Chương 20: A Different Kind of Strength

The third morning began with rain. Not heavy rain. Just enough to cover the leaves with a thin layer of water and turn the ground beneath the trees into soft mud. The camp was quieter than usual. Most of the students were still inside their tents. Amon stood beneath a large tree, staring at the sky.

"This forest has terrible weather." Masha stood beside him.

"It's rain."

"I know what rain is."

"Then why are you complaining?"

"Because I don't like it." Masha smiled.

"You complain about everything."

"I don't." Leo walked past them.

"You complained about breakfast yesterday." Amon turned.

"That was different."

"How?"

"They ran out of eggs." Masha shook her head. Leo continued toward the campfire. Alice was already there. She held a cup of warm tea between both hands.

"Good morning."

"Morning." Leo sat beside her. Alice looked toward the forest.

"The instructors said today's activities would be different."

"They did."

"Do you know what they planned?"

"No." She nodded.

"Neither do I." Amon approached them.

"I heard we're going farther into the forest." Masha followed behind him.

"Who told you?"

"Rowan."

"Did he say anything else?" Amon shrugged.

"Something about gathering herbs and identifying magical beasts." Leo looked toward the instructors. Gareth was speaking with several members of the Royal Knights Academy. The rain continued falling. The forest beyond the camp looked darker beneath the clouds. But there was no reason to be concerned. It was simply another day of the expedition. After breakfast, the students gathered. Gareth stood before them with another instructor from the Knights Academy.

"Yesterday was focused on combat." He pointed toward the forest.

"Today is about field knowledge." A few students looked disappointed. Gareth noticed.

"Strength is useless if you don't know where to use it." Nobody complained after that.

"You will enter the forest in groups. Your tasks are to identify medicinal plants, locate safe water sources, and record any magical beasts you encounter." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He paused.

"Do not engage anything above your assigned threat level." The groups were rearranged. This time, Leo's group was smaller. Leo. Alice. Amon. Masha. Marcus. Elena. Six students. Adrian had been assigned to another group. Amon noticed.

"Looks like we're safe." Alice looked at him.

"From what?"

"Nothing." Leo gave him a look. Amon smiled innocently. The rain stopped before they entered the forest. Water dripped from the branches. The ground was wet beneath their boots. Marcus carried the map. Elena carried a collection bag for plants. Masha and Alice searched the area around the path. Amon walked beside Leo.

"This is less exciting."

"That's the point."

"Who says?"

"The instructors."

"I don't trust people who say things like that." Leo ignored him. They continued deeper. The forest had changed after the rain. The smell of wet soil filled the air. Small streams had appeared between the roots. Some flowers had opened. Others had closed completely. Elena stopped beside a group of pale blue leaves.

"These." She carefully removed several.

"Frostleaf." Masha crouched beside her.

"What are they used for?"

"Minor burns and magical exhaustion." Masha looked impressed.

"You know a lot."

"My mother is a healer."

"That explains it." Elena placed the leaves into her bag.

"Don't crush them." Amon looked at the leaves.

"What happens if you do?"

"They lose most of their medicinal properties." Amon immediately moved his foot away.

"I wasn't going to." Masha smiled.

"You looked like you were."

"I was looking."

"With your foot?" Amon looked down.

"…Maybe." Leo shook his head. They continued for another hour. The task was surprisingly peaceful. Alice found several useful plants. Masha discovered a natural spring. Marcus recorded the location. Elena identified several herbs. Amon carried the collection bags after everyone decided he was the least useful person for plant identification.

"I have a question." Nobody answered. Amon continued anyway.

"Why am I carrying everything?"

"Because you volunteered," Masha said.

"I did not."

"You said, 'Give them to me.'""I was being polite." Leo looked at him.

"You've been carrying them for forty minutes." Amon sighed.

"Fine." He adjusted the bags.

"I'm a very generous person." Alice laughed. Their peaceful exploration ended when they reached a rocky clearing. A strange sound came from behind a group of trees. Crunch. Crunch. Something was eating. Everyone stopped. Marcus raised his hand.

"Stay here." He moved forward carefully. Leo followed. They reached the edge of the clearing. A large creature was crouched beside a fallen tree. It was roughly twice the size of a human. Its body was covered in gray fur. Two thick horns curved backward from its head. A Rockhorn Bear. Marcus immediately lowered his voice.

"Mid-level." Amon's expression changed.

"That's above our assignment." Marcus nodded.

"Exactly." The creature hadn't noticed them.

"We leave." Nobody argued. They began stepping backward. A branch snapped beneath Amon's foot. The bear raised its head. Everyone froze. The creature stared directly at them. A low growl rolled across the clearing. Amon whispered,"That was not me." Masha looked at him.

"Everyone knows it was you." The bear stood. It was enormous. Marcus tightened his grip on the spear.

"Don't attack unless it charges." The bear roared. The sound shook the leaves. Then it charged.

"Move!" The group scattered. The bear crashed through the place where they had been standing. Marcus thrust his spear toward its side. The weapon struck. The bear barely reacted.

"Back!" Amon raised his hand. Fire erupted across the ground. The flames forced the bear to change direction. Alice created a barrier. The creature slammed into it. The barrier cracked. Masha raised a wall beneath its feet. The bear stumbled.

"Now!" Marcus attacked. His spear struck the exposed side of the creature. The bear roared and swung its massive paw. Marcus barely dodged. The impact shattered the stone behind him. Amon's expression became serious.

"That's enough." He released a concentrated blast of fire. The bear stepped backward. Alice followed with a light spell. Masha raised the ground beneath it. The combined attacks finally forced the creature away. It turned. Then disappeared into the trees. Nobody chased it. The group stood silently for several seconds. Amon breathed heavily.

"That wasn't part of the assignment." Marcus looked at him.

"No." Masha lowered her hands.

"Are we supposed to report it?"

"Immediately." Marcus took the communication crystal from his pocket. He activated it.

"Group Eastern Route reporting. We encountered a Rockhorn Bear approximately two kilometers from the southern trail." A voice answered.

"Did you engage?"

"Only defensively."

"Any injuries?"

"No."

"Return to camp." Marcus nodded.

"Understood." The crystal went dark. Amon exhaled.

"I suddenly appreciate boring assignments." Leo looked toward the direction the creature had disappeared.

"It was probably protecting its territory." Alice nodded.

"Then we did the right thing by leaving." Leo agreed. They turned back. None of them noticed anything unusual about the encounter. A magical beast had defended its territory. They had survived. That was all. The group returned to camp before sunset. The instructors immediately questioned them about the Rockhorn Bear. Gareth listened carefully.

"You did well." Amon looked surprised.

"Really?"

"You recognized that it was stronger than you and withdrew." Gareth looked around the group.

"That's exactly what I wanted you to learn." Amon smiled.

"Then I'm getting a good grade." Gareth stared at him.

"Don't push your luck." Amon immediately stopped smiling. That evening, the students gathered around the fire again. The rain had left the air cold. Someone had started a cooking competition between the two academies. The results were questionable. One group had produced something that looked like soup. Nobody could identify the ingredients. Amon tasted it. His face changed. Masha laughed.

"Is it that bad?" Amon slowly placed the bowl down.

"I've fought magical beasts that tasted better." Rowan burst out laughing.

"You're exaggerating."

"Try it." Rowan did. He froze.

"…He's right." The entire group laughed. Even Leo smiled. For a while, there was no academy rivalry. No training. No rankings. Just students sitting around a fire after a long day. Alice looked toward Leo.

"You've been quieter today."

"I was tired."

"You didn't sleep well?"

"I slept fine." She studied him for a moment. Then nodded.

"Good." She turned back toward the fire. Leo watched the flames. The sound of laughter continued around him. The expedition was going well. They had trained. They had explored. They had fought beasts. They had met new people. Nothing about the journey seemed unusual. Tomorrow would be another day in the forest. At least, that was what everyone believed. End of Chapter 20.