Inside the forest, the extensive canopy blocks out most of the light leaving the floor dimly lit. With the chirps of various beast, the two trudge forwards. The pair had spent the last half an hour delving further in, splitting from the others.
"The forest is pretty spooky, isn't it?" feeling out of her comfort zone, Alice shivers as she follows behind Leon.
"It's not so bad once you get used to it, we're on the outer rim so as long as we don't cross into the inner rim, we should be mostly fine".
Leon continues to step forwards with confidence, however, he maintains vigilance turning his head to scan for any possible threats.
After some time, a sudden rustle and growl erupts from a nearby bush. The commotion prompts Alice to quicky form magic in her hand, a large light crystal takes shape before being fired towards the bush. The ground surges on impact, with the monster lit up from the small flames on its paws.
'She has quite the powerful magic ability' Leon thinks to himself as he steps forward and slashes down, the flame paw possum stares, unable to manoeuvre in the air. Deftly slicing through the neck, the large 40 or so cm tall possum falls pitifully to the ground. Leon takes out a small knife, approaching the monster. Cutting open the stomach he searches the body with his hand looking for a hardened object inside. After a few minutes of finding nothing, he turns to Alice.
"It doesn't look to have a core".
"No core?" having little in the way of hunting experience she only knew that cores are found from dead magical beasts.
"Many E class monsters don't, guess we just got unlucky that this flame paw possum doesn't have one. Its meat taste bad and the fur won't sell, we should just move on".
After the next few hours of effort, they came to evaluate their results: two snow rabbits, a bullet kangaroo, a burning tree and various class D and E monsters.
"Even with two class C monsters there weren't any monster cores, why have we been so unlucky?" Leon sighs dejectedly, the odds of class C monsters not having a core was very low, let alone both not having them.
"Why is it taking so long to find a class B monster, humph?" Alice cutely pouts.
"We would have to be extra careful encountering B class, for most people it would be a death sentence" Leon replies in a serious tone. For the average hunter coming across a class B monster was a death sentence, even Leon had yet to kill one.
"It needs to be a least B class to draw their attention" Alice murmurs under her breath.
"Do you know how to attract one?" she asks Leon.
"The grey bear often eats dead bullet kangaroos so if I cook it the scent might attract one".
"Then let's do that" hearing that it was possible she clasps her hands giving a smile.
After some time of deliberation Leon finally agrees having formulated a plane. 'Grandpa is expecting my best today, he is sure to be happy with a grey bear'.
"But the grey bear is incredibly tough, its fur reflects most attacks and minor wounds heal very quickly" Leon cautions once more.
"Then how do we kill it?"
"The mouth is its weak point, so I suggest that I take the front whilst you barrage it with your 'light spears' as it slows down, I go for the kill, what do you think?" outlining the basics of the plan he begins thinking about how to maximise the success rate.
"It sounds reasonable" Alice nods after some thought.
"Then while I prepare some traps, I need you to go and find these plants" Leon grabs a stick and draws multiple different plants that can be found in the area.
"I need to go and find plants?"
"Yes, using them I can make a paralysing liquid to coat some traps and using blood from the snow rabbit a minor healing potion can also be made".
"I see".
After about an hour Alice returns to Leon having collected the plants, seeing the monster being cooked by Leon she heads over.
"Here are the plants you wanted" passing over the items she sits down nearby.
"Thanks" Leon responds as he quickly gets to work making the potion and applying the paralysing solution carefully to the pitfall trap he just made.
"How long do you think it will take for the monster to turn up".
"It will probably come between half an hour and an hour from now to late afternoon as the scent wafts through the forest, assuming that there is one nearby".
After some moments of silence, Alice's curiosity gets the better of her and she asks Leon.
"You seem to be quite a good hunter, yet the crystal on you head is so small, how is that possible?"
"I've been training for quite some time, even without magic power it's possible to do what I've done".
"Impressive" unable to imagine how weak she would feel if she wasn't using her magic power to strengthen her body, she couldn't help but praise him.
"So, what is your power, I can't tell since its clear" unable to figure out based on what she had seen she inquires.
"I don't know, I haven't been able to figure it out" Leon answers honestly. Normally kids would have an understanding of the power by the time they hit puberty, yet Leon still hadn't discovered if he had one.
"Is that so. How come you know so much about the forest?"
"Me and my grandpa live on the outskirts of the forest, so we know a lot about it".
"What about your family?"
"I live together with my parents in Leford".
As their small talk continues Leon finishes the potions and the other traps. Handing over two of
them to Alice he keeps one of them. With the preparations completed the pair head towards the
tree behind them.