CHAPTER 109: THE HUNT [III]

"Even divinity?" he asked after listening to Anya explain the dangers of the Expanse.

The young woman nodded gravely. "We don’t know how far the Winter Expanse spreads, but if you are planning to head to one of them, please refrain yourself from doing so, my Prince. You will die."

Her tone was firm, her eyes sharp with genuine fear. "Even the Patriarch fears going there."

Azel chuckled softly, brushing his hand along the frost-covered bark of a nearby tree.

"Oh, don’t worry. I don’t plan on heading there now."

His shrug looked casual, but inwardly his thoughts were burning.

’If even Father won’t step foot there... then that’s exactly where I’ll go later.’

His gamer senses were tingling.

Why did the Children of the Sky avoid these depths?

What lay hidden beyond the discovered zones?

Besides if there were monsters beyond reason, he would like to lay his eyes on them at least once.

"For now, let’s hunt something strong," Azel said, shaking his shoulders loose.

"Something that can bring back meat."

Anya perked up, her lips curving into a small smile. "My Prince... how about the Arctic Bear?"

She leaned closer, whispering as if afraid the monster itself might hear. "It’s a Rank 4 beast, strong and fierce. I know where one is right now."

Her heart fluttered with a different reason than practicality — she had once tried to hunt it herself, and though she managed to wound it, the beast had nearly taken her life.

If Azel fought it, she would not only see his true strength but also measure the gulf between them.

"Alright," Azel said with a grin. "Lead the way."

The frost soon clung to their clothes as they traversed deeper into the forest, their breaths forming small clouds in the frigid air.

Finally, they perched on the heavy branches of an ancient pine, staring down at the clearing below.

There it was.

A hulking bear with fur the color of glacier ice, easily thrice the height of a man.

Long scars marred its face, remnants of past battles.

It tore into the body of a Frost Monkey, bones crunching beneath its monstrous jaws, and thick blue blood stained the snow.

A name shimmered in Azel’s vision:

[Arctic Bear]

[Rank 4]

Azel’s grip tightened around his bone sword.

His blood hummed with a predator’s thrill.

With a crack of snow underfoot, he shot forward like an arrow.

The bear reacted instantly, roaring as it stomped its massive paw into the ground.

Snow erupted into the air like a storm, blinding Azel’s path.

But Azel only smirked.

’It’s smart too.’

That was good.

He swung his sword in a clean arc, his aura surging into the blade.

The force alone ripped through the snow wall, slamming into the beast and sending it skidding across the clearing.

The bear roared again, its cry shaking the air.

Anya’s breath hitched from her vantage point in the tree.

She had faced this monster before, had felt its claws nearly rip through her spine.

Seeing Azel push it back so effortlessly, she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding.

’How strong is the Prince?’ The thought gnawed at her. ’Stronger than I imagined... but strong enough that I might never reach him?’

She needed to see... she needed to reach him so that she could protect him later.

Down below, Azel tilted his head. "I shouldn’t waste much time here."

[True~ You have to come back so we can train.]

Kyone’s voice coiled in his mind like silken frost.

Even she sounded eager.

Azel needed to master the way the Hero moved, since his movements were deemed a cheap copy by the Goddess.

"Fine," Azel muttered.

He lifted his blade and poured a surge of aura into it.

The sword flashed green as he slashed through the air.

The force carried outward in a deadly crescent, slicing through the bear’s chest.

The beast let out one final roar before its body crumpled into the snow, lifeless.

Silence followed.

Anya’s eyes widened as she slowly descended from the tree.

She stared at the fallen Rank 4, then at Azel, who stood over it without so much as a bead of sweat on his brow.

"He... killed it in one strike..." Her voice trembled. "Without using spells, without exhausting himself..."

Azel crouched, tugging the beast’s glowing core free before storing both it and the body in his ring.

He glanced at Anya. "Should we head back? Or hunt some more?"

Anya’s lips parted in awe, then curved into a smile. "If you’re not tired, my Prince... we should hunt some more."

...

Outside the gate, Azariah waited.

The Patriarch’s arms were folded, his face composed, but his aura flared faintly, sensing the tremors within the Expanse.

Around him, hunters milled about, carrying smaller kills — Frost Deer, Ice Foxes, the occasional Frost monkey.

The daily trade of survival.

Some people hunted to sell, others hunted to keep, the expanse automatically respawned monsters by the next morning so he wasn’t worried about the shortage of food.

Then he felt it.

His son’s presence.

Azel walked casually with Anya at his side, his hands laced behind his head as if he had gone on a simple stroll.

His father’s sharp eyes scanned him for injuries, for strain — but found none.

"It’s understandable," Azariah began as they crossed the gate. "The monsters here are more powerful than those in the Empire. It’s fine if you didn’t—"

"Should I drop the corpses here?" Azel interrupted, his tone flat.

"...Hm? Sure."

In a flicker of green light, Azel waved his hand.

Corpses thudded onto the ground one after another, shaking the snow-dusted earth.

First one Arctic Bear.

Then another.

Then another.

Until thirty lay piled in a grisly mountain of blue-blooded fur.

Ten Ice Hounds sprawled across the field beside them, their crystalline eyes staring blankly.

The hunters around them froze.

Whispers spread like fire.

Azariah’s jaw dropped despite himself.

His aura quivered as he tried to contain his shock, but it bled through anyway.

"I think I killed too many..." Azel muttered, scratching his chin. "The others were running."

And for the second time today, the Patriarch let his emotions get the better of him.

"HOW?!!!"