But despite how much fun the two were having these last few days, all banquets must come to an end, and so it was time for Minos to leave.
"Take care, and as soon as you have any spare time, make sure to come visit." Tinka said, as she smoothed out Minos's robe, giving him a final kiss goodbye.
"Of course, the second I'm done with my work, this is the first place I plan on going." Minos said smiling.
"Good! Then I'll see you soon." Tinka said, as she reached out her pinky for a promise.
"See you soon." Minos said back, hooking his pinky fingers with her, before shaking hard.
Knowing that if he said anymore, Minos might end up losing the strength to leave, he forced himself out of the door, despite the sad aura that emanated from Tinka.
As much as he'd like to just stay here, he knew that it wasn't an answer. Tinka's tribe still had a curse, and Minos was still far from strong enough to undo it, so he could only keep marching.
He was no longer just getting stronger for himself, but also for his loved ones. The extra motivation further strengthened Minos's resolve, so he forced himself to leave despite how much it hurt.
Seeing Minos disappear among the thick bushes and foliage, Tinka could only let out a sigh of sadness.
Despite putting on a strong face, how could she not be sad? The man she loved, who she had just gotten married to, was leaving her for a long time.
As she tried her best to contain her tears, Ronkus and Meninka arrived. Seeing Tinka so sad, they could only comfort her, hugging her tightly, reminding her that she wasn't alone.
But while Tinka got hugs, Minos got nothing, but he was used to loneliness. Steadying his emotions, Minos quickly made his way back to Underwood City.
…
The trip back was an uneventful one, and Minos soon arrived back at the crowded city. The first thing he did was head towards the Weapon Refining Union to speak to Okrum.
He had originally told him he would give him his answer after a day, but that day turned into a week, so it was about time to give him his response.
After a short walk, Minos arrived in front of the Weapon Refining Union. Heading inside, he quickly made his way towards Okrum's office, before knocking twice.
"Come in." Okrum said from the other side.
"Minos, it's you? I thought you had completely forgotten about this old man." Okrum said as he looked up from his paperwork, realizing who was there.
"Sorry about that, a lot of things happened and I completely lost track of time." Minos said apologetically.
"It's fine, not like this old man has anywhere to be. So, have you made up your mind?" Okrum finally asked.
"Yes, I've decided it's best for me not to take the Weapon Refining Union route." Minos said honestly.
"That's fine, I suppose it fits your nature better to be free. After all, the outer members of the Weapon Refining Union are free, the core members are actually quite constrained, which doesn't suit you." Okrum said, not minding Minos's choice.
"But I hope you never stop refining weapons, your talent for it is truly the best I've ever seen, and it would be a waste to let go of it." Okrum continued.
"Of course, I have no plans on giving up on weapon refining." Minos said firmly.
"Good, then I have no worries. I hope you well with wherever your journey takes you." Okrum said with a smile.
"Thank you, teacher." Minos said, before leaving the room.
Seeing Minos disappear into the hallway, Okrum couldn't help but let out a long sigh. The truth was he was slightly disappointed with Minos's choice, but he trusted him, and knew he could prosper no matter what path he took.
"He's gone?" Minda said, having heard the conversation from the other room.
"Mhm, I hope the world doesn't treat him the way it treated me." Okrum said sadly.
"Stop with your moping and be optimistic. Minos has made it this far, I trust in his ability to go even further." Minda said with a smile.
Seeing his wife's optimism, Okrum's mood was also slightly alleviated. He prayed in his heart that what she said was true, but for now, he could only wait and see what the future had in store.
…
While Okrum and Minda were talking, Minos had already made his way back to Venix's home, deciding to avoid Beetus, Rubella, and the children.
He already needed to leave, so there was no need to go back and raise their hopes just to crush them again, so it was better to just pretend he never came back.
"Venix, it's me." Minos said, after he knocked on the door heavily a few times.
"Ahh, Minos, you're finally back. I was worried you wouldn't arrive in time." Venix said as he opened the door and welcomed Minos into the house.
"You said a week, didn't you?" Minos said with a laugh.
"You didn't have to take it literally. Anyways, at least you've arrived. Are you ready?" Venix said as he prepared a few more things in the back of his room.
"Of course." Minos responded.
"Good, then let's not waste anymore time. If we end up missing those two, my entire plan will fall through." Venix said, as he exited the room, Minos following his lead.
"I've already got the horses prepared. You remember where we're heading, right?" Venix said, as he led Minos towards the horses.
"Amber Wood Forest, right?" Minos replied.
"Right, here's a map, it's best if you memorize it just in case." Venix said as he pulled a map from his spatial ring and handed it to Minos.
Taking the map, Minos scanned it quickly, burning the contents into his brain. The map was very detailed, not only having Amber Wood Forest, but other locations as well, further developing Minos's knowledge of the area.
As Minos continued inspecting the map, the two arrived at the horses. Tucking the map away, he jumped onto the horse, following Venix into the dense forest.
…
Amber Wood Forest wasn't too far from their current location, but it wasn't close either, requiring a two-day journey on horseback.
Venix didn't seem to be worried about the slight delay, telling Minos that the Amber Beast the two were hunting wasn't an easy prey, and it would likely take them a couple days to capture one.
The two-day trip passed by in the blink of an eye, and soon enough Minos started to notice the forest leaves slowly changing color from green, to a yellowish-orange.
"As you've probably noticed by now, we've finally entered the periphery of Amber Wood Forest. This place is quite popular, even among mortals, but little do they know the monsters that live deep inside this place." Venix explained, as the two headed deeper into the woods.
"How strong are the Amber Beasts?" Minos asked, knowing they might have to fight one.
"A fully grown Amber Beast has strength equivalent to the Seventh Life Lock, so we should be fine." Venix answered.
"Anyways, the Ninth and Seventh Sons of the Sword should be somewhere near the core of the forest, that's where the Amber Beast's live." Venix said.
"So how are we going to do this, sneak attack?" Minos asked.
"No, based on what I've heard about those two, their nature is quite evil, so all we need to do is find an Amber Beast and pretend to struggle against it." Venix responded.
Minos naturally understood what Venix was implying, nodding his head in agreement. With the two having made up their minds, they quickly entered the depth of the forest, looking for an Amber Beast.
"Alright, we should be deep enough. Let's leave our horses here, or else they might be caught in the crossfire." Venix said, as he hopped off his horse and tethered it to an Amber Tree.
Minos followed suit, and soon joined Venix on foot as the two finally entered the true core of Amber Wood Forest.
The calls of beasts started becoming louder and louder at this point, and Minos and Venix soon signaled out a beast call to head towards.
"Amber Beasts survive off Amber Wood Sap, which is a good cultivation material, but is unfortunately poisonous to humans."
"But once this poisonous material is digested by Amber Beasts and incorporated into their bodies, it becomes completely safe, turning their blood into a sought after material."
"However, Amber Beasts are herding animals, meaning fighting one usually means fighting an entire group, which makes hunting them incredibly difficult."
"First thing you have to do is single one out, then finish the fight quickly before its companions can arrive, otherwise you're out of luck."
"The reason the two came at this time of the year is because it's mating season. During mating season, male Amber Beasts of age will be forced out of their herds, turning them into perfect targets." Venix said, as he finished explaining.
"So we just need to find one and make enough noise." Minos said.
"Exactly, and if I'm not wrong, that noise we're heading towards should be a mating call, meaning it's likely a sole male." Venix said.
"Good, then let's get to it before anyone else can." Minos said, the two breaking into a full sprint as they headed towards the sound.