The return journey was noticeably quieter than the march out. The excitement of the morning had long since faded, replaced by the pleasant exhaustion that followed a productive day. Every member of Leon's group had successfully absorbed four compatible blood essences. Only the fifth hunt had ended in rejection for Leon and Ethan, while the others had managed to find compatible fifth essences. The twin moons were already climbing into the sky by the time the wooden gates of the frontier outpost came into view.
The guards on duty pulled the heavy gates open. "Back already?" "Looks like nobody died." "That's always a good day." The veterans exchanged relaxed greetings with the sentries as everyone filed inside.
General Kaelen stood near the central square, his sharp eyes sweeping across the returning parties before settling on the recruits. "Good. Everyone came back alive. That alone makes today a success." The recruits straightened instinctively as Kaelen clasped his hands behind his back. "Listen carefully. The large escort ends today."
A faint murmur spread through the recruits. "From tomorrow onward, every recruit squad will operate independently," Kaelen continued. "The veterans have their own responsibilities; they cannot babysit you forever. Each team will instead be assigned a single experienced guide whose responsibility is navigation, emergency intervention, and ensuring you don't accidentally wander into territory capable of wiping you out." He glanced across the assembled recruits. "The fighting, the hunting, and the decisions—those are yours. If you never learn to rely on yourselves... you'll never survive after leaving this frontier. Dismissed."
✦ ✦ ✦
Most of the recruits immediately dispersed toward the barracks, but Leon remained standing. Kaelen noticed. "Something on your mind?"
Leon stepped forward. "One question."
The General folded his arms. "Go on."
Leon spoke calmly. "Suppose someone possessing only a Spirit Blood Seed were somehow able to personally kill a compatible Grade 1 beast. There are three outcomes I can think of: it counts as a single essence, it immediately completes the first Spirit Blood milestone, or it rejects the essence entirely because the foundation isn't mature enough. Which outcome is correct?"
Kaelen studied him for several silent seconds. "...The second. The moment you successfully absorb a higher-ranked compatible essence, your Spirit Blood advances directly into that rank. It isn't skipping steps; it is completing them. The quality of the foundation simply satisfies the requirement immediately."
Leon nodded slightly. "So compatibility alone isn't sufficient."
"No," Kaelen shook his head. "The kill must also belong entirely to you. When crossing into a higher rank, assistance loses its meaning. If another cultivator contributes enough to decide the outcome, the essence acknowledges them, and it will not submit to you. So if someone wishes to leap directly into an Ancient Spirit Blood by killing a grade 1 beast, they must accomplish a solo kill."
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Silence settled briefly before Kaelen sighed. "For ordinary cultivators, that's effectively impossible. The difference between Grade 0 and Grade 1 beasts is enormous." He looked directly at Leon. "As for you... you aren't exactly ordinary. The Soul Observer told me about your soul."
Kaelen's normally booming voice softened. "I don't know what happened, and I don't need to, but whatever life did to leave your soul looking like that... it wasn't merciful." He rested one gauntleted hand against Leon's shoulder. "You're safe here. You don't need to gamble your life every time an opportunity appears. Slow and steady wins the race." A faint smile appeared beneath his beard. "You're brilliant—like a firework, bright enough that everyone notices. But fireworks burn out almost as soon as they shine." His smile faded. "I'd rather watch you become a sunrise."
Leon met his gaze for a long moment. "...Understood." It was simple and respectful, and somehow, that made it carry more weight than a lengthy promise ever could.
Kaelen smiled. "Good."
✦ ✦ ✦
Later that evening, the group sat together outside their barracks, eating thick vegetable stew from wooden bowls. The conversation naturally drifted toward the day's hunt. Miller frowned thoughtfully. "I still don't get something. If hunting together is safer, why doesn't everyone just stay in one giant hunting party forever?"
Leon finished swallowing before answering, "Because that's only efficient at the beginning." He picked up a small stick and began drawing circles in the dirt. "Imagine there are ten compatible beasts scattered across a forest, and ten hunters. If all ten hunters stay together, only one person benefits. The remaining nine spent the entire day fighting over the same resource."
He erased the drawing, then spread the hunters apart. "If they separate, each hunter searches independently. The forest gets covered much faster, and everyone progresses simultaneously."
Miller watched quietly. "So... the bottleneck changes."
Leon nodded. "Exactly. Early on, your biggest obstacle is survival. Later, it becomes resource competition. The stronger everyone becomes, the less efficient large groups are. The Spirit Bloods themselves also diverge." He tapped the ground once. "My Spirit Blood rejected today's beast. Ethan's did too, while the others accepted it. As our Spirit Bloods develop, they'll each develop preferences. We'll naturally begin hunting different creatures, and eventually, we won't even be looking for the same prey."
The realization settled over everyone. Ethan slowly lowered his spoon. "...So eventually... we'll have to split into even smaller groups?"
Leon nodded. "Most likely."
Ethan looked genuinely devastated. "I refuse." Everyone looked at him as he added, "I've become rather attached... to surviving."
Laughter broke out around the circle, and even Adrian's expression softened ever so slightly. Leon looked at Ethan with complete seriousness. "Reasonable." After a brief pause, he added, "You'll stay with me."
Ethan immediately relaxed. "No one can get close to the legend of Ethan and Leon!"
Leon laughed. "You're entertaining. Please don't die." Another wave of laughter spread through the group, and even Miller couldn't suppress a smile.
After the laughter died down, Miller stared quietly into his bowl. "...Honestly, I'm scared."
Nobody mocked him. Leon simply nodded. "As you should be. The fearless usually die first." Miller looked up. "If you're reluctant, there's no rush. But understand something." He lifted his eyes toward the dark forest beyond the walls. "There comes a point... where everyone walks alone."
Silence fell over the courtyard as the night breeze carried the scent of pine through the camp. Leon spoke one final time. "An absolute law of the world states that if you want to walk quickly, walk with friends." His gaze remained fixed on the distant tree line. "If you want to walk far, walk alone."
This time, no one laughed or argued, and even Ethan remained unusually quiet. Beyond the safety of the walls, the endless forest stretched beneath the twin moons. Soon enough, each of them would have to find their own path through it.