Chapter 127 - 4-12

Chapter 4 - Curious Ways of the Wild

Leo, with the monkey hanging from his shoulder, put up the finishing touches on the tree house. Unlike with his hut, he was unable to simply 'plop it down'; he had to individually place pieces, though he was shown where to place them, so it still wasn't terribly difficult, just time consuming.

It took him some six hours of labor to finish it, and monkey had been cheering him on for the last two, perched on top of either his shoulder or head. The sweet sound of the screen appearing in front of him finally signaled that he was done.

[Congratulations for completing the side quest--building a tree house for the '????' Monkey and his family!]

[Your favorability with the '????' Monkey has reached 16. You are now considered close friends!]

[You have been rewarded 'Tychu Fruit' x1]

[Tychu Fruit (Rare) -- a specially cultivated fruit of the Monks of the North Sect. It is said that only 9 fruits ripen every 100 years and are awarded to the once-in-a-generation talents of the Sect. The true effects are a well-kept secret, though rumors are that the fruit enhances the person's Spiritual Root. Can only consume 1 Tychu Fruit in your lifetime]

[You have earned... 3 System XP! You are just 2 away from the System Level Up!]

[The '????' Monkey has given you a special blessing that will last for 15 days: Soul of the Forest]

[Soul of the Forest: favorability with all natives of the Nameless Forest will not fall below 1 (Neutral). Your favorability with all the natives of the Nameless Forest increases 200% faster for the duration. The blessing will disappear if you commit a Grave Taboo.]

"You happy?" Leo asked as the monkey leapt off his shoulder and inspected his new home. Soon, it came out, seemingly grinning and yapping away. It even 'kissed' Leo on the forehead, prompting the latter to laugh as he descended down the tree. There, placed gently on the ground, was the 'legendary fruit' that he was rewarded. It was pear-shaped, though deep-crimson in its luster and as soft as a marshmallow.

Leo didn't think too deeply, gnawing away at it immediately and finishing it off within seconds. He didn't feel much change at the start, though the kindling fire within his soul that spread like mad throughout the rest of his body until it hurt did tell him that something happen. And as to what happened, the system informed him soon after.

[Consuming Tychu Fruit has repaired your damaged Spiritual Roots.]

[... Lucky Roll! In addition to repairing, the Tychu Fruit has awakened an elemental property in your Spiritual Roots!]

[Low-Tier Damaged Mortal Roots ---> Low-Tier Earth Mortal Roots]

[Low-Tier Earth Mortal Roots: absorbing natural Qi increased by 10%. Affinity with Earth Martial Arts increased by 25%. Can absorb remnant Earth Qi from Spiritual Grounds.] 

Spitting out a fiery breath at first and burping loudly right after, Leo felt a relieving sensation deep within. Saying a quick farewell to the monkey, he returned to the mud hut and sat down; soon, the Foundation Realm beast would come for him, and if the rules of the cultivation he was familiar with were to be believed, he was done for. He was not a main character, after all, with a heaven-defying bead where a soul of an old monster was stored to guide him, nor did he have a special, Divine-Tier Cosmic Root that he could use to break through the realms like stealing candy from a baby.

As such, he didn't really have a plan to survive--he'd hoped that the system would give him a new quest and reward him with an appropriate item, but that was hardly a plan and more of a desperate desire.

"Maybe I ask the animals for help? No, I can't entangle them," he mused aloud, glancing around his tiny little hut that was once more a home to quite a few small critters. "I'll have to figure it out myself."

Suddenly, a tiny lizard began crawling up his leg and scurried over to his shoulder. It was deep yellow in color and had a pair of beady, red eyes that looked at him curiously. Leo scratched the top of the lizard's head gently, smiling, before lying back down and closing his eyes.

"Maybe I can fashion some traps? Dig a hole, put down some spikes in it... it could work. Haaah, that boar probably has skin tougher than diamonds, though. It'd just piss him off..."

Unknowingly, he fell asleep. Perchance it was the tiredness of having worked hard, or just his brain being overwhelmed by the future's instability, but whichever it was, it caused him to doze off. By the time he woke up, it was late at night and his little bungalow was now a home to some seventeen different critters. In fact, it wasn't just critters any longer--sprawled lazily near the entrance, he recognized one of the beasts from the outside, the black panther with illusionary, white stripes near its ankles that made it seem like they were on fire.

The panther was actually no larger than a house cat, and though Leo was terribly tempted, he dared not pet it.

"Excuse me," he mumbled apologetically as he scurried out. The panther glanced at him lazily as it licked its paw, ignoring him right after.

The forest at night was rather scary, Leo noted--the few strands of light from the moon that managed to reach the surface through the canopy of the trees were hardly enough to illuminate the darkness, and only made it spookier by casting light on the rough edges of the trees and grass and bushes. Here and there, he'd hear hooting and hollering of the beasts, and he'd catch the glow of the eyes looking at him from the darkness.

However, if he was to live in this place, he knew he'd have to get used to it. He didn't wander far from the hut--in fact, he didn't wander at all, sitting down at the front and spawning a makeshift campfire by using torch blueprint as the baseline. The fire roared and finally gave way to clear shapes around as he sat down, observing it.

It wasn't long before a swath of animals converged toward it, scaring him at first. Though, after seeing that they mostly just sat around, either for the warmth or for the light, he ignored them. But it wouldn't be camping without some storytelling or singing; he felt a bit embarrassed to start, as his audience was entirely composed of animals incapable of understanding him, but to live up to the romance of it, he had to persevere.

"The legend goes," he spoke softly, staring at the embers of flame in front of him, secretly hoping he looked cool doing so. "That time is infinite--there is neither the beginning nor the end, just a permanence that goes on, has gone on, and will go on." without Leo noticing, more and more animals had gathered, soon surpassing 60, though most stayed hidden in the trees or the nearby bushes. "So, in that infinite time, it is said that anything can happen. A celestial dragon born of the star, spewing quasars as fire breaths. Angelic creatures with feathered wings flying at the speed of light. Gods and Goddesses capable of creating sentience with a wave of their hands. Life and death converging into one, becoming eternity.

"When I was young, I had this tutor that would drone on about the mysteries of space. How, because of how little we know, we can dream as big as we want. He was off his rocker for the most part," he chuckled lightly. Unbeknownst to him, hundreds had gathered by now, small and large, listening aptly. "But... I found it inspirational. I don't know if anything I know is true, and if it is to which degree... but it's nice to dream, right?" he wished for a second he had a bottle of beer, as the moment called for it, but shook his head as he looked up, trying to peer past the canopy and at the moon. Alas, it was not meant to be.

"Maybe, somewhere up there, among the stars, there are answers. But I'm too tiny to reach them," sighing, he looked back down and finally realized that his audience had grown quite a bit. Feeling somewhat embarrassed at the number, he scratched his nose and coughed awkwardly. There were quite a few newcomers, and the pair of crimson eyes the size of his hut peering from the deep darkness truly was a mirage that he made up. Definitely. "Anyway, should I sing you guys a famous campfire song from my home? He he, I'll take your silence as a yes~~" when it came to the 'camping songs', he really didn't know many. In fact, he only knew a few. But if there was one song he had to sing first in this world of them all, it truly would be this one.

"She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes~~" his voice was deep yet gentle and it echoed vastly into the night. The animals all closed their eyes and laid their heads onto either the ground or the branches. Leo thumped the melody by slapping his thighs, and sang as loud as he could. The forest did not sleep for a moment, awake in the middle of the night, carried forth by a singular voice. Deep and sonorous.

Chapter 5 - Communal Dining

Leo woke up rather well-rested, yawning and stretching as he exited the hut that had, somehow, become a communal house. Not just its insides either, as the roof was now a permanent home to several owls, eagles, falcons, and even a dog-sized bat that was hanging upside down from the edges. He suddenly stumbled and nearly fell to the floor, barely managing to stabilize. Glancing down, his eyes widened when he saw a slew of fruits and vegetables lying sprawled on the floor--some he recognized as the ones he ate before, but most of them were entirely new to him. Crouching down, he picked a few and inspected them, taking a bite out of a normal-looking apple only to realize it tasted like vanilla ice-cream. Smiling widely, he let the sensation overwhelm him, feeling his body elevated once more. "Thank you, friends," he spoke to the forest itself as he knew that the ones responsible were the many animals living about. "Hmm... I can make my famous vegetable stew with this, no? Right. We'll have a feast tonight!" and thus, the day of planning and cooking began. Naturally, he didn't have access to the same ingredients here as he did back on Earth for his 'famous' stew. As such, he had to taste every single veggie that he got, and even a few fruits and random grass he found lying about, until he mapped out what they could roughly be synonymous with. He first made a makeshift bucket, though already came across a first hurdle--he didn't have a pot. And it wasn't as though he had abundance of metal or tools to make one (which wasn't to say he'd know to make one even if there were) so he had to go for the last resort--or, well, two. "Aah, if only I had a proper pot..." he mumbled just loudly enough to be heard. His first hope was that the system would offer him a quest or something, and the second was that the animals would actually know to bring one. Luckily, his prayer paid off as the system did offer it. [You may spend 1 System XP to purchase 'Ordinary Cooking Pot'. You currently have 8 System XP. Are you sure you want to purchase the 'Ordinary Cooking Pot'?] "Yeah, sure," just as he mumbled those words, something magical happened---a flash of light blinded him but for a moment and, when he opened his eyes, standing still in front of him, on the ground, was an ordinary-looking cooking pot. It wasn't one of the modern-looking ones, but one of those that spoke of an age long-since-gone. It was round and bulky and charred in black, but it had a lid, and that was all that mattered. As there was still a long time 'till the night, he decided to start doing something he had wanted to do for a while back on Earth--start exercising. He had nothing but free time, and if he was to live in the forest, it'd probably be best if he was in shape. For starters, he started doing push-ups--but, after managing to do a 100 in a row without so much as feeling sore, he realized something was very wrong. He tried doing squats, but the same thing happened--100 squats later, and he didn't feel his thighs either burn or bleed or cry. Same thing with pull-ups. He even tried casually jogging, but after nearly an hour of running around the forest like a moron, he barely broke a singular strand of sweat. "Huh," he stroked his chin in pure pride. "This cultivation stuff really strengthens you, eh? Oh, look at the time!" without realizing it, he'd actually spent a considerable amount of time 'testing himself', and evening was fast approaching. He went back to the hut and re-started the fire from the last night, though once again ran into the problem--how he would hang the pot above it."Maybe if I keep the vines wet? They seemed really resilient," and thus, the plan was born. He quickly fashioned an improvised stove, with a single, thick piece of wood running over the top of the flames and the pot hanging by the several tied strings of vine. As he didn't have a knife, he found a random rock and sharpened it with another rock just enough for it to be able to cut through the vegetables. At the same time, he started the fire and poured the pot full of water, hanging it over. Thankfully, the vine that held up the pot, so long as it was kept wet, seemed just resilient enough to the flames. He used a random piece of thick bark as a chopping board and tossed in veggies one by one, electing to save the ones he considered as 'spices' as the last. The one in particular, a fingernail-sized, crimson red grape was quite similar in taste to chili--or, rather, its two seeds that were at its center were. There was also a straight-up garlic lookalike that burned the same, and even a substitute for cloves in the shape of a long, thistle-like flower. It wasn't long before the sun began to set and before the boiling water began breaking down the vegetables. The smell, in turn, became almost intoxicating. Even Leo began salivating at the prospect of eating, but realized quickly the prime conundrum--the longer the cooking went on, the more animals gathered. And he only had one pot to share--even if he only gave a spoonful per animal, it still might not be enough. "Haah, I didn't think this through," he sighed, using the thick branch to stir. It wasn't unordinary, either; the story of his life often boiled down to 'never thought it through'. "Okay, I'll cook every day! For as long as it takes to get all of you to taste my famed stew!" He scooped a spoonful and gave it a quick taste; it assailed his senses immediately, overwhelming him like tidal waves. The spiritual Qi practically materialized in front of him into corporeal form--his body surged with so much of it that it began to burst from his orifices. It wasn't long before the system informed him that he'd reached the Eight Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm and, furthermore, that his Spiritual Root had been improved once again, reaching Mid-Tier Earth Mortal Roots. Settling in, he found that he stank up a storm--black ooze had poured out of his pores and caused quite a ruckus. Embarrassed, he ran off toward the pond immediately, praying that the animals has the memory of a goldfish. He was in desperate need of new clothes but he hardly knew how to sew and hem and such, and it wasn't as though there were stores out and about he could buy from. The best he could do was fashion some leaf-made loincloths, but that was hardly enough. The water, as always, was the perfect temperature--it was akin to taking a bath full of precious salts and oils that managed to cleanse every inch of him in addition to making him feel like a swaddled baby. In the middle of bathing, he saw the nearby shrubbery part as the familiar face of the monkey walked through. It wasn't just the monkey, however--there was also that strange owl and even the falcon that flew over. They weren't empty handed--or, well, empty clawed--bearing with them something that shocked Leo: clothes. Owl carried simple, white underpants, the falcon carried thick, black robes, and the monkey carried a shirt and a pair of pants. They laid them perfectly by the pond's side and stopped for a moment, staring at him. "Oh my God," Leo cried. "Thank you so much, you guys! I promise... I promise I'll build as many tree houses as you want and cook you my stew forever! Thank you!" the three animals seemed to grin, though Leo simply imagined it for certain, before leaving. Putting on the fresh clothes, he felt renewed--a new man, a whole new being. It was beautiful, being clothed in something that couldn't be passed off as high fashion for exhibitionists.Filled with new vigor, he returned back home only to find all the animals fast asleep around the hut and the pot of stew empty. His lips stretched out into a smile--they liked it! Maybe, if he goaded them enough with food, they might come and assist him when that big boar came to kill him... Leo felt himself shrewd, and a bit guilty for exploiting innocent, wild animals that only acted on their instinct, but what mattered was his survival! If all of them combined into the force of one, even the mighty Foundation Establishment boar wouldn't stand a chance, for certain!

Chapter 6 - Friendly Neighbor Leo

Leo got handed a new quest--to build yet another tree house.

This time around, however, it was requested by the friendly neighbor red-eyed owl, and it wasn't so much a tree house as it was a tree nest. The materials required to build it were barely the third of the ones needed for the monkey's tree house, but Leo accepted it rather happily. He didn't even care that the 'only' reward for completing the quest was the owl becoming friendlier. The clothes from last night were more than enough of a payment.

As such, he began to meander about the forest, gathering materials. He was not alone--the owl remained perched on top of his shoulder, occasionally hooting at the seeming nothing, while he was also accompanied by the black panther with white stripes. The 'kitten' would run about randomly and come back toward him, snuggling against his legs until Leo rubbed his hands over its head a few times, before scurrying off elsewhere. Perhaps it had some strange, wild version of zoomies, Leo figured.

He suddenly paused, perking his ears up; through the rustling of the leaves in the midday wind, he could hear some low-pitched whimpering in the distance. As though recognizing his intent, the owl flew off his shoulder, flapping its wings, and the panther appeared as well, guiding him eastward through the thick shrubbery.

The whimpering grew louder the longer he walked, until the finally broke free of thick bushes and landed on a mild clearing. There, lying prone on the ground, was a tiny, football-sized bear cub. It seemed to be crying, its left rear paw caught up in the roots of the tree, stuck. There was a small gash there, too, which was bleeding.

"Oh, no!" Leo exclaimed and hurried over; the panther stopped by the cub's head and licked it once or twice before sitting down, while the owl perched itself on top of Leo's shoulder once again. "Are you okay, little guy?" he spoke in a soft and baby voice, ruffling the top of the cub's head gently while inspecting the wound.

The young thing whimpered and cried out once again. Luckily, the wound wasn't that big nor was it bleeding profusely; that did not mean that it was harmless, however, as it could easily get infected. The issue was... Leo did not know whether any of the plants nearby were this world's equivalence of an antibiotic. The best he could do was wash the wound with water and wrap it up, bring the cub back to the mud hut and observe.

That would all have to wait, though, as he'd first have to free the cub from the root of the tree. He gently pushed the root a bit more open and the cub immediately yanked its paw free. It struggled for a moment to stand up, but as it likely hurt to put any pressure on the wound, it stumbled and cried even harder.

"Just calm down," he said gently. "Let me look at it." He took out the makeshift gourd of water he'd made of leaves and bark, pouring it gently over the wound and washing it clean. It was doubly lucky--not only was the wound short, it was also shallow. It seemed to have only scrapped the top layer of skin. Perhaps it ruptured a blood vessel there which was why it bled as much as it did.

Nonetheless, Leo took a leaf off of a plum-like fruit that he'd been snacking on occasionally, washed it with water, and gently wrapped it around the cub's wound. He used thin vines to steady it and make sure it wouldn't fall.

All the while, both the owl and the panther observed gingerly and curiously, neither making a motion or a sound.

At the end, the small cub whimpered and began to lick Leo's knee, slowly moving its paw until it felt it had enough strength in it to stand up. As it did, it looked up at Leo's face with a certain level of smugness, as if to say 'look at how strong I am!', before roaring rather cutely. Just as Leo was about to chuckle at the adorable sight, the ground began to shake--at first it was mild tremors, but soon enough he could barely keep himself steady.

The owl flew on top of his head and even the panther leapt into his lap, both staring at the same direction, prompting Leo to do the same--within a moment, the wall of trees parted and was felled by a ginormous figure that came bursting forth. It was a bear, Leo believed, the size of a small house. Its fur was apricot brown, with strange, runic shapes dyed silver across its head and stomach.

It rushed until it reach the cub and stopped, bending down--indenting the dirt beneath it into a crater at the same time--and sniffing the cub. The latter began to roar rather freely, climbing on top of its rear legs and swatting at the mama-bear's face.

The large bear began to lick the cub for a few moments before it stopped, its attention turning toward Leo. He had to admit--were it not for the system's help, he would have probably peed himself by now and passed out. However, all he could really do was sit there dumbly and wait for the bear to determine his fate.

Suddenly, the bear roared, and then the owl hooted, and even the panther procured a sound that was a mix of meowing and roaring. And they continued to produce noises for nearly a minute, as though they were having a conversation.

Ultimately, the large bear glanced at Leo one last time before biting into the cub's neck and lifting it up, tossing it onto her back. With one last roar, the two disappeared deeper into the forest. The ground continued to quake beneath what Leo assumed was at least a hundred thousand tonnes of weight, leaving him further aghast. At least... at least he was alive.

[... you have helped a ?????? Cub. Favorability with ??????? Increased by 1. You are now considered an acquaintance]

Leo dismissed the window right after, taking a deep breath.

"You two convinced her I was just trying to help?" he spoke to the owl and the panther, gently caressing both of them. "Thanks so much, you guys! Okay, tonight, I'll prepare something extra-special for you! I call it... Fruit Juice! 'cause it's juice... made of fruit! Aah, it's gonna be great. Right. Gotta grab the rest of the materials..."

Leo stood up, dusted himself off, and put away the enormous fears in the back of his head, resuming his collecting spree.

About an hour later, he retreated to the mud--the owl had specified which tree it wanted the nest on, and it was one of the trees within fifteen yards of the hut. It seemed as though the entire forest was now aware of this place, as more and more animals converged. Only a few were what Leo would consider 'permanent' residents, those who stayed within the hut itself or the immediate vicinity. Most were 'nomads' who'd sweep by--usually during one of the meals--and then disappear off somewhere into the forest.

Once again, just as every other time he'd be gone from the hut for a while, there was a small mountain of fruits and veggies nearby. In fact, he was beginning to form a nice little storage, but he feared that the fruits would go bad. As such, he tried thinking of new ways to utilize them, eventually landing on the idea of a fruit juice.

Before he dedicated the rest of the day to that, however, he quickly fashioned the owl's nest--it was cylindrical, like a spinning top where it was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom.

As soon as it was done, the owl flew off his shoulder and started hooting as though it were singing a fairy song. It flapped its wings about happily, spun its head 180 degrees in the most horrifying way imaginable, and nuzzled its beak against Leo's forehead.

The window informed him that the owl now considered him a 'good friend' as he descended the tree, stretching and looking at the fading sunlight. Realizing there wasn't much time, he began picking up the few empty gourds lying around and running over to the pond of water.

Filling them all up, he struggled quite a bit to carry them back--there were six gourds, each of which could hold up to fifteen gallons of water through what Leo assumed was pure, unadulterated magic, and it stacked up quickly. Even for his cultivation-endowed body, it caused him to sweat buckets. Setting them down, he ignored the curious gazes of the animals around, and began to beat down the fruits and squeeze them of their juices.

He also fashioned a few simple, wooden cups that he poured the juices into, combining both the fruits as well as water and testing them until he came across flavor profiles that he liked.

Jotting them in his head, he continued to experiment long after the sunlight had faded and he was forced to light up a torch to keep the light going. A number of animals converged around him and carefully inspected what he was doing, but he seemed wholly absorbed in the process to notice.

It wasn't a new thing for him--he used to enjoy 'experimenting' with drinks back on Earth, not necessarily to create the best cocktails that would sell like hot cakes, but just to create unique flavor profiles for the fun of it.

By the time he was done, almost four hours had passed, and he hardly realized it. In the end, he was only really happy with four flavors he created--one of them was just a straight up an explosion of fruity flavors, as though someone set off a packet bomb inside the mouth. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but it settled into a nice aftertaste.

The next flavor he managed to recreate was a sweet and sour combo that he wasn't quite certain animals would love, but he certainly did. Right after he managed to recreate the good, old-fashioned lemonade, just without the sugar or any other sweeteners. And, lastly, through some magic he managed to create an almost exact replica of kiwi juice.

Standing up and stretching, he finally realized there was an armada of animals around, prompting him to smile. Though he was alone... he never truly was. Even if they couldn't talk or understand him, their company was like a fire that kept him warm in the coldest of nights.

"Alright, gather 'round," he said as he started mixing them into the cups as quickly as he could. "Grab one cup each, okay? Just one cup. The green one is kiwi juice, the yellow one is lemonade, the somewhat blue one is, uh, is unique. I wouldn't recommend it. And the multi-colored one is... well, go for it. Hope you like it!"

The first one to approach, unsurprisingly, was the red-eyed monkey. The creature curiously looked at the cups and settled on the kiwi juice--as soon as he drank a few gulps, his eyes widened into saucers and he began to clap madly toward him, as though cheering on somebody he really cared for.

Seeing the monkey's reaction, the other animals began rushing and quickly taking the cups away, and Leo struggled mightily to keep up. In the end, he burned through all the water he had but, shockingly, a falcon and an eagle brought back another set in just a couple of minutes, so he continued making the juices. In fact, he continued doing so for hours, until all his fingers were aching, and his eyes were begging him to close them so that he could go to sleep.

However, he managed to make one cup of juice for every animal that was there. Tired, happy, and jubilant that they liked it, he retreated into the hut and lazily sprawled onto the bed, falling asleep immediately, feeling entirely worry-free.

Chapter 7 - From the Thunder, Hope

Leo woke up well rested and even a bit happy--that was until he noticed a reminder that there were only two days left until the Foundation Establishment boar would come and try to send him to accompany its mate to the afterlife. He still had no feasible answer to the conundrum--his best bet, ultimately, were the Spike Traps he unlocked, and possibly the help of the animals.

Knowing full well that nothing would be handed to him, he decided to dig out several traps today and pepper them about carefully. Whether they would work or not he didn't know, but they'd at least impede the beast temporarily if nothing else.

Sighing, he stretched and walked out of the hut. By now, he had to be very careful while exiting since there were quite a few felines, squirrels, and lizards lying about the exit.

It was only once he was outside that he noticed the weather had changed--though it wasn't raining or anything just yet, he smelled it. Unlike the days prior, there were no sunbeams piercing through the canopy of trees--it was rather dim and solemn, and even the winds seemed disorganized and wild.

Additionally, it was a few degrees chillier than before; nothing critical, of course, but enough to recognize that once the rain hit, it'd likely get to be a lot colder.

Leo frowned and looked around--there were still quite a few animals that were residing outside the hut, either on top of it, or on the trees around it. If it rained really hard or, even worse, if the weather became stormy, who knew what would happen to the animals.

Clutching his fingers into a fist, he grew with determination--even if he couldn't house all of them, he'd make at least a few extra mud huts as shelters!

Without going for a quick bath, and even skipping breakfast, he quickly began gathering materials for the mud hut. He vaguely recalled both the ingredients as well as the number of each he'd need, prioritizing gathering grass, stones, and such, as creating mud was relatively easy with the pond nearby.

The animals quickly grew curious as to what he was doing, with quite a few following him around and observing him in silence. He ignored the strange looks and continued gathering ingredients as the lights of the day grew dimmer. Though he couldn't make out the clouds quite well past the canopy of the trees, he didn't need to, knowing full well that it was just about to rain.

In the end, he settled for making three new huts--gathering any more ingredients would have him leave the immediate periphery of the hut and the pond, and there was simply no time for it. Returning home, he cleaned up the spots for the extra huts and placed them down. Where there was one, there were now four--they were identical in make, shape, design, and size.

Unsurprisingly, as soon as they were finished, the animals began moving into them as though it was theirs even before it was there. Within minutes, all three new huts were full with new occupants, and Leo smiled with pride at the sight.

It was right on time, too, as merely half an hour later, the first crack of thunder signaled the storm that was to come. Leo snuggled into the hut as well and silently prayed that the system's ability to build a hut was so otherworldly it could endure the violent winds and rain.

Darkness surged and swallowed the outside, and he started a very small fire to keep the hut warm and alight. It wasn't long before quite a few animals snuggled up next to him, and within minutes, he was overcome with them--they were on his shoulders, his head, his chest, his lap, his feet, hanging loose from his robes, or entirely within those robes, and there was even a very small, pixie-sized bat hanging off his earlobe.

It was all very wonderful and great, if it were not beyond uncomfortable, but he stayed silent and endured. A small armadillo-shaped critter that was nestled in his lap was shivering, and Leo gently caressed it until it calmed down. It didn't last long, however, for the storm truly began.

Even the mere glimpse of the outside horrified him--though he'd experienced the extremes of bad weather on Earth, he'd never experienced anything quite like this. The sheer level of sound that the cracks of thunder produced were so deafening that it felt as though someone repeatedly fired off guns right by his ear. He was certain that, if he hadn't become a Cultivator, the thunder would have blown both his eardrums, or deafened him permanently altogether.

The ground suddenly shook as though someone was digging directly underneath it, and, even through the system's powers, Leo felt it--fear. The world tilted ever so slightly to the side and he was certain that the mud hut would collapse on top of them, but it held steady.

The animals around him whimpered and cried, snuggling even closer to him, quivering. His breathing quickened, and he watched the darkness outside be vanquished in a blinding flash of light--right thereabout, he saw it, the zip of thunder the size of a tree trunk ripping like a cord just some forty yards from the hut.

He could scarcely process it when he felt himself be blown backward into the hut's wall, and then right through it. He instinctively moved his arms and cradled the few animals that were in his arms close to his chest, curling up and taking a heavy beating--he tore through several trees, collapsing them, and rolled on the muddied ground.

Standing up as quickly as he could, he immediately inspected the animals--luckily, they were all safe, if not shaken and terrified. He estimated he had been knocked back at least fifty yards away, so he sprinted back to check on everyone else--all of the mud huts were obliterated, with the animals lying scattered about. His heart bled for a second as he realized that the darkness was lifting--and the rain was stopping.

Settling the animals in his arms down, he raced over to the collapsed mud hut that he was blown through and dug around, managing to find several animals that weren't able to get out in time. Luckily, they were all alive, and after confirming that, he ran about the other three huts and did the same.

As the sunbeams began to wash through the canopy of the trees, he fixed up the clearing, started a fire, and gingerly paid attention to the animals who haven't woken up yet. Among them was the white panther that he'd only occasionally seen; it seemed to have been hurt the most as one of its front paws was bent in an awkward way. Leo didn't dare move it as he wasn't a vet--all he could do was experiment with the grasses, flowers, and herbs in the forest further and try to find the best ones for dressing the wound up.

He also gathered the scattered bits of fruits and vegetables and started making a new batch of the stew. Rushing between the waking animals, the passed out ones, the stew, and further removing the destroyed debris quickly drained him, but he couldn't sit down until everything was fixed.

The storm truly came out of the blue--and it disappeared just the same. It burned through in just a couple of minutes before moving on. He'd never experienced a bolt of thunder quite like the one that struck just forty yards from him--had it hit him squarely, or even just the mud hut he was in... would he have survived? He was uncertain. Even with the system's 'help', chances were that he'd have been killed on the spot.

Magically, the tree that the owl lived on, as well as its nest, were both completely fine. Within the sea of wooden chunks and shards of the shattered fauna around, it stood like a pillar upholding the sky.

With the first batch of the stew finished, he slowly went around feeding animals one by one. The white panther woke up in the meantime and, by the time Leo got to him, his wounded paw seemed to have been fixed completely. It was currently licking it, stopping only when Leo lowered the bowl of stew that he quickly slurped up.

As the first batch wound down, Leo went on to make four more before every animal seemed to have been fed and full. Crashing down onto the ground, he felt tired; by now, the mud had hardened and dried, turning back to dirt once more. The temperature, too, had risen quite a lot, though it was still some ways cooler than the past couple of days.

Looking at the remains of the huts, Leo felt a knot twist up inside his stomach; he figured it would be enough, but it was far from it. If another storm like that passed above them or, worse yet, if it stuck around for minutes or hours, there would be nothing left of this place--not the trees, the flowers, the fruits, or even the animals.

Whether through the system or his own blind experimentation, he realized he'd have to build much sturdier shelters. Perhaps dig a cave underground, perhaps make a stone hut, or something else entirely--but he'd have to do something.

Many-colored python appeared suddenly by his side and coiled up his right arm until its head was resting on Leo's cheek. He couldn't help but softly laugh; back on Earth, if he saw even a shadow of a snake, he would have likely had a panic attack and passed out. And yet, here he was, coiling up with a rather large, fantastical-looking python, feeling warmed up rather than afraid.

That was the case with every other animal, too--the white panther lurched up next to his feet, resting against them, while the black panther--the housecat-sized one--sat on top of his chest, licking himself freely. One by one, they converged near or atop of him, curling up just like during the storm.

The selfish motivation of survival within began to wane, like a sugar cube dipped into water. In its stead, a surge of warmth blurred the reality--they'd embraced him, so wholly, ever since he randomly intruded on their land. They didn't attack, bother, or even scare him; they helped him, curiously followed him around, and shared with him this beautiful world.

He smiled and closed his eyes, smelling the sweet scent of the grass and dirt after rain, feeling the pulses of heartbeats around him join into a beautiful symphony. He'd build them and himself a home beneath the sky, a home that would never break, never be shattered, a home that would stay and stand long after they all vanished into the sands of time. A monument to the rebirth in his heart.

Chapter 8 - Stench of the Red

Though Leo's aspirations and dreams were quite massive, he couldn't exactly make them a reality just yet. As such, he first repaired the broken-down mud huts. Baby steps, after all, were still better than no steps at all. Re-gathering all the materials for four huts took most of the day, especially as he had to go out further than ever before.

By the time he was done, the night had come--and there was only one more day left between him and the boar, and he was not an inch closer to solving that problem.

Stirring the flames and making the stew absentmindedly, he thought on all the possible scenarios. He hardly had a frame of reference as to how strong a Foundation Establishment beast was. In fact, his frame of reference for strength, in general, was all sorts of strange. He'd beaten a peak Qi Condensation boar while being only in the first Stage himself, though there were some caveats there. There were no other cultivators around that could tell him, and system was about as helpful as an umbrella during a hurricane.

He still, ultimately, believed that his best chance was setting up the spike traps and hoping that the animals help him if it truly came to that.

As soon as he returned to the hut and laid down on top of the straw bed, he passed out, tired to the bone. He dreamed of the days before the forest--where he'd spend weekends sailing his yacht, then using a jet to travel to the other side of the world just to eat at a specific restaurant, and he still felt the temptation.

It was hard, after all, to give up a life of everything, where he had the world at his fingertips, for a life of nothing, where he had to struggle every day, and where the word luxury meant having an ordinary-looking robe to cover himself up with.

He woke up to something rough sanding down his cheeks--the first thing he saw was the pair of panthers licking him, prompting him to smile. When they saw him wake up, the two animals exchanged looks and sauntered out, leaving him in slight pain.

Sitting up, he felt rather lethargic and tired still; his muscles were sore, his head was a bit heavy and muddy, but he knew he couldn't simply stay in bed. Leaving the hut, he stretched and bathed in the rays of sun; due to the storm and all, there wasn't nearly as much shade around, but Leo preferred it that way. He was the type to suffer the consequences of the sun with reckless abandon, and he put a lot of faith in the Cultivation to shield him from sunburns.

Following a quick dip in the pond, he finally managed to wake himself up enough to get down to business. There were no new quests handed out by any of the animals, but he wanted to do a bit of research--namely, map out a five mile radius around the pond in all directions, plucking and picking and foraging and sourcing and pulling and--well, thereabout, mostly.

As always, he was not alone.

There was the owl perched on his left shoulder, the monkey on the right one, the multi-colored python wrapped around his left arm, a tiny, plum-sized bat hanging upside down from the collar of his robes, as well as the pair of panthers following him around, occasionally nestling against his legs and occasionally sprinting elsewhere, out of sight.

He first focused southward. Naturally, he couldn't exactly measure five miles in any meaningful capacity, but 'eyeing' it would be enough for now. Hanging several gourds of water by his waist and tossing a makeshift pouch full of fruits over his shoulder, he departed.

Past the immediate area, the iron-grip stalks of grass overwhelmed all other flora save for the trees. Strangely, however, despite them resisting if he pressed with his hands, they bent as though of their own will as he stepped over them.

It was nearly five minutes of walk later that they gave way to some other forms of life--nubs of colorless flowers, for the starters, with strange, caped mushrooms soon appearing at the roots of the trees, climbing up like habitats of some invisible animals further south.

The terrain was largely flat, occasionally rising and dipping, but never at a particularly steep angle, or for long. Within fifteen minutes, the blades of grass dipped in the background and a far more colorful scenery exploded.

Fruits began to hang low from the tall trees, and flowers began to bud in wonderful colors, and strange birds started to sing strange songs. He threaded gently over every leaf and every root, doing his best to avoid upsetting the pristine, untouched scenery. There was no doubt in his mind that seemingly this entire forest had remained untouched by man--it was alive.

Feeling a bit parched, he stopped at an intersection of three different types of trees, taking a sip of water from the gourd. The owl suddenly hooted, startling him; a moment later, a slightly lower-pitched hoot 'replied' and, with the sounds of the flapping wings, a red-feathered owl descended from between the branches above.

In all honesty, it scared the crap out of Leo--to call it an owl was a bit of a disservice as it was genuinely six times the size of the one perched on his shoulder. Its feathers, red like blood, were like a foreboding song, but it did not attack. Rather, it landed on the nearby tree and hooted with the owl white owl on his shoulder. It was a rather spirited conversation from what Leo gathered--well, he had no way of knowing it, but they sure did hoot a lot. For several minutes, in fact.

It was a bit too terrifying, the potential that these animals could talk, just in a language he would never understand. They could be talking behind his back, after all, and nobody liked that.

Ultimately, the red owl flew away--dropping a single red feather. Leo ignored it, thinking it was just the feather's time, but the beak budging into his cheek and the flapping wings pointing to it convinced him to catch it. It was slightly warm to touch, as soft as anything he'd touched in his life, and it smelled... beautifully. It was an explosion of scents and they all seemed to race to make him feel good.

Leo smiled and tucked it into his robe, continuing onward.

Both panthers left and scattered about, perhaps visiting old friends like the owl just did, but Leo wasn't worried.

"Hm?" amidst the scents he couldn't resist, he picked up on something else--something seemingly rotten and dark. His friends did, too, but they didn't seem particularly worried; in fact, the monkey extended one of his arms and pointed toward the direction, and Leo followed.

Some thirty seconds later, he found the source--it was a rather horrid scene that would have likely had him running were it not for the system. Two people lay flat next to each other, bloody from head to toe. People? No, they were kids, Leo recognized, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old at most.

He crouched by their side--if he hadn't chanced upon them, that would have been it, but now that he had... there was no way he could just ignore it. Even if it was to simply bury them, it was the least he could do. Luckily, he didn't immediately start digging out a hole, as a closer look caused him to jolt back--both were still breathing!

It was barely discernible, but it was there. Braving forth, Leo extended his arm and pressed his fingers against their necks, checking for the pulse. It took a bit of stumbling around, but he eventually hit the right spot and felt it--beneath his fingers, the skin moved and bulged ever so faintly.

"They're alive," he mumbled, panicking. He didn't have any herbs around--no, more importantly, he wasn't a doctor! Wrapping up a wound for an animal or two? Okay, he wasn't a moron--he could do that. But treating kids that were clearly on the brink of dying? He may as well try and figure out nuclear fusion, right here and now.

And yet, he couldn't exactly leave them there and pretend otherwise.

"Alright, alright. We've seen TV shows, before. We've even watched those fancy doctors react to them. Uhm... none of it helps, though!" weeping inwardly a bit, he first cleared the surrounding area by digging out the grass and the flowers, and then separated them a bit.

One was a boy seemingly and the other a girl, but considering their appearances, they weren't related. Perhaps they were star-crossed lovers who ran away from home because their rivaling families wouldn't bless their love?! Aww--aww nothing!

A curious glance at their states revealed that they were ridden with holes that were still bleeding. Leo was very much inspired to stop that bleeding, but there were simply too many holes!

"Goddammit, maybe one of these fruits has healing properties?!" he took out two gourds from the waist and squeezed a bit of every fruit that he'd brought with him into the water, swirling it around after the fact.

With an apparition that was the ticking clock hanging, he hurriedly reached out and lifted the girl up into the seated position. The jostle must have caused some further damage because she began to bleed even more profusely. Panicking, he effectively shoved the gourd's opening into her mouth, angled her head up, and poured it through her throat, lying her down gently after and doing the same for the boy.

After that, he simply sat by their side and silently prayed--whether it worked or not, he had to stay. Two panthers also appeared and curled up on his lap, seemingly waiting alongside everyone else with bated breaths for the world to decide the fate of these two young children.

Chapter 9 - A Pair of Disciples

Song and Lya were not, in fact, star-crossed lovers that Leo imagined for a moment they were. Rather, they weren't even friends--merely fellow Sect Disciples who've chanced upon each other at random while doing independent missions for their Sect.

To understand how they wound up within the confines of the Nameless Forest, passed out next to each other, bleeding to death, it first must be known how they chanced upon each other three days prior.

About a week ago, rumors spread throughout much of the Lower Ashlands that the notorious Blood Demon was spotted in and around the small Yuvel Town. Few believed in the rumors as the Blood Demon was supposedly killed over a hundred years ago, but they still felt compelled to check out the rumors, just in case. Neither Song nor Lya were among those, but as Yuvel Town was the town nearest to their Sect, both they and their fellow Disciples frequented it when out on the missions.

It was about three days ago--that was some two days into their stay in the town--that a massive fight broke out among far more senior cultivators that had gathered there due to the Blood Demon. They, much like the other weaker folk, ran out from the town and away, not wanting to get caught up in whatever was happening. To their dismay, however, they caught sight of the Disciples of Bloodmoon Sect, a neighboring, rival Sect. The two had been at a quasi-war for decades, now, and skirmishes among the Disciples broke out frequently.

The issue was who the pursuers were--both Song and Lya were merely Foundation Establishment Disciples, having just recently started their immortal journeys, while two of their six pursuers were at Core Formation Stage. Fighting them was impossible, but so was escaping; rather, if the Bloodmoon Disciples weren't hellbent on simply playing with them like cats played with mice, they would have been killed almost immediately.

Instead, it became a game--and the two, once they realized there was no escaping, headed northwest, into the most forbidden of areas within ten thousand miles--the Nameless Forest.

When their pursuers realized that, they tried killing them, but the few life-preserving treasures allowed the duo to just barely evade death and enter the forest. Nonetheless, they were deathly wounded, tired, and at the brink of dying altogether. Even so, they were at least pleased they defended the honor of the Holy Blade Sect, if ever so slightly.

By all accounts, including their own, they died at that slight slope, covered in strange, unknown grass, in the silence of the Nameless Forest. Perhaps the nature would reclaim their bodies and make of them something new, or perhaps the animals of the forest would feast upon their flesh--regardless, their end was engraved... until they both opened their eyes.

Lya was the first to do so, but not by a lot--merely a few seconds. The sheer shock of opening her eyes blinded her for a moment and she was fully certain she was dreaming. It wasn't until she heard some shuffling to the side and glanced at her fellow Disciple that she was convinced: she was alive... as was he.

Her entire body hurt, from head to toe, and she could barely move a muscle, but, shockingly, most of the wounds that the Bloodmoon Disciples inflicted were gone. She quickly realized that the reason she couldn't move was simply because she was too weak and drained of Qi.

Taking a quick account of her surroundings, she could hardly tell where she was; there was some sort of a ceiling, low and colorless, like she was in a cave. But there was also light coming from the front, and if it was a cave, it was a very, very small one.

She parted her lips but her voice wouldn't come out--she was simply too weak. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she focused whatever little mental energy she had to run through the Sundering Holy Blade, the foundational mantra of her Sect. Usually, it would take her mere seconds to run a full revolution of Qi throughout her body, but now it felt like she was moving an entire mountain with her bare hands.

Due to her injuries as well as overuse of Qi, a lot of plaque had built up inside of her meridians. Aiding that ailment was the fact that her physical body, too, had scarcely just started healing--the two combined meant that she could barely move a sliver of Qi before being completely exhausted.

Song wasn't any better--if anything, he was a bit worse, as one of the Bloodmoon Arts had managed to come horrifyingly close to destroying his dantian. Instead, it was just damaged. If he nourished it for a few years, there would be no long-term issues, but wasting a few years in the precious youth to fix a dantian was the equivalent to a death sentence to a cultivator.

Both were startled as they heard the sound of the approaching footsteps--however, even after waiting a while, nobody came in. Their nerves growing taut and relaxing overwhelmed them, consuming whatever little energy they had, and they both passed out right after.

**

Leo paced nervously in front of the mud hut, wondering if he'd made the right choice. The two kids, shockingly, survived--whether it was due to the fruit juice that he fed them, or the intervention of some higher power of this world, they were alive and mostly out of the critical period. Once he realized their bleeding stopped and their wounds closed up, he was left with a choice--leave them there to wake up and hopefully leave without ever bothering him, or bring them back with him and nurse them to health.

Even though they 'healed up', they were still extremely weak--and the forest packed a lot of wild life. Even if they, incidentally, seemed content letting Leo be, it didn't mean that they were harmless. If one of them turned out to be hungry, Leo had no doubts that they'd gobble the kids up in a heartbeat.

As such, he elected to bring them back... but was now having second thoughts. Cultivators were proud, greedy, and selfish creatures (attributes he ascribed to them without any knowledge whatsoever) that would kill him at the slightest offense (again, something he ascribed to them without any working, actual knowledge), and he'd invited two of them into his house!

Though he wanted to go in and check on them, he was afraid! After all, he'd stripped both of them naked to clean them and then put on some somewhat shoddy robes that the monkey and the owl got. Unlike his, the ones for the cultivators were much older and worn down, but they covered the important bits and that was all that mattered.

Once they learned, however, the massive transgression he had done, they would likely rip his head off. Part of him wanted to turn heel and run away even deeper into the forest, abandoning everything he did here, but there was a voice in his head telling him that he'd never find a pond of fresh water anywhere else, at least not of that size and quality.

Leo took a deep breath and calmed down--what was done was done, and there was no taking it back now. He started a fire and decided to make his daily stew for the animals as a form of distraction. As soon as the sweet scent began to waft through the forest, the scattered critters converged once more. Though quite a few lived in and around the mud huts, even more lived on the outskirts.

It was always quite a spectacle, Leo mused, when he'd look up from cooking the stew and see hundreds of pairs of eyes probing from the trees, bushes, between the trees, and even the ground. Just yesterday, for the first time, he noticed that one of his friends was a two-headed mole that only came out at night. As such, Leo always saved a portion for him.

Cooking helped him and he quickly forgot about the predicament he was in. Not for long, though--the night fell and he was reminded that he couldn't sleep in his mud hut as it was currently being occupied by two very dangerous and deadly cultivators.

In fact, he feared falling asleep altogether--perhaps they would do him in his sleep, not even giving him a sensible answer as to why (at this point, his delusions had thoroughly poisoned him).

As such, he settled in one of the other mud huts, determined to stay awake all night long.

Six minutes later, he was lying on his side, fast asleep, snoring freely and unrestricted. Quite a few animals gathered around, nestling against his body, using it as a heat source. Both panthers, too, curled up against his chest and back, seemingly guarding both his sides in a silent agreement.

**

Lye woke up once more, feeling a bit better than the last time. By some miracle, her wounds have all technically healed up, and all that was left was the exhaustion that was still there, as well as plaque in her meridians. The latter would take some time to cleanse, but it wasn't all too important as of now.

Considering that she was still alive and well, it was safe to assume that both her Junior Brother and her were rescued by someone... or something. Considering the tales of the Nameless Forest, she couldn't be certain whether it was a good or a bad thing. Here and there, she'd hear stories of some older cultivators who were forced into the Nameless Forest and came out with a treasure or two, but there were far, far, far, far more stories of people venturing there... and never coming back.

In fact, even those loose Immortals, the very beings who could uproot kingdoms with their fingers, dared not venture any deeper past the outskirts of the forest. What horrors behooved the life within... it was unknown.

And yet, whatever it was, it saved her, and healed the extensive network of wounds she had all at once.

She struggled to sit up, bones creaking and cracking after finally being moved once again, and though it was hard and exhausting, she managed to do it. She also caught sight of the opening through which the beams of light shone--it was an arched entrance to a structure that seemed to be an ordinary mud hut. A quick look through told her that there were no special arrays, formations, or enchantments anywhere about--it was, really, just an ordinary hut.

Glancing to the side, she saw that her Junior Brother was still fast asleep. A pained expression flashed across her face as she recalled him pushing her out of the harm's way at the last second, and being hit by an array of blood that severely damaged his dantian. Initially, she didn't think too much on it as she thought they would die and it wouldn't matter, but now guilt assailed her.

If they somehow managed to leave the forest and return to the Sect, Junior Brother's future accomplishments... would be diminutive, at best.

A sudden sound startled her and forced her to focus on the entrance--there, a pair of eyes peered through the opening and stared at her. They weren't person's, but rather of an animal--it was a rabbit... of sorts, at least. It had six, green eyes, milky-white fur, and a ball-shaped tail that was currently vibrating. Its ears, two, hung loose to the side rather than straight up, and it tilted its head as though in confusion.

She'd never seen a demonic beast quite like that--though she'd seen and even fought some mutated rabbit species after they'd formed a demonic core, none of them looked like that. Furthermore, what terrified her beyond all else, was that she was unable to see the rabbit with her Divine Sense. It was as though it was not there. To add onto the terror, every instinct as a cultivator told her that the rabbit could obliterate not just her, but her entire Sect should he so desire.

"Mr. Rabbit, what are you doing?" a voice--a human voice, gentle, soft, and low--sounded out, startling her even further. A shadow fell over the entrance and a long, somewhat thin arm stretched out from the crouching body. The hand gently caressed the rabbit's head a few times before the latter shook like mad and scurried off, seemingly pleased.

It was also then that the person realized Lya was awake--it was a man, she recognized. He looked to be in his mid to late thirties, at most, sporting a rather ordinary appearance, if a bit disheveled. He wore a simple-looking robe bereft of any adornments or sigils and was barefoot. Strangest of all... the man seemed to be only at Qi Condensation Realm.

However... he was not alone. A pair of black and white panthers were by his feet, staring at her hollowly; then there was the owl perched on top of the man's shoulder, red-eyed and cold, and even a multi-colored python that was coiled around the man's left arm, its tongue hissing out toward her. She didn't recognize any of the animals but, just like with the rabbit, she couldn't see them.

... what the hell is this?! She wept inwardly, noticing from the corner of her eyes that her Junior Brother had woken up too.

"Are you guys hungry?" the man asked rather gently all of a sudden and smiled. "I was just about to make breakfast for these guys. You should join us."

Chapter 10 - Suddenly a Senior

"Do you know who he is?" Lya asked her Junior Brother through voice transmission.

"No," he replied in the same way. "Maybe he's one of those hermits?"

"Hermits? This is the Nameless Forest, not some random mountain!"

"..." both were confused and hesitated. However, as soon as the sweet scent of something boiling reached their nostrils, they felt agitated--it wasn't just that it spoke to their hunger, but the just the scent alone caused the stagnant Qi in their bodies to churn. "Let's, let's just ask him?" her Junior Brother proposed, clearly tempted.

She rolled her eyes silently but followed him as he left the mud hut. The immediate surroundings were rather... simple. There were four mud huts scattered in a semi-circle, surrounded by tall, bushy trees, and, far more importantly, there were so many strange-looking animals gathered around that both Lya and Song froze in place.

Especially after they started recognizing a few--just a few, though. However, even those few caused terror to cruise through their veins. They were the sort spoke of in the legends, or in the children's folk tales as warnings not to stray from the righteous path. And yet, there they were, casually sitting in front of him, lazily sprawled on the ground, yawning.

The animals, however, merely paid a cursory glance toward them before ignoring them completely, focusing on the man who was currently boiling something in an old-looking pot. He also seemed to have realized they'd left the hut and turned to face them with a smile.

"Come, sit. Have this," he handed the two of them a cup each; there was colorful liquid within that smelled quite sweet. "It's very tasty and good for your body."

The two took it, eyeing each other stealthily, wondering whether there was some poison therein. They quickly dismissed the theory, however; if the man wanted to harm them in any way, he wouldn't have saved them to begin with.

As such, with cautious steps, they walked up to the boiling pot and sat on the opposite side where there were no animals, taking a sip of the liquid.

Lya felt her body burn for a moment--it was as though the drop of liquid ignited what little Qi she managed to recover in her body, causing it to bore through her meridians like fire. Though it hurt--quite a bit, in fact--her clogged meridians were immediately cleansed and even refreshed. Furthermore, she realized that she'd broken through of all things. She'd been stuck at the Third Stage of the Foundation Realm for almost two months now, and yet, she'd breezed through the bottleneck so easily it felt like cheating.

Her Junior Brother, too, seemed to have experienced something wondrous as his lips spread out into a wide smile, his eyes growing teary. Lya inspected him and quickly realized why--his dantian... was fixed. Something that should have taken years of constant nourishment and care was fixed, just like that.

The way the two looked at the strange man changed completely--he was a hermit, indeed, and a hermit capable of living inside the Nameless Forest, no less. They immediately straightened up their postures and lowered their heads ever so slightly, a well-mannered pose when deferring to someone.

"Hm, it's almost ready," the man said, looking up from the pot and at them, smiling still. "Are you two okay?"

"--y-yes, Senior," Lya spoke out. "Thank you for saving us, Senior. It is a grace we are not worthy of."

"Nonsense," the man said with a chuckle. "No life is worth less or more than any other. Ah, it's ready," he added, stirring the pot one last time before taking it off the flames. Lya and Song noticed the animals become a bit irate before calming down, eyes glued to the pot.

The man first poured a bit into two bowls and set them aside before making rounds and feeding the animals closest to him. When he was done, he came back to the flames, washed the pot with perfectly clear water, and started chopping up vegetables once again, tossing them into the boiling pot of water one by one.

"Here," he handed them the two bowls he'd set aside. "Don't worry about them," he added. "They may look scary, but they're rather nice."

Lye and Song had dissenting thoughts about that claim, but they stayed their lips. Instead, they blew gently at the boiling stew in the bowls before slowly sipping it.

It happened again, just like with the strange juice--the stew seemed to be brimming with medicinal energy, as well as the purest Qi Lye had ever seen or experienced in her life. It was as though someone had taken a rake through a clogged stream and removed all the weeds and muck.

Her meridians felt almost reborn, even widening--something that ought to have been impossible. It was well known, in the cultivation world, that the time to widen one's meridians was at one specific point--when breaking through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment. Using excess energy generated by condensing Qi into a functioning dantian, rather than expelling it from one's body, it was used to expand and nourish the meridians.

As such, there were grades to how the Foundation was constructed, and the people with higher grades would have more excess energy to expand the meridians. And yet, here she was, drinking stew that had that magical effect.

In fact, per her quick calculations, she surmised that her meridians expanded just enough to nearly double the speed at which she was able to draw Qi out and conjure an art. Shocked, she set the bowl down and glanced at Song who had similar expression--that of abject awe... and a little bit of horror. 

It was no wonder that the animals seemed so bewitched with the stew; if they could drink it daily, nourish and expand their meridians at the same time... wouldn't they double chances of eventually ascending to the Avatar Realm?

"Right. What should I call you guys?" the man asked and the two replied hurriedly, ensuring to follow the proper etiquette.

"This one's name is Lye, Senior."

"This one's name is Song, Senior."

"How did you end up here, if you don't mind me asking?" the man probed, stirring the stew in the pot without looking up.

"We, uh, we were chased down by a rival sect," Lye replied. As a Senior between the two, she took it upon her shoulders to shield her Junior Brother. "Rather than being captured and toyed with by them, we decided it was best to enter the forest and die with dignity instead." it was quite a rough summary of what they went through, but Lye was certain that the man in front of her hardly cared--perhaps he was asking because he was curious, perhaps he was testing them, but he needn't the details of their petty, child-like squabbles.

"I am glad I found you when I did," he said. "How is the stew, by the way?"

"D-divine, Senior."

"Eh?"

"I mean, very good, Senior," Lye chastised herself, remembering the tales of hermits that her Master would occasionally divulge. The hermits severed the bond with the world of cultivation and normalized the awe-inspiring parts of themselves into a human nature. This meant, in simpler terms, that they cast themselves into an illusion of living an ordinary life, where they were weak and meek. Her Master warned that, waking the hermit from this lie was akin to sentencing yourself to death.

**

Leo was a bit... confused.

The two youngsters in front of him weren't at all what he expected them to be. First of all, they were quite polite and not rude at all. They weren't haughty or demanding, but rather humble and deferential. Secondly, they seemed to be under the impression that Leo was... special. Perhaps it was him living in the woods alone, or maybe it was his impeccable appearance, or his skills at making stews and fruit juices.

Whichever it was, it seemed to have given the two youths an impression Leo was a strong, secluded cultivator like those in the stories. Though he wanted to correct them, he feared they would turn on him and kill him on the spot for daring to lie to them. As such, he stayed silent and ignorant of the implications. The most he could hope for was to convince them to keep this encounter silent, and to then move on with his life as though nothing had happened.

No, wait, don't I have quite a conundrum to solve? One that starts tomorrow?! He suddenly recalled the fact that the Foundation Establishment boar would be coming tomorrow to attack him. Though he didn't know the exact realm of the kids in front of him, they must be at least strong enough to deal with an animal like that. However, simply asking them to take care of the boar for him might unveil the fact that he was just a lying scum who couldn't defeat a pigeon, so he had to go at the heart of the issue in a roundabout way.

"Recuperate here for as long as you'd like," he said as he finished the second batch of stew.

"Thank you, Senior," the young girl replied. She seemed to be in charge between the two despite looking younger, but who knew what the hierarchy inside the cultivation world was like? She was perhaps the stronger one between the two and naturally became a leader that way.

"If you want to clean yourselves," Leo said. "There's a pond just a bit down that way. Don't stray too far otherwise, you may get lost."

"Thank you, Senior." though Leo suddenly aged a few decades internally after being called 'Senior' so many times, he merely smiled and let it go, walking around and feeding the second batch of stew to the animals.

A few of the critters grew curious about two newcomers--mostly the young lizard that Leo had seen scurrying about here and there, and the pair of small, palm-sized monkeys, children of his good friend. The two kids seemed quite nervous being approached, but steeled their nerves and endured in silence, not moving an inch.

I hope the two of them and the animals will be enough... aah, why is the world so unfair toward me?

Chapter 11 - To Break a Heart

To Break a Heart

Senior lived a simple life, Song realized.

For the duration of the day that they spent with him, he'd mostly just attended to the animals, disappearing for a few hours before reappearing with even more critters in tow. As the night descended, he began making another batch of the stew, and both Song and Lya bore witness to the true horrors of this place--there were hundreds of pairs of eyes peering from the darkness, each more terrifying than the last, the ilk of creatures that, in the outside world, would be qualified as Demonic Saints.

The two didn't dare move an inch, sitting like statues illuminated by the crackling embers of the fire, holding their breaths. Especially the pair of eyes in the far distance... it was enough to make a grown man cry!

As such, they haplessly sat about and drank their own bowls in silence; once again, the miraculous effects took root in them, and both broke through... twice. Was cultivating really that easy? No! In fact, it was arduous work like no other in the world!

The only reason both Lye and Song were already at the Foundation Realm was that their Masters spared no expenses over the past few years. At the entrance ceremony, when they were twelve, it was discovered that they both had Sky Roots--with Lya's being middle tier and Song's low tier--quite a rarity in their tiny little Sect. As such, ever since they were accepted, they were showered with herbs, medicinal soups, spirit stones, and all manner of pastes and drugs designed to not only propel them forward in stages and realms, but also stabilize them at the same time.

Breaking through even a minor stage was a big thing--they'd have to prepare for weeks in advance, set aside enough spirit stones, and re-align their mindsets just to be certain. And yet, there they were, drinking stew and breaking through as though it were nothing.

"Tonight's story," the man suddenly spoke, settling down after having distributed six pots of stew among the animals. Song and Lya both perked their ears up and listened, as did the animals around them. They were all either seated or lying down, carefully listening. "Is about a young, selfish boy who made a horrible mistake." the man paused for a moment before continuing.

"The little boy had everything in the world--all the riches he could imagine. All his life, he'd never known the meaning of the struggle. What he asked, he got. The little boy also had a little sister--but, unlike him who was bereft of worries of any sort, his sister... was sickly. Meek. All her life, she struggled. Despite the riches, despite the world at her fingertips, there was nothing that could be done--she would die, soon, the boy learned.

"The boy hated it, you see--instead of exploring the world with the riches, he was forced to stay home and take care of his little sister. Day after day, weeks going on. His anger brewed, especially when she would suffer an attack. Deep down in his heart, the boy prayed she would die quickly, so that he would be free at last.

"One day, the boy made plans with his friends--plans for something he wanted to do for years. However, when he told his parents, they demanded he stay home and take care of his sister. Unable to hold it in any longer, the boy exploded in anger, telling them that it wasn't his job to take care of her--that, in fact, he hated her.

"He left soon after, having realized that his sister heard him. His father stopped talking to him, and even his mother grew colder. However, the boy didn't care; at last, he felt free. Free of the prison he was sentenced to against his will.

"He hadn't spoken to his sister at all since that night, until two months later when he returned home to see it swarmed. He saw his parents sitting in the corner, pale in the face, and quickly learned that his sister had died. However, unlike what he expected--to be relieved, to be happy, to be glad... another feeling came about, the sort that he never felt before in his life: guilt.

"It consumed him, devoured him like a plague. He tried to wrangle it, justify it, excuse it, but it was for naught. If he endured just for two months, his younger sister wouldn't have had to die thinking he hated her. She wouldn't have had to die thinking she was a burden to him. Just two months... two out of hundreds that he would go on to live.

"That night, the boy was broken--and he would never wholly heal from it, no matter how many years passed. He would also never speak with his father, not until the day the man died. The boy would grow cold and numb, and he would hide himself in a shell of his own making, distancing from anything that felt real from fear of being broken again."

"..." a few animals whimpered lowly as those around the man nestled closely against him. Even Lya and Song felt a knot twist in their throats, wondering whether it was really just a random story.

"We never really know," the man said, caressing the top of the white panther's head. "When those we love will go. It can happen in the blink of an eye, and we can be caught wholly unaware. We only have a tiny bit of infinity to spend with them, and wasting time in doubt and fear is hopeless."

Silence fell upon the gathering--one by one, animals began to withdraw into darkness, vanishing into the night. The solemn atmosphere persisted until Lya and Song retreated into the mud hut, and likely beyond. Before drifting to sleep, they caught a soft voice singing from the outside; it was low, unknown, melodic, and borne with struggle ensconced within the heart.

"Broken skies, heartaches that flowers won't mend... say goodbye knowing that this is the end..."

**

Leo woke up feeling rather sour and downtrodden. His head hurt in a rather strange way, but he could endure it; it was the knot in his throat that was bothering him. He hadn't planned on sharing the story he did last night--it just sort of slipped through his lips.

He'd never spoken about Layla to any of his friends or girlfriends--in fact, aside from those who've known him since high school, none of his friends even knew he ever had a sister. Last night, however, the burdens were broken down and words formed... and left him, one by one. Though he felt ever so slightly unburdened, the old feelings resurfaced after so many years, suffocating him a bit.

However, he didn't have the luxury to think about it for too long--the boar that was to assassinate him would show up today. Luckily, both of the cultivators were still here and didn't seem like they were in a rush to leave.

As has become a routine, he first went to the pond and took a quick bath before making rounds in a small circle, setting up a few extra Spike Traps. They only cost some mud, vines, and wood to set up, making him further certain that they'd be mostly useless against the beast.

By the time he returned 'home', the cultivators were out of the hut and meditating on the side. Leo grew partly green with envy--he, too, wanted the mindset, the nerves, and the ability to sit still in an uncomfortable position for longer than 17 seconds. Alas, he didn't have it.

The two woke up as soon as he appeared, scurrying over and greeting him with a bow. Leo enjoyed the treatment--even if it was given under false pretenses--and simply smiled as started making fruit juice for the two. He also decided to tentatively ask them for a favor.

"In order to protect a pair of deer," he said. "I was forced to kill a boar."

"..."

"Now, its mate is on the way over here for revenge," he turned to the pair of confused cultivators and smiled. "Fourth Stage of Foundation Establishment boar... what should I do with it?" he asked in a rather roundabout matter, yet the misunderstanding seemed to have careened a bit further off the cliff as he saw the eyes of the two kids light up like lamps.

"Leave it to us, Senior!" they said the exact same words, at the exact same time, in the exact same cadence. It was cute--no, it was really, really, really creepy. In fact, it sent shivers down his spine. "Even if it is nowhere near enough to repay the favors you have granted us, allow us to help you with this pest. There is no reason for you to tire yourself over something so banal."

Though their intentions were good, Leo wept inwardly. That banal thing, after all, was a life and death struggle for him. Nonetheless, he maintained a faint smile and handed over the two cups of juice.

"We will have a proper feast, then," he said. "Be careful to not get hurt, however."

"Don't worry, Senior," the boy said. "Simply rest and wait for us to bring the beast to you!"

Ah, to be young and full of spunk... suddenly, Leo felt older than he ever did in his life. Even though he'd been 36 on Earth (and was 36 now, here), he never felt particularly old... until today, and until now. Is this why people have kids? He pondered silently. To outsource all the garbage chores on them? Not bad... not bad... 

He remembered the main quest, where he'd either have to join or found a Sect once he left the forest, and he imagined a world in which he sat on a golden throne while an army of Disciples took care of everything for him. Ah, how wonderful it would be... and how well-imagined...

Chapter 12 - System Upgrade

Lye and Song set up a mile-wide perimeter around the 'camp' and patrolled patiently, waiting for the boar to come. Naturally, neither believed that the boar was a threat to the hermit, and were beyond convinced that he had orchestrated the entire thing as a means of testing them. Though both wanted to rush back to the Sect and let their Masters know that they were fine, they put it off precisely because of this--because they wanted to form a connection with the hermit that went beyond simply being saved.

As such, they both decided to put on the best display of their abilities that they could in hopes that the hermit would teach them.

It was around two hours past the midday that the first signs of the encroaching beast appeared--the ground began to shake ever so faintly before it grew louder and larger. Lye and Song converged north of the camp and caught glimpse of the beast--much to their relief, it wasn't akin to those fantastical animals that surrounded the hermit. It was a Gaeon Boar, a relatively common beast most often found in the Whispering Woods, north of their Sect.

The distinguishing parts were the yellowish stripes across its fur that were marks used to channel Qi through and cultivate. As the Senior said, the beast was only in the Fourth Stage of the Foundation Realm, but even so, neither of the two dared be careless. Beasts were usually difficult to kill at the same realm, and even a few realms above, because they often had incredibly resilient bodies and stamina to outpace the cultivators.

Gaeon Boar, especially, was mostly know for its ability to take a beating and still land a deathly blow even in its own death troves. As such, despite having the upper hand stage-wise, both took the fight extremely seriously even beyond simply wanting to show off.

The boar stomped and crushed all the trees in its path, finally coming into view.

**

Leo observed everything from a safe distance, shaking in his boots.

Lucky! He thought. Omygod, I was so lucky these two kids showed up! What the hell is that?! That ain't a boar! That's a goddamn dinosaur!

The 'boar' in question was well over twenty feet tall, built like a tank, huffing and puffing to the point that smoke blew out its nostrils like it was a comic. Each one of its steps shook the ground within two hundred feet of it, nearly toppling the unstable Leo off his feet.

He curled up unto himself, with the nearby animals gently nudging against him as though to comfort him. Feeling a bit safer, he once again thanked whatever higher power--or, well, evil power--drove the kids into the forest. Though he was a bit scared for them, seeing how neither stepped back or even flinched, it meant that they had some confidence.

It would be Leo's first time watching cultivators fight, so he swallowed his fears the best he could and paid close attention.

The first one to make the move was the boy, Song. A sword appeared in his hand from the seeming nowhere, long and thin, almost like a rapier, and he bolted forward. Leo was barely able to keep track of the boy as he crossed nearly twenty feet in the blink of an eye.

Blinding light coalesced atop the sword as he stung it forth--it ripped through the boar's thick skin and caused a spray of blood as the animal roared and swung with its head at the boy. The latter's feet suddenly caught fire as he leapt over twenty feet into the air.

"Senior Sister!" he cried out, drawing Leo's attention over to the girl.

She'd clasped her hands together and began moving her fingers in strange ways. Right then, above her head, a bolt of thunder appeared, violently spasming like a leashed beast desperate for freedom. It grew until it was some three feet long and as thick as a grown man's thigh, whereupon it flew off like a cannonball, striking the boar's head squarely.

The beast staggered and nearly collapsed to the side as blood began to spray and dye the ground beneath. All the while, it roared, its voice a quagmire of pain and agony. The boy, in the meantime, landed on the nape of its neck and began thrusting the sword down repeatedly--it was so fast that Leo couldn't actually see individual stabs, just fading blurs intermingling with the beast's blood.

While it tried to shake the boy off its back, Lya ran off to the boar's flank, all the while doing that thing with her fingers again. One by one, needle-sized bolts of lightning began to spawn around her, following obediently, until there were nearly a hundred of them.

"Junior Brother, now!" she called out, prompting the boy to suddenly stop attacking and kick himself off toward her. The sword began to glow in a blinding, cyan light for a moment as he stabbed it one last time, fully in flight and away from the beast, stabbing it in the side. Unlike the previous thrusts, however, that were needlepoint, this one was wide and seemingly all-encompassing.

It was so powerful, in fact, that it managed to topple the massive beast on its side; as it fell, it shook the ground beneath it, ripping a massive crater below its body. At the same time, Lya seemed to have unleashed the bolts of lightning--Leo noticed that the beast's belly didn't seem as tenacious as the rest of its body, and it was proven right quickly with how violently the needles ripped it apart.

Roaring and thrashing was useless--it only served to speed up its bleeding and, within less than a minute, it whimpered its last hurrah. At the same time it drew its last breath, Leo got the confirmation window in front of him.

Basic Glossary -- terms, phrases, and bits of knowledge that the children as young as 4 learn. 

Construction Journal -- track all your blueprints in your mind, with permanent access to the requirements to build them

-- foundational Movement Martial Art. Must be trained every day. 

-- guarantees a perfect foundation while breaking through the Foundation Establishment Realm>

Leo sighed inwardly, having hoped to get something like those bolts of lightning Lya used. Heavens weren't so generous, it seemed, however. Nonetheless, he did get a decent amount--a bundle of knowledge flew into his mind, mostly in regards to the very basics of cultivation in this world, as well as some of the auxiliary fields supplementing it.

It was all very limited, however--for instance, he was only aware of four Realms as of now--Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Spirit Creation.

Disregarding it all, he braved the storm and went ahead to the dead beast. Even lying down on its side, it still towered over him, casting a shadow that would have swallowed him whole had it been alive. He shook, though did his best to keep it inside; though he expected a 'challenge', truthfully, part of him believed that he would have been able to deal with it even head on. Though he kept it hidden deep inside his heart, there was a trace of thought that he was just a little bit special and different than the rest.

However, no trick, and especially his own strength, would have been enough to survive this beast had it not been for the kids. Even the animals would have all been stomped over like blades of grass, let alone him.

"Senior, it is done!" Lya and Song appeared in front of him and bowed. Unlike just a few moments prior, where they looked like championed soldiers who'd seen death a thousand times, they once again looked like kids.

"Hm," Leo nodded knowingly, as though it wasn't a big deal. But, naturally, it was a massive deal. So massive, in fact, that he considered bullshitting the kids into staying here permanently. But that was too dangerous, ultimately; playing a role of a powerhouse for a few days might be fine, but the longer they spent here, the greater the chance that he might slip and become just like the boar in front of him. "Good job." He added.

"Should I skin it, Senior?" Song asked, seeming quite excited.

"Sure," Leo nodded. "We'll have some boar meet for dinner, I suppose."

While Song began cutting up the boar, Lya and Leo went back to the clearing with the mud huts. She followed him precisely three steps behind, not one more or less, as though she could perfectly predict his pace. Though it was a bit creepy, he didn't say anything. On the way back, quite a few animals joined, though they seemed entirely unfazed by the fact that there was a dino-sized boar lying dead just a few hundred feet behind them.

"Senior," Lya said as the two reached the mud huts, prompting him to turn around. "Song and I... we, could we depart tomorrow?"

"..."

"I--I know, I know that we are being wholly graceless and ungrateful for all your help," she quickly bowed. "But our Masters--they, they might be worried. I understand that it is much to ask, but--"

"--of course you can go," Leo said, smiling. She shook for a moment, but remained bowing still. "However, I do have a favor to ask of you."

"A-anything!" she exclaimed.

"When your Masters ask, 'How did you survive?'," Leo said. "What will you say?"

"... we ran into the Nameless Forest to escape our pursuers," Lya replied rather candidly. "We stayed on the outskirts and waited until they left. Luckily, we haven't encountered anything or anyone. The reason we were so late in returning was that we wanted to restore our bodies to the peak."

"Hm," Leo smiled faintly. "Sounds like you got quite lucky."

"Heavens blessed us, fortunately," Lya straightened up and smiled as well.

"Time to start preparing for the feast, then," Leo said, sighing inwardly in relief--there shouldn't be an army of cultivators rushing the forest to take him away or, worse yet, kill him. Oh Gods, please make her an honest kid!