On the journey, the shadow encountered many beasts along the way. Yet a stroke of fortune followed them, and each time they either managed to evade the creatures or slew them to harvest their essence cores, intending to divide them later.
By this point, the handsome youth was already burdened with the weight of more than seventy essence cores taken from Enraged-ranked beasts, which appeared to be the weakest rank on the island, for no Ferals had yet been sighted.
However, the further they pressed into the North, the stronger the creatures became, gathering in packs that barred their path. Progress grew harder until a few strayed from their territory, providing the rare chance either to strike or to slip away.
