The following day should have started with a similarly cheerful mood as the time to bring the colossal tree down was at hand, however, the unexpected news in the morning put a damper on things.
In the early dawn hours, one of the recruits went to take a leak and never came back. A few hours later, when the rest awoke, his friend decided to go looking for him. It wasn't difficult following a trail made by a groggy teenager stumbling through small bushes and trampling the ferns that littered the forest floor.
However, as the trail ended, not even half a kilometer away from the camp, the bloody remains of the recruit were found. His entrails were devoured, and the body was torn to shreds, half-eaten, as the vegetation around was painted red with his blood.
And this discovery quickly devolved the group into a panic, especially since nobody heard anything unusual during the time of the supposed attack. After a quick head count, they came to a horrifying realization that they were missing three people already.
Two boys and one girl. And they only found one corpse.
The frightful realization that they were not as alone in the woods as they thought, made them much more nervous and on the edge. Luckily a few of them managed to keep a level head, and so, under their leadership, they organized and rapidly constructed a sort of palisade around the camp.
Tree branches were sharpened and stuck into the ground, bound together by vines and camouflaged by large ferns and lush grasses. The defensive perimeter offered some peace of mind to the group, even if it wouldn't do much if any wild beast actually decided to attack.
However, now that the immediate safety of the camp was established, there came another problem. They had no more food.
Water was not an immediate concern despite having no source of it anywhere close. They were all capable of using magic, and despite only some being proficient in the manipulation of the Water Element, it was enough for everyone to get a drink by pulling moisture out of the air or soil.
Sustenance was as such the main priority. While they could survive without food for a long time, they still had hard work ahead of them, and the first week wasn't even over yet. They needed to find food, and fast.
The recruits split into three groups. 50 of them would go searching for food while the rest would be working on the tree in shifts so that they wouldn't fall behind on their task.
Gerald was assigned to tree duty, but he didn't complain. He could spare some muscle to benefit the community. He needed some wood for his stone house anyway.
A few hours later, when it was time for him to rest, he picked up his pickaxe, and instead of relaxing, went to work at his quarry. He still had full Mana reserves, and his mind was feeling fresh, so why not?
***
Alyx was right, the wood inside was indeed much softer than the bark. It's quite amazing how much faster the work went when the tree didn't require your full-powered swing just to get a small chip off. The axes also didn't require constant sharpening which further hastened the progress of our work.
I deserved a few hours of rest, but I instead decided to continue cutting stones instead, though those missing people worried me a bit. If the others didn't say anything I wouldn't have even noticed they were gone. New faces I guess, it was difficult to remember everyone.
My little quarry was coming along nicely and I was quite proud of my small pile of rectangular rock. A few more days of that and I would be able to start building. My own home… For the first time in my life, I would have a home, a proper home, built by me, for me. I hated to admit it, but the thought got me a bit emotional.
But that's enough of that! It was time to work!
I considered floating a few meters above my workspace to avoid being ambushed by the unknown predator, but who knew if this part of the test was being observed from afar by some powerful figures? It most likely was. Or, at least that's what I would have done if I was the one accepting recruits.
I'd rather not attract too much attention to myself until I knew how things worked around these parts. So I had to be satisfied with sitting on a tree branch a few meters off the ground. My Telekinesis wasn't as effective at that range, but it worked just fine.
I got back to slow grinding. I couldn't say that the work was enjoyable, but it wasn't bad either. Just simple, one-dimensional work of grinding hard rock. It was therapeutic, in a way. Just a mindless task.
I wasn't sure exactly hold long had been working when I felt a presence. It wasn't anything exact I could point at, but I just suddenly got the feeling I was being watched. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a slight movement. Subconsciously I immediately utilized Magic Eyes, and then quickly realized they were useless. I couldn't see a thing.
No, that wasn't quite correct. I could see something. I could see Mana gathering at one spot, concentrating on the form of a spell I was quite familiar with. It was the Wind Blade, only there were hundreds of them forming at once. Shit!
HOWL!
***
Realizing his danger, Gerald immediately vacated his perch and jumped higher. Not even an instant later, the branch he was sitting on was brutally murdered. It was ground to dust under the assault of hundreds of powerful Wind Blades.
It was the damn Howler again. The beast healed up somewhat during the recent days as its face clearly showed signs of recovery. It had one good eye which now looked at Gerald with hostility.
[So it was you, huh?] Gerald landed on the ground and sneered at his opponent. [You made some of these kids bawl their eyes out in panic. Their screams were most unpleasant.]
Some time already passed since they last met, and he had time to familiarize himself with his new body. Also, unlike last time, he was now in his best shape after the resurrection. No way he was going to piss himself just because he was faced with a big cat.
The Howler bared its teeth and released a low guttural growl. It was clearly unhappy that Gerald avoided its sneak attack. It began cautiously circling its prey while at the same time secretly gathering energy for another strike.
[Come on, talk to me. Did a cat eat your tongue? Hahaha!]
While Gerald appeared relaxed and even joked around, the Howler acted.
HOWL!
A storm of Wind Blades was released, spread out in a cone shape, and aimed at Gerald.
[Old tricks…] Almost as if having predicted the attack, Gerald was immediately covered with the fresh stone from his quarry. The blades of air cut deep into the stone, however, the blocky shapes were too thick to be broken by a single attack.
[Hahaha! Did you seriously try to sneak attack again? It's useless! I already know your moves! Even if you hide your energy as best you can, that just makes it easier to notice an incoming attack.]
He was not bluffing. The Howler was great at masking its own Aura, however just before the spell was cast, its energy levels surged, telegraphing the strike that was to come. It was nearly impossible to hide that, and it gave at least a second of advanced warning so Gerald could react.
Frustrated and enraged at the ineffectiveness of its own magic, the Howler leaped forward, claws extended and its maw wide open as it aimed for his neck.
But Gerald didn't let the aggression phase him, and simply took a step to the side, letting the pounce narrowly miss.
At the same time, as the Howler was flying past him, he struck out with his palm and triggered a powerful explosion on the beast's stomach.
BOOM!
The Howler yelped as it was blasted away from him, its fur badly burned and the skin beneath it red from the impact. There was no blood though.
[Damn, you a tough little cookie, huh?] He used quite a bit of energy for that trick, and even his hand stung a bit from the blast despite strong magic protection.
The beast was not amused. It examined him warily and then decided he wasn't much of a threat and pounced again.
[Seriously?!] Gerald jumped sideways to avoid it and did a quick sideways roll, before jumping back up. Instantly, the beast was back upon him and he nearly had to collapse his body to the ground to avoid a horizontal swipe of its claws.
But now that he did so, he found himself in a precarious position. The Howler was above him, and he was on the ground, with nowhere to go.
[Uh-oh!] A claw swipe came at him, but as he rapidly manipulated gravity, he managed to free himself with just some minor scratches on his arms and legs. His nice pants were ruined though, but that's just something he would have to accept.
[You… motherfucker!] Gerald exclaimed after noticing his torn clothes. [Just you wait! I'll make a nice coat out of you!]
For a moment there he considered letting go and using all of his skills, but then he remembered there could be someone watching and they brought this animal as a part of the test. It was unlikely but not impossible. Then there were the voices in the distance, loud shouts and angry yells calling his name.
Clearly, someone was coming.
[… Fuck it! C'mere you little shit! Let's see how tough your teeth really are!]
Gerald empowered his entire body with his personal magic, the Elemental Avatar, which empowered his strength, speed, defense, and agility. He secretly manipulated gravity as well, making himself quite heavy, and then ran towards his opponent like some enraged juggernaut.
His movements were swift and agile despite the increased weight, and his fist packed quite a punch when they connected with the Howler's snout. Gerald made sure to abuse the fact that the beast only had one good eye, and pummeled it over and over on the same spot. What's more, he gathered his Mana and triggered the beast's most hated spell.
[Solar Point!]
There was a brief flash of light, and then the wild animal howled in pain, its other eye destroyed beyond repair. The laser vaporized the other half of its face, revealing flesh and bone under the layer of ruined skin.
[Serves you right! Trying to eat me and my friends, huh?! How about you eat my fists!] Gerald continued beating on the wounded Howler, each hit producing a resounding crack as the tough skull collided with his iron-like fists.
He was doing some good damage, but being so heavy he was also quickly exhausting himself. Combined with his previous hours of hard labor and the fact that his empowering spell was using massive amounts of Mana, he was already starting to gasp for air.
But the Howler didn't notice any of that. Forget the fact that it was blind, the pain it was experiencing at the moment was enough to override any rational thoughts it might have had. Combined with the concussions it was getting from Gerald beating on its head, it quickly and wisely decided to retreat.
It yelped and ran away, bumping into trees in its path as it just focused on rapidly distancing itself from him.
[Come back! Coward!] Gerald yelled after it, but the beast was already gone. It didn't matter anyway. He was in no state to chase or fight, so he just released his magic and sat on the ground, panting.
Finally, the shouts from far away became clearer, and not long after, a small group of guys, about five of them, came running toward him.
"Gerald! Are you alright?! We heard some beast howls and explosions!" It was Alyx Bell at the front, with a few of the bigger kids behind him. They were all armed with axes and a bit out of breath from running all the way.
Gerald was honestly feeling touched. They ran all the way here just to help him. He didn't really need their help, but they didn't know that, and it was the thought that counted.
[Yes, yes… I'm fine. It was just a wolf, nothing to worry about.] He lied with a smile.
"But you are bleeding! Show me your hands." To his friend's demands, Gerald just couldn't say no. After Alyx saw that his wounds weren't serious, he finally somewhat relaxed.
"Man, you need to be careful. You are so far away from the camp, all alone… Can you imagine what would happen if some powerful beast attacked you out here?"
Gerald chuckled and patted the guy on the back. [Relax! It was just one wolf, and I chased it away. And besides, if it was something stronger I could just run away.]
"Run away?" The rest were clearly skeptical of his words. Common sense told them to avoid strong beasts and never ever try to provoke them. Trying to run away from one that was already on your tail was just a guarantee of delayed death. These monsters would chase after you until you gave up from exhaustion and then tear you apart in peace.
It simply wasn't worth the effort if the result would be the same either way.
"There is strength in numbers, brother." One of the other guys said. "We'd better go back to camp quickly in case any more of these monsters are roaming around."
Nobody disagreed, not even Gerald. He was tired and needed some rest anyway. A safe place to sleep in this wilderness was one of the most important things of all.
[Alright… Let's hope the Howler doesn't come back searching for more, eh? We'll show him! Haha!]
***
"Howler… It's an interesting name for a Wind Tiger. But I guess it suits the beast."
Up, high in the sky, two figures were hidden by layers of concealment spells while observing the recruits down below.
"Hmm… I guess we were both wrong since the beast survived, though I dare to say I was technically closer."
"Elder Li, that's not fair! How could someone that has never Cultivated before beat an adult Wind Tiger? I just don't believe it. It's not possible."
"Your mind is too narrow, and your eyes are blind. Even when you see the truth you can't accept it in your heart." Elder Li stated, his voice flat and emotionless. "While it is indeed unusual for a Mortal to command such vast magic, there are always exceptions."
"But Elder Li, the boy used so much Qi! And while his control over it was indeed terrible as he is still a novice, such amounts were unheard of, even in legends. Such a thing has never happened before!"
Elder Li's lips curled up a bit and he released a sound that could be interpreted as a chuckle if your imagination was strong enough. "My dear apprentice, while your words are true, you are missing one important fact."
"Which is?"
"In this age, when the world is reawakening, things that have never happened before, happen all the time."