Under the afternoon sun, slowly the cleared space around the newly built outpost started to fill with people. The first ones were usually commoners due to the habit to wake up earlier and were usually more hard working on the physical side of work.

Xero and Ash were among these. To both train and transport the wood human and Scaled Imp would each take from 5 to 10 branches depending the size and weight but most didn’t surpass 10 kilos each. With their strength at level 4 they could lift more than 50 kilos easily. They would support the base that was cut off with their hands while leaving the body resting on their shoulder. Then they would use their legs and allow the weight of the branches to rest on their shoulders while they use they trained to spread the weight around their body instead of force it with the arms.

Because of the restraints they were forced even more to do this since they had to keep their body from bending under the stressful pull.

Crash!

They dropped another load into a pile they had made and Xero was huffing and put his hands on his back and bent and whipped the sweat from his brows.

“You’re working so hard.” a shy voice calm from inside.

Looking at the source, Xero found Meldie as she carried a small waterskin and handed it to him.

“Thanks.” He said and turned the top and drank it filling his parched mouth. When he finished he bent over and dropped some over his head and handed the leather water container to the girl. “So? Did you go grab some as well?” Xero asked.

Meldie shook her head, “Mr Grunt taught me how to spear fish. He said someone with a bear familiar that didn’t know how to fish would always be looked down on.” She said.

Xero laughed, “As expected of that muscle head.” He said and laughed but when he noticed that Meldie wasn’t looking at him he paled, “He is behind me, isn’t he?”

Meldie nodded and he looked back at the ‘smiling’ bear. One hand was in the other and when Xero saw him he cracked his knuckles and switched hands cracking the other.

“So, muscle brain is how you think of your great master huh? Good, good.” He said grinning.

“I-I didn’t mean it!” Xero said but Grunt just kept grinning. He then grabbed Xero and lifted him and looked towards the forest.

He looked and pondered, “Let's see, the river had level 3 or 4 water beasts while the forest has level 4 to level 7 monsters. You go hunt, don’t come back without at least 10 level 5.” Grunt said.

“B-but not even when I control Ash can he beat a level 5!” Xero complained.

“THEN FIGHT WITH HIM!” Grunt shouted into Xero’s ear. His ear was ringing as he was dropped on the ground, “You’re training your physical body yet you don’t ever put it to good use. Now go.” He said and turned to the pile of wood and drew an axe.

“Ah one thing sir, I didn’t bring any bed or furniture, I was wondering if you knew how to make a hammock at least.” Xero said after taking a step.

“Priority is setting up base first, afterwards we start improving daily lives and I will be teaching you brats to do just that later on.” He said and began to chop off the small branches with the leaves and removing the treebark leaving only the shaved branches that were thick like the arm of a human male.

Seeing no comfort in the near future he called Ash and drew his sword as he solemnly drew his sword and Ash followed his order.

Without him noticing a figure walked out of the camp and noticed him entering the forest. With her hair in her common twin drill ponytails and a simpler dress and robe she looked at him exit and look towards the large bear teacher. She walked over and noticed the Halfling that had just summoned the remarkably large panda and her eye twitched as the girl jumped on its back and saddled it like a mount and it seemed happy to let her ride. She turned and moved towards the forest and left in a different direction as she approached.

“Mr. Crack” She called making the giant bearman look at her.

“Is there something you need girly?” He asked.

Her brow twitched when he called her that, most adults were respectful but this man always disregarded social rank as long as the person was a student at the academy. It was different if they were at the house but the school indeed didn’t regard rank but people naturally wouldn’t actively annoy nobles.

“I was wondering if there was anything I could do?” Univa asked.

Grunts brow rose a bit as he put his axe down, “You're the one with the blue salamander.” He asked and she nodded. He scratched his chin and picked up the axe and started chopping. “Well like most people you have three options, Hunt or forage, go fish, or gather the lumber around the camp.” He said.

She didn’t know how to reply, obviously she didn’t want to get dirty foraging and she also didn’t know what is what or if it was poisonous, fishing even less since she didn’t want to get wet as for getting the wood she never considered it. Her physical fitness wasn’t that high even when she was tutored in swordsmanship and did it daily but her physical strength is only level 2. Her salamander has level 4 status because of the magic and its ability to fly and dragon blood but his strength is only level 3, endurance level 4, speed, both land and sky, is level 4.

“I’ll hunt.” She said.

“Then hunt 10 level 5’s.” Grunt said and she stopped.

“I can’t kill level 5.” She said.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I told the boy.” He said and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder and when she looked she saw Xero. “Fight alongside your familiar.”

He said and didn’t regard her anymore.

She frowned and crossed her arms. She pulled at the sword she trained with and her magic wand and then summoned her salamander.

“Scout.” She ordered and the Salamander hissed and took flight as she walked towards the forest.

Entering the forest she was pouting and complaining. “How dare that big muscle head make me do menial work of commoners.”

After a bit she heard a Hiss and thump as her Blue Salamander landed. “Did you find anything level 5?” She asked.

The salamander turned and began to walk and she followed and after a bit the salamander stopped and 100 meters in front were a large creature.

“A steel horned Whitetail buck!” Univa exclaimed to herself. She quickly crouched down and looked at the large Whitetail deer with glittering horns.

It was indeed a Steel Horned White Tail, a doe would be a Glitter back Whitetail Doe and would usually be level 3 since the male was physically stronger and had the horns which were an extremely hard and sharp item. Besides the horns the entire skeleton was just as hard since the horns were also bone after all.

“Sneak around the back and mount it and bit the neck and grip the back. Hold it in place.” She ordered.

The salamander hissed quietly and folded its wings close to its body and began to move close to the ground while going through all the bushes without making a sound.

She also began to walk quietly while minding her step and each step she would look up. The ears Buck was still grazing on some of the leaves and would look around every few moments and when it lowered its head she would move closer.

When she as 6 meters from it her salamander jumped out and beat its wing and hissed as it jumped on the back of the Buck.

It reared up like a horse would and began to try and buck the lizard off but it chomped down on the neck and the claws hooked the back. At this time she began to run forward but as she got up the buck noticed her and its eyes burned with fury and in its pain it lowered itself and its head and suddenly rushed.

“KYA!” Univa.

When the Buck started to run she suddenly heard a voice shout “Run!”. Next she felt a hand suddenly grab her waist and they were flying away really quickly.

“ASH NOW!” The owner of the voice said and when she looked she found Xero putting her down and drawing his sword.

“You!” She exclaimed but he quickly ran back. At this time something came from the bushes and impacted the side of the Steel Horned Whitetail Buck. The force of the impact toppled the creature and the salamander on its back let go and jumped away before it went and bit the neck once it was down.

On the side of the now thrashing animal that was locked on the ground was Ash and Xero was running to meet it.

“Get on this side and injure the legs and stab into the underbelly!” Xero ordered.

Ash quickly moved and circled the creature and as Xero arrived, Ash stabbed right into the leg and Xero stabbed into the underbelly and the imp followed and stabbed as well.

The Deer bellowed out and began to struggle but with an aimed stab he pierced the heart and the struggle quickly died out.

“Done!” He exclaimed, far off where he dropped her, Univa watched as the boy grinned at the win and watched as he pulls out a vine rope and tells the Salamander to let go but it wasn’t responding and looked ready to rip the meat out.

“STOP!” A cry from Univa caused the salamander to stop its action and remove its jaw.

Xero tired to front legs and told Ash to fly over a tree branch.

“What are you doing here? Stealing my catch?” Univa asked as she ran forward and met Xero.

“Nope, was hunting and heard the bellow of the deer, when I arrived I saw you about to be trampled.” He said and Ash landed beside him at that moment and the rope was properly over a large branch. He took it, “Help me pull.” He told Ash and the two began to pull and soon the body of the deer was suspended.

“What are you doing?” Univa complained.

“Bleeding it of course? Or are you going to let the blood remain inside after hunting something for the meat to become ruined?” He asked.

“Eh?” The girl was confused by his question and the boy could tell the girl knew next to nothing about hunting so he just shook his head and then removed the butcher knife from his bag and moved the hind leg out of the way before cutting into it and doing the same to the other one. They cut the arteries and a lot of blood began to gush out.

The girl’s stomach clenched and she looked away but the salamander walked over and licked the blood as if drinking water.

He didn’t mind the salamander, different creatures have different morals, humans don’t believe in drinking the blood of another creature, after all, blood is the life of another creature so humans consider it a taboo, while animals don’t possess that.

“So? Why did you stupidly charge at a raging animal?” Xero asked.

“What do you mean stupidly! I was hunting that beast!” Univa shouted and looked at Xero. “And how dare you touch me!” She shouted blushing.

Xero rolled his eyes, “Fine, I guess next time I’ll let you get trampled by whatever creature that will run you over.” He replied with a frown.

An awkward tension filled the air and soon the deer was completely bled and he dropped it and removed his rope.

“There, since you found it first you can take this catch.” He said and turned before walking off.

After he was gone she couldn’t help think “Why is it so hard to act normal?” She asked herself and sighed. She looked at the deer and took out an empty bag and stretched it before starting to stuff the deer from the hind legs and soon the rest was slowly swallowed by the bag.

With just a small increase in its weight she nodded, “Let’s go!” She said went back to ‘hunting.’

From a short distance Xero sighed as he looked at the girl, “Since she doesn’t want help that's fine.” He shrugged and turned, Ash came back momentarily Xero followed him and found a large lizard that reminded him of the salamander of the girl.

“A forest salamander, its level 4 so many it’s a good thing to feed ash.” He muttered. He pulled out his monster encyclopedia and made sure of this and found these monsters are level 4 when adolescent and it was possible to see if it was an adult if it had spikes on its back or not. The Adolescent was level 4 and 5 depending its size and the parents are level 6-10.

He looked at the far off salamander but didn’t find it spikes on its back but there was one come out at the base of the head meaning it had begun to grow up to adult stage meaning it was a level 5.

In the time since he left he caught two level 5 alongside Ash, he fed the imp one and the other he kept after bleeding.

Watching the salamander he saw that it was eating a captured prey and it made it hard for Ash to time it properly since he couldn’t see details but that was why he would control the timing.

Guiding as quietly he had him glide around the trees and hide when the imp was making noise that alerted the reptile but as it looked up it saw nothing.

After it looked back down he moved Ash above the lizard. Due to the large bones over the eyes, as long as the lizard did not move its head either sideways up look up it wouldn’t see above itself. Salamander don’t have eyes like Alligators that is open really wide.

Slowly Xero himself moved forward and stopped 10 meters away. A safe distance to jump away, with an order with the mental link Ash dropped down putting his weight on the sword in his hand.

“KISHIIIII!” A pained hiss came from the salamander as the sword crosses its body. The next order followed and Ash let the Sword go and suddenly jumped at the neck and gripped it while mounting on the back. The body was almost 3 meters long with half of that as tail. Gripping the neck near the head Ash starts to force his body straight. Planting his feet on the ground slowly he pulls the head back revealing the belly and at this time Xero jumped and in three bounds he shoved all that momentum into his sword point and stabbing through the chest and ribs. With a crack the ribs broke and they stab the organs while the sword guts a part of the heart and stabs the lung.

“KIISHHIIIIIIIII!!” It writhes around and rolls around and smashes Ash off his back and suddenly the tail splits at its base and starts wiggling but this isn’t a common beast, this is an blind imp that follows the source of mana and a human. If the tail had a large amount of mana inside then it might have confused Ash but not Xero.

With a mental order Ash stood limped a bit and jumped and landed on the back gripping the hilt of his sword. The Salamander hissed but Ash quickly pulled the sword out bring blood with it and stabbed down at the base of the neck and a crack was heard and one final order he gripped with two hands and twisted the sword and severed the vertebrate.

The body slumped down as blood dripped out. Xero soon appeared with the tail and sighed. Getting Ash off he looked at the tail and gave it to him, “You can eat that.” He said and stored the lizard.

“KYAA!!!” A loud shout suddenly came from the other direction and Xero knew who the owner of the voice was and strangely it was coming in his direction

“KKIISSHHAAAA!” A loud hissing roar came after and suddenly she broke through the underbrush and spotted Xero and instantly ran behind him.

“KILL IT!” She shouted.

“Kill what?” He looked at her confused.

Crack! BANG!

The sound a tree breaking and following drew his attention and what he saw was a huge green lizard just like the one he had killed but this one was 15 meters long and on its back was many spikes and its head had several horn jutting out like a crown.

Xero was stunned and then glared at the girl, “You actually provoked a Forest dragon!” He shouted.

“I thought it was a forest salamander!” She shouted.

“A SALAMANDER DOESN’T HAVE HORNS!!!!” Xero shouted. He was lucky he had stored the body of the salamander and the Ash has a quick eating rate. “What the hell did you do to it?” He asked.

“I had Scales fire a ball of fire at its eye to blind it.” She said and he facepalmed himself.

Hiss!

A hiss came from the forest dragon. This was an evolution of Forest Salamanders and they are beyond level 10.

“Univa, quickly throw your arms around my shoulder.” Xero whispered.

“Why?” She asked.

“Just do it.” He said and she did so and Xero reduced his restraints and called Ash over slowly and lowered the restraining force but took the sword since it would be lost with what will happen.

“Hold on tight.” Xero said and suddenly jumped making the girl follow and when he started to fall he grabbed her legs and held it tight putting her in a piggyback ride and then he stopped off the tree branch he jumped near and then gave the mental order to Ash, “Stall it for time!”

Doing that he started to run and Ash jumped towards the Dragon while he ran away.

A roar came and sudden crashing was heard.

“KYAA!!” Univa was shouted in his ear but he still turned to see what was going on only to all when he saw the Dragon bulldozing through the forest.

He quickly let his body drop to the forest floor and suddenly he hopped and used his newly developed high powered jump to propel himself through the forest as fast as he could go.

The dragon wasn’t faster than him only because of the trees that were constantly being broken and crushed. On its back Ash was holding onto its horn trying to claw it but it was simply to weak.

“Claw the eye!” Xero shouted through the link and kept hopping. He needed more time to reach the clearing to alert Grunt so that he could beat this thing to the ground.

Ash began to follow his order and grabbing scale by scale he got closer to the eye and when he was over it the Dragon hissed and its eye grew wide when the obsidian claws suddenly stabbed into the eye. It reared up and crashed heavily into a tree while Ash was clawing further and started to bite and eat the eye.

Xero and Univa had already left them behind again and didn’t see the grotesque sight.

From behind they heard a roar and a moment later a red pearl flashed into Xero’s seal.

“Damn it died.” He cursed and tried to push his speed faster and soon he saw the clearing but suddenly he heard an even more enraged crashing and looking back through the corner of his eye he saw the forest dragon with a bleeding eye. It’s green scales were bright red as it went berserk and was catching up quickly. He paled and ran even faster as he began to move his mana to his legs and suddenly he burst almost twice as far and broke out of tree line and another jump and he covered a large part of the clearing as he made his way to the outpost.

A really powerful roar came and the dragon suddenly broke out of the treeline and entering a clearing it suddenly picked up speed as if something added boasted the creature with a buff spell.

“OI brat! You brought something nice back!” Grunt shouted grinning as he saw the Forest dragon. The axe in his hand fell on his shoulder as he grinned.

“JUST KILL IT ALREADY!” Xero shouted.

Grunt bellowed out a laugh and took the axe in his right arm and made an arch as he suddenly threw it with blinding speed. The axe fly past Xero and Univa and ended smashing right in the middle of the Dragon’s head but it bounced off since it wasn’t some powerful weapon but the strength behind it caused the dragon to stop and when it did and shook its head it only had enough time to see Grunt appear above its head and his fist landed on the head before the entire body smashed down and the head caved in.

“Bahahahaha! Good good!” He bellowed as he clapped his hand as if dusting something off. “It’s been a long time since I ate forest dragon! Not only that but this beauty is a female level 14!” he said and wiped the drool off his lips.

Xero who had collapsed with Univa when the shock wave from the punch pushed himself up and pushed the girl from his back while his arms and legs trembled and his breath was ragged.

“Damn it Grunt!” He cursed and got up, “Don’t throw a damned axe right beside my head! What if I miss step and it cleaves my damned head off?!” Xero shouted at the teacher.

“Ahahaha! Don’t mind the details boy! Hows this! I’ll give you 2 meters of the tail for your imp, i’m sure it will evolve with such a healthy dose of mana.” He said.

Xero clicked his tongue and looked back at Univa.

“So how did you attract such a big one?” He asked.

“Wasn’t me.” Xero said and Grunt looked at the miss that had been holding onto Xero and he raised his brow.

At this time the other teachers came outside.

“Mr Crack! What is the meaning of this?!” Miss Gilbody asked as she looked at the exhausted girl and the dragon.

“Ah the brats were running from this little bugger, they sure had the right choice of action they could have died if they didn’t return.” Grunt said.

“A Female forest dragon? It should be breeding season around this time isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yep.” Grunt grinned.

“Alright…” She turned to the other teachers. “Follow the mess the dragon did and obtain the eggs. They will be good additions to the Forest training zone once they grow up.” She said and turned to the children. “Don’t be so reckless next time.” She said.

“It was her, she came running back suddenly after meeting it and I had to carry her all the way back!” Xero said pointing at Univa who suddenly looked back.

“Don’t blame it all on me! If you ran without provoking it with your familiar you think it would go berserk!” She shouted back.

“If you didn’t mistake it for a damned Forest Salamander you wouldn’t have caused trouble to begin with! And who attacks a massive lizard! The only huge monsters that should be attacked are low leveled herbivores!” Xero shouted back.

Sparkes began to fly between the two.

“Alright brats, don’t fight, each of you did good and brought back something more valuable, call out your Familiars and let them eat part of the tail, for you missy it will help your salamander advance more since it will eat dragon meat and blood.” Grunt said and took the axe on the ground and suddenly chopped two sections of the tail and put a large section in front of Xero and another for the girl.

Xero glared at her and grabbed the end of the tail and lifted it easily before turning and walking into the camp.

She was left to summon her familiar there and have it eat it all there before they walked back into the camp with what remained.

News of the dragon spread quickly and the meat was distributed all around as well as the other hunted prey.