There are only five days left until the tribe trial.
Micheal follows Gurara deep into the mangrove forest. On the way, there's a man-made pond full of fish called Uranka. A fish catcher that takes advantage of Boniha island's uniqueness to catch a fish. It was a kind of fishing method that is likely only available on Boniha island.
Walking in the mangrove forest one could get lost in its majestic view. Despite the lush and fertile soil, there is no grass on the ground. But the aquamarine leaf of a gigantic mangrove forest could be seen falling on the ground making the entire forest quite feel alive.
In the morning, one could hear an animal's distant cries in this woodland. However, due to the gigantic mangrove trees that could obscure any line of sight with their sheer height. you could scarcely see any animals in this environment. Despite this, The hunter does, however, have some success. Knowing the area allowed them to locate animals to hunt and bring home with certainty.
However, not every hunt is successful. Sometimes, the hunter fails the hunt and turns into the prey however, this rarely happens. The Tribe only sends those who passed the trial to challenge a more difficult area or hunt larger monsters. Additionally, the Village is located close to the shore in a safe area of the forest. Therefore, staying there is quite safe for Normal Tribe members decreasing the village casualty.
"Michael pay attention! I'll only do it once and leave you to your device."
"Yes! uncle" Michael answer intuitively
"Good" seeing the kid's reaction he can't help but smile "See that thing over there, try touching it."
Gurara point at a brown substance sticking to the roots of the mangrove tree. The massive tree also has massive roots thicker than an adult person.
Michael follows Gurara's instructions and touches the brown substance. Despite it how hard it looks, the brown substance feels soft. Michael's hand goes right through and submerges deep in it. It felt quite slimy.
"Now try smelling it," Gurara said with a straight face. Michael seeing the old man's seriousness Michael takes a whiff of the brown substance.
"Ewww" cough cough
Michael almost pukes, the brown substance gives off a foul smell. Michael quickly shakes off the brown substance while Gurara laughs in the back.
"What is that!?" Michael said with disgust in his voice.
"That is a thing that Monster leave behind when they eat stuff. Or in other words their feces"
"W...what? why would you want me to touch that?" Michael is perplexed. He wouldn't doubt the old man's decision and competence but, why would he do this?
"Well, I didn't say that you have to touch it with your own hand." Gurara's laugh leaves Michael speechless. Truth be told he rarely deals with monsters. The first time in his life is about 3 months ago when he embarks on his quest to kill a monster. Which ended in his disappointment.
What he learned prior to that, was how to run from monsters and how to set up simple traps. So he has minimum knowledge of monster waste. Simply put, he doesn't know how to deal with this shit.
"You don't have to look at me like that. This is a warm welcome into the hunting world."
"...." Even a twelve years old kid Michael knows that there's something wrong with this. But, his hunter experience, consists of hunting one single Alma lizard. He could do nothing but accept it.
"Don't give me that look. This is a fundamental of tracking monster."
"Their feces?"
"Yes, but that's not all to it. First, you have to understand what tracking the monster is." Gurara point at the monsters' feces.
"Tracking is essential to hunting a monster. Some said that it's boring but some say that It's the best part. Tell me Micheal how could you find a monster?"
"I.. don't know. Just go in the area that they're active in?"
"What If you don't know where the monster's habitat is?"
"Well..." He doesn't know. Michael sweats a little since he thought he would get punished. A normal Boniha education system procedure.
"Exactly Michael, You don't know anything. That's where you need tracking. On Boniha island people usually ignore these aspects of the hunt because of how small the island is. Even if you don't go searching for them you could bump into one by accident. But anywhere else, this is a big chunk of the hunt!"
Heaving a sigh of relive Michael then asks "Couldn't other people do it? like the Boniha tribe."
"NO, Michael! Because you're different from the Boniha tribe people. The normal Boniha tribe hunt consists of them traveling randomly or using basic tracking to find the monster. When they find it, They kill it. They don't need preparation because of their strong body. You on the other hand need this skill. If you hunt like Boniha people you will fail horribly."
Hearing Gurara's explanation Michael felt like he was born in the wrong place.
"Don't worry Michael, I'm here to teach you how others hunt." Gurara sees the kid's reaction and decides to lift his spirit up. "The Boniha might not need tracking and traps to kill their prey but you need it."
"Isn't that a cowardly way to hunt?" This is the most common attitude the Boniha has for traps.
"NO!" Gurara shout "There's no cowardly way to hunt a monster. Only effective way or an ineffective way to hunt."
Having been on the Boniha island and told for years that traps are useless. Michael is confused.
"Do you think that If a monster use trap to lure people in and eat them is called a coward?" Gurara pause for a second. "No! they would be called the cunning monster or dangerous monster."
"But, I not a Monster...."
"Michael, We are all monsters. Everywhere else this kind of method is normal. When I first left the island as a young boy I also thought that using a trap is a coward's way too. Until I got saved by it multiple times and learn that the trap is quite useful. It made the hunt so much easier." he looked up at the tree reminiscence about the past.
Gurara then looks Michael dead in the eyes and asks.
"Tell me, Michael, I have used traps to survive before. Am I a coward?"
"No....." you look like a war god with one missing arm.
"Then are traps Coward?"
"No..." Michael can't refute the old man's logic.
"I don't hear your answer, Micheal!"
"NO!" Micheal sweat buckets at the old man screaming voice.
"Good! then listen to me carefully." Gurara is satisfied with the kid. He seems more open than before. "Have you learned the basics of tracking?"
"N..no they didn't teach me in the basic class."
"Hmm... Haskar didn't really change anything... well whatever, I know that you're a smart kid, So you'll learn in no time. Right!?" Gurara smile at Michael.
"Y...Yes!" Michael truly didn't believe in himself but, if Gurara said so, he could only agree. How can the old man be wrong?
"First and foremost a basic survival requirement wipe off your sweat."
After Gurara's word, Micheal whip off the sweat that has been accumulating for a while as he talks to Gurara. But at the moment he finishes a foul smell enters his nose then Michael realizes at that moment, he just wipes his head with the monster's feces!
"Hahaha," the old man is having a time of his life. "Kid's First lesson when hunting or surviving in the forest in general. Don't trust every word until you can prove it!"
Michael is speechless. He began to doubt that the old man is here to teach him.