After thinking a bit I take the sword and the bow, I would like to take my three weapons but that would be a negative example to Baha and Mingten.
They still have to understand that they just need to look like they're not carrying an entire arsenal with them.
Therefore, I leave the Spear of the Nine Rivers hanging on the wall.
I leave the office armed with Seth's Zweihander, the Blue Dragon Bow, and my arm guards.
I leave my room and go up the stairs to the ground floor and wait for the brats and our new traveling companion: Jill.
Mingten arrives five minutes after me, I thought she would take longer to dye her hair, which is now a matte black with no shine, it's not a complete disguise but it already hides one of the brat's most striking features.
Baha arrives ten minutes later and Jill arrives shortly after.
"What a start, our guide arrives almost late, afraid of her punishment?" With a sadistic smile I question Jill.
"Yes."
.
.
.
I didn't expect that, honestly it hasn't been too long since I dealt with someone who was direct and honest. And without hostility.
Surprising.
"What the hell Hwan..." I change my speech halfway through since I don't know if all the members of the Tower are familiar with the name of the Stargazing Master. "What did the Tower master tell you about me?"
"Stories about when you two met and what you had to do to build the Tower." Jill responds, staring into my eyes without any fluctuation in tone of voice or change of expression.
Unexpected for someone who says she's scared, until I realize her hands are hidden inside the sleeves of her coat.
Hwang you idiot of all the stories you have, why the ones from this time?
Unless...
I cover my eyes with my hand and do my best to hold back the laughter.
Damn, responsible for her punishment?
I guess you could say that but, if I have to be blunt, Hwang made me her punishment.
Seriously, stories from when I was a mentally unstable prisoner of the flame cult?
If she doesn't think I'm crazy after hearing them, she's already abandoned any common sense that governs people's worldview.
After finally calming down, I direct my attention to my three traveling companions:
"We are going to go to the nearest city crossing the forest. Our route may change depending on the tracks we find, our trip is basically damage control and image repair. Which I'm taking advantage of to teach some things to newbies, once that's clear, let's go."
And so with me in front, the brats right behind and Jill in the rear, we set off towards the forest from which the horde of beasts that surrounded the Tower originated.
We walked without speaking for about an hour until Baha broke the silence.
"So what exactly are we going to learn in the middle of a forest?"
"Identify what is edible, secure shelters, track beasts and differentiate their types. And perhaps most importantly how to hunt them and use the materials you can obtain from them." I respond to Baha.
"Like, how to create Lapis stones?" Baha follows with another question.
"Exactly." Among other things.
"By the way, what are Lapis made of?" Baha asks again.
"It varies a bit depending on what you want to synchronize with, but a general rule of thumb is to use a 'blank', a type of natural Lapis that has the ability to record states of synchronization." Jill is the one answering Baha's questions this time.
"What if the Synchroner doesn't have access to a 'blank'?" As a student Baha's curiosity should be rewarded, even if the constant questions can become irritating.
"So we create an artificial Lapis, usually using the core of a demonic or mystical beast but there are other materials that can replace a beast core." Jill responds again.
"Why don't they use ferocious beast cores?" Baha asks a question that he should be able to infer the answer to.
I know he's not very familiar with Synchroners, but haven't they already explained to the brat the difference between the three types of beasts?
"They don't have a core, at least not one that can be used to make a Lapis." I speak while still looking ahead.
"Huh?" Baha speaks? Although calling an involuntary onomatopoeia speech is questionable.
"Fierce beasts primarily develop the body instead of Synchro, some can still synchronize with some things but this is still dependent on mutations in their bodies that can form a nucleus or not." Mingten is the one who responds this time.
After that Baha seems to still have more questions but Jill gives a signal for both of them to remain silent as we are getting deeper and deeper into the forest.
In the part where we were before, the trees still left room for large creatures to pass through, but as you enter the forest, the roots cover the ground and the tops hide the sky and the sun, while limiting the space that any creature has to move between the trees.
This is the territory of the most slender beasts and ambush predators, well there is one exception, the snake-eyed wolves, they are strange being both stalkers and ambushers. It's probably not a problem since they don't usually enter the forest.
Well, if they show up, it'll be time for the brats to learn how to hunt.
While no threat appears, Jill makes the brats observe the small rodents and insects that hide among the trees and foliage, more specifically, observe what they consume and store as future provisions, since from these actions it is possible to infer what is edible and how long this food lasts when stored.
Jill is being very proactive about training the brats.
Is she always like this or is she trying to lessen the supposed punishment?
Probably the second option.
I think as I analyze the surroundings with my extended perception.
"Don't assume just because an animal can eat something that you can too." I interrupt Baha and Mingten from trying to eat something similar to a purple-skinned strawberry that a group of ants were carrying.
They both look at me like I'm a monster, the usual basically.
Baha I kind of expect him to do something stupid out of simple curiosity, but Mingten?
This is more surprising.
"And Jill, how did you not notice them doing this nonsense?" I ask our guide.
"I noticed, but these fruits are safe to eat, they just have a strong taste, not in a good way." Jill responds with the posture of a soldier, disorganized and energetic, who has been caught in a surprise inspection.
Still, the answer improves my mood a little, after all it wasn't an oversight on her part. Just different approaches.
"Still, it's best not to encourage the brats, some ferocious and demonic beasts accumulate toxins from their diet to use as weapons later." I reaffirm my position on the matter.
"What about the mythical beasts?" Baha asks. "Are there none that feed on poison in order to use it?"
"Hmm, Baha, I think you still don't understand the difference between the three types of beasts." Jill says, always looking nervous and hesitant with her hands hidden in her sleeves.
"Just to check, they are: mystics that are born with a Synchro and other abilities, demonic ones that gain abilities based on what they eat and fierces that are just freakishly strong." Baha summarizes his understanding of the subject this way.
He is not wrong, however this is an incomplete view that leaves out many nuances of all three types.
With a sigh I try to dispel his doubts.
"A hatchling mystical beast may use a similar tactic, but adult mystical beasts are often able to share, draw, or return energy with the element they were born with in sync. Effectively eliminating the need to feed in favorable environments."
As with everything in nature, there are exceptions.
"In comparison, demonic beasts never stop eating." I continue my impromptu lecture.
"To gain more abilities?" Baha asks, still looking at the small animals that hide whenever he gets too close.
"Newbies." Mingten says with an exaggerated sigh and grin.
"Whose fault is it?" Baha answered- Has this become a comedy duo?
"No, demonic beasts are limited in how many abilities they can gain from their prey, however they can always strengthen an existing ability by eating the same creature or object that gave them the ability in question or something with similar abilities." I interrupt the brats' discussion.
"What's the limit of abilities a demonic beast can have?" Baha asks as he shoots dagger-like glances in Mingten's direction.
"Guess!" The brat says looking around.
Did she finally remember to check her surroundings with her abilities? A little late, brat.
"Twenty-seven, nine for each core." Jill responds before Baha can try. "And things like organic composition and physical structure are part of the abilities they can absorb, often making demonic beasts appear to be an amalgamation of different natural weapons from other creatures."
"Doesn't that put Synchroners at a disadvantage?" Baha asks again.
"It depends on the individual and what stage as a Synchroner that individual has reached" I say without thinking much.
Hmn, there's one of the tigers nearby, it looks like one of its wings is injured and I don't sense any beast that could interfere before we finish off the tiger.
"Besides, Baha, just because a Synchroner's limit is nine stages, doesn't necessarily mean we only have nine skills." Mingten speaks. Is she trying to appease his anxieties? How thoughtful.
Now, do I wait for the brats to notice the tiger's tracks on their own or do I give them a little help?
"You guys talked so much about demonic beasts that I forgot to ask about the fierce ones." Even in this regard, Baha is a complete airhead.
Jill seems to remember that she was the one who started this together with Baha and decides to complete the explanation.
"Basically all the abilities of ferocious beasts originate from their physical capabilities. Unlike mystical and demonic beasts, they have no abilities that cannot be explained from a biological point of view." She pauses for a moment. "Supposedly at least, but we still don't understand everything about them.In addition to having some rare cases of hybrids with the other two types of beasts."
With that more or less satisfying Baha's curiosity I try to remind the brats that this is training.
"Have you forgotten why we're here?" I say in a sarcastic tone. "Start checking for traces of the beasts that fled after the siege of the Tower."
"And then?" It seems like Mingten is getting used to my way of doing things.
"You're going to show me and Jill the tracks you found and try to identify the type of beast from them. Besides chasing and hunting, obviously, if the tracks you find lead us to any stragglers." I finish speaking without making much effort to hide how much I want to see the brats working themselves to near death for this.
As the brats walk away to look for something that might give us a general idea of which direction the beasts fled, Jill approaches with her hesitant stance.
"You already have an idea of what we're going to find, don't you?"
Despite being clumsy, is she perceptive?
The Old Star actually trusts her so it's not that surprising.
"Maybe, maybe not." I decided to leave it up to the brats' luck and skills to decide whether they find anything interesting.
With an unconscious smile I add silently in my mind.
My idea of luck just isn't the same as the brats'.