Our story continues with the storyteller waking up in the inn. Warm like sun rays are bathing his humble room. He grabs his cane-looking object and heads down the stairs. Storyman lazily waves to other residents and yawns. He slowly approaches the inn’s door. The man head outs into the street. It is warm.

The most awaited time is approaching. It seems there are even more people than the next time. The story of Hanzo is spreading. People fear him but are in awe of his prowess. But, this is a story for another time. Today, the mysterious man has another tale prepared. A tale about a boy, merely aged ten, who conquered a forest full of vicious beasts. You might already guess who the boy is.

The man with the cane stands eerily still near the bar. People are flooding the tavern. It seems that it would burst from the sheer amount of people. The crowd starts whispering and talking about daily affairs. Well, that is what most villages talk about in the inn. The chatter is interrupted by the man’s cough:

-“My dear people. I thought hard about what you all could call me. I am Keisen. I got quite bored by being called the “mysterious man” or “that one storyteller”. Well, enough about me. Today, our tale takes us to the depths of the forest. This forest was known as Beast’s Den. Ironic, that a peaceful village where Hanzo lived was built near this deadly forest.

Hanzo ran and ran. People were screaming and howling. But the boy was deaf to this all. Sheer fear was driving him further into the depths of the woods. He did not know how much he was running. My legs were burning from pain, body felt a weird sensation of relief. A relief of survival. His senses returned to normal. And that time, Hanzo finally understood what had transpired. The shock had stiffened his body and soul. Despair filled his mind. The boy wanted to wail, but no sound came out. The boy wanted to cry, but no tears flew. He knew that he is alone. And he needs to survive. But, the loss was too big. He stood up and started to wander the unknown. Like a mindless ghoul, he walked forward. Until he stumbled across a cave. From there, he felt a murderous intent. Slowly, a beast emerged. It was a wolf, with silver fur, big as a grown man. The beast salivated when it spotted the boy. Wolf howled. The echo was heard throughout the forest. After that, seconds of cold silence fell. Out of nowhere, a wolf ferociously charged at the boy. Hanzo dodged the attack to the side. Sadly, the injury from the wood monster was still fresh. It hindered his movements. Wolf had grazed the boy’s arm. He got lucky. If the hit was direct, the arm would be torn off. Surprisingly, it wasn’t hurting badly. Hanzo regained his composure. Just like a wolf, he leaped on the beast. Silver-furred wolf wanted to shake off the boy, but the boy held his own. He used everything: teeth, arms, and legs. The fight lasted for a good hour. Both started to get exhausted. If someone saw that, nobody would have believed that a boy could be this savage. Maybe, because he was born without magic, his body was different. Only time will tell. Returning to the fight, they stood strangely calm. But, the calm air was disturbed by a sudden attack from the beast. Well, honestly, at the time you could not tell who was the beast or a human. Both of their auras became similar. Both yearned for survival. The wolf tried to bite into the boy’s arm, but Hanzo, using his newfound body prowess, dodged the attack like a feline. Suddenly, he was on the ground, while the wolf was above. He grabbed the beast's neck and slammed it on the ground. He sank his teeth into the wolf. Beast whimpered. It futilely struggled. But the Hanzo’s grip was getting stronger and stronger. With the other hand, he punched and ripped the beast’s stomach area. Some fangs reached Hanzo, but he did not care. Thru pain and blood, he continued to be the dominant figure in the fight. After a while, the wolf stopped moving. Hanzo stood up. Breathe in, breathe out. Boy shouted. His victorious scream filled the forest. He took the wolf’s body and dragged it to the cave. It became his new home.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

In the cave, he started feasting on the wolf. Raw meat made the boy vomit. But he persevered. Boy cried the wolf. Like a beast himself, Hanzo knew what he is doing. The boy didn’t know how he possessed such knowledge. But he had no time to care. Survival was the priority. While he was thinking about what to do next, he felt dizzy. Hanzo fell unconscious.

When Hanzo woke up, it was already starting to dawn. His body was healed. He went out of the cave. He was getting hungry again. Wolf was eaten. He decided to go hunting. To his abysmal, every little critter or beast got scared by his presence. He had to learn to erase himself from the perspective of others if he wanted to eat. It was easier said than done. His beast-like instincts were subdued. He was more nervous and anxious now. And life in the woods felt that. Hanzo tried and tried. An hour turned into a day, and a day turned into a week. Hanzo felt as if he was starving. But still, his prey alluded him every time. The week turned into a month. Hanzo was almost dead. While he was laying near a river, he stopped a black jaguar. It was hunting. The beats’ prey was a small rabbit, basking in the sun. Jaguar slowly approached its prey. A quick pounce. A squeak. The deed was done and then Hanzo realized what he was doing wrong. He got up on his feet. Painfully moved forward. He spotted a rabbit. Just the one he saw. He crouched. Hanzo became one with the wilds. Like a jaguar, he pounced. Prey was caught. He rejoiced and ate the rabbit raw. While it was disgusting, just like the wolf, he had stared into death’s eyes.

A month passed. Hanzo learned how to start a fire. He learned which plants are edible by observing herbivores. “If I had such knowledge, I wouldn’t have starved” the boy pondered. He was making progress. He had claimed a bit of territory for his own. At first, wild beats attacked him, but now he can have a bit of peace. While Hanzo was living a strange, but somewhat fulfilling life, the hunt for the “mana-less freak” continued in Zhoqin. But nobody would have guessed that the boy would survive the Beasts Den. While it has no mana beasts, it is not strange to die here, especially for a boy who was this young. They would be very surprised to know that the boy was on his way to becoming the king of this forest. There were only three beasts to hunt down if he wanted to claim the title. But Hanzo knew he wasn’t strong enough to venture deeper into the den. He trained his body. Polished his skills as a hunter. The more he resided in the forest, the more his heart grew beastlike. It was a sort of salvation for a boy who was labeled a monster. Ironic, isn’t it?