**Chapter 6: The First Ring Hunt — Broken Balance**
The Star Dou Forest had begun to return to its usual rhythm.
Birds cautiously resumed flight between branches. Distant spirit beasts slowly crept back into their territories. The strange pressure that had swept through the forest earlier had faded—but not been forgotten.
Instinct remembered what logic could not explain.
And in the deepest parts of the forest, something ancient remained quietly aware.
---
Kirck stretched his arms as they walked deeper into the outer region.
"…Okay," he said, trying to sound confident, "I'm getting my first spirit ring now. Normal hunt, normal beast, normal outcome."
Neon glanced at him briefly.
"That's usually the sentence right before something stops being normal."
Kirck pointed at him. "Stop saying that! You're the reason I feel like something is going to explode!"
Neon shrugged. "I'm not doing anything."
"That's the problem!"
---
One of the clan protectors stepped forward.
"According to our scouting, the target is nearby," he said. "A 2,000-year-old Wind-Armored Gun Beast. Rare, aggressive, and perfect for a gun-type spirit."
Kirck's eyes lit up. "Perfect match."
Neon tilted his head slightly. "Convenient."
The protector hesitated. "It took significant effort to locate it."
Neon replied calmly, "I believe you."
But his tone suggested he still thought it was too convenient.
---
They moved deeper into the wind-affected region.
The atmosphere changed noticeably.
The air grew heavier—not physically, but spiritually. Wind currents twisted unnaturally between the trees like invisible blades. Leaves didn't fall; they were cut mid-air.
Neon's gaze sharpened slightly.
"This territory is unstable," he said.
One protector nodded. "Yes. The beast dominates the wind element here. Even Soul Ancestors struggle to approach it."
Kirck rolled his shoulders. "Good. Means it's strong enough to be useful."
Neon looked at him. "You're really enthusiastic about getting stabbed today."
"I prefer 'challenged.'"
---
A sound cut through the wind.
SHHHHK—
Metallic wind compressed and sliced forward.
A blur dropped from the canopy above and landed without sound.
No impact crater.
No vibration.
Just presence.
The creature stood before them.
A wolf-like spirit beast with armored forelimbs shaped like cannon barrels. Wind spiraled continuously around its body, compressing into unstable pressure pockets.
The **Wind-Armored Gun Beast**.
Its eyes locked immediately onto Kirck.
Kirck exhaled. "Finally."
Neon, however, narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…It's tense."
One protector frowned. "Of course it is. It is in its territory."
Neon shook his head slightly.
"No. Not that kind of tension."
He paused.
"…It's nervous."
Kirck blinked. "A spirit beast is nervous?"
Neon didn't answer.
The beast moved first.
---
It didn't roar.
It didn't warn.
It attacked instantly.
BOOM!
A compressed wind cannon fired directly toward Kirck, distorting space as it moved.
The protectors reacted immediately.
"Soul Barrier!"
A defensive shield formed in front of Kirck.
The attack collided—
CRACK!
The barrier shattered instantly.
"What?!"
Kirck jumped back. "Okay, that's unfair!"
Neon stepped forward.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just a single step.
He appeared between Kirck and the attack.
And raised one hand.
The wind blast stopped directly in front of his palm.
Not blocked.
Not reflected.
Just… halted.
Like it had reached a law it could not pass.
Kirck stared. "…You did that again."
Neon replied casually, "It wasn't strong."
One protector stammered, "That attack could kill a Soul Ancestor level cultivator instantly…"
Neon glanced at him.
"Then don't get hit."
---
The beast retreated a few steps.
For the first time, hesitation appeared in its movements.
Its instincts were screaming something it could not interpret.
The presence in front of it was not stronger in a normal sense.
But it felt fundamentally *wrong to challenge it*.
Still—
It attacked again.
This time, full force.
Wind erupted around it like a collapsing storm.
Dozens of compressed air cannons formed simultaneously.
Kirck's expression tightened. "Okay… that's definitely not standard anymore."
Neon sighed softly.
"…This is going to be annoying."
He turned slightly.
"Kirck. Your turn."
Kirck gritted his teeth. "Finally something I understand."
He raised his twin gun spirit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Spirit bullets flew into the storm.
But the wind distorted their trajectory immediately.
Kirck clicked his tongue. "Its wind control is too refined!"
The beast prepared another barrage.
But before it could fire—
Neon spoke softly.
"…Enough."
A faint pressure spread outward.
Not aura.
Not soul power explosion.
Just presence.
The storm paused for a fraction of a second.
Kirck blinked. "Did you just… talk it into stopping?"
Neon answered simply, "No."
He looked at the beast.
"It stopped because it wanted to."
And strangely—
For that brief moment—
It did.
---
Inside the Wind Beast's perception, everything changed.
It was no longer seeing prey.
It was seeing something its instincts could not categorize.
A being carrying fragments of something far beyond spirit beasts.
Something that should not exist in this world's hierarchy.
Its body trembled.
Not from fear.
But from instinctive recognition of overwhelming existence pressure.
Run.
That was the only thought.
But Kirck didn't wait for it to decide.
---
"NOW!"
Kirck fired a focused shot.
This one was different.
Condensed.
Stable.
Piercing.
Bang!
The bullet broke through the wind field and struck the beast's core cleanly.
Silence.
The storm collapsed instantly.
The Wind-Armored Gun Beast fell.
A deep purple light began to rise from its body.
A **2,000-year spirit ring**.
---
Kirck exhaled heavily. "Finally…"
One of the protectors stared in disbelief. "A purple ring…"
Another nodded slowly. "Perfect two-thousand-year quality… and no injuries…"
Neon walked past the fallen beast.
"It was efficient."
Kirck frowned. "That sounds like you're disappointed."
Neon replied, "I am always disappointed."
"That's not normal either!"
---
Kirck sat down and began absorbing the ring.
The purple spirit ring floated above him, releasing dense wind-element energy.
As he began the absorption process, his body immediately tensed.
"Ghh—this is heavier than expected!"
One protector stepped forward. "Young Master, we will assist stabilizing—"
Kirck raised his hand. "No… I can do it."
Neon watched quietly.
He didn't interfere.
He simply observed the flow of energy entering Kirck's body.
The process was stable.
Within expected limits.
No anomalies.
At least… none visible.
---
Deep underground, far beneath the forest, something else watched.
The **Silver Dragon King** observed silently from her sealed realm.
"…A stable talent," she murmured.
Then her gaze shifted slightly.
To Neon.
"…But that one remains the problem."
Not dangerous in a direct sense.
But incomprehensible.
A variable the world could not properly define.
---
Above them, in the Divine Realm.
The God Kings were observing again.
The Asura God spoke first.
"…The Silver Dragon King is watching them directly."
The Goddess of Life nodded slowly.
"…She is more focused on the boy named Neon."
The God of Destruction frowned.
"That child is abnormal. Even without releasing power, his presence distorts instinctive perception."
The God of Good added quietly.
"…But he is not hostile."
A pause.
Then the Asura God concluded:
"…That makes him more unpredictable."
Silence followed.
Because unpredictability was something even gods feared more than strength.
---
Back in the forest.
Kirck finally stabilized the spirit ring.
The purple glow faded into his body.
His aura shifted immediately—noticeably stronger.
Kirck stood up slowly.
"…This is insane."
Neon nodded. "It's acceptable."
Kirck pointed at him. "You call everything 'acceptable' or 'weak'!"
Neon thought for a moment.
"That's because I haven't seen anything worth changing my vocabulary for yet."
Kirck stared at him.
"…You are terrifyingly arrogant without trying."
Neon replied honestly, "I'm not trying anything."
"That's worse!"
---
A distant rustle came from deeper in the forest.
The group immediately turned alert.
One protector narrowed his eyes. "Something is moving in the deeper region."
Neon looked in that direction.
"…We should leave."
Kirck blinked. "Now?"
Neon nodded.
"The forest is adjusting to us."
Kirck frowned. "Is that bad?"
Neon answered calmly.
"Not yet."
---
Far beneath the forest, the Silver Dragon King closed her eyes slightly.
"…The beginning has already changed."
And in the Divine Realm, the God Kings remained silent.
Because they understood something very clearly now.
The world was no longer stable in the way it used to be.
And Neon…
Was the first crack in that stability.
---
**End of Chapter 6**