Near the outskirts of a village, a slender young girl could be seen trailing behind a tall young man.
The sun bathed the forest in a golden hue, casting long shadows that danced beneath their feet as they moved through the rustling grass.
The girl, around fifteen, had large, expressive eyes the color of dark honey — eyes that shimmered with curiosity and a trace of cute naivety.
Her raven-black hair was tied into a loose braid that swayed with each of her hurried steps, and her clothes, though simple and patched in places, were neat and well-kept.
Ahead of her walked her elder brother, a youth around the age of eighteen, tall and lean with a sturdy frame. His short, tousled hair had the same dark luster as his sister's, though his sharp storm-gray eyes gave him a far more serious air.
Slung across his back was a longbow and a quiver containing a dozen or so arrows.
And in his calloused hands, he carried the legs of a freshly killed deer, its body dragging behind him and leaving a faint trail in the dirt path. The kill was clean, showing his skill and experience as a hunter.
"We'll have a good meal tonight," Noah said, adjusting his grip on the deer's legs. "Mother will make a stew from this."
Rebecca smiled softly. "It's been a few days since we had deer meat, I can't wait!"
She added, "I'll have to pick out some herbs to enhance the taste!"
Noah chuckled. "I think you should leave that stuff to mother, lest you somehow make it inedible, hahah."
Rebecca pouted. "Hey! That's not true! I've been learning and have been improving drastically!"
"Yeah yeah."
Noah then glanced toward the village in the distance. "Grandfather's probably still caught up with his duties as village head, so he might be a little late getting home."
Rebecca nodded, understanding the weight their grandfather carried.
"Mn. That's why I want to learn how to hunt, so I can help the family out!"
She had come along with her brother today not just out of curiosity, but because she wanted to learn by watching her brother hunt.
She wanted to help her family so she can ease their burdens, even if it was only slightly.
Noah chuckled and patted her head. "You're still growing. You shouldn't worry about stuff like that."
Rebecca pulled Noah's hand off her head and expressed her annoyance with a puff of her cheeks. "Stop treating me like a kid! I can help out too!"
Noah gave a gentle smile.
However, as they were talking to each other, that was when Noah had suddenly detected something ahead of him.
Noah paused mid-step, his sharp eyes catching a faint rustling sound from deeper within the trees.
He froze, glancing quickly toward the source. "Rebecca," he whispered, his voice low and steady, "stay close and be quiet."
Before she could ask why, Noah reached back, drawing an arrow from his quiver. His fingers wrapped tightly around the bow as he scanned the underbrush, every muscle of his tense and alert.
In this forest, Noah understood that there was potential to run into bears and wolves, thus he was on guard.
As the sounds got closer, Noah prepared to release his arrow.
However, from the shadows emerged a lone figure wearing a cloak, the hood drawn low over his face. He was mounted on a sturdy horse.
After realising it wasn't a wild beats, Noah relaxed slightly. He then stepped forward, his voice firm but still cautious. "Who goes there? This is village land. You should turn back. My grandfather is the village head, and strangers aren't welcomed."
The man made no reply, dismounting with a deliberate calm that unsettled Noah. His silence hung heavy in the air as he folded the reins over the horse's neck and stepped closer, the hood shadowing his features completely.
Noah tightened his grip on the bow, eyes never leaving the figure. "If you mean no harm, speak your intentions now! Otherwise you'll come to regret it!"
"Village head you say?" Klyde had finally spoken, dropping his hood to reveal a youthful face which seemed to be around the same age as Noah's sister — fifteen or sixteen.
However, Noah's vigilance remained. Klyde had a cold expression and a pair of deep eyes which unsettled him greatly.
"A kid?" Noah had some questions. Why was such a young person wandering so far into the forest?
"Well, this makes things quite simple," Klyde muttered in an unchanging expression.
His demeanour held no ill-intention, yet Noah still felt a bad premonition at Klyde's words.
Makes things simple?
What did he mean?
However, without a chance to ponder over Klyde's words, the stranger had suddenly lunged forward!
Noah's eyes constricted.
This was a clear sign of hostility!
He didn't hesitate. In a single fluid motion, Noah loosened his grip on the arrow. It whistled through the air, aimed straight for the boy's torso.
But Klyde was already moving. His perception, sharpened by the enhanced cognition granted to him as a Scholar, had long since read the subtle shift in Noah's shoulders and the tightening of his fingers.
By the time the arrow was mid-flight, Klyde had already twisted his body aside.
The projectile tore past him, grazing only the edge of his cloak.
In the same breath, Klyde was in front of Noah, striking out with a sudden palm.
Noah reacted fast, taking a step back to barely evade the strike, his feet sliding against the dirt.
After dodging, he then immediately drew some distance between them by taking a few steps back.
He tried to draw a second arrow, but Klyde had already begun his second attack.
He moved unpredictably, his body pivoting low before launching another palm into Noah's side.
Pa!
The impact knocked the wind from him, forcing Noah back several steps.
He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.
After recovering his balance, he realised there wasn't much weight in his attack. He muttered inwardly, 'Palm strikes?'
He was bewildered. His enemy was using palm strikes to attack.
He quickly analysed: This cloaked person isn't using any weapons to fight. However, there may also be hidden weapons under his cloak.
Noah was cautious and very wary of this boy.
However, he also couldn't help but feel extremely perplexed.
Palm strikes weren't fatal in the slightest. He couldn't fathom what this person was thinking.
However, Noah didn't get another second to ponder. He had noticed how the cloaked man had abruptly paused his assault. Instead, he had seemingly placed a good distance between them.
Noah asked:
"You... what are you after—"
But as Noah was speaking, a faint glow suddenly flared on his shirt — right where Klyde's last palm had landed.
His eyes widened.
Before he could even process what was happening, a magical formation that had been carved into his chest ignited with a burst of terrible heat!
With a sharp, scream-like sound, the runes exploded!
Boom!
Limbs flew into the air, and fresh blood sprayed onto the grass.
Plop. Plop.
At the site of detonation, a pair of charred ankles were all but left of Noah. A few steps away, half his body — merely a fraction of his shoulder which propped his head — lay on the grass. The head was also charred, but one could still recognise the face if they were to observe carefully.
The expression on Noah's face showed his shock and confusion, his eyes completely drained of life.
Rebecca screamed.
"BROTHER!!" The young girl cried out in horror as she leapt towards her brother's corpse.
"As I thought. I can even place traps on fabrics and clothes. As long as it's an inanimate object, I can likely place a trap on anything." Klyde nodded in satisfaction.
As long as they weren't naked or had enchantments, with a mere touch, Klyde could plant traps on his enemies swiftly with his chantless casting.
Seeing the girl crying profusely as she held her brother's severed head, Klyde didn't have much of a reaction. He only mused, 'Mortals and Magi truly live in different worlds, heh.'
He truly understood the meaning: lives were as cheap as grass.