The Amethyst Caverns 1

Aura took out a backpack and began packing for their journey.

"The caverns are very large and it will probably take a long time for us to reach the deeper areas. We should prepare to be away for a few days."

Aura brought along some dried foods, a basic first aid kit, a bag of spirit jade, some camping supplies, and clothes for the two of them. He also brought along a small amount of explosives, which could save their lives in the caverns if used properly. It would be much more convenient if we had a spacial device, he thought, but basic mana engineering would not be developed for a long time. The siblings checked if they had brought everything they needed before leaving their house for the hovertrain.

"Brother, tell me all about monster training!" Lydian was extremely excited throughout the train ride, impatient for her first monster. Aura was happy to oblige and told her all the basic information he knew. He talked about the vast number of monster species there were, the different types, and choosing an area to focus on. He taught her about surviving and exploring the wild and how to find resources. Aura also told her how to properly raise and train monsters, to make sure they're as strong possible and not waste their potential.

"The monster trainer is also extremely important during fights. Finding an enemy's weakness, developing a strategy, properly directing your monsters, and the timely use of soul techniques and mana management. All of these factors are necessary to be a strong monster trainer, and keeping track of all these during the chaos of battle is another level of challenge. We can practice against each other when we get back home." Lydian was very attentive during Aura's lecture, soaking up and marveling at all the new information. By the time he had finished, they had already arrived at their stop.

Currently they were at the outskirts of Silverstone Town. It was now a rural town, but due to the many monster hunting locations and eventual space cracks nearby, it would become a bustling city. Aura and Lydian walked out of the town towards the direction of the Amethyst Caverns. When they were out of sight Aura had Puppet create two leaflike masks. He handed one Lydian.

"Just in case. We are some of the first people to contract monsters and it's not good to attract too much attention, especially when the whole world is trying to understand the changes that have happened. We're also both too young to be involved in all that."

They hadn't walked far before they encountered their first wild monster. It was a strange clump of weeds, with clods of dirt stuck in it. Aura motioned to Lydian. "Follow the steps I told you and try to inspect it." After some struggling, Lydian managed to succeed.

[Tangleweed Sprite - Wild]

Type: Wood

Level: 1

Health: 11/11 (Healthy)

Constitution: 8

Strength: 3

Agility: 2

Defense: 6

Mana: 13/13

[Skills]

Vine Tangle - Tangleweed Sprite entangles the target with vines and attacks it with thorns

Curl Up - Tangleweed Sprite floods its vines with mana and curls up, granting itself resistance to physical attacks

"It doesn't seem strong, just hard to kill." Lydian said after looking at the monster's stats.

"That may be true, but what if you had other monsters to support it? It's two skills can also be used in tandem, imprisoning an enemy within itself. There are no weak monsters, there are always situations where they can be useful. In fact, because the Tangleweed Sprite is common, durable, and easy to use, it is a popular beginner's monster." After considering her brother's words and finding them reasonable, she nodded.

"Right now I have a Leafy Marionette. How would you go about fighting this Tangleweed Sprite?"

"I would stay at a distance and use Puppet Strings to attack it. If for some reason the Tangleweed got close and used Vine Tangle, I would have the Leafy Marionette use Leafy Costume and exhaust the enemy's lower amount of mana."

"Good job! Let's follow your plan." With level suppression and a natural advantage in a 1v1 situation, Puppet won without suspense.

"You can eat it."

[Leafy Marionette gained 1 exp]

The two continued this way, learning about the local monsters and letting Puppet gain experience. Through this, Lydian was able to use the theoretical knowledge Aura taught her and refresh her views on monsters and monster trainers. After finishing off yet another Stone Rabbit, they soon arrived at the mouth of a dark cave.