He swallowed hard. This was his moment, but the pressure was intense. I've made it this far without powers, Nehora reminded himself. It's not about strength. It's about heart. I can do this.
The instructor's words echoed in his mind. "It's not about power. It's about heart. And will. And determination."
One step at a time. That was all he could focus on.
The gates to the forest opened, and the students surged forward, eager to face whatever lay within. The air was thick with the scent of moss, decay, and something far more primal—danger. The dense trees loomed like dark giants, their gnarled branches tangled overhead. Shadows slithered through the underbrush, and distant growls sent chills down Nehora's spine. But he wasn't here to run.
Nehora's eyes narrowed, his heart beating faster. He pushed forward into the forest, each step heavy with the weight of the challenge. There was no turning back.
The deeper he went into the forest, the more eerie it became. The air was thick with the scent of moss and decay. The trees grew taller, their canopies blocking out most of the sunlight, leaving the forest floor in semi-darkness. Every step he took seemed to echo, a reminder that he was alone in a dangerous place, surrounded by predators.
Suddenly, a low growl cut through the silence. Nehora froze. His senses heightened. Something was nearby. He slowly turned, his eyes scanning the underbrush. There, in the shadows, he saw it — the first creature of the forest.
Out of the shadows emerged an animal like nothing he had ever seen before. It was tall and graceful, its fur a silvery-gray, and its eyes twinkled with an odd, intelligent gleam. But what struck Nehora most was the shiny silver badge pinned to the creature's chest.
It was a badge of authority, a symbol of strength—something that could only be earned by surviving the most dangerous of creatures.
Nehora couldn't help but smile. His heart surged with excitement. A silver badge. This is my chance.
The creature eyed him cautiously, as if it was sizing him up. Nehora held out his hand, steadying his breath. Just one shot. One moment to connect.
For a long, tense moment, they simply stared at each other.
The creature's massive frame stood tall, easily towering above him. If Nehora were to mount it, his feet would dangle far from the ground, the size of the animal making him feel small in comparison. But surprisngly that animal let silver badge to animal so easly. animal showing no sin of danger to him.
"Go, Jimi, go!" Nehora shouted, laughing as the wind whipped through his hair. Nehora tamed that animal. He could feel the thrill of the ride coursing through him, the bond between him and the creature growing with every stride.
But the peace was short-lived.
A sudden disturbance up ahead broke Nehora's concentration. A girl came charging toward him, her eyes wide with panic. Behind her, a massive creature—a towering behemoth—followed. Nehora's instincts kicked in. Something wasn't right.
The girl locked eyes with Nehora, her gaze flickering to the silver badge in Nehora hand. Without warning, she rushed forward and swiped a silver badge from Nehora hand.
"Hey! That's mine!" Nehora shouted, immediately reaching for his badge.
The girl smirked, holding it high above her head. "Catch me if you can!"
"Jimi, after her! She can't steal another student's badge!" Nehora ordered, but Jimi didn't move. The animal froze, trembling as it stared at something just ahead.
Nehora followed Jimi's gaze. The massive creature—the one that had been chasing the girl—was now standing directly in front of them. It was unlike anything Nehora had seen before, its body massive, its eyes glowing with a cold, menacing intelligence. What was this thing?
"Jimi?" Nehora asked, his voice full of confusion. "What's wrong? Let's go. She's getting away."
Jimi was shaking, clearly terrified. The beast was far too powerful for Jimi to face down.
Nehora's expression hardened. "Hmm, Jimi, are you scared of him?" He turned to the imposing creature and shouted, "Hey, move away. You're scaring Jimi."
The creature didn't flinch.
Nehora stepped forward, his heart racing. He was running out of options. Without thinking, he yelled right into the creature's ear, "Can't you hear me? MOVE!"
Jimi freaked out even more, giving Nehora a desperate look as if pleading for him to stop. A small piece of paper fell from the creature's fur and fluttered to the ground. Nehora picked it up and read it quickly.
"Hira Second most dangerous creature in the forest. Avoid at all costs. Does not bear a badge."
Nehora's face went pale. Hira… he thought. This is bad. Really bad.
He took a step back, trying to gather his thoughts. "Hira, huh... I... I'm sorry to bather you, buddy."
The creature didn't budge.
"Jimi, let's go!" Nehora urged, but Jimi remained frozen. "Jimi, please! We need to move before we get—"
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Before he could finish his sentence, Hira let out a bone-chilling roar, shaking the very air around them. Nehora didn't wait another second. He scooped Jimi up and bolted, running as fast as he could.
"Ahhh! Jimi, why didn't you tell me he was Hira?!" Nehora panted as they sprinted through the dense trees, Hira's roars growing louder behind them.
Nehora ducked behind some bushes, trying to hide. "Looks like we lost him," he whispered, his chest heaving. Jimi, still on edge, sat beside him, its fur bristling.
Suddenly, a bottle of water appeared in Nehora's hand. He took it, confused, and drank deeply. "Thanks, Jimi," he said. But when he looked, he realized that Jimi wasn't the one who gave a water botle to him.
Nehora's eyes widened in horror. "Wait. You're sitting on the left side. So who gave me this water?"
Slowly, Nehora turned his head, and his stomach dropped. There, sitting quietly beside them, was Hira—the same massive beast that had been chasing them moments ago.
"Jimi! RUN!" Nehora yelled, panicking.
But Hira didn't move. Instead, it just watched them, its gaze unreadable.
"Why won't he leave us alone?!" Nehora muttered as he picked Jimi up again and started running. The roar of the beast echoed through the trees, a relentless pursuit.
As they ran, disaster struck. The ground suddenly gave way beneath them, and Nehora and Jimi plunged into a deep valley. They fell for what seemed like an eternity, screaming as they descended.
"WAAAH!" Nehora yelled as they hit the ground with a bone-shattering thud.
"Damn, my whole body feels like it's been crushed." Nehora groaned, trying to push himself to his feet. "It's dark… really dark here."
He looked around, desperately trying to find some light. "Jimi, do you have anything to light this up?"
Without hesitation, Jimi picked up a stick and set it alight with a flicker of flame.
." Jimi set fire on stick. " Good work Jimi " as the space lighten up Jimi freaked out. " What's wrong Jimi." As nehora looked back he freaked out as well.
They were standing before them was the most terrifying creature they had seen yet: Karo, the King of the Forest.
"I… It's Karo! Jimi, run! Why is this happening to meeee?" Nehora's heart raced as he ran, after runing little far , when he glanced back, he realized that Jimi was no longer with him.
"Hmm, Jimi, where is Jimi?" Nehora called out, his voice filled with panic. "Jiiiimiii!" But there was no response.
"Wait… don't tell me Jimi got caught?" Nehora's worry deepened as he turned and started running back.
"Wait for me, Jimi! I'm coming to save you!" His feet pounded against the ground, desperation driving him forward.
When Nehora finally returned, he was surprised to see Jimi standing calmly, face-to-face with the massive beast Karo, staring up at it with what almost looked like reverence in his eyes.
"Jimi, what's wrong? It's dangerous here. Let's go back!" Nehora called out urgently.
But Jimi didn't budge. Instead, he took a slow step closer to Karo.
"Jimi, what are you doing? It's dangerous!" Nehora shouted, his voice filled with fear.
Jimi, however, gestured for Nehora to come closer.
"What's wrong, Jimi?" Nehora asked as he cautiously approached.
Jimi then showed him something—Karo was wounded, its massive body riddled with deep injuries. The blood was staining the earth beneath it. Nehora gasped.
"He's hurt..." Nehora muttered, his heart sinking.
Jimi's eyes softened with empathy, and it was clear that he wanted to help. "You want to help him?" Nehora asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "Okay, then… let's start. I don't know much about these kinds of things, but I'll do my best."
And so, with Nehora's guidance and Jimi's care, they began tending to Karo's wounds. Jimi brought fresh water, while Nehora carefully washed the bloodied wounds.
"This should do, right, Jimi?" Nehora asked, his hands trembling as he worked.
Jimi shook his head gently, indicating that more needed to be done. Nehora nodded and kept working, his determination never wavering.
As they finished their work, Nehora and Jimi sat down to rest. The exhaustion from the day's events caught up with them both. Their stomachs growled in unison, reminding them that they had neglected to eat.
Nehora sighed, glancing around the dense forest. "Guess I'll have to forage," he muttered. With that, he stood up and wandered off, returning after a while with an assortment of grass, fruits, and vegetables in his arms.
"I don't know what you guys eat," Nehora said sheepishly, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "But I brought everything I could find."
The trio ate together in silence, the bond between them strengthening as they shared this quiet moment in the midst of chaos. The forest around them seemed to pause, the sounds of nature momentarily muffled. But as the makeshift meal came to an end, Nehora's exhaustion finally caught up with him. His eyes grew heavy, and despite the circumstances, he collapsed onto the ground, falling into a deep sleep.
He had forgotten—he was still in the middle of his exam.
Meanwhile, Karo—as if understanding Nehora's fatigue—carefully picked him up, elevatoring him gently and placing him atop Jimi's back. The enormous creature then took a moment to look down at Nehora with an almost respectful gaze before leaning forward and, with a surprising delicacy, placing the Diamond Badge on Jimi's collar.
The scene was quiet for a moment, until, eventually, a group of students gathered at a distant clearing, their badgees collected. They had made it through the trials, but it was clear that Nehora's trial was far from over.
Katsegawa, the instructor, surveyed the scene. "Are only these students making it to the final?" she asked, her voice laced with authority.
Instructor Katsegawa's voice rang out across the field: "Last 60 seconds remain! All students, please make your way to the designated spot."
A girl student, looking toward the horizon, suddenly gasped. "Hey, look! It looks like something is coming!"
The other students and teachers turned to look. A wave of panic spread as the creature grew larger, its shape becoming clearer with each passing second.
"It's a Citok!" one of the students screamed.
The students froze, eyes wide with fear. The creature charging toward them was a Citok—the animal Nehora had named Jimi. But its true name was Citok.
Citok wasn't known for being an overwhelmingly powerful creature, but it was still dangerous—its strong teeth and crushing grip made it a formidable threat in any encounter.
The girl gasped again, pointing. "It's coming straight for us!"
The teacher's expression hardened. "Prepare for the attack!"
But then, one of the boys squinted, noticing something unusual. "Hey, wait a minute. Looks like someone's on its back."
Another boy laughed nervously. "Are you crazy? Why would anyone sit on the back of a Citok?"
The first boy shook his head. "No, really! Someone's on its back!"
As the Citok drew nearer, the students and teachers saw the unmistakable figure of Nehora atop the animal. The creature halted a short distance away from the group, gently lowering Nehora to the ground, just inside the qualification line. With a final, soft nudge, Citok rubbed his head against Nehora's shoulder in a gesture of farewell before turning and vanishing into the distance.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The students and teachers were left in stunned silence.
"What… what just happened?" one of the teachers muttered.
To be continue...