Adlet knew that time would not be on his side. The night had fallen only recently., and he wouldn't be able to stall long enough for daylight to give him more options. If he waited too long, it would give the wolves enough confidence to attempt a collective attack.
He needed to take the initiative—but attacking one wolf meant exposing himself to the other two.
He quickly came up with an idea to turn their teamwork against them and set his plan into motion. He advanced toward the wolf in front of him while keeping his gaze on the one to his right, letting it know he had seen it in order to discourage it from attacking.
All of this was meant to force the third wolf to strike from his blind spot.
He had managed to dodge before without even realizing he was under attack, so he believed he could reproduce that feat now that he was fully aware and focused.
However, he couldn't afford to miss this chance—otherwise, his assailants would realize that solo attacks didn't work. As expected, the wolf behind him lunged for his throat.
Adlet barely had time to dodge and twist around before bringing his Aura-reinforced fist down with all his might on the creature's skull.
The wolf dropped instantly, dead. Raw striking power wasn't the young boy's specialty, but while these wolves had advantages like agility and teamwork, endurance clearly wasn't one of them.
The two remaining creatures didn't flee at the death of their kin; on the contrary, they seemed even more aggressive now.
Adlet, now aware that a single well-placed blow could finish one of them, stayed cautious—because that truth worked both ways: a single bite from their powerful jaws could easily end his life.
He also knew his previous tactic wouldn't work again, and he feared he might not get another real opportunity to finish the fight. Worse—what if more wolves joined in?
Faced with that thought, he devised a new strategy. He discreetly grabbed the paw of the dead wolf lying on the ground behind him, hiding his hand as he crouched.
He then carefully slid his feet across the dirt to close the distance with the two wolves in front of him. When he judged it small enough, he swung the corpse horizontally, using it as a makeshift weapon to surprise his opponents with its extended reach.
The motion was fast enough to strike the first wolf head-on, while the second was merely thrown off balance.
Adlet instantly leapt toward the latter and delivered a fatal blow to the back of its neck. He then stayed alert for a moment, expecting another ambush, before realizing the danger had finally passed.
The lifeless bodies of the three wolves released their vital stamina, which flowed into the boy as he slowly regained his composure.
The day had been eventful, and Adlet decided it was time to rest. He climbed back up the tree where he had made his bed and lay down.
He thought back to his earlier battles, surprised by the strength that had allowed him to crush his opponents in a single strike. He soon fell asleep with a satisfied smile, determined to finish his trial the next day.
Small rays of sunlight were enough to wake Adlet, who felt perfectly rested after the night's sleep.
He jumped down from his branch and set off with renewed energy, planning to venture even deeper into the Dark Woods in search of his final opponent.
He had an excellent sense of direction thanks to his years of forest exploration, so finding his way back would be no problem.
Adlet had learned that Apex beasts would not flee when they detected his presence—unlike the usual game he hunted.
Still, he chose to move quietly, knowing overconfidence would be dangerous.
He had been traveling for several hours through the immense forest when he arrived in a more open area where a peaceful river shimmered through the trees.
"Apex needs to drink too," he thought, realizing he'd have a better chance of finding what he sought by following the river's path.
It took him only about thirty minutes to make his first encounter—a bear, standing just under two meters tall, was catching fish in the middle of the river.
The animal had its back turned, allowing Adlet to approach unnoticed. He wasn't sure if it was an Apex or not; its size wasn't particularly extraordinary for its species.
Only when he got closer did Adlet notice the two forward-curving horns on the bear's head—a clear sign it was indeed an Apex, and therefore worthy of being his final opponent.
The boy deliberately made his presence known by stomping the ground to see how the beast would react.
It turned toward him and rose on its hind legs in a menacing stance.
In addition to its horns, it bore a white, spear-shaped marking across its chest.
Unimpressed, Adlet calmly walked toward the animal, stopping at the riverbank. Now within striking distance, the bear lashed out with a powerful claw swipe, its talons gleaming.
The young boy stopped the attack mid-swing, grabbing the paw and tightening his grip with his Aura until the bones cracked. He then yanked the beast out of the water with a single motion.
The wounded animal roared in pain before lunging again, jaws wide open. Once more, Adlet stopped the attack effortlessly by striking its muzzle, forcing it to shut its mouth, then followed with a crushing blow to the skull.
The creature collapsed heavily, releasing its vital stamina as proof of death.
"That settles the test," thought the boy.
Suddenly, the forest's calm was shattered by the sound of countless birds taking flight about a hundred meters away.
Adlet felt a surge of danger and sprinted away from the noise, leaving the riverbank for the cover of the dense forest.
The commotion was approaching fast, so Adlet decided to hide in a nearby bush, afraid of being spotted before he could escape.
Peering through the leaves, he saw a massive creature appear at the river—a bear similar to the one he had just slain, but far larger.
As it approached the body of its fallen kin, it rose onto its hind legs and unleashed a terrifying roar. The beast stood over five meters tall, its claws and horns far longer and sharper than the smaller specimens.
Adlet quickly realized this creature was on an entirely different level from anything he had faced. He froze, knowing he wouldn't stand a chance in a direct confrontation.
The enormous bear began sniffing the air, and Adlet understood immediately: if the beast caught his scent, it would all be over.
He looked down at his own hand, still dripping with his previous foe's blood, and panic began to rise—he would be found.
The bear was closing in, sniffing the air in his direction. Adlet needed a solution fast.
Should he fight? Every instinct screamed it was a bad idea.
Running wasn't an option either—the creature would notice the slightest movement, and it was clearly much faster.
Then, an idea struck him. He tore off part of his sleeve and wiped the blood from his hand before tying the cloth around a nearby stone.
He then dug into the soil and grabbed a handful of dirt.
The bear was now only a few meters away, still tracking the scent, muzzle close to the ground.
Taking advantage of its lowered guard, Adlet flung the dirt into its eyes with all his strength.
The beast roared in pain and confusion, and Adlet used that moment to sprint toward the river. He leapt into the water, hurling the blood-soaked stone in the opposite direction, deep into the forest.
Meanwhile, the bear, struggling to regain its sight, thrashed wildly around it in fury.
When its vision cleared enough to see that no one stood before it, it resumed tracking the scent—toward the river.
Adlet, still submerged and holding his breath, had bet everything on the river masking his scent and the olfactory decoy luring the beast away.
Through the water, he saw the massive creature charging past him, continuing its pursuit of the false trail.
Relief flooded him as he watched the danger move away. After waiting a few more seconds, he surfaced and quietly headed in the opposite direction.
He had been running for several minutes when he finally calmed down enough to realize he should move slowly and silently now—to avoid another unwanted encounter.
He followed that plan, determined to leave the Dark Woods behind and return to his master now that his trial was complete.
After hours of walking, Adlet finally reached the massive wooden wall marking the forest's border. He followed it until he found a gate and rang the small bell to signal his presence.
After about ten minutes, the gate opened, revealing his master and the Protector who had guided them the previous day.
"It seems it wasn't an easy journey," said Lathandre, noting his student's dirt-streaked clothes and weary face.
"It wouldn't have been a real test if it had been too easy," replied Adlet.
"Well done on returning safely," said the village Protector.
"Not just safely—victorious," replied the boy.
"Congratulations, then! Your master has done excellent work with you. My role ends here, if you'll excuse me," the man said, bowing slightly to Lathandre.
"You're not going to verify my success?" Adlet asked.
"That's not my role. To be officially recognized as a Protector, you must go to Darwin Academy. I simply give aspirants the opportunity to become one," the man explained.
"I see. Thank you for everything, sir," said Adlet, as the man walked back toward the village.
Once he was out of earshot, Lathandre turned to his student.
"Tell me what happened in there," he said.
The boy recounted everything as night began to fall—his fight with the boar, the wolves' ambush, his final victory over the bear, and his escape from its colossal kin.
"How would you rate the strength of your opponents?" asked the master.
"Well… for the first three fights, I think they were much weaker than me. But that giant bear was on another level entirely—I felt like I had no chance of winning," said the boy, looking downcast.
"You know that Apex are ranked according to the level of their Aura and their species rank. The boar and wolves you fought belong to Rank 1 species, all named after this region.
They were 'Dark Boars' and 'Dark Wolves.' You were roughly at their level. So how do you explain that you perceived them as weaker?" asked Lathandre.
"In truth, a bit of strategy was enough to gain the upper hand, and my strength was enough to finish them with a single blow. I just needed to avoid their attacks and turn every situation in my favor," answered Adlet.
"The main difference, then, was your sense of analysis and reasoning. That's the greatest advantage a Protector has over an Apex. But it becomes harder to maintain as you face higher-ranked species.
You see, the same phenomenon that allows animals to alter their physical traits over generations—like a butterfly evolving wing patterns to match its environment—is at play here.
It's their will to survive, giving birth to new species or passing traits down through generations to increase their potential as predators. This inherited will can even carry information about other species and the experience of their ancestors. Thus, the combat sense of a high-ranked species exists from birth—vastly superior to that of the beasts you fought here," Lathandre explained.
"What kind of creatures are you referring to, Master? Beasts like the bear I escaped from?" asked the boy.
"That bear was a 'Horned Bear,' a Rank 2 species. The smaller one was likely a youngling with Rank 1 Aura, while the larger had Rank 2.
Creatures with Rank 1 Aura barely deserve mention—and Rank 2 isn't much more impressive.
In our kingdom, the strongest species are believed to reach Rank 5—beings infinitely stronger than that bear," replied the old man calmly.
"I can't even imagine how such creatures can exist…" said Adlet, visibly shaken.
"One of the test's purposes was to train your animal instinct. That instinct helped you gauge your enemies' strength, sense danger, and flee when facing the Horned Bear.
The problem is, your instinct isn't sharp enough yet. You can't accurately measure the power of stronger beings.
In truth, though fleeing was safest, with the right strategy you might have been able to defeat that last opponent. But your body simply screamed 'run' when faced with something stronger than you,' unable to properly measure that strength," analyzed the master.
"How can I train my instinct?" asked the boy.
"That comes with experience. It will grow as you continue exploring dangerous regions and increasing your own Aura."
"So I could try the Dark Woods again?"
"No. Dangerous zones are only accessible to Protectors and aspirants during their tests. If you wish to enter such places again, your next step is joining the Academy to be officially recognized as a Protector—but that will only be possible in about three months," explained Lathandre.
"What will we do until then?" asked Adlet.
"Darwin Academy is located in Tray, our capital, thousands of kilometers away at the heart of the kingdom. Those three months are the time I planned for the journey.
We'll first return to your village to make your departure official and say goodbye to your parents before heading out. I've sensed your strength has grown after absorbing so much vital stamina, so you'll train even more along the way."
"Very well, Master. I can't wait to leave!" said the boy, his eyes shining at the thought of finally discovering the kingdom.
And so began their journey back to the village of Eos. Adlet's heart raced—every step promised a new challenge, a new test of his strength.