27.Tauras Encounter

It was still early morning. The sunlight gently filtered through the dense canopy above as the group of five—Moon, Kai, James, Ruby, and Minji—prepared for the next leg of their journey. Birds chirped in the distance. The air was fresh, slightly damp from the dew. They had just finished breakfast, a modest meal that Ruby had prepared with her usual precision. Kai had, of course, given his silent nod of approval. Minji sipped some warm herbal tea while seated on a flat rock nearby, brushing back her slightly wet hair.

James had cracked a few jokes during the meal.

As they packed up their things and tightened their gear, a sudden rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.

Moon and Kai instinctively turned their heads. Without exchanging a word, they stepped forward toward the noise. The grass was thick there, but through the layers of leaves and vines, they saw something moving.

"Over there," Moon whispered, crouching low.

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Tauras," he said calmly.

Seven of them.

They were about twenty meters away, grazing in a clearing. Huge, muscular beasts—bull-like in form but twice the size of any ordinary animal, with thick hide and sharp, jagged horns. Their eyes glowed a dull amber. It didn't take a genius to figure it out—they were rookie-level creatures.

Moon signaled silently with his hand.

Everyone immediately understood.

Kai raised his palm toward the group, each finger spread. Then, one by one, he closed them into a fist.

As the last finger folded in, the team sprang into action.

Except Minji.

She leapt into the air with almost no sound and began climbing the tallest tree in the area. Its height was incredible—almost 150 meters, with a trunk nearly 30 meters thick. Like a phantom, she perched on one of the lower branches, scanning the battlefield with sharp eyes.

Down below, Moon dashed forward.

He ran straight toward the nearest Tauras and launched himself into the air. His feet slammed down hard on its skull, a burst of electric energy surging from his soles.

CRACK!

The beast let out a groan and collapsed.

Before it could recover, Moon pulled out his dagger and plunged it deep into the Tauras's neck, ending its life instantly.

Ruby and Kai had already dealt with two others.

Ruby's red claymore cleaved effortlessly through her targets, each strike filled with raw power and controlled rage. Kai, elegant and efficient, moved like a specter—his blade slipping between ribs and necks with surgical precision.

James was still locked in combat.

He threw punch after punch at the beast in front of him, his fists like hammers. But the Tauras endured, growling louder with each hit. Suddenly, it charged.

James shifted to the side just in time and grabbed its throat. With all his strength, he twisted and slammed the beast downward. Its head hit the ground with a thud.

BOOM!

Before it could rise again, James stepped forward and delivered a powerful kick straight into its gut.

THWACK!

The Tauras coughed blood.

With no hesitation, James channeled 40 essence energy into his right hand, just like Moon had taught him. His palm glowed with light.

SLAM!

The Tauras didn't get up again.

Meanwhile, Moon was wiping his blade clean when he sensed danger.

Another Tauras charged him from behind.

Moon spun around mid-air, unsheathing his dagger. With one precise slice, he severed the beast's leg. It stumbled, crashing into the dirt.

Ruby, not far off, had dispatched two more with practiced ease. Her expression was calm but sharp.

Suddenly, two of the Tauras turned to flee.

Minji's eyes narrowed.

She pulled her bowstring and released a barrage of arrows. Most hit their mark, piercing the beast's back.

But one managed to escape.

It let out a loud, echoing bellow—

"Mooooo!"

The sound sent a chill down everyone's spine.

They had just begun to chase it when their system interfaces lit up with notifications:

"You have slain: Baby Tauras"

"You have slain: Baby Tauras"

"You have slain..."

All of them stopped.

Except Moon.

He was still chasing the fleeing beast.

But as those words—baby Tauras—registered in their minds, their hearts sank.

They hadn't killed adults.

They had killed baby ones.

James muttered, "This… this is bad,if these baby Tauras were roaming around it then adults must be near."

The moment froze in time.

Then, the ground began to tremble.

Moon was still running after the escaping Tauras when the earth shook beneath him.

He was just about to leap when Kai grabbed the collar of Moon's black shirt and threw him backward—toward the giant tree Minji had climbed earlier.

Kai yelled, "Storage! Get the corpses now!"

James, Ruby, and Kai quickly stuffed the Tauras bodies into their storage rings.

They didn't even look back as they scrambled up the tree.

Moon, who was mid-air from the throw, managed to grab onto a branch just next to Minji.

Only now, hanging there, did he understand the magnitude of the mistake they had made.

In the distance…

Hundreds.

No, thousands of Tauras were charging toward their location.

These weren't baby beasts.

Each one was massive—ten times the size of the ones they had just fought.

And they were angry.

The baby that escaped had already reached them, mooing frantically and pointing in their direction. The adults seemed to understand. Their fury was unmistakable.

They began stomping the ground.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Each stomp created tremors that shook the entire forest.

James lost balance but Kai caught him quickly.

"We have to go higher," Kai said calmly.

"No one moves until we find a way out."

Branch by branch, they climbed.

Eventually, they reached a broad, flat branch near the crown of the tree. It was wide enough to sit on and sturdy enough to hold them all.

There, they waited.

From above, they could see the horde of Tauras surrounding the base of the tree.

But none of the beasts attempted to do something.

It was as if the tree was sacred… or forbidden.

Time passed.

Tension grew.

Their food supply slowly dwindled.

After two days, only three days' worth of rations remained.

They couldn't stay up there forever.

The air was growing colder. Night fell. The leaves whispered against one another.

One night, when everyone was asleep on nearby branches using their sleep kits, the tree began to shake again.

A low, rhythmic vibration passed through the trunk.

It wasn't natural.

Moon's eyes remained closed.

But unlike others, the branch he had chosen to sleep wasn't flat. Its center curved slightly, forming a shallow slope.

He hadn't noticed earlier.

Now, as the tree shook, his sleeping roll began to slide.

It rolled.

Slowly…

Then a little faster.

Shhhk... shhk... SHHKK!

Moon woke up just as his body tipped over the edge.

His eyes flew open in panic.

He grabbed for a branch. Missed.

Grabbed again. Missed.

His fingers scraped bark, leaves, nothing solid.

He was falling.

Every second felt stretched.

He realized, mid-air, that the tree wasn't shaking randomly.

Down below, the adult Tauras were ramming their massive horns against the trunk.

Not to break it.

To make them fall.

Moon spun his body in the air. Cold air rushed past his face.

The darkness of the forest floor drew closer.

He grit his teeth.

From his storage ring, he summoned his Uzui Nichirin Sword—the twin blades connected by thick, heavy chains.

As they glimmered in the moonlight, he began channeling electro-element energy through the blades. Sparks crackled along the edge.

His grip tightened.

His breathing slowed.

His green eyes glowed.

A storm was about to begin.

To be continued...