Chapter 10 – Departure from Red Winter Forest
Jonathan soon left, joining his uncle as they began packing up and preparing to head further into the forest. Apparently, they are only a week away from reaching the other side of the forest. After another half day of walking, they would then arrive at a city called Evergale. Evergale is the biggest city in the Eastern regions of this Kingdom, the Falcio Kingdom.
Now alone, the little kitten once again went into meditation, ready to practice this cultivation technique to make a breakthrough into the late stage of Minor Rank. She first traveled her Subconscious Eye towards her chest and quickly found her own soul. It was rather small, no bigger than a pearl and It glowed a light blue colour that was calming to the eyes. It also seemed to pulse, almost like the beatings of a heart. After letting out a readied breath, the little kitten got to work and started to redirect her aura into the soul. It seemed to work quite naturally and she could faintly feel her soul change as she did this. She could feel her soul becoming more and more concentrated and could see it pulse brighter at an incredibly slow pace. She could tell that this was going to take quite a while for her soul to be ready to evolve and make a breakthrough to the late stage. An hour passed like this and she only stopped when a familiar voice sounded in her little ears and broke her concentration.
"Little lass, it's time to head out." It was naturally Jonathan.
"Meow!"
"I'm gonna carry you in my arms, so feel free to continue your cultivation. 'Kay?"
"Meow!"
Jonathan picked her up and laid her comfortably in his crossed hands, giving her soft fur a few pets every now and then. In this comfort, she was barely distracted as she continued to meditate, her mind constantly at work, fueling her soul with a constant stream of aura. Hours passed before she and the rest of the group suddenly heard a loud growl from afar.
"That's a powerful roar! Most likely a Transcended Beast. Jonathan, join me. Everyone else, stay back." Uncle Kil immediately responded, his four limbs were in a martial pose in a flash.
"Sorry little lass, you're gonna have to part with this young master for a little!"
Jonathan stuck his tongue out before placing her in the hands of one of the Wilderwolf soldiers. With quick steps, the uncle and nephew duo vanished in a great leap as they headed in the direction of the loud roar. At the same time, the little kitten could hear loud foot steps bellow closer and closer in their direction. Eventually these two forces clashed and she could feel an intense wind streak pass her fur as a loud thunderous boom was emitted in the direction of the clash.
"Everyone, retreat backwards! Their magic is so powerful it can hurt us even at this distance!"
One of the soldiers barked, sweat rolling down his face as a look of anxiety hit him. Minor Transcended beasts are powerful beasts, even for a magician of the Spirit Rank like Uncle Kil.
"Meow!"
Seeing the worrying looks around her, the little kitten looked on anxiously as the surrounding men retreated by around a dozen feet. Meanwhile, in the darkness of the forest ahead, clashing sounds could be heard and the flashing of sparks could be seen. Minutes passed until finally they could hear a loud pitiful howl... the sound of death. The faces of all the men brightened immediately.
"Haha! They got it, we'll get some good spoils from this one!"
"Is this our second Minor Transcended Beast then?!"
"Sigh... It only took them less than five minutes. Those two really are world class Magicians."
"Yeah, Young Master is only 16, yet he's already at the peak of Inner Haven Rank!"
"I heard he's also closing in on his breakthrough."
"What? If he becomes a Spirit Rank soon... That's gotta be close to the record in Falcio."
The little kitten was amazed at what she heard. These bumbling morons were that amazing?
'I mean, I knew they were powerful... But, to think they are that well regarded. It seems I have hit the jackpot by having these people be the first people I encountered in this world.'
"Hahaha! Look it this, boys!" Uncle Kil's cackle roared aloud as he came sauntering back to the group dragging a large carcass behind him. The beast was double, no triple the size of a person. It had brown and black fur over it's whole body, it had large claws on its bottom feet, but even larger claws on its upper feet. It's teeth were so large, they spilled out from it's mouth, showing off its fearsome fangs that, even while dead, gave off a fearsome presence.
"Th-that's a Dark Fang Beast!... They're one of the most powerful Minor Ranked Transcended Beasts! Even more powerful than the One Eyed Ape!"
"Well done, Master, Young Master. The claws and teeth alone will be worth at least 200 gold each."
"Even more importantly, the Haven Organ will be worth 1000 gold! Hahahaha! Quickly, little nephew, store it in your Magic Pocket! my one's getting full."
"Yes, Uncle."
With that, Jonathan detached a small leather bag that was hanging from his waist and unstrung it. When the little kitten peaked into the bag, all she could see was darkness, an unusual darkness that stayed dark even in the light of the sun. Jonathan then raised his right hand towards the Dark Fang Beast corpse and using magic, lifted it towards the small bag held in his left hand. The little kitten looked on confused. What was this fool doing? But then, the bag seemed to act like one of the most terrifying things she had seen in her previous world. The hoover! With a powerful suction force, the corpse was dragged towards the bag, and then the corpse started to become distorted as it was dragged into the darkness of the bag. This greatly shocked the little kitten and she squealed in surprise.
But when she thought about it, things she had previously wondered about had begun to make sense. She had been wondering where all the beasts they had killed went as well as the tents when they moved. She hadn't been paying much attention because she had been engrossed in her own experiments and training, but now these questions had been answered.
"Hahahaha! The look on your face, little lass! It's priceless." Jonathan's laugh interrupted her thoughts and she Realized her mouth had been hanging wide open the whole time. She clenched her teeth hard, glaring at Jonathan with distaste. But how could the glare of a cute little kitten shut Jonathan up? He just laughed louder and even Uncle Kil and some others joined in to her annoyance.
"Hahaha... Okay, that's enough. We should continue on. Here, return her. I can't get enough of her soft fur!" Jonathan relented.
'Ah, he is a pervert!' The little kitten was passed over and she was now back in Jonathan's hands, however, she was now on guard. 'If he attempts anything with me, I'll claw his face off! Hmph!'
"Hahaha. What're you thinking, little lass? Don't worry, I ain't into bestiality. Hahaha."
"Meow!!"
'And I ain't into... What's the word for being interested in human?... Well, whatever, it's not like he can understand me...' The kitten's eyes suddenly turned solemn. 'I can't wait for half a year passes and they give me this communicator thing they've been talking about. I'll finally be able to talk to humans... Then I'll show you whose the boss. Hmph, hmph!'
★★★
Days passed in relative peace. All the while, the little kitten continued the cultivation of her magic, growing ever closer to her breakthrough. The Uncle and Nephew duo continued to slay more and more of the Magical Beasts of this forest. They even slayed another Minor Transcended Beast. But finally, after another week had passed, they had finally reached the edge of the forest.
"That's the end of the forest, Master, Young Master!" The excited voice of one of the Wilderwolf soldier's rang out.
"Ah, so it is. Little Nephew, what city are we going to again?" Uncle Kil turned to Jonathan and asked.
"Ah, you've got as terrible a memory as always, Uncle!" Jonathan quipped.
"Shut it, punk. Let's see how good your memory is when you reach my age. Now what city is it?" Uncle Kil grumbled.
"Haha. We're going to Evergale, Uncle. And by the time I'm you're age, I'll definitely go beyond Spirit Rank and gain a Reformed Body like my father!" Jonathan's held absolute confidence and determination.
"Hmm... You're gonna have to work hard kid. I've been stuck at Spirit Rank for decades and I was also praised as a genius as a kid. You're gonna need a lot of talent and a lot a luck, got that kid?!" Uncle Kil suddenly turned serious, speaking wise words that were unlike him.
"Yes, Uncle!" Jonathan answered confidently, he knew the path ahead was not as simple and certain as his previous words made it out to be.
"Enough of this, we've gotten off track. Alright men, let's depart from Red Winter Forest. We're off to Evergale City!!" Uncle Kil swung his sleeves and continued to walk forwards, the end of the forest in his sight.