They left the tribe after lunch, heading into the forest. This time, Kayn was given real weapons! His daggers were no longer made of stone, but of some kind of metal.
Considering the tribe wasn't all that advanced, having those weapons meant a lot. Rahka and the others were clearly putting a great deal of trust in him by handing over something so valuable.
Besides the daggers, Kayn also had a wooden bow and a quiver with a few arrows strapped to his back. He looked very much like a hunter—and he actually liked the look.
"The forest around here does have some dangers, but nothing too terrifying," Rahka explained as they walked through the trees. "Right now, our biggest threat is the other tribes. This region doesn't have too many powerful magical beasts at the moment."
Kayn and Len listened closely as Rahka spoke. Len already knew most of this—after all, he grew up with his father and had gone out hunting more than a few times before.
At one point, Rahka crouched down. "See this trail? Can you give me a guess what it might be?"
Len was just about to say something when Rahka motioned for him to stay quiet. This moment was for Kayn—he was the one who needed to learn more about tracking.
Kayn crouched beside him and studied the mark. It was a large footprint, with clear claw impressions. From that alone, he could already tell it wasn't something harmless—this was likely a magical beast.
"I don't know the local creatures yet," he said, "but judging by the print, I'd say it's a predator. Maybe a wolf? The claw marks are pretty clear."
Rahka nodded. "That's right, it's a wolf. We call this one the Blue-furred Wolf. It's about as strong as a first-core warrior—but if you strike from the shadows, you can take it down."
Kayn didn't yet have the strength of a first-core warrior. His power could only compare to that level if he used his Void Slime—but at that moment, he still wanted to keep the slime's existence a secret.
According to Rahka, though, if he managed to strike from the shadows, he'd have a good chance of winning. After all, the creature wasn't particularly tough, and a sneak attack to a vital point could be quite effective.
"So that means I'm the one who has to hunt this wolf?" Kayn asked. "I'm not very good with a bow. I can't trust myself to hit a target from long range."
Back when he was a scout, Kayn had learned to use a bow purely out of curiosity and the desire to handle such a primitive weapon in case he ever needed it.
However, the bow he learned on was much more advanced, and he'd never actually used one in a real hunt. Because of that, Kayn wasn't confident his knowledge would be all that helpful in this specific situation.
Rahka stood up and said, "I trust you. And even if things don't go as planned, I'm here to protect you if necessary. What I really want to see is your ability to track the wolf. So from here on out, you lead the way."
That caught Kayn off guard, but he didn't panic. His tracking skills weren't the best—that much was true—but that didn't mean they were useless.
He stood up as well and began following the wolf's trail. Some footprints were easier to spot than others. Many times, Kayn had to stop in one place for a while before finding the next track and moving forward again.
Along the way, he spotted prints from other creatures—maybe even other wolves! That made it difficult to be sure he was going in the right direction.
"Do these wolves usually move in packs?" Kayn asked.
From what he knew, wolves normally traveled in groups. But maybe things were different with this magical species.
"Not usually," Rahka replied. "Only if it's a mating pair with a pup. But once the pup grows up, it leaves the parents and lives alone."
Kayn nodded. It was great to learn more about the creatures he might face. He found it fascinating that, even though they were wolves, their behavior could be so different.
It took quite a while for Kayn to finally track the wolf. To be exact, it took nearly two hours!
During that time, he got turned around a few times and went in the wrong direction, but in the end, it all worked out. He found the wolf!
Was it the same one that left that first footprint they'd seen? He had no idea—but it was definitely a wolf with bluish fur, the one they were looking to hunt.
The creature was lying down near a bush. It wasn't sleeping, but it wasn't moving either.
Unfortunately, they hadn't approached from behind—it was from the front! Rahka spotted the wolf quickly and signaled for Kayn to freeze, so they wouldn't draw the creature's attention.
"Hold on," he whispered. "It's right over there."
That made things much worse for Kayn.
"You'll have to circle around and approach it from behind," Rahka said. "Even if you use your bow, if you shoot from the front, it'll see the arrow and dodge it."
"Its reflexes are that sharp?" Kayn asked, surprised.
"Yes, they are. But do you think you can get around without it noticing you? It could be risky if it senses your presence," Rahka warned.
It was definitely going to be dangerous. If the wolf realized Kayn was there, it would charge at him instantly, leaping to sink its fangs into his neck. With his current strength, there was no way he could win that fight—maybe with great effort and the help of his Void Slime, but that was something he didn't want to use.
Deep down, though, Kayn was confident he could approach the wolf undetected. The effects of his meditation technique were already showing.
"I'll try," he said.
Rahka smiled. "Good. If anything happens, I'll back you up."
That reassurance helped Kayn stay calm. He took a deep breath and began moving toward the wolf.