Chapter 10: A Lion

The plan for his cloak was coming along. He only needed the twine that he will need to use as a lock for his cape. If he was lucky, Allen could add a dye for his cloak with natural dye from the forest.

If the dye has an Emblem, it will boost his item even more. This was a really good plan for him since he needed all the Synergies he could get.

It was the morning of his hunt for the twine. He was putting out his flame when his eye found the dead rotting snake on the side. A thought entered his mind after seeing the snake.

When he placed items in his Inventory feature, it seemed like they would get preserved. It was as if the time for those items while they were stored was paused.

At first, he was afraid to keep the snake that way because it might get deformed. The wool was boxed, and the other items were sorted. He might risk losing the value of the snake that way.

But after he saw how rotten the corpse had been, he had no choice. Whatever deformation the Inventory might inflict on the corpse was better than it getting rotten.

Allen placed the snake in his palm. The stench was unbearable, making him regret that decision. Befor he could regret even more, he commanded, "Store."

The snake glowed and it went inside his Inventory. Before he continued, Allen went to the lake and washed his hands there. The snake might still contain venom in its body and it was also a risk he can't take.

Using a stick, Allen carved a way on the ground for the water to flow. When it was further enough, he used a stone to block more of the water from the lake from entering. With a leaf, Allen took parts of the water and washed his hands.

If he would recklessly put his hand on the lake, all the beasts inside– his potential food, might die if there was a hidden venom in the snake.

"That was surprisingly intellectual of me," Allen chuckled to himself. After finishing, he went back to his camp and opened his Inventory.

With a smile on his face and a satisfied moan, he closed it. The snake corpse wasn't altered. The stench was gone, and his problem of the snake getting rotten was solved. Now, he has to move and find a plant that he could use as a twine.

He stood and walked to the forest. If he was lucky, he could find a tree similar to a banana, it would be perfect. He would weave it into the hood and make a lace with it. The lock will act as a fastener so that he could open and close the cloak.

Of course, the twine would only be temporary. He was just doing it so he can unlock the Synergy. When he finishes the quests, Allen was planning to change the lace with a metal fastener.

Having a clear plan in his mind, Allen wandered the forest. The trees in Haven were mixed with different trees. It was a wonder how the ecosystem of this world survived for who knows how long.

On some parts, there are trees similar to trees from tropical areas, some are from temperate, and others are from colder areas in Earth. The biomes were all mixed up, but at the same time separated.

After walking for a few hours, Allen decided to rest. It seemed like he was walking forever but hasn't seen a tree from a tropical forest yet. He was also curious as to why the forest was silent. The birds and all the matter of creatures reisiding in the forest would have usually created sounds, but all he could hear was the deafening silence.

Shrugging the thought off, he looked at the trail. It was a double edged sword, and he just realized that. Indeed he could use the trail to come back, but if a Hunter would see it, they would follow the trail. And the trail will only lead them into two directions. Either they find Allen's camp, or they find him. Either of the two options would jeopardize his plans.

He wants to lay low as much as he can. His return will be big. He was planning on that too. There will be press, there will be a lot of headlines, and along with them was a huge amount of respect.

The thoughts entered his mind and the boy was now grinning ear to ear. All his life, he had lived in the darkness. For the first time in his life, he has a ticket out of it. Some tree will not hinder that plan. Allen wouldn't allow it.

The boy stood and stood. He looked around to see if he could find any tree, until he heard a low growl behind him.

His instincts immediately kicked in and the boy raised the hammer. He looked around and sought for the presence where the noise came from. The hair from his body already stood, but the notification of the instinct skill was yet to ring.

The bush sounded and a large male lion came out from it. Allen gasped, unable to act immediately after the lion's appearance. It circled around the boy, producing a low growling sound.

Without a doubt, this wasn't a Basic grade. Allen was even doubtful that this was Rare grade. The presence was too strong and too chaotic for it to be either of the two.

It was now clear to him why the woods was silent. This beast must've eaten all of the creatures. Its large body that was the size of a van was capable of taking down any creature in the forest, even orcs.

At first glance, it looked like a regular lion. The only difference it had from the lions in Earth was its sheer size. Its head was the size of Allen's body, and its body was composed of dozens of Allen.

The boy shook the throughts away and focused his attention on the large beast in front of him. Any second now, it would attack him and that would be dangerous. He will get killed.

His eyes looked around to see what he could use to escape. The boy had already established in his head that fighting the beast will be futile. He can't defeat it. The beast was ways stronger than he currently was by the size alone.

"Size matters somehow," Allen gulped.

As he formed a plan in his head and the lion was encircling him, he thought how he surprised himself. Usually, when someone was facing a large beast such as this lion, they would shake in fear. Some might even faint because of shock, but he was rather calm.

When his eyes turned to the right, a scoff escaped his lips. There it was, the thing he was looking for all this time. A large banana tree bearing its ripe yellow fruits.

"You decided to show up now–" Allen glared at the tree. Without giving him another second to say another word, the lion roared at him. The roar was so powerful that it made Allen lose its balance and fall to the ground.

His eyes widened in disbelief. His hammer fell to the side, so he turned around and grabbed it, only for his eyes to widen even more. Just when he thought he was pathetic to lose his grip after a roar, the scene made it seem like what happened was okay.

The orc had a force to be reckoned with, but this lion was in a whole other level. It was now clear to him that it wasn't just a Rare grade. This was nothing like the other beasts in the forest.

It was so powerful that a roar alone knocked down a couple of trees.