My thinking was simple, so I charged forward. No matter how you look at it, a squirrel is still a squirrel.
Brukk!
My fist landed squarely on the squirrel's body. But the squirrel didn't even flinch.
Slash!
The squirrel's sharp claws attacked me. I twisted my body in midair as I had been taught by Elder Hartono in the book.
Bruk!
I used the momentum. My spinning kick connected with the squirrel's head. The squirrel retreated slightly and let out a screech that made my ears ring and broke my focus.
Srak! Boom! Pow!
The squirrel turned out to be quite clever. It took advantage of my dizziness with a relentless barrage of attacks.
Ptooey!
I spat and wiped some blood from my mouth.
"All right, squirrel. This time, I'll get serious."
I recalled the stance I had used when I had lost consciousness. I followed its pattern, making adjustments based on the book Elder Hartono gave me.
Bam!
The squirrel gave me no time. While I was preparing, it attacked again.
"Hey! It turns out you have no honor, you damn squirrel!"
"Karman! Over here!" Tono shouted, calling me over.
"Hey, Tono! Don't bother me!"
"Stubborn fool! Get over here quickly! Don't waste time. I can't stand it anymore."
I ran toward Tono. The squirrel chased me at full speed.
"Hurry!" Tono yelled.
Bruk!
A trap left the squirrel dangling between the trees. Its leg was caught in a rope that Tono had set up earlier.
"Hey, you, Tono! Why didn't you tell me there was an easy way to kill this bastard?"
"Sigh... You're the one who wasn't listening."
I just realized that Tono had been shouting something while I was charging at the squirrel.
"All right, now for my payback."
I used the same stance my body had taken when I lost consciousness. I channeled my strength, following the instructions in the book from Elder Hartono. Once again, it felt as if nature itself was flowing through my veins.
Bam!
A punch produced a shockwave. But this time, I didn't immediately exhaust myself. It turned out that the instructions in the book allowed me to control my energy output.
The squirrel died with a hole in its stomach. Its beast core shimmered with a golden light.
"Yes! Finally, we can eat well tonight!" we said in unison.
We began hunting with solid coordination. Tono, being intelligent, set up various traps, such as hidden nets and pit traps, as well as decoys to attract beasts. Meanwhile, I used my strength to kill every trapped beast. What was once a dangerous fight turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Beast after beast fell. Squirrels, wild boars, and even small wolves were all powerless against our strategy.
Gruuuuukkkk.
My stomach growled. Such an intense and exciting battle had to end with something ridiculous.
"It seems we have to stop," Tono said, looking at how exhausted I was.
"I'm okay. Gwenchana," I said, giving a thumbs-up with a trembling hand.
"Look... How are we going to carry all these beast cores?" Tono asked, pointing at the pile of beast cores in front of us.
"Okay, I can't wait to eat until I'm full! Mwehehehe!"
We exited through the portal, each carrying a large bag of beast cores.
But something had been bothering me for a while now. It felt as if all our movements were being watched. At first, I didn't know where the feeling came from, but now it grew stronger, and I sensed its origin was at the peak of Mount Kidang Alas.
"Hey, why did you stop? What are you looking at?" Tono said, annoyed that I had suddenly stopped.
"Ah, it's nothing. I just feel like we're being watched."
"Don't think too much of it. It's probably just your imagination because you're hungry."
—
From the mountaintop, the forest king, who had been asleep for decades, roared for the first time. The roar shook the entire Kidang Alas. Birds flew away in panic. Small beasts ran for cover.
Meanwhile, in a distant place, the man who had killed the Forest King felt the effect of the roar. A faint smile appeared on his face, hidden in the darkness.
"Hehehe... What is the meaning of your roar, White Tiger? Have you found the last piece?"
—
Chaos erupted within the sect when we submitted our findings to the Finance Division. The officer on duty nearly fell off his chair when he saw what was in our bag.
"What the hell is this? You must have stolen these!"
"What did you say? Don't mess with us or I'll take your core too!"
Plak!
Tono hit the back of my head.
"You've gone crazy from hunger," Tono scolded me, smiling wryly. Then he turned to the officer. "Forgive our impudence. Could you quickly give us our points before my friend goes insane from hunger?"
The officer counted repeatedly, unable to believe how many beast cores we had collected. His eyes widened as the final number appeared.
"T-this is... Eight hundred forty-seven contribution points for the two of you!"
News of our achievement spread rapidly, and the entire sect was abuzz. Could new disciples who hadn't even been members for a month really collect that many points in a single day? Impossible! But there it was, right before their eyes.
This news became a hot topic among students and elders alike. It even reached the ears of the Sect Leader.
"I never expected you to bring a gem to our sect," the Sect Leader told his daughter, Ayu Putri, as she practiced sword techniques in the backyard of their private residence.
"Ah, Father, you're disturbing me! I'm focusing here!"
"Hahaha. You're just like your mother. If she were still alive, she would be the proudest to have a diligent and devoted daughter like you. Hahahaha."
"Whatever you say, Father!" Ayu Putri swung her sword again, trying to hide the small smile forming on her lips.
Everything went smoothly, but there was one figure who didn't join the celebration.
Hidden behind a stone pillar, a student watched their movements with envy.
"I must report all of this to Suheri," Bonar muttered, clenching his fists tightly.