"Wow."

"Oho."

Kang Oh and Asu proudly stared at Rudy's true form. This is what Rudy would look like when it was fully grown.

Eternal, inextinguishable orange flames were characteristic of a Phoenix. A Phoenix was a bird wrapped in these flames! Rudy's wings and tail, which were entirely composed of flames, gave off a mysterious vibe.

Of course, it wasn't nearly large enough to be considered a full-fledged legendary bird. After all, it hadn't gotten large enough to destroy the entire passageway.

Shriek!

Rudy let out a brilliant cry, and softly flapped its wings. Then, flaming feathers fell from its wings and landed on Kang Oh and Asu's hands.

Was it because it'd pulled out its own feathers? Rudy gradually diminished in size until it returned to its original shape.

Chirp.

Rudy flew back to Asu's chest. She then petted its head.

Kang Oh sported a fatherly smile, and then turned his attention to the flaming feather in his hand. Mysteriously, it wasn't hot at all. In fact, it radiated a pleasant warmth.

[Phoenix's Feather]

The feather of a Phoenix, which is wrapped in living flame. It is a gift that a Phoenix gives only to those it trusts most. The flames won't go out until the Phoenix returns to being an egg.

So long as the flames persist, the effects are as follows:

First, any action that replenishes your HP, whether it be medical attention, a healing spell, draining, or life steal, is buffed by 50%. In addition, your body remains warm, regardless of where you are.

Second, you may use 'Phoenix's Life Force'. If you use this ability, then your HP is instantly restored. However, the Phoenix's Feather will disappear.

'It's amazing.'

Kang Oh was shocked. The feather's ability was far greater than he'd expected. As expected of a legendary bird's feather!

The feather's first effect would increase Blood's life steal. Moreover, the second effect, Phoenix's Life Force, was like his Resurrection; it was a one-time use ability that may save his life.

"Thanks, Rudy." Kang Oh placed the feather inside his inventory, and petted Rudy with Asu.

Chirp!

Rudy rubbed its head against Kang Oh and Asu's hands. It was absolutely adorable.

"Oppa," Asu said.

"Yeah?"

"Where did you get that book?"

"I bought it from Sephiro."

"Can you get another one? I think Rudy really liked the book's flames."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

"I'd like to stay some more, but I think I'll have to go now." Kang Oh said goodbye, looking completely disappointed.

"Call me later."

"I'm going to hunt late into the night." Kang Oh scratched his head.

"It doesn't matter. Call me!" Asu stared at him and said firmly. 'I won't forgive you if you don't call me!'

"Alright."

"Go."

Kang Oh and Asu parted ways atop the Black Hammer Dwarves' transfer magic circle.

"Icerin!" That's where the Witch's Forest was located.

"Latnia!" Kang Oh travelled to the Goddess's Land, and hunted Basilisks in the ??? Dungeon.

* * *

Modrak Village was the only village in the Great Forest with an intercity transfer gate. This is where Kang Oh, Sephiro, Karin, and Soren met.

Kang Oh asked Soren to set up a transfer magic circle in Talastrum, the ruins where the Tuslam lived. While they were at it, they decided to hunt as a party.

"Hello," Sephiro said. However, he wasn't accompanied by his pet.

"Where's Waryong?" Kang Oh asked.

"He's still not completely healed, so I left him with the Tamer Guild. Plus, I'm only here to test out this thing's new abilities." Sephiro pulled the Lasselpino Bow from his back and showed it off.

The bow itself had gotten larger, and the ends of the silver bow were now adorned with intricately patterned ornaments. It seemed like he'd successfully upgraded the bow using the Tuslam's Token.

"It's been a while."

"Have you been well?"

The twins sported joyful expressions.

Karin wore her hair in a long ponytail, and her eyes were covered by frameless, horn-rimmed glasses.

On the other hand, Soren, who gave off a calm vibe, wore her hair in twin tails and was garbed in purple robes. She was also holding a metal staff in her hand.

"How about you?" Kang Oh asked.

"We've been good."

"Yep!"

Soren replied softly, while Karin replied more forcefully.

"Do you have Yumas?"

If you wanted to explore the Great Forest, then a Yuma was a must.

"I have one."

"I obviously have one." Karin shook her whistle, which was used to call the mount.

"As I told you before, we're going to the Great Forest's central region, so prepare yourselves," Kang Oh said.

"Bleh, you don't need to worry about us so much. We're not newbies, you know." Karin puffed up her cheeks.

"She's right." For once, both twins had agreed on something.

Soren and Karin were middle rankers, and they had almost broken into the top 100. They were skilled players who did their jobs well, regardless of where they went.

"Nagger," Sephiro muttered. However, Kang Oh had heard him.

He widened his eyes and stared right at Sephiro. 'What did you say?'

"Ahem, I got some dust on my bow!" Sephiro avoided his gaze, immediately pulled out a clean cloth, and began 'cleaning' his bow.

"Tch. Let's go!" Kang Oh clicked his tongue and led the party.

Miu! Myu! Miu!

Kang Oh's party rode on their Yumas and headed for the Great Forest's central region.

An hour later...

"This is the central region," Kang Oh said.

They'd finally reached the central region.

"How much farther do we have to go?" Soren asked.

"About 30 minutes or so. However, we have to kill monsters along the way, so it'll take even longer."

"Phew, it's crazy far." She was sick of how far it was.

"It is," Sephiro said.

Kang Oh carefully watched his surroundings. After all, he never knew where or when a Calabro, a Giant Kruger, an Amtaurus, a Maucrocker, a Ripplesia, etc. would show up.

How much time had passed?

Kang Oh's Yuma stepped over the ground, except it wasn't the ground. A giant mouth with sharp teeth shot up and tried to devour him whole.

It was a monster crocodile, or Maucrocker, a monster extremely skilled at camouflage. Kang Oh instantly drew Demon Sword Akanhoff and Demon Sword Blood, kicked off his Yuma, and leapt into the air.

Tempest Tiger!

His purple blade unleashed a golden tiger aura, which flew right into the Maucrocker's mouth.

Boom!

Kyahahk!

The Maucrocker writhed in pain, revealing its giant body. Kang Oh safely landed on the floor, and his Yuma disappeared into the brush.

However...!

It wasn't alone.

The Maucrockers lunged with their giant heads, intent on devouring the other three Yumas. But the Gravity Witch, Soren, immediately cast a spell.

"...Mysterious gate!"

Acceleration Gate!

A purple ring formed in the air. Should a person pass through this ring, their speed would be increased significantly.

Miu!

Her Yuma, which ran through the Accelerating Gate, quickened, and was able to nimbly dodge the Maucrocker's sharp teeth.

"Taste the desert's hot sand!" Karin raised her staff.

Killing Heat Wind!

Whoosh!

The hot desert's wind, which gathered around Karin's staff, rippled outwards like a shockwave.

Hiss! Hiss!

The Maucrocker's bodies gave off the smell of burnt flesh, and shards of light burst out. Now it was Soren's turn.

"Oh twisted space, the mouth of the cosmos that consumes everything!"

Black Hole!

She pointed her staff at a Maucrocker, and a black hole appeared above its head, sucking it in like a vacuum. What shocking gravitational force. The Maucrocker looked over 6 meters long, yet it was devoured instantly!

Crack, crack, crack!

When the black hole disappeared, the Maucrocker reappeared, except its limbs were twisted in unnatural ways. Its body exploded with shards of light and it fell to the floor dead.

Killing Heat Wind and Black Hole were high-rank skills that Karin and Soren had just recently learned. They hadn't just been sitting on their laurels!

Sephiro pulled his bowstring. However, there was no arrow behind it. What the hell was he doing, you might ask? He hadn't gone crazy, that's for sure.

Whir.

An arrow automatically formed. It wasn't just any arrow; it was a spinning arrow made of wind! This was the Lasselpino Bow's new effect.

Tempest Arrow!

The wielder could spend MP to create an arrow. The more MP the wielder spent, the more powerful the arrow became.

Ting!

Sephiro shot the arrow, firing a projectile akin to a blue and green screw bar, which struck a thick skinned Maucrocker's head.

It possessed both shocking power and penetration! However, that was only the beginning. Tempest Arrow had an infinite number of uses.

This time, Sephiro shot a Tempest Arrow in tandem with a Giant Hunter skill.

Sun Piercing Arrow!

The Tempest Arrow, which already spun by itself, spun even faster through the effect of Sun Piercing Arrow.

Whoosh!

It was akin to a small hurricane.

Bam!

Not only had the arrow pierced through the Maucrocker, but it caused it to spin like a top. With Kang Oh's help, even a Maucrocker couldn't last long.

After that, there was nothing that could stop them. They cut down any monster in their way, and advanced to Talastrum.

"Wait a second." Kang Oh saw the entrance to Talastrum, and stopped his party.

"What's the matter?" Sephiro asked.

"Should we set up the magic circle inside or outside of Talastrum?" Kang Oh asked a question of his own.

"Both have their pros and cons. If we set it up inside, then there's a higher chance that the magic circle remains undamaged/untouched. After all, you never know what'll show up in the Great Forest's central region."

Kang Oh nodded his head.

"But if we set it up inside, we may be forced into an unfavorable battle as soon as we come out of the magic circle. If there are several Tuslam around the magic circle, then we're likely to be discovered," Sephiro added.

'Hmm.' Kang Oh was briefly lost in thought, but soon came to a decision.

"Let's go inside." He'd decided to set it up inside Talastrum.

"Let's go. Let's see what these Tuslam or whatever are made of." Karin's eyes were filled with determination.

"This'll give me a chance to cut loose." Soren, who was normally so calm, mimicked her sister's attitude.

Kang Oh's lips tingled. He wanted to say something along the lines of 'The Tuslam are strong, so keep your guard up.'. However, he feared that Sephiro would call him a nagger again, so he decided against it.

"Let's go," Sephiro said.

Kang Oh's party passed through the arch-shaped entrance.

* * *

The advantage of hunting in a party was that they could now hunt two or three Tuslam at once. When Kang Oh hunted alone, he was forced to fight them one at a time. They were so powerful that he wasn't sure he could take on two of them by himself.

Anyhow, Kang Oh, Sephiro, Karin, and Soren began with two Tuslam.

Kang Oh and Sephiro had fought them before, so they responded appropriately. However, Karin and Soren didn't have any experience fighting them, so they struggled against them.

"Kyahk!"

"Ugh."

The Tuslams' metal boomerangs instilled fear into their hearts. After all, they flew at blistering speeds, and it was difficult to tell where they were aimed at.

Moreover, they wouldn't just throw one; they'd throw several at once, so they were busy casting sand or gravity magic just to stop them.

Once Kang Oh and Sephiro began to overpower them, the twins began to show off their true skills. They would intercept the boomerangs with a sand wall, or slow them down with gravity magic, and then counterattack with a barrage of spells.

Giant's Stomp!

Snaring Sand Spear!

Soren crushed the Tuslam with gravity, and Karin shot a sand spear at him. However, the Tuslam Tribe inherently possessed great elemental resistance, so he didn't take much damage from their attacks.

If that's the case, then...

"Karin!"

"Soren!"

The twins simultaneously called for each other. It was obvious what they were planning. They were casting a combination attack.

Acceleration Gate!

Killing Heat Blade!

A sharp, hot blade passed through the Acceleration Gate, and struck the Tuslam's chest. It left behind a red mark across the Tuslam's chest, as if he'd been struck by a whip.

Soren and Karin didn't stop there.

Black Hole!

Killing Heat Wind!

A black hole, which devoured anything in its path, appeared over the Tuslam's right arm. However, the Tuslam planted his feet, keeping himself from getting sucked in completely. Only his right arm was sucked into the black hole.

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

Then, scorching desert wind swept through the Tuslam, and the small grains of sand were also sucked into the black hole.

"Ugh." The Tuslam grimaced.

The sand, which was sucked into the black hole, violently swirled around like gravel caught in a vacuum, and bashed on the Tuslam's arm.

However, he was still a Tuslam. Once the spell ended, he threw the rest of his boomerangs at the twins. At the same time, the other Tuslam, which was fighting against Kang Oh and Sephiro, threw the rest of his boomerangs at the twins too, knowingly leaving himself open to his opponents' attacks.

It seemed like they planned on killing the weakest ones first.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Eight boomerangs spun in the air!

"Unni!"

"We have to stop them!"

Soren and Karin urgently cast a spell.