Ch~Twenty>Four: Hunting Beasts Completed // Conversations.

"Whoosh"

The sound of a sword echoed and a snake's head was sent flying.

[Host has killed a Level 5 lifeform. +5 Chakra Points. +1 Shop Points]

Jae held his sword firmly as he approved the corpse of the Tricolor Scale Python. Storing his sword, he took out a kunai and started dissecting the corpse to collect the Beast Core. It soon found it in its tail region and harvested it with a happy yet relieved expression. This was the third Level 5 Dire Beast he had killed and the previous ones didn't have any Beast Cores. This Tricolor Scale Python was one of the strongest serpentine creature and it was quite guaranteed that it would form a core.

After harvesting it, Jae hummed happily as he went to another location to continue grinding for beasts. This was Jae's fourth day ever since he got the mission. Now he only had just three days left to complete the mission which he already did.

Jae had completed the mission that the academy gave him. Killing the Level 5 and taking it's Core was the last thing for him to do. Right now, it was almost night time so he decided to head to the Forest City Zone the next day.

==•==

Arriving at the cave, he saw the already lit firewood to provide warmth for the night. The smell of spicy grilled meat was spreading and the shadow of an elegant figure shifting through the task of grilling the meat.

Jae entered the cave and saw Trisha who had just finished grilling the meat and would piercing it with a sharp stick. There was also a bowl of water meant for drinking beside her. Jae's and Trisha's relationship had increased over the time. Even though they still don't know much about each other, they could be considered friends. Jae even noticed her tone when talking to him was no longer cold.

"Oh you're back. Were you able to finish the mission? Or you still have to look for another Level 5 Beast Core tomorrow?" Trisha asked Jae after she saw him entering the cave. She took a stick and pierced a large meat before throwing it to Jae.

"Yea, I finally found the Beast Core. Hmm! This meat is juicy and delicious" Jae replied as he took huge chunks of the meat into his mouth. His mouth was already stained with oil as he complimented Trisha.

"So, what next after the mission?"

"Oh, well, I have to go to the Forest City Zone to find their Kaz'Ta. By the way, what is a Kaz'Ta?"

"A Kaz'Ta is a powerful expert of the Gold Rank. They are always the people who rule the City. In much simpler words, they can be seen as City Master like on Planet Crystal where they have President"

"Then why call it a Kaz'Ta when calling it City Master is more simpler"

"Well I don't know for that one. Maybe that's something the higher ups decided or maybe it is a tradition or something else. You just have to find out on your own"

"*sigh* That ain't my problem. I still gotta increase my strength and explore the academy. I was given a mission to complete immediately after I enrolled which I've never heard of before" Jae complained.

"Netherensis is a very powerful force on Planet Kaz. It has been nurturing countless experts of humanity to fight against the enemies for so many centuries which made other forces to respect and acknowledge its influence.

Believe me boy, once you complete this mission, you life is just gonna get harder due to things you will face in the coming years" Trisha said.

"You sound like you were once a student of the academy?"

"I was. I've graduated long ago" Trisha chuckled.

"No wonder you seem to know more about the academy. Can you tell me more of it?" Jae asked as he creepily stared at Trisha. Trisha shook her head and just told him to figure that out on his own.

Seeing that, Jae just sighed. If she had told him, where would the adventures go? Suddenly, he remembered the strange beast they encountered the other day. He had noticed Trisha donning a frown on her face while also getting lost in thought ever since it was defeated.

"Trisha? Why do you keep making that expression?" He asked after seeing her getting lost in thought as a frown found its way on her beautiful face.

"*sigh* Jae, have you heard of the story of how the Hunters came to exist? How the Dire Beast and Realm Cracks came about?"

"No, I only have little understanding. The thing is I have been dealing with amnesia for a while now so I don't recall much" Jae was scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry. You would also study it at the academy. Lemme ask you, have you ever seen a Monster? Even if you haven't seen it, at least you must have little knowledge about it right?"

"Well, a Monster is a creature found in Realm Cracks. They are much more powerful than Dire Beasts but not all are necessary evil. There are some Realm Cracks where the humans encountered other friendly creatures.

It is said that once a Realm Crack appears, the Monsters inside would gush out to cause destruction an... Wait a sec, are you saying that the beast we fought the other day was a Monster?!" Jae's calm expression had become a surprised one at this moment.

"Yes Jae. We both fought a Monster yesterday, the Tenta-Pine Monster. I think it escaped from the Realm Crack in the deeper areas of the Land Of The Beasts. As for why, it was here in this cave, located in the outer and little bit safe area of the Beast Land, is what I've been trying to figure out. I have already searched the cave and yet, I still found nothing" Trisha said as she got into another deep thinking.

She sighed once again as she looked at Jae "sorry little one. I don't think I can accompany you to the Forest City Kaz'Ta anymore as I would like to investigate this monster issue for a while"

"It's okay Trisha. Meeting you had been a turning point in my life. You saved me from dying so I owe you"

Trisha nodded to Jae's words of gratitude and then asked "after meeting the Kaz'Ta, what will happen next?"

"Oh that? Lemme tell you something a great bald man once said 'I'll Leave Tomorrow's Problems To Tomorrow's Me' do you get it?" Jae said as he brought out a hologram display from his C-Net.

Hunted Level 5 Dire Beast: 1 Beast Core

Hunted Level 3 Dire Beasts: 20 Beast Core.

Hunted Level 2 Dire Beasts: 36 Beast Cores.

Hunted Level 1 Dire Beasts: 64 Beast Cores.

Treasure from Forest Kaz'Ta: Nil.

Mission Progression: 90%

"*chuckles* yea, I get what you mean. Only Tomorrow's You would know what will happen next after meeting with the Kaz'Ta. Nice one" Trisha said as she started eating. The both of them only continued some small conversations as the night's moon veil illuminated the Land Of The Beasts as it showered its light on the resting Hunters.