The massive serpent loomed over Jenia, its golden eyes gleaming with malicious intent as it prepared to strike. Jenia's heart raced, her body frozen as the beast lunged forward. But just before the creature could sink its fangs into her, it let out a sudden, ear-splitting roar of pain and stopped mid-attack.

"What—?"

The serpent writhed in agony, thrashing wildly as a series of rapid, powerful blows struck it from behind. Jenia's eyes widened in shock when she saw someone on the serpent's back—Riku. He had appeared out of nowhere, leaping onto the snake and driving his sword deep into its scaled flesh.

"Riku!" Jenia shouted, her voice a mixture of relief and disbelief.

Riku's face was tense with focus as he struck the serpent again and again, each hit sinking deeper into the monster's body. "Jenia, hit it now! Use your magic while it's distracted!" he yelled, his voice strained as he held onto the thrashing serpent.

Without hesitation, Jenia raised her hands, her fingers trembling with adrenaline. Summoning every ounce of strength she had left, she conjured a swirling sphere of fire, the heat radiating from her palms. She hurled the fiery attack at the serpent's head. The flames engulfed its skull, and the beast let out one final, deafening screech of agony. Its movements slowed, its body collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash. The serpent lay still, its long form twisted and lifeless.

Jenia stood there panting, her body shaking as the adrenaline of the battle began to wear off. She hurried over to Balko, who was still weakened from the serpent's venom. His breathing was shallow, and his eyes were half-closed, his vision blurry from the poison.

"Balko! Hang in there!" Jenia cried, kneeling beside him.

Quickly, she rummaged through her pack and pulled out the Bayna, a rare herb with powerful healing properties. Crushing it in her hands, she placed the remnants under Balko's tongue, hoping the herb would work quickly to counteract the venom. Her hands trembled as she worked, her face pale with worry.

Riku, panting from the battle, walked over, wiping the blood off his sword. His eyes softened when he saw Jenia's worried expression.

"Don't worry," Riku said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine. The Bayna will help clear the venom, and he just needs some time to rest. He's strong—he'll pull through."

Jenia looked up at Riku, her eyes still filled with concern. "Are you sure?"

Riku gave her a reassuring nod. "I've seen worse, trust me. He'll be back on his feet after some rest."

Jenia exhaled, feeling some of the weight lift from her shoulders. "Thank you, Riku. If you hadn't shown up when you did…"

"Don't mention it," Riku interrupted, shaking his head. "I was just nearby and heard the commotion. You two handled the hard part."

Just as they were about to settle down, another figure emerged from the treeline—Isaki. He jogged over, his expression serious. "I heard a noise and came as fast as I could. What happened?"

Jenia stood up, brushing the dirt from her clothes. "We ran into a serpent—a huge one. We tried to fight it off, but it was too fast. Balko got hit by the venom, but Riku arrived just in time. He saved us."

Isaki glanced over at Riku, a look of relief passing over his face. "Good thing you were nearby, Riku. That could've been much worse."

Riku shrugged modestly. "Just lucky, I guess. But it's over now. We should set up camp and let Balko rest until he's better. He's not going anywhere for a while."

Isaki nodded, his gaze turning toward Balko, who was already beginning to look more stable as the Bayna worked its magic. "Yeah, sounds like a good plan. We should stick together for now. No telling what else is lurking around here."

Jenia, still shaken by the fight, sighed. "Agreed. After everything we've been through, I could use some rest too."

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The three of them exchanged glances, the gravity of their situation sinking in. It was clear that the mountain held more dangers than they had anticipated. Together, they began to set up camp, knowing they would have to stay vigilant through the night. But for now, they were safe, and with Riku's timely arrival, they had bought themselves a little more time.

As the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the forest, the group huddled around a small fire, waiting for Balko to recover. But even in the quiet moments, the memory of the serpent's attack loomed over them like a dark cloud.

________________________________________________________________________________________

The next morning, Jenia was the first to awaken. She stretched, feeling the cool mountain air against her skin as she quietly stood up, careful not to disturb the others. She had one final task left—to find the Medis, the last herb required to complete their assignment. After a quick glance at Balko, who was still resting, Jenia set off in search of the elusive plant.

Back at the camp, the first rays of sunlight filtered through the trees, waking both Riku and Isaki. They rose slowly, checking on Balko, who, to their relief, was starting to regain his strength. He sat up, rubbing his temples but looking much better than the night before.

"How are you feeling, Balko?" Riku asked, his voice calm but curious.

Balko stretched his arms and took a deep breath. "Better, much better. That Bayna really worked." He looked around. "Where's Jenia?"

"She went to find the Medis," Isaki replied, still keeping his eyes on Balko. "But we need to talk. There's something we need to figure out."

Balko frowned. "What do you mean? Once Jenia comes back, we can head down the mountain, right? That's what Instructor Tora said we had to do after finishing the tasks. It's been a week, and we've completed everything ahead of time. Many of the others even left yesterday."

Isaki shook his head. "That's just it. There's no need to rush down the mountain. We've completed the tasks, yes, but instructor Tora never said it was a race against time. It doesn't matter who finishes first or last. That wasn't the point."

Riku nodded in agreement, crossing his arms. "Isaki's right. Instructor Tora didn't make it about speed. He just assigned us tasks to complete. The real challenge here is learning from the mountain itself."

Balko raised an eyebrow, still unsure of what they meant. "Learning from the mountain? What do you mean?"

Isaki sat down next to Balko, leaning forward. "Think about it. This mountain is unique. The animals here are infused with aura. Haven't you noticed how energized you felt after eating their meat? There's something special about this place, something that can help us grow stronger if we stay here longer."

Riku chimed in. "Exactly. The meat of the aura-infused animals has helped me strengthen my body. I can feel the difference. The mountain is offering us something more than just tasks to complete—it's offering us an opportunity to become stronger."

Balko listened carefully, his confusion slowly giving way to understanding. "So, you're saying the real task wasn't just completing the list of chores Instructor Tora gave us but using the resources here to our advantage?"

Isaki nodded. "Exactly. We can train here for another two or three weeks, taking full advantage of everything this mountain has to offer. The others may have rushed down, but they missed out on the real challenge."

Balko paused, thinking over their words. It made sense now. Staying on the mountain, surrounded by its unique environment, would give them a chance to push their limits. "I see what you mean now. I guess I was too focused on the idea of finishing fast, but this place really does have more to offer."

Isaki smiled, pleased that Balko had understood. There was more he wanted to share—like how he had reached the second level of his Aura control. But that would mean talking about the cave and the butterflies, something he wasn't ready to reveal just yet. It was better to keep that to himself for now.

Before they could continue the conversation, Jenia returned to the camp, holding a small pouch filled with the Medis flowers. "I found it!" she announced proudly. "It took a while, but here it is—the last piece we needed."

Jenia's face lit up as she joined the group, but her excitement faded when she saw their serious expressions. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

Riku grinned and glanced at Isaki, giving him the nod to explain. "We've been talking, Jenia. We've decided to stay on the mountain for a bit longer—another two or three weeks. We've already finished the tasks, but there's more to gain from staying here."

Jenia blinked, her excitement turning into confusion. "Stay longer? Why would we stay? I thought the whole point was to finish the tasks and go back."

Isaki gave her a patient smile. "That's what we thought at first too, but think about it. The mountain is full of aura-infused animals, rare herbs, and challenging terrain. Training here will make us stronger. The others who left early might not have realized it, but staying here gives us an advantage."

Riku added, "We've already noticed improvements. The food, the environment, the constant challenges—this place can push us beyond what normal training can."

Jenia's confusion faded as she listened to their reasoning. It was true—there was something special about this mountain. Slowly, she nodded in agreement. "Alright. If it'll help us grow stronger, then I'm in. We'll stay and train together."

With that, the four of them made a pact. They would remain on the mountain for the next three weeks, taking in everything it had to offer.