first fight

If you had to thought and care about one thing in the forest, it should be to always maintain as much discretion as possible.

This was because stealth allowed an asymmetry of information, making it possible to always fight outnumbered and never be ambushed.

The terrain, which consisted of large trees, bushes, and rocks, always presented a number of dangers. Ambushes were easy, but above all, packs were numerous in the forest.

In almost every battle, the most important factor was quantity.

This is why the group was now in single file, with the 10 volunteers in the middle, protected by the elites. Of these ten, seven were still children, and among them was Rodolphe.

I put my index finger to my mouth.

Behind the bushes were a group of beasts that looked rather weak: wild rabbits. Their little height and cute looks may cause one to become careless, a fatal mistake that no hunter would ever dare to.

In a world where anyone could grow stronger without limit, the power of an insect could sometimes surpass that of a human. Not to mention rabbits.

It was a world mainly based on accumulation. With time, all living trained, stored more energy which allowed them to be stronger, and to always need more resources, the bodies being one of the most important.

This was why, despite the hatred between humans and demons, wars were not fought without reason. There was always something to gain.

Now, who would dare to underestimate a life that could have spent years fighting and winning every day in a hostile climate?

The forest clearly respected the law of 'survival of the fittest'.

Fortunately, upon observation, their strength was not great, being limited to a level close to that of a guard for the most part. Seeing this, I pointed directly at Rodolphe, the most talented of the lot, and showed him his target.

He quickly nodded in response.

Since the main goal was to train more than to get loots, the elite would face and kill the beasts, leaving one alive for the person to train.

***

Alain, under his helmet, stood still as he breathed softly.

'Huu ouuf'.

But unlike his body, his eyes were constantly moving, watching the slightest movement of the stronger rabbit, his arm gripping his sword tightly, ready to pounce at any moment.

He waited

1 second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds...

He waited because he knew

The best time to kill a life was while it was exhausted, thinking it had won a fight.

5 minutes, 7 minutes, 15 minutes...

Even Alain was shocked.

In that short period of time, the rabbits had already fought on 3 occasions, completely exterminating the other species, and waiting until they were safe before eating them.

It was then that he realized.

That every day in the forest could be like the cruelest of wars, and that the growth rate of each creature must be gigantic.

And therefore he could never give them even a chance of survival.

He had to exterminate them all, every last one. Otherwise, a plague may one day befall their village.

'It's time'

After 17 minutes of patience, the rabbits had finally let their guard down, beginning to eat the rest of their prey.

Without hesitation, Alain leaped through the bushes, charging at the leader.

His sword, which he held on his left, lit up with a blue color created from his spiritual energy.

Then, he struck his sword diagonally, creating a semicircle of energy that shot towards the chief.

'' fhhh! '' the attack announced its presence as it sliced through the air.

At that moment, all the rabbits stopped eating and stared at Alain. The chief quickly put himself back on guard before throwing his food directly at Alain's face, depriving him of part of his vision.

Taking advantage of the screen of darkness, the leader of the rabbits charged towards Alain's blind spot.

'' Ahhh! '' Hearing the shout, the rabbit leader instinctively looked in the direction of the shout. There, he saw most of the rabbits being skewered in the back by those vile humans.

An action he would pay dearly for.

Alain did not miss this moment of inattention and attacked him directly with his sword, slicing the food in the process.

''Cling'' The rabbit leader quickly shifted into a defensive position, barely stopping the sword that was heading for his head.

An expression of pain appeared on the rabbit's head, while Alain remained calm.

His claws were breaking.

Quickly, he attacked with his free hand, his claws threatening Alain dangerously.

His reasoning was simple: if he killed the creature in front of him, he would not have to block his sword.

But...

'' Guaaaa! '' The rabbit leader gave a shocked expression as his throat was slit open by a projectile. The impact made him fall.

How could he lose so quickly?

He hadn't even seen what had pierced his throat.

Alain took advantage of this moment to crush the rabbit's limbs with his own, taking his sword to finish the job.

The rabbit, unable to move, knew he was going to die.

''Gua! Guuaaaaaa! Guaa!'' Despite his pierced throat, he screamed in agony with all his might, seeming to want to give the other rabbits a last order of survival.

''teuk! Alain's sword sank into the body of the rabbit leader, who became a corpse.

Soon after, they killed all the rabbits that resisted, leaving only one for Rodolphe.

The first battle was a success. They had won and were about to leave with the spoils. If they repeated the operation several times, Nirl's condition was sure to improve.

However, two red lights stared at them from a bush. Those eyes belonged to a rabbit with golden skin, who watched the massacre to the end...

And swore revenge.

...

Knowledge: In ''the dictionary of beasts'', the author divides the beasts into 4 or 5 main families, the rest being the so-called 'classic' beasts.

Twin knowledge: The monsters of the forest do not normally belong to these families who fight for power, but to the defeated and weak beasts, having had to flee having neither the protection of the 4 big ones nor the strength of their species to survive.