Temur swung his sword, slashing the red gloop in two; the small, slimy monster fell and splattered on the ground. And for the third time that day, Litha groaned in frustration.
"How are we going to gain anything from this Zone when everything we've seen since morning is slim monsters?" Litha threw her hands up.
After they rented the Zone the day before they had rested and prepared for today. Then, early this morning, they came to the zone; it's a forest called the crimson zone because the majority of the trees aree red.
They have been exploring since they came, and so far, the only monsters they saw are red slims that have little essence and no cores.
Temur crouched and picked up the dead slimy monster, storing it inside his ring. "We can still sell them. And you'll be surprised by their worth; slimes can be used for cooking. Texture is just right for making a special type of noodles but I've not seen this color before."
"Probably because of the red environment." Jael supplied.
Litha looked at Temur and shook her head. "I'm going burn that book of your "How to eat monsters" because there's no way I'm eating any slims."
"It's a good book, and I spent a lot of money on it, but you are right; we should be seeing monsters now. Maybe we have to go deeper. We can also use the opportunity to look for a place to shelter. And train."
And so they set off again. Jael couldn't tell the difference between this and a normal forest, apart from the red trees. The smell here is earthly and leafy, the sounds of clicking insects and the sharp cries of small monsters surrounded them. The only difference he could say is that the air here is thick, like breathing in mist.
The trees are tall and the undergrowth thick but they still managed to make their way deeper in. Temur was the one leading. Apparently and unsurprising a hunter before he Awakened. Litha decided Jael's training had started as she began to teach him the theory.
"Do you know why we hunt monsters? Why do most Awakeners hunt reasons for hunting monsters?"
At last, Temur stopped them with a gesture. "I think I find the place we are looking for." And then he told them to be silent. They crept behind the tree line and peeked; in front of them was a clearing shaped around a cave.
They could tell a monster was inside the cave and no weak monster either. Jael could smell even sharper, thanks to Hermit; the monster inside smelled like wet fur and rusted metal.
"That might be our new home while we hunt this Zone, Jael," Temur grinned. "Why don't you take care of this unwanted guest of ours."
"Me?" His tone raised in surprise.
"Jael," Litha began flatly. "You are one of the reasons we are in this zone. You have to train for next week's test. Then we'll have fully repayed you."
Jael went into the clearing, his footsteps muted by the leaf-cushioned ground. He stood in front of the cave and..."Ahhhhhhhh!" He screamed.
The sound echoed inside the cave, shaking the walls. The monster roused and roared in return; it sounded like two metals rubbing against each other.
A monster erupted; it was big like a bear but shaped like a walking wolf. Its body is covered in reddish brown metal fur, its long teeth gleamed, and its red eyes focused on Jael. It leaped, clearing the distance between them with ease, it's snapped its mouth closed towards his face.
But Jael was faster than the monster; he was behind it in a flash and thrust his right hand out, a long sharp fang extending, but the monster's fur bristled, and then needle-long metal shot out.
His hand exploded into a shield to deflect the needles. And the monster already turned, teeth aiming for his neck. His right hand shifted again, turning into a fist half the size of the monster and he brought it down like a hammer, crushing the monster with one hit.
He wasn't even breathing hard; he turned to Litha and Temur, and his hand returned to normal but was covered in blood. "Home sweet home."