On the Hunt

"Sir hunter, please wait!" They were already halfway toward the tavern.

The hunters' leader really wanted to vent his frustration on the little pest, but he had regained enough of his cool to admit that the kid was blameless. If anything, he had contributed saving the life of his little brother.

That and he was still scared sh*tless by Nana, after they went mad due to other two hunters death.

They went mad but Nana was no push over, within seconds she let them knew who is the boss.

"No need for honorifics, young man. My name is Ekart Longran, and this is my sworn brother Flek Irotia."

"My name is Lith" The three men bowed to each other.

"The man whose life you saved is my little brother, Otum Longran. If I can do anything to return the favour, you just need to say the word."

"Could you please tell me more about this magical beast?"

Ekart shivered for a moment, his eyes closed by the fear that memory generated in his heart. But he was a great hunter, who had danced with death countless times. With every passing second, he was recovering both his courage and spirits.

"It's a huge Byk, do you what it is?"

Lith nodded.

According to the bestiary in the Soluspedia—a feature of Solus that acts as a massive library where stored books' information becomes readily accessible—a Byk is a bear that has evolved into a magical beast. These creatures are typically in tune with earth magic, and in rare cases, they also possess an affinity for fire magic.

"It all started around a month ago. The farms on the east side of the Trawn woods were being attacked by a mad beast. At first it would just slay some cattle, before returning to the woods.

But after getting taste of an foolish hunter it came like human meat now it hunts humans for thier flesh 

When we understood how smart the Byk is, it was already too late. We managed to get away only because he was too engrossed in his last meal to chase us."

Lith bowed again.

"Thanks. I live near the woods, and your information may have just saved my family. Consider your debt settled."

As Lith returned to Nana house, Leon and others surrounded him.

As Lith returned to Nana's house, Leon and the others surrounded him.

"So, where is it?" Leon asked.

"Where's what?" Lith responded, tilting his head in confusion.

"You know what Leon is talking about. There is no way you're going alone after that monster or beast, whatever it is," Trion said, shaking his head while Tista nodded coldly. The more she used the Sun and Moon Empress Art, the more she exuded an icy beauty.

Lith looked at his siblings and sighed. He knew he couldn't hide it any longer as they would definitely chase after him.

"Let's go then. The faster we put an end to it, the better," Lith said. With that, all three of them began to move toward the woods.

After two years of practice, they were now powerful enough that earlier tasks, like saving a life from the brink of death, no longer exhausted them.

Reaching the woods, they first changed into their hunter clothes made of magically infused fibers that Leon had crafted for them. Not only were they more comfortable, but they also provided resistance to all elements to some degree. This was thanks to the magic infusion sub-spell of Leon's Legacy Spell, Crafter, which allowed him to infuse magic into even non-magical items.

After donning their new clothes, they moved into the woods in perfect sync. It didn't take long to find the Byk, as its tracks were all over the surroundings. At that moment, it was munching on its prey.

Standing atop trees, they looked down, and Leon said, "It seems too easy. How about me and Lith go to test the waters while Tista and Trion wait? If there are any surprises, they can counter with their own."

Everyone nodded in agreement, standing with utmost focus. Leon, using his Dreamspace, had created many instructors for their training, each suited for their specific needs. Although he couldn't create real life, temporary replicas with his memory were enough for training.

Leon then took a deep breath, and the ring on his finger shone as the Life and Death Sword formed in his hand. Its aura was now even more powerful than before, thanks to the White Obsidian Tower unlocking its potential, allowing Leon to strengthen his other abilities. However, he still hadn't found the so-called Power Core nor he has any knowledge of world from where he had originally acquired the Core Collector, leaving him with no idea where to find the Power Core.

But even with just the Life and Death sword, it was powerful enough.

"Dream Moon Art, First Moon," Leon whispered.

A whisper echoed in the surroundings as Leon jumped from above. From his heart region, two star-like lights emerged as they illuminated him and then his sword. He swung the sword, releasing a bright, luminescent flying slash attack at the Byk's neck.

The Byk, already sensitive to natural energy, sensed the anomaly and fused itself with earth magic, strengthening itself to protect its body. Leon clicked his tongue as he saw the damage was not enough. Standing in front of the blood-stained mouth of the Byk, Leon taunted it.

Roarrrr!

The Byk roared its challenge, standing tall on its legs. It was an enormous beast, at least four meters (13 feet) tall, with a weight close to a ton. Its fur was deep brown with shades of green, and its green eyes were staring at Leon with malice.

Leon smiled in response and pointed above. The Byk looked up only to find nothing, and as it moved its gaze back to Leon, a shining blue sword reached its face and cut it diagonally, leaving a long scar.

The Byk roared again as it looked at Leon with its only left eye. The Byk channeled even more earth magic, becoming heavier while digging deep into the ground with its claws. It managed to return to its four-legged stance, now standing 1.6 meters (5'3") tall at the shoulder.

Leon then pointed his hand at the Byk and cast the tier-four spell, "Trident." It was a simple water-element spell mixed with lightning. A shimmering blue trident formed as Leon clenched it and threw it at the Byk, propelling it with air magic.

The Trident moved toward the Byk at fast speed. The Byk roared in response and dug its claws into the earth, creating a round earthen shield to protect itself. The Trident collided with the shield and stopped midway. The Byk looked at Leon with a mocking, human-like expression on its face.

Leon pointed up again.

But this time Byk, didnt look up it looks at Leon as if saying you cant fool me again. 

Though it turned out to be mistake as Lith landed on its head as he drove a big shadowy spear with lava like tip in its head.

 Byk released an agonizing cry, Leon shrugged and said " Told you to look up" 

Lith jumped from above it, and jumped near Leon as he gazed back at dead Byk.

As soon as the Byk let out an agonizing cry, a second one, even bigger came out rushing from the woods.

"It wasn't fast! There were two of them! That's why they could play with the hunters like a cat with a mouse." lith said hearing the second cry.

Leon nodded " thought sk, it felt too easy" 

Leon and Lith using aur fusion jumped away ans maintained some distance. 

Luckily the second Byk didn't seem interested in pursuing them, and started to lick its partner affectionately.

"From its size, it should be a male. The only notable difference is that his fur has shades of black instead of green. No wonder the hunters weren't able to tell them apart," Solus observed.

"You two better replenish your mana," Solus warned.

Leon shrugged and replied, "I barely even used any mana."

Both Solus and Lith shook their heads. Lith utilized his new and better breathing technique called Hell's Breath to replenish his mana.