"Today, we're hunting Stone Bulls," Torren said, breaking the silence. His voice was firm, accustomed to command. "I know you're curious about the Gate and the mage from Grimreach, but it's too dangerous there."
Lian nodded silently. He trusted his father; after all, it was thanks to his intense training that he had become an Iron 1 Knight before turning eighteen.
It didn't seem like much power, but the hardest step in cultivation was the initial one.
Once you entered the system, progress would become smoother.
After years and years of training, he was ready for the real challenge. At least, that's what his father said.
Lian was scared. The thought of facing monsters for the first time made him uneasy.
In his lifetime, he had seen numerous assaults on Dustwall by herds of Stone Bulls, so he knew these monsters well.
They were strong, especially because they hunted in groups.
The water flowed clearly between the stones as the two crossed a stream and entered a clearing surrounded by tall trees. The underbrush was silent, too silent.
Torren stopped, raising a hand to halt Lian. "Listen," he whispered, crouching down.
A low growl broke the quiet. From the trees emerged a Stone Bull, a monster with glistening horns and a gray coat that seemed made of hard stone.
It wasn't large, but its weight made the ground tremble beneath its steps. The Stone Bull looked around, searching for threats, not noticing the father-son duo hidden among the trees.
After a few seconds of observation, the monster headed toward the stream.
"As you know, that's a Stone Bull. But don't be fooled by its appearance—it's not as tough as it looks. From the energy it's giving off, I'd say it's at most an Iron 2. Also—"
Torren paused for a moment, locking eyes with Lian, heightening the air of tension. "If you think these monsters hunt alone, you're mistaken. Behind every Stone Bull, there's always its pack."
A few seconds later, a group of three smaller Stone Bulls appeared.
Lian's eyes widened at the sight. What his father had said was true.
"What did I tell you?" A small, proud smile formed on Torren's lips as he watched the monsters approach the water.
Rising from their hiding spot, Torren grabbed Lian by the arm and threw him toward the stream. "Good luck with those three smaller ones; they're only Iron 1. I'll handle the pack leader."
With silent steps, Torren darted toward the Iron 2 Stone Bull, while Lian remained on the ground, stunned by what was happening.
Had his father betrayed him just like that? Had he made up an excuse to get rid of him without a trace? Why did he want him dead? What had he done wrong?
These were Lian's thoughts as he watched the monsters approach him.
He was alone against three Stone Bulls.
"Don't just stand there, or you'll die!"
Torren's calm voice echoed in Lian's ears.
"Damn it—" the boy cursed.
Lian scrambled to his feet, mud staining his pants as his heart pounded in his chest.
Torren's laughter and the heavy footsteps of the three Stone Bulls echoed in his ears. "Old man, you'll pay for this!" he shouted, but his words were lost in the noise.
At the sight of the monsters charging, Lian's first instinct was to flee. His legs moved almost on their own, carrying him away from the stream.
He ran with all his strength through the dense forest, branches scratching his arms and his breath catching in his throat.
Lian wasn't a coward, but facing three Iron 1 monsters as his first fight was too much.
"I need to think—" he muttered, slowing down to glance back. The monsters were chasing him as if he were responsible for their pack leader's death.
Fortunately, the Stone Bulls' charge, though unimpeded by branches, was at least slowed by them. This gave him enough time to come up with a plan.
"Bingo!" he shouted excitedly, thinking of a good strategy.
Lian slowed down just enough to let one of the monsters catch up, so he could toy with it.
Turning right at the last possible second, the Stone Bull crashed headfirst into a large tree trunk.
The monster hadn't seen it at all, focused solely on the boy's presence.
This stunned it enough for Lian to turn around, draw his blade, and plunge it into the beast's flank.
But due to his inexperience, the blow glanced off, merely scratching the beast's skin and snapping it out of its stunned state.
ROOARR
With a roar, the other two monsters reached Lian's position from different directions.
He was surrounded—
In front of him was the monster wounded by his blade, behind and to his left the other two Stone Bulls were approaching, while his right was blocked by the massive tree trunk.
He was doomed.
Scanning his surroundings, Lian quickly formulated a plan.
Climb the huge tree.
It made sense, after all. The Stone Bulls were too big and bulky to climb trees; he was safe.
Fueled by adrenaline, Lian leaped toward the tree trunk, using the bark and branches to climb upward.
But as he jumped to climb, the monster in front of him bit at his ankle, throwing him off balance.
"Damn it!" he cursed, gripping the branch in front of him more tightly. But the monster had no intention of letting go, pulling him downward.
With a swift kick from his other leg, Lian managed to loosen the monster's grip, breaking free.
Fresh blood dripped from his open wound, falling onto the face of the Stone Bull.
Yet, Lian had escaped the danger.
Meanwhile, the other two Stone Bulls reached the scene, licking the blood on the ground and from the face of the wounded monster.
"Now what do I do? I can't stay here forever… that old man isn't going to help me?!" Lian thought aloud, clutching his sword tightly in his hands.
Fortunately, he hadn't let go of it, or he'd be completely defenseless by now, not that he wasn't already…
He was perched on a branch, not sturdy enough to hold him forever but not so flimsy as to break immediately.
Looking down, the Stone Bulls were about three meters below. He could smell their stench.
"What are you looking at? You can't do anything to me from down there. Climb up here if you can—"
The moment he finished speaking, the sound of a sharp impact rang in his ears.
Then another—
And another still—
His body trembled, or rather, the massive tree saving him from certain death was being shaken by the three Stone Bulls with relentless ferocity.
"Oh crap!" Lian whispered. The branch he was on was under immense stress from the shaking. It was starting to give way.
"Oh crap, oh crap," he repeated, visibly shaken.
Seconds later, the branch snapped, but before Lian could fall, he leaped downward with a jump.
"If you want me so badly, I'll come to you!!" With his sword aimed at the head of the wounded Stone Bull, Lian launched himself at the monster with a defiant cry that tore through the air.
By sheer luck, Lian's sword struck the Stone Bull's eye with precision, sinking deep and piercing it.
The monster roared ferociously as it raised its head toward the boy.
The other two Stone Bulls, seeing the boy next to them plunge his sword into their companion's eye, roared with fury.
Then, they charged at the human, intent on goring him.
But Lian, using the wounded Stone Bull as leverage, twisted his body with precision, positioning himself on the creature's back and using it as a springboard to leap and dodge the attack of the other two monsters.
Landing a few meters away, Lian fixed his gaze on the two Stone Bulls that had missed their attack.
"Good, one's down," he muttered, staring at the blood dripping from the eye of the Stone Bull collapsed on the ground, writhing in agony. "Or almost…"
The monster on the ground continued to thrash, suffering. The sword was still lodged in its eye, causing unimaginable pain.
The other two Stone Bulls, shaken by the death of one of their own, grew even more enraged. They charged at Lian with renewed vigor.
"Will the same trick work twice?" he wondered as he fled in a circle from the monsters, trying to retrieve his blade from the fallen beast.
"Got it!" Lian said, yanking his sword from the Stone Bull's head.
Then he kept running, aiming to climb another tree to repeat his earlier tactic.
However, the moment he took two steps after grabbing the sword, something vibrated in his mind.
Then, Lian's legs gave out, the world went black, and he collapsed, hitting the ground with a thud.
"LIAN!" A shout not too far from the boy's position thundered through the forest, causing the two Stone Bulls, just meters away from Lian, to freeze in place.
A sharp strike cut through the air, and the bodies of the two monsters collapsed to the ground, lifeless. They had been killed in a single blow.