A week later, on a bright morning in Gondalwa Village, Rawin and Valien had finally finished their preparations.
"Morning, Valien!" Rawin greeted cheerfully.
"Morning, Rawin. How's your preparation going?" Valien asked.
"I've packed enough rations and medicine. What about your training?"
Valien smirked. "Of course. I've improved ten times compared to when I was stuck in the clinic."
"Oh, that's great! So, shall we head out now?" Rawin asked eagerly.
"Yeah, we're heading south of the village, right?"
"Seems like it," Rawin replied, then leaned closer. "By the way, do you know anything about the Golden Greever Leaf scout the Elders mentioned?"
Valien shrugged. "Not really. Their identities are usually kept secret, especially those with Golden Leaves. That level of scout is far above us."
"I see… but still, I can't help wondering why the Elders would entrust such a dangerous mission with only one scout."
Valien chuckled. "Didn't Elder Darvish already explain the ranking system? Even the lowest-ranked hunter could take down a single Greater Glossy Beast. Imagine what someone with a Golden Leaf could do—probably a hundred times stronger."
"Yeah, true, but still—"
"Enough," Valien interrupted sharply. "If you keep talking like that, we'll still be standing here next month. Let's move and train along the way."
"Hmph, not fun at all," Rawin muttered.
"You're really asking to be grilled and turned into meat, aren't you?" Valien snapped.
"Relax, it's a long journey. We need to save our energy," Rawin replied with a grin.
Frustrated, Valien stormed off ahead, leaving Rawin behind.
"Haaah, he's so quick to anger," Rawin sighed, following shortly after.
Not long after, as Valien traveled south, two Greater and three Norma Glossy Beasts suddenly ambushed him.
"Damn it—why are they here? This is still far from our target area!" Valien cursed as he fought, clearly exhausted from his previous training.
Rawin, who was a short distance behind, heard a terrifying roar.
"Wait, that sound… Glossy Beasts?" he muttered, sprinting toward the noise.
When he arrived, Valien was barely standing, his movements sluggish.
"Hey, idiot! Why are you fighting alone when you're already exhausted?" Rawin shouted.
"Shut up! I'm not exhau—" Valien collapsed mid-sentence, out of energy.
Rawin sighed. "Unbelievable… still pushing yourself like this."
He swiftly finished off the remaining beasts and set up a small camp nearby.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked, checking on Valien, who was still unconscious.
Hours passed, and night fell. Valien finally stirred awake, blinking in confusion.
"Wh–what? Am I still alive?"
"Of course you are, idiot," Rawin replied, annoyed.
"Wait, Rawin—why are you here? What about the Glossy Beasts?"
"I killed them all, obviously."
"Hey! Stop calling me an idiot!" Valien protested.
"But it's true," Rawin shot back. "Didn't I tell you to conserve your strength? You claimed you could handle a Greater Beast, and yet you were struggling against a few weaklings."
"I was just… caught off guard! I didn't even use my serious mode yet!"
"Oh, really?" Rawin smirked. "Then maybe next time I shouldn't help you—since you have that oh-so-powerful 'serious mode.'"
"W-wait! That's not what I meant," Valien stammered.
"Sure, sure," Rawin teased.
"No, really! I'm grateful, Rawin. Elder Warsen assigned this mission to both of us—working together, not alone."
"Hmm… I'm not so sure. He only said to complete the task, not necessarily together."
"Come on, Rawin, this isn't a solo mission," Valien pleaded.
"Fine," Rawin said at last, smirking. "I'll work with you—on one condition."
"What condition?"
Rawin leaned in and whispered something to him.
"W-wait, that's too much!"
"So you'd rather go alone?"
"N-no, fine! I'll do it…" Valien sighed, regretting his choice.
"Good," Rawin grinned wickedly. "You'd better rest now. Tomorrow's going to be tough."
"Why does this always happen to me…" Valien groaned.
The next morning dawned clear over southern Gondalwa.
"Valien," Rawin said as they scouted ahead, "according to Elder Warsen's report, there's one Alp Beast, ten Greater Beasts, and a hundred Norma Beasts in this area. Ready?"
"I'm ready," Valien replied firmly.
"Alright, let's begin."
Moments later, Valien disguised himself in a Glossy Beast hide, slipping among their ranks to divide them into smaller groups.
"Whoa, I didn't think you could actually pull that off," Rawin said, impressed.
"Hah, easy work for a young hunter like me," Valien said proudly.
"Alright then, shall we start with the Norma Beasts?"
"Sounds good."
Together, they wiped out all one hundred Norma Beasts with little effort.
"Next are the Greater Beasts," Valien said, tightening his grip on his weapon.
"Stay sharp," Rawin warned.
"You too," Valien replied.
The battle was fierce, but soon only one Greater Beast remained—until suddenly, the Alp Beast Valien had lured away returned, roaring furiously.
"Valien! Didn't you say you led it far enough away!?" Rawin shouted.
"I—I swear I did! I don't know why it's back!"
(Don't tell me it planned this... it waited until we were exhausted, just to strike now.) Rawin thought grimly.
They fought desperately, but exhaustion overwhelmed them. Just when defeat seemed certain, a cloaked figure in a dark blue hood appeared from the shadows—loosing a single arrow straight through the Alp Beast's head. The massive creature fell instantly.
"Are you two alright?" the stranger asked in a calm voice.
"Y-yeah... thanks to you," Rawin said.
"Yes, you saved our lives," Valien added weakly.
"The mission is complete. You should rest before returning to the village," the figure said, turning to leave.
"W–wait!" Rawin called. "At least tell us your name, sir!"
The figure paused. "Not now," he replied. "It's a secret. But I'm certain we'll meet again, Rawin and Valien."
With that, he vanished into the darkness.
Rawin looked at Valien. "Do you think... that was the scout Elder Kaelith mentioned?"
"Yeah," Valien nodded slowly. "I think so too."
That night, under a sky filled with countless stars and a bright silver moon, the two young hunters rested beside their campfire—grateful to be alive, and unaware that this encounter would mark the beginning of something far greater than they could imagine.