The next day I awoke mentally refreshed and physically in pain. However, I forced myself up and prepared myself for what was to come. After breakfast I was once again taken to Artemis and the training began anew. As we were about to begin our run, I looked over to Ran and caught her attention with a small wave.

“Hey Ran, I’m sorry you had to see me act like that yesterday. Let’s keep doing our best.”

She gave a small smile and nodded back. With that said we set off at a quick jog. The day’s training continued much the same as the first day.

Day after day of brutal training had passed, each very similar to the last. Thankfully, the exhausting work wasn’t without benefit. I’d managed to make great strides in stamina and I’d noticed quite a few different peculiar changes to my physique.

My vision had improved slightly, my dynamic vision seemed to be able to keep up with much faster movements as well as see slightly better in the dark. I'd managed to put on some muscle. It hadn’t changed my slim build but I definitely had more power behind my strikes and had quicker more explosive movement. Unfortunately they didn’t have a mirror or something similar so I couldn’t get a good view of what I currently looked like in full. Though strangely enough I noticed I hadn’t grown any facial hair since I’d arrived here. My canines had also grown somewhat, almost like the fangs of a snake.

Regardless of all the changes I stood in a ready stance. Arms raised for defense and legs slightly spread. I bounced on the balls of my feet ready to move at the slightest sign of danger as I stood across from Artemis. I knew I likely couldn’t beat her as I was but my training hadn’t been for nothing. The battle quickly started as she launched her tail at me like a powerful whip.

Barely tracking it I launched myself into a dashing leap as I flew over it and towards her. She quickly raised her own fists as I approached ready to fight. I felt the wind to my right blast against me as she brought her tail back around aiming to catch me off guard after the first swing. Adrenaline flooded my veins as I brought both arms to my right side in an attempt to catch the blow as I soared through the air.

Bracing for impact it slammed into me launching me to the side of the arena at an incredibly quick pace. My arms ached in pain as my feet finally impacted the ground sending me into a backwards tumble. I managed to quickly recover by rolling onto my feet and conserving the momentum, sprinting towards the side of the small battleground as fast as my legs would take me.

She’ll swing again, likely from the same direction, if I jump again, I’ll be vulnerable to the follow up. However, if I roll or dive to the ground my momentum will be slowed, and I’ll quickly be caught by her tail… I need to stay mobile to cut the distance.

The jungle to my left caught my eyes as I felt the basis of an idea forming. The adrenaline still pumped as her tail whipped at me again with the force of a charging bull. Repeating the same song and dance I kicked off of the ground and her tai quickly whipped back around aiming to repeat the exchange from last time.

“NOT THIS TIME!”

I shouted as I kicked off the tree to my left, sending me into a diving roll as I felt the blow blast past where my head had been just a second ago. A loud crunch echoing through the clearing as it slammed into a tree. I continued my sprint as I rolled back to my feet, putting everything I had into my legs as I finally closed enough distance to throw a punch. I put everything I had into my right hook, heart blazing with excitement. Yet excitement wasn’t the only thing you needed to win a fight as she quickly tilted her head to the left dodging the blow by a hair’s breadth before I felt a fist unceremoniously slam into my stomach.

“Your form has improved and quick thinking seems to be one of your strong points. However you quickly grow overconfident after you pull anything off and you let the moment get to you.”

Was the cold analysis from Diana as I sailed through the air. Pain wracked my body as my focus quickly vanished. A loud thump echoed out as I slammed into the ground and quickly turned to my stomach and evicted the contents of my stomach to the side. Coughing loudly I felt a pair of small hands patting my back and a familiar voice saying.

“You did good..”

As I caught my breath I faintly nodded and wheezed out a few words.

“Thanks Ran..”

I glared up at Diana who seemed to be considering something before she gave herself a small nod as if reassuring herself. She began to speak right after.

“This is as far as we can go with basic fitness and combat training with this little time left. From this point on we’ll train on tracking, stealth and knowledge of what we’ll be hunting.”

My eyes widened slightly in surprise as I listened. I’ve improved… but the day for the test is getting closer. I… Have I truly improved enough? Her continued words broke me out of my thoughts.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Get a good rest tonight, you’ll both need it. Tomorrow we start a new training schedule. We will be actually going into the jungle so prepare yourself mentally, Human. Ran you’ll still be doing physical training as you’ve yet to reach me. You also aren’t on a timer so we can train you properly.”

She calmly explained while giving me a side eye.

“B-but I want to go with you guys!” Ran begged with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Artemis simply shook her head and patted her head in a surprising show of affection and replied

“I’m sorry little one, but your safety is of utmost importance for us all. How about you head home and talk to your mother about it?”

Ran’s cheeks puffed up in a pout as she huffed and turned away. I finally recovered and approached her. I kneeled to be able to look at her on her level as I spoke.

“Hey Ran, I know you want to do this. But your safety is important to your family and friends. And if you’re worried about me then I’ll promise you this. After I finish up the test I’ll spend the next day with you. I'll even tell you all the stories you want, alright?”

She peeked back at me with a pout still on her cheeks but she hesitantly nodded.

“You better not get hurt out there… okay?”

“Of course.”

I gave her a bright grin and stood while ruffling her hair. After that the night went much the same as the last.

A quick dinner and nights sleep later I found myself standing next to Diana in front of the jungle. I felt an unfamiliar excitement mingling with a familiar nervousness in my heart as I stared into the lush environment. The strange sounds from wildlife emanating from the eternally wet jungle had become familiar at this point.

I took a deep breath while looking over to Diana.

“So what’s the plan then?”

“We’ll start off by teaching you tracking and common sense while hunting. After that we’ll play a simple game of hide and seek.”

I felt a small twinge of fear go down my back at those words. Her face revealed nothing as I stared.

“Let’s begin then, shall we?”

I hesitantly nodded and we set out into the jungle. As we quietly crept through the jungle she began to teach me the basics.

“When tracking animals the first thing you’ll want to learn is the environment itself. For example, if you were tracking an herbivore then you would need to learn what their needs are. Let’s say their basic needs are cover to hide and escape to, a wide variety of vegetation to maintain a food supply and water to keep them going. Then after you’d learned the jungle’s geography you would know a list of potential locations for where herbivores could stay. Following so far?”

I nodded hesitantly. If this is just the start I’m going to have a lot of learning to do. Alright time to work these memorization skills.

Around an hour had passed and the massive influx of information being thrown at me had yet to actually sink in. It was then I realized how absurd the prospect of learning an entire style of vocation in just ten days seemed. Yet I would have to do my best to be able to keep up with the information as well as apply it the day of the hunt. My thoughts were interrupted by Diana.

“That’s enough of the informational side of things. Now we get to have some fun. I’ll give you five minutes to hide. After that I’ll be after you. You have to last an hour total to win, and every time you lose we spar until one of us cannot continue. Ready?”

“Wait wait wait, so you want me to just sprint into the jungle?” She simply closed her eyes and began to count.

“One… Two..”

Alrighty then, time to go then. I took off as quietly as I could until I got outside of what I thought was her hearing range before taking off at a full tilt. Crashing through the shrubbery and putting all my focus into avoiding tripping as I dashed through the jungle took a lot more out of me than I would have expected. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I searched around me for some sort of place to hide myself.

As my eyes swept the area I spotted plenty of vegetation to hide in yet nothing seemed sufficient for my needs. After all, I had to hide from her. Quickly coming to a decision I pulled myself up a nearby tree. Recklessly climbing I found myself up in the canopy as I crouched on a sturdy tree branch. Looking back from where I had come I winced slightly at the sight of the trail I had made approaching here. Broken branches and crushed shrubbery easily painted a path. Glancing at the nearby trees an idea came to be, albeit not a very safe one.

Seeing how nothing in this situation was safe I decided to go with it. Narrowing my eyes in focus I took a running leap from my branch and managed to land on the nearby one, thankfully without breaking it or myself. Clutching the wood so tight my knuckles turned white I took another deep breath and searched for another way to leap.

Around ten minutes had passed with this traversal method and I’d decided to take a break as I crouched on a tree branch. Focusing my gaze on the area below and my ears on the sounds of the jungle. I felt my body slightly relax as the time passed. Yet before I could fully relax, a massive figure burst out of the shrubbery beneath me. With no signs to signal her approach I shouted in surprise.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?”

I lurched backwards, almost falling from the branch I was on as she quickly climbed up the tree with seemingly supernatural dexterity. I launched myself from the tree to the next branch I had planned to, yet as I was about to land I felt two hands grab me from behind and reel me back in like a fish caught on a line.

I looked up to my temporary teacher from her strong grip with a fearful grin on my face.

“So… uh… how about we skip the fighting part?”

She responded with an amused grin and some harsh words that sent my faint hope flying.

“Not a chance.”

My faint cries echoed throughout the jungle many times that first day.