“…This Oren Beast is clearly not suitable for us to fight against,” Alnea said, staring at the imprint of the beast’s paw in front of him. “Just its paws alone are larger than my head. It is clearly at least in the intermediate phase of its Adolescent Stage. It may even be in the advanced phase. Fighting such a beast with our current capabilities is nothing more than asking for a beating.”
“…You are such a wuss.”
“…If you can confidently say that you can take on such a beast, then I have no qualms about fighting it head on.”
“…From the shape of its footprint, the beast looks like it is of the bear family. Probably a Dark Horned Bear, or a Shadow Bear,” Yuri said, bending down beside him to examine the beast’s pawprint. “I can take it down on my own.”
“…Anyways, this Oren Beast is clearly not something we can handle as a team. Let us mark down its location for now, and come back later when we have enough experience with Oren Beasts in the initial phase of their Adolescent Stage.”
“…Asking you to lead the way was a mistake,” Cecilia grumbled, but only on the surface. In her actions, she never hesitated in following his lead. After all, she knew that he was right. No matter how eager she was to fight, even she knew how dangerous taking on an Oren Beast a Stage higher than herself would be. They might be able to take it down with Yuri’s help, but what would be the point of such a fight?
As for Yuri… she was just teasing him, as always. And though she may question his decisions in private, she never contradicted him in front of Cecilia. And so, after a taking a detour around the bear’s territory, they continued with their exploration of the area around their cave, walking around six to seven kilometres, and experiencing three changes in terrain. From a flaky dirt terrain to a slightly wet terrain, and back to a dirt filled terrain, before finally arriving in an area of rocky terrain.
And in all that time, they fought against just three Oren Beast. A Silver Winged Snake, a Mud Fish, and a Rock Eater Turtle. Of the three, the Rock Eater Turtle had been the easiest to handle. So much so, that Alnea had chosen to sit out the fight, and the let the girls handle the Beast. Not that he could have done much in the fight anyway. Most of his Spirit Power had been used up in dealing with the Mud Fish. That had been a truly tricky enemy. Just like the Lotus clan.
Whenever Alnea thought that he had almost caught the fish, it would dive into the mud, and launch ranged attacks. Lethal attacks. The way it shaped the mud into all sorts of strange, sharp tools, and sent them shooting at him had him rolling around on the ground for most of the duration of the fight. Thankfully, his robe had Glyph Arrays that kept it clean at all times. The same could not be said about his face though.
In any case, by the time they faced the Rock Eater Turtle, he was not in any shape to fight. And since the turtle was not much of an opponent anyway, Yuri had asked him to watch from the side. He had had enough rest though. Cecilia had taken over the responsibility to lead the way after they fought the Silver Winged Snake, before handing it over to Yuri after finishing off the Rock Eater Turtle.
Though he was carrying some of the butchered meat on his back, it was not stopping his Spirit Power from recovering. And for fighting against the Oren Beast, that was what mattered the most. Spirit Power. All his powers depended on its use, after all. Even his extraordinary senses. And since he had recovered most of his Spirit Power, it was time for him to switch places with Yuri. But before he could say anything, Yuri raised her hand, and pointed to the ground.
There, under their feet, and all around them, was a bed of grass that spread for at least tens of metres in all directions. There was nothing strange about that, of course. He had already experienced at least ten different terrains in the two days he had spent in the canyon. A bed of grass was not enough to surprise him. Or Yuri. It was not until he observed the grass through the senses of his Spirit, that he noticed what Yuri was pointing at. To the grass themselves.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Five bladed grasses, a little brown in shade, having a rough texture around their edges, with all their blades pointing towards the ground. Umber grass. Just like the ones he seen in the territory of the Rock Eater Turtle. These grasses fed on the structure of rocks, turning them mushy from the inside, making it easier for Oren Beasts who fed on rocks to digest them. But the territory of the Rock Eater Turtle was at least a kilometre away…
Another Oren Beast. A rock eater, of course. But not a Rock Eater Turtle. If two Rock Eater Turtles lived so close to each other, they would have already formed a pack, and began mating to create their family. The Rock Eater Turtles were gender fluid, after all. When two such turtles met, the stronger one would become the mother, while the weaker one would become the father, and provide for their kids. Regardless, the rock eater could not be a turtle. Then the second option would be…
A Rock Eater Boar. That too, one in the initial phase of its Adolescent Stage. Only such a weak Rock Eater Boar would keep Umber grasses in its territory. Stronger boars would prefer the crunchy texture of hard rocks, rather than the soft, mushy texture of rocks hollowed out by the five bladed grass.
However, whether it was the Rock Eater Boar, the Rock Eater Turtle, or any other Oren Beast that fed on rocks, their main source of food was still meat. The blood and flesh of their enemies. They ate rocks only to strengthen their Innate Abilities. In the case of the Rock Eater Boar, this Innate Ability happened to be ‘Rock Armour’. A passive Innate Ability that remained active at all times.
And though the beast could not strengthen its armour along with its growth, it could keep assimilating the essence of the rocks it ate into the armour around its body, constantly strengthening its defence without any upper limits. A seemingly invincible defence, that allowed it to fight in a reckless style, truly befitting its name as a beast. Still, it was just a beast. With their cooperation, it would not be difficult to take it down. But…
“…A Rock Eater Boar is different from a Rock Eater Turtle.”
“Are you afraid?”
“What would I be afraid of?” Alnea said, almost snorting at the white robed girl. “I would be the one fighting it head on anyway.”
“Do you dare to take it on then?”
“Why not? Besides, even if something goes wrong, I know that you will have my back. There is no need for me to refuse some free experience.”
“Get ready then,” Yuri said, before turning towards Cecilia. “You have yet to recover your Spirit Power, so sit this one out.”
“…I can still fight,” Cecilia, staring stubbornly into the darkness, anticipating the Rock Eater Boar’s charge to come at any moment. “I don’t need too much Spirit Power to take on a beast.”
“…We are in the middle of nowhere, with our base camp kilometres away from us. Even if we turn back after taking the beast down, it will still take us hours before we return to the cave. Hours, in which anything can happen. Maybe we will an Oren Beast in the advanced phase of its Adolescent Stage will start hounding us right in the next moment. Or maybe, we will face a best tide. And if you are completely exhausted when we encounter such situations, can you guess what will happen to us?”
“…I did not say that I will fight the Rock Eater Boar,” Cecilia mumbled, turning her flushed face away from Alnea. Even though it was Yuri who had admonished her, she was being shy from him… She could be cute in her own rights, at times. “I just said that I can, you know, if you get in a pinch. A Rock Eater Boar is different from a Rock Eater Turtle. If you need help, then you call me any time.”
“…Are you sure that you are just saying, and will not really jump in the moment that the fight begins?”
“If even the reckless fool can control yourself from joining in when we fought against the Rock Eater Turtle, then why can I not do the same?”
Sure enough, Alnea thought, as he saw his musclehead friend turn towards him with a snort. Her being shy of him… That was probably just his imagination. She was still Cecilia, after all. But it was not the time for him to let his mind wander. Shoving his thoughts into the Serenity of his Heart, he reached towards the handle of his sword hanging by his waist, only for Yuri to grab his hand, and shake her head.
“This time, you act as the support, and let me take the boar head on.”