CHAPTER 4: Into the Wilderness
The pre-dawn light barely pierced the thick smog hanging over Verdant Haven Citadel as Gabriel and the twins quietly slipped past the Outer Wall gates. Behind them lay the safety of the Radiant Crest Villa; ahead stretched the boundless, untamed expanse of the Southern Border Wilderness.
Dressed in light leather armor and carrying their adaptive weapons—disguised as standard steel under Gabriel’s concealment seal—Ethan and Elena walked with a blend of nervous excitement and sharp focus.
"Dad," Ethan whispered, peering into the towering mist-laden trees of the Ironwood Forest. "The guards at the gate said the Outer Wilderness is crawling with Grade-2 and Grade-3 beasts lately. Is it true the beast surges are getting worse?"
"Let them get worse," Gabriel replied casually, stepping over a massive, gnarled root. "The worse they get, the better your training will be."
He looked back at his children. Over the last two days, their posture had shifted. The hollow, desperate look of malnourished slum children was gone, replaced by the quiet confidence of youths who had touched the edge of true martial power. But confidence without blood-soaked experience in the wild was a death sentence.
Gabriel brought his hand behind his back, pretending to draw something from a coat pocket while actually pulling from his System inventory.
He withdrew two small, jade-carved talismans emitting a faint, soothing pulse of spatial energy—Low-Grade Cleansing Amulets.
"Take these," Gabriel said, tossing one to each of them. "They shield your mind from beast mental illusions and steady your spirit channels under pressure."
Elena caught hers, her eyes shining as she felt the cool, pure energy wash over her palms. "Thank you, Dad! It feels like... my focus doubled the second I held it!"
BZ—T!
The crystal bell chimed sharply in Gabriel’s mind.
[Ding! Host has bestowed 2x Low-Grade Cleansing Amulets to Offspring.]Gabriel’s lips twitched upward into a suppressed smile. A 200x multiplier just for handing over two basic amulets. The Void Mind Mirror merged invisibly into his soul realm, adding another layer of absolute invulnerability to his growing arsenal.[Triggering 200x Critical Return!]
[Host receives: High-Grade Divine Soul Protection Pendant — 'Void Mind Mirror'!]
(Renders Host completely immune to spiritual/mental attacks from anyone below the Martial Saint Realm.)
"Remember," Gabriel said, his voice turning cool and commanding as the trees closed in around them, shutting out the morning sun. "I will not interfere unless a beast capable of killing you instantly appears. Every strike, every dodge, every decision from here on is yours. Show me what you learned."
"Yes, Dad!" the twins answered in unison.
They didn't have to wait long.
GRRRRRRRR...
A guttural, wet growl vibrated through the damp soil beneath their boots. From the dense foliage forty yards ahead, three massive shadows slithered out into the clearing.
Blood-Pincer Panthers—Grade-2 wild beasts, equivalent to Mortal Physique (Late Stage) human martial artists. Their sleek black fur was covered in bone-armored plates, and their scorpion-like tails twitched rhythmically, dripping dark venom onto the leaves.
"Three of them," Elena whispered, drawing her azure sword in a fluid, silent motion. Her posture dropped low, her breathing slowing to a steady crawl.
"I’ll take the leader on the left," Ethan growled, unslingshott-fastening the linen wrapped around his spear. "Elena, take the right. Whichever one finishes first supports the middle!"
ROAR!
The panthers lunged simultaneously, blurring into three streaks of black lightning.
Ethan didn't retreat. He stepped forward, his boots digging into the mud as his gold-tempered bones ignited with pure physical strength. He thrusted his spear straight out—a simple, textbook pierce, but executed with frightening precision and speed.
THWACK!
The point of his spear slammed directly into the lead panther’s armored skull. The beast’s momentum snapped back violently, its skull cracking under the sheer force of Ethan’s copper-silver bone strength.
Meanwhile, Elena moved like a ghost. The moment the panther on the right snapped its venomous tail toward her neck, she activated the basic sword footwork her father had drilled into her. She ducked beneath the whipping tail, her azure blade flashing in a cold arc.
SLASH!
Blood sprayed across the mud as the second panther’s front legs were clean severed. It collapsed shrieking into the dirt, where Elena finished it with a decisive reverse thrust through its throat.
The middle panther, sensing death, tried to abort its jump and retreat into the trees.
"Where are you going?!" Ethan roared. He spun his spear like a wheel and threw it with all his strength.
FLASSSSH—STAB!
The spear flew thirty feet through the air, pinning the fleeing beast through its ribcage to the trunk of an ancient oak tree.
The entire battle had taken less than ten seconds.
Ethan and Elena stood amidst the dead beasts, panting slightly, their eyes gleaming with shock at their own combat efficiency.
"We... we killed three Grade-2 beasts in seconds," Ethan breathed, looking at his bloodied hands. "A month ago, just one of these would have slaughtered an entire Outer Wall patrol squad!"
"Good speed," Gabriel’s voice echoed from a tree branch above, where he stood casually with his arms crossed. "Your instincts were sharp, but Ethan—you left your right flank open when you threw your spear. If a fourth beast had been hiding in the brush, you’d be missing a arm right now."
Ethan immediately straightened up, bowing his head. "I understand, Dad. I won't make that mistake again."
"Clean the core stones from their heads and move deeper," Gabriel ordered, his eyes darting toward the darker, inner region of the forest. "Those three were just warm-ups. The real targets are ahead."
As the twins worked to harvest the beast cores, Gabriel closed his eyes and expanded his divine sense outward.
His newly unlocked Martial Scholar perception spread across a five-mile radius like an invisible, delicate web. He picked up the faint life signatures of hundreds of low-tier beasts, the distant rustle of mercenary groups, and then—
Hm?
Nearly three miles south, near the edge of a deep ravine, his sense caught something far more interesting.
A massive, terrifying surge of wild, volatile Qi was brewing inside a cavern—a Grade-4 Peak Earth-Crushing Bear, a beast rivaling an elite Spirit Vein Opening (Peak) expert!
Beside the cavern, three humans in battered steel armor were currently fighting for their lives against the beast's territorial fury, their cries for help muffled by the thick canopy.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't care much for random mercenaries, but the Grade-4 beast itself? It was the perfect live punching bag for his children’s growth—and a prime target to capture and drag back to their villa’s training arena.
"Ethan, Elena," Gabriel dropped down from the branch, landing silently beside them. "Finish up. We're heading to the Ironwood Ravine."
A dangerous, predatory smile touched Gabriel’s lips as he looked southward. "I just found your live training partner for the next two weeks."