The soft chirping of birds stirred Karan from his sleep. Blinking against the morning light, he sat up, stretching his stiff limbs. As his mind cleared, he remembered—Alan was supposed to wake him up at midnight so they could switch shifts. But he hadn’t.
Karan frowned and looked around. Alan was nowhere in sight. Panic crept into his thoughts.
Did something happen last night?
His heart pounded as a disturbing thought crossed his mind. What if that beast returned? What if Alan had to run away to keep me safe?
"Alan?" Karan called out, his voice slightly shaky. There was no response. He called again, louder this time. Still nothing.
Just as worry began to settle deep in his chest, a familiar voice spoke from behind.
"Oh, you're awake. Good morning."
Karan turned sharply to see Alan walking toward him, something slung over his shoulder.
"Don't scare me like that!" Karan huffed. "You should have at least told me where you were going."
Alan chuckled. "You were sleeping soundly. I thought it would be rude to wake you up. Besides, morning is the best time to hunt small beasts like this one."
Karan glanced at the creature Alan carried. "What is that?"
Alan dropped it to the ground, revealing a rabbit-like beast. "This is a Boodorb—a fast little thing and a favorite meal for adventurers. It's second only to Silvertusk, which is prized not just for its meat but also for the silver it provides. The Boodorb may not offer riches, but it has its own unique value."
Karan crouched to get a better look. "Is this related to what you mentioned last night? About the items and cores inside beasts?"
Alan nodded. "Exactly. But before I show you, let's eat first."
Alan had already gathered firewood and prepared everything needed for cooking. As the meal roasted over the flames, Karan washed up at a nearby pond before sitting down to eat.
Between bites, Karan sighed. "Sorry about last night. I fell asleep, and you didn’t wake me up."
Alan waved it off. "It’s fine. I wasn’t tired anyway."
Karan hesitated before speaking again. "You were thinking about that beast, weren’t you? You knew that if it showed up again, I wouldn’t be able to do anything… and that I’d put you in danger."
Alan's expression remained unreadable. "Nothing like that will happen. Don’t worry about it."
"But that’s exactly why I do worry," Karan insisted. He set down his food. "I want to learn how to control Aura. Can you teach me?"
Alan smirked. "How many things do you plan to learn? First, you wanted swordsmanship. Now, you want Aura control. If I told you there were seven major combat techniques, you’d probably ask me to teach you all of them."
Karan blinked. "Seven techniques?"
Alan nodded. "But that’s a conversation for another day. For now, let’s focus on this." He picked up the Boodorb's corpse and carefully extracted a small black orb from its body. "This is a Globules Orb—a common but useful item in battle."
He held the orb in his right hand and tossed it into the air. "Blinding Doom!"
A burst of intense light exploded from the orb, momentarily blinding Karan. He instinctively shielded his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.
Alan grinned. "This kind of orb reacts to the user’s voice. You have to name the attack for it to activate. Blinding Doom creates a flash of light, temporarily robbing enemies of their sight. It’s simple but effective when used unexpectedly. Though, there are ways to counter it."
Karan’s vision gradually returned. "That’s actually pretty amazing… though, it kind of reminds me of a stun grenade."
Alan chuckled. "Yeah, but it’s not that special. Now, hurry up and finish eating—I have something else to show you."
After finishing their meal, Alan slung his bag over his shoulder and led Karan deeper into the forest. Before long, they came across a towering, bull-like creature grazing in a clearing. Its muscles were thick and powerful, its horns sharp enough to pierce solid rock.
Alan gestured toward it. "That’s a Giragox. It’s incredibly strong and weighs a ton. If you fight one head-on, relying only on brute force, you’re as good as dead. It can take down most other beasts in sheer strength alone."
Karan studied the beast, impressed. "It really looks powerful. I assume it has an orb or core too?"
Alan shook his head. "Not quite. Unlike Boodorb, this one doesn’t drop items—it drops abilities."
Karan turned to him, intrigued. "Abilities?"
"Exactly. When we kill certain beasts, we don’t extract an item but instead gain a combat ability. Giragox grants Lance of Earth."
"And what does it do?"
"It boosts attack power, but there are conditions," Alan explained. "First, it only works when both you and your opponent are touching the ground. Second, after using it once, it needs a five-minute cooldown before it can be used again."
Karan frowned. "That seems kind of restrictive. If it has such a long cooldown, how did you say it could kill almost any other beast?"
Alan chuckled. "Because for them, there’s no cooldown. The five-minute limit applies only to us humans. But for the beasts that naturally possess these abilities? They can use them freely."
As they continued exploring, Alan introduced Karan to various beasts, explaining their strengths, weaknesses, and the items or abilities they provided. The entire day was spent in the dense wilderness, learning and observing.
By nightfall, they settled in a safe spot to rest. As Alan started the fire and began preparing their meal, Karan lay on his back, staring at the sky. He felt exhausted, yet his mind wouldn’t let him rest.
"Alan…"
"Hmm?"
"Tomorrow is Monday."
Alan paused, then realization dawned on his face. "Wait… you have to go to the Royal Capital, don’t you?"
Karan sighed. "Yeah. But not the Royal Palace—the Royal Capital itself."
Alan groaned. "Damn, I completely forgot about that. We should’ve left by now!"
"But I haven’t completed the quest yet," Karan pointed out.
Alan rubbed his temples. "Then there’s no point rushing. We should just sleep and leave after finishing the quest."
"Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too… Good night."
"Good night."
Silence settled over the campsite. Alan quickly dozed off, but Karan couldn’t sleep. He lay still, eyes closed, but his mind kept racing. After a few minutes, he suddenly sat up.
"Alan…"
A muffled voice responded, "Now what?"
Karan grinned. "I have an idea."
Alan sighed. "I’m almost afraid to ask. What is it?"
"First, tell me—if we leave now, how long will it take to reach the Royal Capital?"
Alan thought for a moment. "About eight hours."
Karan smirked. "Then instead of wasting time waiting, we should just go now."
Alan blinked. Then he chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re a real pain sometimes, you know that?"
Karan grinned. "So? Are we leaving?"
Alan sighed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Fine, let’s go."
And with that, the two of them set off into the night, heading toward the Royal Capital.
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