Sacred Arts

5. The Hunt

Finally returning to the academy, Amon wasted no time and headed straight for the task board to collect his rewards. The task overseer congratulated him on completing his first tasks and commended his excellent work. Amon thanked him and eagerly accepted his reward, wondering what all he could get with the five hundred points he had just received. As he thought about his options, Amon was startled by a familiar voice calling out his name. "Hey!, Amon!" Jess yelled as she was running towards him with a big smile on her face.

"Hey, long time no see" Amon replied, chuckling as he greeted Jess. "How have you been?" Amon asked. "I've been doing well, thanks for asking," Jess replied. "You are amazing, you finished two tasks so quickly" Jess said, expressing her amazement. "You also managed to reach the peak of rank one within your cultivation after only two tasks, you must be some kind of talented genius" Jess continued as she marveled at Amon's progress.

"It was nothing special" Amon said nonchalantly as he waved off her praise. "Since you just got back I'm assuming you haven't heard the news yet," Jess said. "What news," Amon asked curiously. "There's an upcoming tournament within the academy, where the top fifty disciples would be rewarded greatly and are granted access to the upper floors of the library". "Now I've heard rumors about the top fifty disciples and how they are expected to be in the body refining stage of the human realm, ranking between four and six," Jess explained. Cultivators in the human realm went through three stages of cultivation, similarly to every other realm of power.

It started with the mind refinement stage, which was ranked from one to three. Next was the body refinement stage, which was ranked from four to six. Lastly, there's the soul refinement stage, which was ranked from seven to nine. Every realm had nine ranks, all divided into three stages. "I believe you, Matthew, and I could all make it into the top fifty this year if we all work very hard," Jess expressed ambitiously. "Lets give it our all," Amon said determinedly.

After bidding farewell to Jess, Amon made his way to the library to explore the techniques he could acquire with his five hundred points. He approached the librarian and asked about the location of the available techniques. The librarian directed him to the section where the techniques were displayed. Amon carefully examined the different scrolls containing the various types of techniques. There were techniques for body strengthening, movement, and attacking.

One technique called "Rock Formation," which promised to make one's body as hard as a boulder and increase brute strength, caught his attention. Another technique, known as "Whispering Wind," intrigued him with its promise of speed and grace. "Strength is great, and speed would be a plus," Amon thought, deciding to choose both techniques. Amon returned to the librarian to make his purchase. "You're choosing a body strengthening and movement technique?" The Librarian asked Amon.

It was unusual, because cultivators typically specialized in one path. "I would rather be a well-rounded person," Amon stated, smiling. Nodding his head, The Librarian tells Amon that his purchase comes out to three hundred reward points. Amon nodded his head approvingly and paid the points. Leaving the library, Amon felt a sense of pride and eagerness to learn and master his new techniques.

When he arrived home, he wasted no time and immediately sat down in his room. Cross-legged on the floor, he committed the techniques of "Rock Formation" and "Whispering Wind" to memory. "Now that I have the stances memorized I need to practice them," Amon muttered happily. Amon began cultivating the "Rock Formation" technique first and, like most other techniques, it had three stages, so he focused on the first stage, envisioning immovable boulders and solidifying his body accordingly. After a week of dedicated practice, Amon opened his eyes and felt satisfied with the results.

His muscles and bones felt solid as a boulder, and he possessed immense strength. ""Next up is the "Whispering Wind" technique,""Amon whispered to himself. Amon visualized multiple air currents in his mind. He stood in the middle of these currents, moving with the grace and agility of a leaf in the wind. Another week passed, and Amon successfully mastered the first stage of this technique as well.

Continuing his cultivation, Amon spent another month practicing both techniques, dedicating two weeks to each stage. By the end of this period, he had completed two stages for both techniques. "I still have about fourth and a half months left until the tournament," Amon thought, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "Maybe I should do some more tasks to pass some time". Amon ventured to the task board once more, seeking a more challenging task that would earn him more points to aid in his cultivation.

As he approached the board, he spotted Jess and they exchanged smiles. "What task are you aiming to complete?" Amon asked curiously. "Honestly, I'm thinking of taking on a D rank task," Jess answered. Amon nodded approvingly and suggested, "Why don't we join forces and split the reward?" "We would gain a bunch of points with only half the effort," he continued.

"Sounds like a plan" Jess said, agreeing. "This task here requires us to hunt down a Saber Tooth Lion and the reward ranges from three hundred to six hundred points," Jess informed Amon. Three hundred to six hundred was typical for D rank tasks. ""We'll need to head to the "Forbidden Forest" at the edge of town for this one,"" Jess informed Amon. "Let's leave immediately," Amon said, grinning excitedly.

The journey to the "Forbidden Forest" took the pair only a few hours. As they approached the "Forbidden Forest", Amon and Jess could sense the presence of various powerful beasts that called it home. "This place is incredible," Amon remarked. "I wonder what else we will discover here," he thought. "You're right," Jess agreed, but let's focus on finding the "Saber Tooth Lion" first.

The two warriors entered the forest and as they ventured deeper into the forest, Amon and Jess encountered numerous beasts that attacked them, including bears, giant snakes and leopards. Despite the challenges, they managed to defeat each creature and gather valuable materials from their remains. After some time, Amon and Jess started to follow markings left on trees until they finally came face to face with the "Saber Tooth Lion". The beast let out a mighty roar, sensing intruders in its territory. Although Amon and Jess were only at the first rank within the human realm, while the lion was at the second rank, Amon could sense that the lion hadn't fully stabilized its power yet.

Both Jess and Amon remained on high alert as they locked eyes with the formidable creature. Jess concentrated her energy and punched out a powerful ball of energy towards the lion, but the agile beast swiftly dodged to the side and charged straight for her. Just as the lion's massive paw was about to strike Jess, Amon gathered his energy and unleashed his "Whispering Wind" technique, slamming into the side of the lion and sending it hurtling into a nearby tree. The impact prompted another fierce roar from the lion, which retaliated by slashing the air with its claw and sending sharp energy slashes towards Amon and Jess. Caught off guard by the speed of the attack, both Amon and Jess were unable to dodge in time.

Both warriors cried out in pain as the slashes tore through their flesh, leaving them wounded and bleeding from many open wounds. Gasping for breath, they knelt on the forest floor, sweat streaming down their pale faces. "Damn, this lion is tougher than I expected," Jess muttered under her breath as she struggled to regain her footing. Amon stood beside her, determination burning in his eyes. "Let's combine our attacks and give it everything we've got," he exclaimed, his aura intensifying.

"We'll cover such a wide area that this beast won't stand a chance," Amon added. "You're right, let's do it," Jess replied, matching Amon's level of intensity. They both unleashed their auras to their fullest potential, illuminating the forest with blinding white light. With their energy fully charged, they stood side by side, ready to unleash their combined attack. Punching out with all their might, a massive energy blast merged and surged towards the lion.

Realizing its final moments, the lion could only let out a final roar as the overwhelming force of the combined attack struck it head-on. The impact of the blast created a gigantic crater in the ground, leaving the once fearsome beast motionless within it. The lion was defeated. Exhausted but victorious, Amon and Jess collapsed into a seated position, laughter filling the air. They sat cross-legged for a few hours, allowing their bodies to recover before making their way back to the academy.

After salvaging valuable materials from the lions' remains, they returned to the academy and back to the task board to receive their reward. Their successful completion of the task earned them a rewarding six hundred points. Amon and Jess each received three hundred points each, a well deserved reward for their teamwork and bravery.