Chapter 17- Battle with Redmaw Hyenas
Vector declares solemnly, "I'm a 1st-stage Body Refiner now."
A brief silence… As Vector declared the statement, it feels as bomb had exploded.
A pause followed, sharp and breathless. The forest seemed to hold still.
But, the Redmaw Hyenas charged.
As the Sebastian oppression on them overcome with their greed and hunger for their prey ahead.
Vector drew his knife but not his bow which was on his back. Just cracked his knuckles, swung the knife to have proper grip of it and stepped between his people and the charging beasts.
The first Redmaw hyena attacked Vector… "Crack!"
A snap echoed through the trees as Vector's foot struck the hyena's side, shattering its ribs and sending it tumbling like a broken puppet.
Then he moved fluidly, powerfully with focus… Even if he hadn't learned any martial arts related to knife arts and movement arts… all of this compensated by his stats as he already has surpassed those of a 2nd stage expert.
Every movement was precise and brutal, finding targets' weakest place to strike. His knife sliced the neck of the two Redma hyenas who leapt on him and sent them to Haven.
"Snap!"
A sweeping leg shattered another's jaw.
Every hit connected with surgical brutality, his movements laced with strength far beyond the ordinary.
Vector approached the group of 4 hyenas attacking the east side of the group… he used his knife to attack the eye of the first Hyena and then with swift movement he kicked another one on his head, shattering its head
"Crack!"
Brain matter scattered all over the ground.
The other two hyenas showed fear in their eyes on seeing this, and tried to flee from the battle. But Vector's speed is already more than six times their, so he caught off with them and ended them before they even had the chance to turn and flee.
In under two minutes, over 12 Redmaws lay broken on the ground…Vector, one by one started to clear the pack of hyenas.
The remaining few scattered, yelping and dragging their wounded into the foliage.
But suddenly a lone hyena attacked the group from the rear.
Vector didn't think to kill it with his knife… but his bow.
He retrieved the bow from his back and fired the arrow on the Hyena.
"Shoo!"
The arrow speed was so fast that it instantly pierced the skull of the hyena and embedded in a tree on the back of Hyena. The arrow's impact also destroyed half of the tree.
Then Vector didn't continue to play with the Hyenas, to test his strength and knife skill.
Every fire with the bow is lethal and preise… every arrow pierced the head of the hyena, the arrows were so fast that a normal human can't even observe with naked eyes.
Finally the last Hyena was also collapsed, an arrow pierced through his eyes, creating a hole which can see other side.
Silence returned.
His subordinates stood frozen, wide-eyed and speechless. Even Sebastian's gaze sharpened slightly.
Rhea finally stepped forward, her voice low but awed. "Young master… are you already in the 2nd Stage of body refinement? 'Bone Strengthening Stage'?"
Vector turned slightly, brushing dust from his sleeves.
A pause.
"No," he replied casually. "didn't I say earlier that I am the 1st Stage."
Shock rippled through the group as they stood frozen.
Rhea blinked. "That's… not possible."
"But…" Vector added calmly, "to reach the 2nd Stage, I need diamonds to temper and refine my bones. I haven't had the time, or the materials, for that yet."
Vector declared to the group but inside he grinned, 'how is that? I am awesome didn't I… hehe.. this feeling of showing off is really good… they all are shocked. Even steel hearted Sebastian is also rooted to ground.'
His subordinate can only stare at him.
They were thinking, 'Still in 1st stage?... Eliminated more than 25 Redmaw Hyenas without slightest injury… heck without giving full effort probably.'
And what an absurd declaration… 'temper and refine the bone with… what?.. really… Diamond?'
Most warriors needed iron dust, herbal infusions, or beast blood to strengthen their bones. Diamond was absurd, impossible.
'How is Young master going to infuse them in his bones… are diamonds so weak that they will melt and temper bone with it.'
'What about the healing medicine and various elixirs to supplement it?... Is it present?'
As some began tapping with their hands to check if their hearing was right.
A craftsman whispered, "What kind of monster uses diamond to temper bones...?"
Sebastian gave a quiet chuckle. "Not a monster…but a prodigy."
Though he didn't know how he would do it and what type of Body refining Vector was practicing… he trusted him fully.
No one questioned it further. They cleared the remaining redmaw Hyenas which are still breathing… after collecting these beasts… they simply moved forward.
They were happy that they had gotten so many 1st stage Beasts, which will be useful in fiorging and most importantly making elixir to awaken Blood energy.
But due to the shock they received from the Vector strength they feel that these bodies are simply unworthy.
They simply watched as Vector returned to the path ahead, his pace measured, his hands folded behind his back, like nothing had happened.
But they knew the strength of their young master better now.
...
They continued moving deeper into the forest, but no other large group of beasts appeared. The few they did encounter, stray wild boars, lone panthers, or scattered predators, were quickly and efficiently dealt with by the guards.
Tristan had sent the scouts ahead to search for a suitable place to rest tonight and have dinner.
The scouts carefully scanned the terrain, looking for a location that offered both shelter and safety.
As the sun set towards the dusk, the shadows grew longer and the air began to cool, the light in the forest starting to dim as darkness slowly made its presence.
One of the scouts returned with promising news, a cave had been found not far from their current position, offering a safe place to spend the night.
Vector gave it a quick thought and nodded.
"We'll rest there tonight," he said. "It's better to have solid cover than be exposed under the open sky. We need everyone at full strength tomorrow."
With the sun dipping low into the horizon, casting golden-orange light across the treetops, the sky faded into twilight. The team moved carefully but swiftly, heading toward the cave.
It was a modest cavern, partially hidden by thick foliage and elevated slightly above the forest floor, offering both concealment and tactical advantage.
As Vector stepped into the cave, a thought immediately crossed his mind, saltpeter, the key ingredient for gunpowder. If this cave housed bats, there was a chance it could also yield that valuable resource.
But after a quick inspection, his eager eyes found nothing, no signs of guano, no mineral-rich patches along the walls or floor. His hopes faded, but not his determination.
"Not here," he thought, eyes narrowing slightly. "But once we reach Vantara, we'll need to scout the surrounding terrain. If we can locate a cave rich in saltpeter… we can significantly strengthen our forces."
He made a mental note to assign a team to begin searching as soon as they reach Vantara tomorrow.
Every edge counted in the coming war.
Once inside, they checked the interior and perimeter thoroughly. With no signs of other beasts inhabiting it, they began to settle in. Fires were kept small and shielded, cooks began preparing dinner quietly, and guards were assigned to patrol the and guard the periphery of the cave..
Outside, the forest came alive with the darkness engulfing it, but within the cave, the group found a moment of calm.
After 2 hours the dinner has been prepared and the Group begins to eat, some guards remain on guarding and patrolling duty. They will join after the group is done eating.
The dinner was not lavish, but simple: flatbread, steamed vegetables, and soups to have essential nutrients for the body.
The group right now feels, as they took a bite from the bread, 'as if it is the most fragrant flower in their life.'
The dinner time was over after some time…All the craftsmen and guards had eaten.
The three commanders appointed some guards to guard and they will change the shift at night with others… and the group made preparations for rest.
Vector also began to rest, and thought about whether to enter the simulation for training or not. Despite the temptation, Vector chose not to enter the System's Simulation Space tonight. Though he had planned to practice another martial technique, knife art, he had stopped these thoughts for now.
"Not tonight", Vector muttered. The forest's unpredictability demanded his full awareness. Wild beasts could attack at any time, and if he were immersed in simulation training, disconnected from the outside world, he wouldn't be able to react in time.
Instead, he opted to rest lightly, keeping his senses sharp.
"I can't afford that kind of risk," he thought, eyes scanning the treeline outside the cave, the moonlight filled the cave with silver light.
The Naga Forest was quiet for now, but Vector knew better than to trust the calm.
He had to be prepared for any situation, even if he knew that Sebastian was here… The most powerful person, probably in Naga Forest.
Tomorrow, they will reach Vantara... Vector thought as he was lying down.
[To be Continued…]