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With Ash leading the group, they quietly hunted a few small animals and returned to the cave.
After cooking and eating their meal, everyone took turns resting.
The first day of the examination passed without any further incidents.
The next morning, Ash woke everyone up early.
After a quick breakfast, the group left the cave once again.
This time, they traveled deeper into the forest.
A few hours later, they encountered two magical beasts.
One was the same puma-like Shyf they had seen the previous day.
The other was a Cingy, a magical boar-like beast with thick brown hide and two long tusks.
"Battle positions," Ash ordered calmly.
This time, the team reacted immediately.
Ethan quickly began setting up defensive arrays.
Claire moved to the front with her estoc drawn, while Nina positioned herself beside Serena.
Compared to the previous day, their teamwork had improved noticeably.
Although they were still clumsy, they managed to coordinate their attacks and defenses much better.
The fight lasted several minutes.
However, the two magical beasts were still stronger and far more experienced.
Eventually, Ash had to step in before anyone was seriously injured.
Using a combination of Gravity and Earth Magic, he restrained both beasts long enough for the team to retreat.
He then led everyone back toward the cave.
Along the way, Ash continuously cast his Darkness Mist spell.
The thick black mist hid their scent, erased their footprints, and disturbed the surrounding mana, making it almost impossible to track them.
After returning to the mountain, Ash sealed the cave entrance once more with Earth Magic, making it blend perfectly with the surrounding cliff.
A short while later, the Darkness Mist finally dispersed.
The Shyf and the Cingy arrived at the area where the humans had disappeared.
The Shyf lowered its head and sniffed the ground.
It frowned.
"That human pup is really strong."
The Cingy nodded.
"He is."
"There were many chances during the fight where he could have killed me."
"But every time, he chose to restrain me instead."
"It was almost like he wasn't trying to win..."
"He was playing with me."
The Shyf looked thoughtful.
"I noticed the same thing."
"Every attack I tried to use..."
"He reacted before I even finished casting."
"It was as though he already knew what I was about to do."
The Cingy remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Maybe he's like the human lord from the made-mountain."
"The one who sometimes visits our Boss."
The Shyf slowly nodded.
"That would explain a lot."
"Ordinary humans dont even know we can talk after all."
Meanwhile, Ash and the others returned to their hidden cave to rest.
After the battle, Ash healed everyone's injuries. As the team's designated healer, it was his responsibility to make sure they were in good condition before the next day's training.
The rest of the day passed quietly.
Soon, night fell over the forest.
One by one, the other four students drifted off to sleep.
After confirming that they were all asleep, Ash quietly stood up and left the cave.
Once outside, he used Air Magic to lift himself into the sky.
As he flew higher, he manipulated the surrounding air, creating streams of hot and cold currents around his body.
The constantly shifting airflow bent the light passing through it, distorting his outline and making him difficult to spot from below.
At the same time, his irises shone with a faint rainbow-colored light.
As far as I remember from the book, Ash thought, the ruler of this forest, the Scorpicore, possesses the Eyes of Menadion.
According to the book, the Eyes don't merely grant powerful abilities. They also record everything they witness.
The Scorpicore most likely has no idea about that function.
If I can borrow the Eyes for even a short time, I should be able to access the knowledge stored within them.
Raphael immediately replied.
"You're right."
"And with my assistance, we may even be able to fully decipher the artifact."
"Once we understand its structure, we can recreate our own version."
"Combined with your Eyes of Wisdom, our ability to gather and process information will increase dramatically."
Ash nodded inwardly.
That's exactly what I'm planning.
He continued flying through the night sky while carefully suppressing his mana fluctuations.
Several minutes later, he sensed an overwhelming magical presence deep within the forest.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He had found it.
The ruler of the forest.
The violet-cored Scorpicore.
The Scorpicore was lazily resting inside her den when she suddenly sensed someone approaching from above.
A figure descended silently from the night sky and landed a few meters in front of her.
Growl!
She instantly let out a threatening growl and rose to her feet, her massive tail swaying behind her.
Ash looked at her calmly.
"You can stop pretending."
"I know you can speak."
"I'm here to talk."
Without waiting for her response, he walked to a nearby flat rock and casually sat down.
The Scorpicore studied him carefully.
After sensing that he was only a blue-cored Awakened, she relaxed slightly, though she remained alert.
"What do you want, human?" she asked.
Ash smiled faintly.
"At least you're willing to talk."
He pointed toward the pendant hanging around her neck.
"I'd like to borrow that pendant for a while."
The Scorpicore narrowed her eyes.
"You want my pendant?"
"Why?"
"And more importantly, why would I ever lend it to you?"
Ash answered without hesitation.
"It's simple."
"As long as you let me study it during my stay in this forest..."
"I'll make sure I don't accidentally kill any of your underlings."
The Scorpicore's expression immediately darkened.
"Are you threatening me?" she asked coldly.
Ash shook his head.
"No."
"I'm simply stating a fact."
"I know you've been watching all of our battles."
"If you hadn't been spying on me, I wouldn't have known you possessed the pendant."
"Since you've already observed me, it's only fair that you let me examine something of yours as well."
For a moment, the Scorpicore stared at him.
Then she suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"You really are an amusing human."
She looked down at him with an amused smile.
"Do you honestly think that just because you're an Awakened, you can challenge me?"
"And yes, I know you're an Awakened."
She expected surprise to appear on Ash's face.
Instead, he simply shrugged.
"And I know you're an Emperor Beast."
"So what?"