted. "You people don't understand. That bush was cursed."

Everyone laughed.

---

One morning...

Moon sat quietly, looking at his essence panel.

Essence Points:

Rookie: 34 / 150

Fighter: 8 / 150

Professional: 0 / 150

King: 0 / 150

Saint: 0 / 150

He blinked in surprise. "Five or six days... and I've already come this far?"

He looked around and saw Ruby sleeping peacefully nearby. Her hair was gently resting over her face. Moon's heart skipped a beat. He looked away quickly.

He took out a toothbrush and started brushing his teeth. In the background, he could hear Kai and James training.

After brushing, Moon walked to a quiet corner. He pulled out a small pack of cigarettes from his storage ring. He took one out and lit it using a spark from his electro element.

It had been nearly two months since his last smoke. Only Kai knew about this habit. And only Moon knew Kai smoked too.

He took a deep puff and stared at the sky. The smoke curled up slowly.

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder.

He turned. It was Ruby.

"Good morning," Moon said softly. "All good?"

Ruby looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "You smoke?"

Moon nodded slowly. "Sometimes. Occasionally."

Ruby gave a small nod. "Didn't expect that."

She sat beside him for a moment.

"What happens to you in battle?" she asked. "You look like a different person."

Moon stayed silent for a moment. Then said, "At first, I didn't understand either. But later, I found out... some people release too much adrenaline when they feel pain. Their body starts to like it. They become excited during pain. It's rare... but not impossible."

Ruby looked thoughtful. "So... you have masochistic behavior during battles."

Moon smiled. "You could say that."

He threw the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it gently.

Ruby glanced at him. "You don't look like someone who smokes."

Moon said softly, "I was an orphan. No one taught me what's right. I lived in the slums. Everyone smoked there. Even the people I used to admire."

He paused. "And... want to know something funny? Kai smokes more than me."

Ruby simply nodded. "Why so many answers today?"

Moon smiled. "Why so many questions today?"

Ruby looked straight at him, her face calm. "I just saw you smoking. Got curious. Anyway, I should go get ready."

She stood up and walked away.

A few seconds later, Kai came over.

"One for me," he said, holding out his hand.

Moon handed him a cigarette. Kai lit it and took a slow puff.

Then Moon walked over to James and started showing him a few hand-to-hand defense tricks.

From nearby, Minji's voice rang out loudly.

"Oi! Long-legged b*tch!"

She was calling out to Ruby in her usual teasing way. Whenever Minji wanted to annoy both Ruby and Moon at once, she did this.

Later, the team collected dry wood and flat stones. They built a simple fire setup. Two stones stood upright, one flat stone was placed across them. Underneath, thin sticks and twigs were arranged neatly.

Kai cooked meat from rookie-level beasts they had killed earlier. He fried it in light oil.

Everyone brought out their plates from their rings and began eating together.

After eating, Kai used his water element to clean everything. Then he packed the stones and plates back.

---

One night around the campfire...

The sky was quiet and clear. Stars blinked above like tiny lanterns. The team sat in a circle near the fire. The warm orange glow flickered softly, lighting their tired faces.

Kai was cleaning his blade silently. Ruby sat with her legs crossed, eyes half-closed, listening to the crackle of the fire. James was turning meat sticks slowly, letting the aroma spread. Moon was lying on the ground, looking up at the sky.

Minji leaned back on her elbows and asked, "If you weren't a hunter, what would you be?"

Ruby smiled faintly. "Maybe a teacher. Or a firefighter. Something with purpose."

Kai said softly, "Scientist. I'd like to study strange things in the universe."

James grinned. "A cook. I like making food... though I burn half of it."

Everyone chuckled.

Minji said, "I'd be a travel photographer. Imagine seeing every world and capturing it."

All eyes turned to Moon.

He shrugged. "I'd probably run a small noodle shop."

Everyone stared at him.

Moon raised his hands. "What? I love noodles. I'd name it 'Slurp Kingdom.'"

Minji burst out laughing. Even Kai smiled a little.

Ruby shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

Later that night, as everyone lay down under the stars, Moon sat up and looked at his beast space.

The eggs were still glowing gently.

Still resting.

Still waiting to hatch.

Their true forms are hidden... for now.

To be continued

___