24 Quiet hunting

"If you start noticing the Beasts getting stronger, go back! That area is the Inner Circle of the Hundred Thousand Beast Forest."

"Many geniuses got cocky and died stupid deaths. If you somehow survive don't even dare try going further. That place is the Core Circle where even the Principal would have trouble traversing."

"Remember, danger comes with rewards"

The elder lectured all his students in a strict voice to ward off any intentions of purposely seeking death however Dean paid no attention as it was commons sense.

To make sure his point went through, the elder brought out a map and pointed at various locations that will be considered potential meet up spots.

Common areas of dangerous Beasts, possible treasure spots, etc

Dean scoffed at all the trouble as he could easily survive the outer area and if he wanted to traverse the Inner Circle, the elder wouldn't tell anything about that as it might incite curiosity.

After all, there was a quote for that purpose "Curiosity killed the cat."

Avoiding anything above the outer area, the elder gave the best wishes for the students and kept his silence

Looking around, other schools were doing the same.

Warning their students to avoid certain areas and lecturing them on the dangers they may face.

The only oddity was that they didn't mention anything about human greed or the chance that you could be robbed during the competition.

They weren't full of justice to be ignorant of such cases since they were old foxes but they probably told their students before the event to sabotage certain schools.

It was not a surprise that the lectures were all finished after a few minutes passed before an old man welcomed everyone.

"Today, everyone is gather to attend this event."

"This is the start of the annual Hundred Thousand Beast Forest Hunting"

With the announcement that the event has formally started, thousands of teenagers rushed into the hill without a worry, looking for chances that could change their lives.

Dean and Leonard on the other hand, took their time as they waltzed into the forest after taking one last look from the outside.

The forest was located on a small mountain that would make traversing the terrain much more difficult and the luscious green trees were the most notable part.

Trees towered every bit of land and the tyrannical weeds grew without caring about its surroundings.

There were very few open paths that weren't covered with vegetations and most students would cross the area using the branches of trees.

No one bothered opening a path as that would allow others to profit without doing anything and for those using branches had to be wary of weak branches that would break.

Because of this, you would rarely see a human walking on the ground and it was a common sight to see a few cultivators fail by dropping from a height.

There was no hurry as the whole event lasted for a month.

Leonard was picking up a few herbs while Dean walked in a slow pace.

"Why do even bother picking up those herbs? We're going to the Inner Circle where there are more precious items."

Leonard took his time to reply as he responded

"You shouldn't look down on anything that's low leveled."

Dean agreed with that statement however kept his silence as Leonard continued

"Besides, these are pretty delicious once boiled"

Once Leonard had finished picking up all the herbs from the outer area, Dean started to run towards the Inner Circle in an insane rate.

Leonard took a deep before materializing water from the atmosphere and forming a horse.

The ride wouldn't drench his clothes as he controlled his Magic to the best of his abilities and there was no discomfort as the water would neutralize it on his demands.

Some were content with staying in the outer area while those with ambition entered the Inner Circle, in search for treasure that will change their future.

One such tale was a young woman who was betrothed to a noble family.

Hating her destiny, she decided that she would take her life by going to the Hundred Thousand Beast Forest.

She wanted her last moments to be the greens in the distance and appreciative the overall environment.

Her fate was sealed when she entered the forest with her determination but there was an unexpected twist.

While taking a walk she accidentally tripped on a vine that made her push aside a few shrubs, leading her to see a fruit growing off a small tree.

This fruit was commonly known as the [Future Rebelling Fruit].

The reason for this was that it would change the innate potential of a person depending on what type of energy it was fed.

In this case it was a Magic Future Rebelling Fruit.

Hiding under where the tree was, she cultivated in silence for half a year before exiting the Hundred Thousand Beast Forest.

Most of the world thought she was dead but as soon as she arrived back to her normal life she broke her engagement.

The story was too simple and far-fetched that it made it out to be that it was fake and probably made up.

Others still find some value in the story and regardless of whether it's true or not, Beast Cores would at least give some profit for their journey.

...

Overall their journey took three days to arrive at the Inner Circle with only 18 hours of sleep in total.

They had yet to run into any animals and could only feast on soup made from the vegetables Leonard found.

After entering the Inner Circle there was still no beast or human within their peripheral vision.

Because of this unsettling predicament, they had no idea whether a person had found treasures yet or if there was anyone to be wary of.

The Inner Circle was different due to the supplementing Energy in the air.

It came in two forms: Magic Essence and Qi.

Due to those two energies, the trees had a darker hue and there was much more vegetation.

So far their adventure had just been sightseeing of trees, plants , trees, flowers, trees and trees.

"Dean, we're having roasted meat for tonight."

Leonard came out of nowhere already setting up a fire.

It had been awhile since their last meal and Dean wondered what type of Beast did Leonard face since they were in the Inner Circle of the Hundred Thousand Beast Forest.

The ferocious monsters of the Inner Circle that Leonard had faced was a...hare.

Dean sighed in disappointment as he expected something more interesting from this forest but had to face the reality.

The hare was roughly three times the average size of an adult rabbit and had sharp claws around its paws.

Handing some salt and pepper the meal should soon be cooked.

"Night"

Leonard waved his hand to Dean as he laid atop a makeshift bed under a roof made from broken twigs and branches.

Dean had to stay awake for the whole night but due to his cultivation it wasn't so bad.

The last person to stay awake was Leonard meaning Dean had to rotate and take his place to keep guard for the night and be aware of any intruders.

Savoring the well seasoned meat, Dean scanned the area with a tinge of bitterness.

He had yet to receive whatever weapon the blacksmith had created and given to Leonard as there wasn't a situation that needed him to do so.

*Rustle**Rustle*

Dean darted a stare to a bush in the distance as its leaves ruffled about. There was no wind around that area meaning that something had to have been the reason for that movement.

A shadow exited the bushes before landing on top of a nearby branch that was opposite to Dean.

Lighting up a nearby branch using the bonfire and attaching it to a small black orb summoned with Dark Magic was sent flying towards the unknown entity.

Using the torch as vision, Dean could see the monster he was facing off.

Its large eyes were dyed black that stuck out of its small golden face. The golden torso was caved in making the animal look malnourished with brown lines highlighting it's short limbs.

The toes owned long and sharp nails that were currently embedded into the tree branch and the arms were actually wings connecting a marvelously colored webbing.

The webs were equivalent to the night sky, devoid of any stars but instead replaced with dark dreary clouds that lead to a striped tail at the back.

'Leonard why did you have to sleep so early? I want to use my weapon already!'