"Ha! Get my hopes up? Bah! No matter the kind of talent you awaken, my love for you shall not waver, my son."
Northern muttered under his breath, "As if you have a choice."
"Come again, boy?"
"Nothing old man, just face forward and let's move on."
"I thought so too."
"Yea. Sure."
They continued in silence through the dense forest. After a while, Shin grew suspicious—
It had been a while since they had entered the forest and yet, they had not encountered a single monster.
In Ul'Tra-el's forests, monsters lurked in abundance. This could be blamed on rifts that were not challenged in time. This then led to a 'shattering', which caused monsters to pour out of the rift and attack humans.
Some of the monsters had even blended with the natural environment of Ul'Tra-el after escaping slaughter.
After three thousand years, they were now available in different regions throughout the world.
Although less dangerous than those in rifts, accurate preparation was important before anyone could dare to hunt them. In fact, a drifter never hunted alone; the ferocious beasts could easily overpower a lone fighter.
Yet in fifteen years of hunting, with extensive knowledge of his quarry, Shin had always emerged victorious.
He was cautious and meticulous in his plans. He knew the folly of recklessness more than anyone. To face the forest's monsters unprepared pretty much meant certain death.
Initially, Shin refused to bring Northern on hunts, but his wife Eisha convinced him otherwise. To Shin's surprise, Northern proved an asset— intently observant, he was adept at strategizing based on the monster's weaknesses.
Unlike other kids, he wasn't reckless and never wandered off while his father was busy hunting. Instead, he would pay rapt attention.
He was also a tremendous help when it came to building a plan based on his knowledge of the monster that Shin wanted to hunt.
So over the years, Shin usually forgot that Northern was just a kid… well, on the outside at the very least.
And most especially both of them had a very fantastic element guiding them. Luck.
But now, something was amiss. At the very least, they should have spotted aerial creatures too quick and clever to kill.
"Something's wrong..." Shin muttered, surveying the eerily quiet forest.
"It's too quiet... it's like the life in this forest has been driven away," he mumbled to himself, his concern palpable.
Northern watched his father intently, sensing his unease.
"Shin, is everything alright?" He inquired cautiously.
Shin felt like he was forgetting something important, his expression conflicted as he grappled with his thoughts.
His eyes widened in realization. He spurred their steed into a frenzied gallop.
"I forgot! The full moon was three days ago!"
Confusion flooded Northern. What danger lurked in the wake of the full moon? Though they never hunted on those days, he never thought to ask why.
What could terrify even the unflappable Shin?
Of course, Northern knew better than to let his curiosity get the best of him. He was as focused on getting out of this place as his father was.
The steed ran with a tremendous might and speed but it felt like it wasn't enough.
Shin pulled the reins harder, urging the mount to go faster and faster… but they had gotten to a point where speed could no longer save them from their impending doom.
Before any of them could understand a thing, a massive body shoved itself into them from the side.
Shin had belatedly perceived something, but there wasn't enough time to look so he quickly wrapped himself around North and covered both of them with manifested soul essence— serving as a defense as their bodies were flung away with the steed.
They both tumbled away, Shin striking his back against a tree while holding Northern in his arms. A web of cracks ran through the bark of the tree as he made contact with it.
Had the beast used a little bit more force than it did or had Shin not excellently absorbed a lot of shock from the attack with a defensive tactic, the tree would have probably shattered.
Still, this much damage was a lot for the young man, he had perfectly protected his son but at the cost of his own internal damage. He bent over and spewed blood.
"Oh shit! Shin! Are you okay? You're bleeding so much?!"
Northern's voice rose with so much concern as his father let out the last of his red gore while holding his stomach, as his back throbbed.
But the young man slowly looked up, his expression steeled and dangerously fierce.
"Hey, son…"
Northern slowly turned his face to the direction in which his father's eyes were glued.
His eyes widened and shook as he saw what had slammed himself into both of them.
In fact, they were very lucky to be alive. No, it wasn't luck! The fact that they were alive really showed how strong Shin was… however, their luck had run out.
Meeting a terror like this was the end of the road for both of them.
The monster stared at them with palpable hatred, as if they had killed something of its own before. It glared at them viciously, its dirty, jagged, and boorish teeth gnashing with a bloodthirsty ferociousness.
It was a cat-like creature with six legs and two pairs of tentacles, 2 meters long, sprouting from its shoulders, each ending in a pad with sharp thorny edges.
The abhorrent creature was covered in a pelt of lustrous black fur, powerfully rolling over coiled muscles. 9 feet long and guessing from the way it used its body against the steed, it must weigh over 600kg.
Northern could tell immediately because he was the one who took care of the steed and monitored its eating rate. He paid attention to such things as its weight and height changes.
The beast wouldn't have been able to throw them all away with a body slam if it wasn't at least twice as heavy as the horse.
He looked back at the crack in the tree. That was another proof.
And in a few minutes of figuring out how strong the beast was, Northern could tell that it was a big deal.
"What the hell is a beast like this looking for around here?"
"It belongs to the deeper part of the forest. Usually, these kinds don't come here… but on or after the full moon, higher rank monsters in the northern forest come out to hunt."
Shin's breath was low, his eyes did not move away from the monster even as he addressed his son.
Beads of sweat formed all over his face and his eyes narrowed, terrified of the might of the creature.
"Listen to me, son… I will need you to run."
Northern paled.
"What the hell are you even talking about?"
Shin smiled crookedly.
"You have no say in this little boy."
The monstrous creature prowled, its lustrous black fur glinting in the muted forest light.
Gnashing teeth and throaty snarls betrayed its bloodthirst as it sized up the two humans, hate-filled eyes tracking their every movement.
Immediately he sighted an opening, as the beast moved to the other side, and Shin shouted:
"Now, boy, go!"
Northern hesitated, but his father roared, "Go!"
The monster struck as Northern spun on his heels.
But Shin spurred towards it, swinging his sword. It slammed its body against Shin, who grunted as he strained to brace himself, boots carving furrows in the dirt.
Northern sprinted through the trees, heart hammering in his ears, his father's groan echoing behind him.
Shin's muscles tensed as the creature powerfully pushed forward. Suddenly the beast retreated in a spring of motion.
Shin seeing the quick opening, swung his sword at the beast but before he could complete the arch, the beast lunged at him with a bone-chilling roar, its heavy paw slashing with ragged claws.
Shin, realizing he'd been ensnared, swiftly spun away, but the beast was too close for him to escape unscathed.
Though he managed to avoid serious injury, thanks to his quick reflexes, a shallow gash marred his arm. As two tentacles darted forth like thrown darts, he ducked low, evading them before leaping back to gain distance.
The beast relentlessly pressed forward, its appendages closing in around Shin. One tentacle aimed for his midsection while its mouth sought to crush his shoulder with razor-sharp teeth.
Twisting desperately, Shin narrowly evaded the worst, but not without a bloody wound to his side.
Without hesitation, the creature attacked again, its tentacles, fangs, and claws working in ruthless coordination.
Despite the searing pain and blood loss, Shin relied on his experience to counter and evade, striking back whenever an opportunity arose.
Each clash of steel against thorny edges echoed through the forest as Shin and the beast engaged in a deadly dance.
Despite the creature's swift and powerful tentacles, Shin matched its speed with his longsword, each strike bringing him closer to victory.
At first, Shin struggled to adapt to the beast's ferocity, but as the battle raged on, he grew more calculating, exploiting its patterns to his advantage.
Sweat streamed down his face as he darted and parried, leaving shallow scars on the beast's black fur with each well-placed blow.
As tension filled the air, Shin seized the moment of weakness, striking a vulnerable spot beneath the creature's forelegs.
A guttural roar echoed through the clearing, signaling the beast's pain.
And reaching Northern who was currently running away with a pale face.
He suddenly stopped in realization…
'What am I doing right now?'
He was running away, leaving Shin to deal with a very dangerous beast. When this could be his perfect chance to see his father's true skill.
It was stupid and reckless but Northern had been all along. However, taking this risk meant he would come to terms with the fact that he would die.
And probably also believed that Shin wouldn't let that happen as he also wouldn't let his father even though adopted, die.
His fists trembled as he clenched tightly. Then slowly he turned around.
"Well, here goes nothing…"
He launched into motion, running in the direction he should have been running away from.
A dangerous spark appeared in his eyes as he moved his legs faster.
—
Back in the fray, the forest seemed to hold its breath as Shin and the beast clashed with relentless ferocity.
Each strike of their weapons reverberated through the air, cracking the ground beneath them as if nature itself trembled at their confrontation.