The forest had become familiar. Not safe—never safe—but familiar. Leon no longer saw a sea of trees. He saw hunting grounds divided by invisible territories, each claimed by beasts with their own habits, strengths, and preferred prey. Even without Project Compass or a detailed map, patterns were beginning to emerge.
Lyra walked several paces ahead, leading the group deeper into the Grade Zero hunting grounds. "This is where we'll be separating from the other recruits," she said. "One guide for one team is the norm. Bigger groups become inefficient once everyone starts developing different compatibilities."
"So we're officially adults now?" Ethan asked.
"You'll regret saying that in a few years."
"I already regret paying taxes."
Leon looked at him. "Wrong world."
"Details."
Maya, Miller, and Davis chuckled while Adrian, as always, remained perfectly expressionless.
✦ ✦ ✦
Their first hunt came shortly afterward. A rocky burrow concealed a pair of Ironback Moles whose reinforced skulls could crack stone with repeated impacts. Almost immediately, Leon and Ethan's chests grew warm.
"...Compatible."
Leon smiled. "Six."
Lyra merely pointed. "You've handled enough beasts. I'll only intervene if necessary."
The group spread naturally with no commands and no hesitation. The charging mole hit Davis's angled shield with a violent screech, its momentum shearing sideways into the dirt rather than stopping head-on. The beast barely had time to recover its footing before Adrian capitalized on the opening, driving his spear into its shoulder—a strike that didn't kill it, but forced the thrashing creature to veer directly into Miller's sweeping low kick. As its hind legs buckled and the mole stumbled blindly forward, Ethan was already stepping inside its guard, using the animal's own falling weight to guide his spear straight through its exposed throat.
Its body collapsed. Ethan absorbed the blood essence without ceremony as the crimson stream disappeared into the Spirit Blood Seed resting beside his heart. The tiny silver seed pulsed once before becoming quiet again.
✦ ✦ ✦
The second hunt belonged to Maya. A flower mantis capable of blending perfectly into blooming shrubs ambushed the group. This time, Maya landed the decisive strike, and the blood essence answered only her.
"Hexa-essence," she noted. "Six."
✦ ✦ ✦
By noon everyone had advanced another step. Leon reached six, Davis reached seven, Adrian hit six, and Miller hit seven. The progression felt steady and predictable until they encountered something none of them expected.
A fox with shimmering silver fur emerged from between the roots of an ancient tree. Its movements were elegant, its eyes calm, and it looked almost curious. The fight itself lasted only moments. After the beast died, everyone instinctively waited.
Nothing happened. There was no warmth, no resonance, and no calling. Lyra nodded approvingly. "A complete rejection."
"So..." Miller asked, "nobody?"
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"Nobody."
Leon crouched beside the corpse. "So we're leaving behind perfectly usable blood?" He looked toward Lyra.
A smile appeared on her face. "Exactly. That's why we make sure someone in the squad is compatible first, otherwise we take a detour."
The corpse was left behind. For the first time, the blood essence of a beast wasn't being collected, which left the origin energy inside intact. Leon absorbed it, and rather than changing it into any other form like vitality, he let the Universal Vessel absorb it. There didn't seem to be an immediate change—for now.
✦ ✦ ✦
Their seventh compatible hunt came an hour later: a horned mountain goat. Only Adrian reacted. Then a crystal-scaled serpent: only Davis. The differences between everyone's Spirit Blood became clearer with every battle.
Until Leon stopped walking. "So did you feel that?" Ethan asked at exactly the same moment.
"...Yep."
Lyra sighed dramatically. "Again?"
Neither answered. Both stared toward the same cluster of trees. Moments later, a pair of gray wolves emerged from the undergrowth. The battle itself wasn't difficult, and once the dust settled, two blood essences floated from the corpses. Leon immediately felt one calling toward him, while the other pulled toward Ethan.
The two exchanged a glance, and Leon gestured toward the nearer essence. "Yours."
"You sure?"
"I'll get the other."
"Fair enough."
Each absorbed one essence. Lyra folded her arms. "I've genuinely never seen compatibilities match this perfectly."
Ethan puffed out his chest proudly. "The legend of Ethan and Leon cannot be explained."
Leon nodded. "Yeah the legend of Leon and Ethan is beyond human comprehension."
Ethan considered that for several seconds. "...Where did you learn the alphabet?" He looked at everyone again. "The legend of Ethan and Leon."
"I've never seen 2 people with such a high ego." Maya rolled her eyes.
Davis rubbed his forehead. "You two have known each other for, what, five days?"
"Legends aren't measured in time. They're measured in greatness."
Leon nodded solemnly. "They won't get it."
Nobody understood why they both started laughing.
✦ ✦ ✦
The afternoon continued. Another hunt brought a bark-skinned boar, compatible only with Miller. Then came a long-necked marsh bird, compatible with Maya. By sunset, the count stood at nine compatible essences for every member of the group. Only one remained.
✦ ✦ ✦
The final hunt came almost by accident. A massive black panther rested atop a fallen tree, lazily observing the small stream below. Lyra quietly raised a hand. "Perfect."
The beast noticed them and sprang, sending the fight exploding into motion. Davis caught its initial leap with his shield, Adrian's spear forced it sideways, and Maya blinded one eye with a thrown knife. Instead of panicking, the panther became even more dangerous, twisting around Adrian's thrust before lunging toward Miller.
Leon intercepted as purple Qi flooded through his muscles. In Boost Mode, he stepped inside its reach. White and black Qi spiraled around his fist for a Yin Yang Strike. Instead of aiming for the skull, he struck beneath the jaw. The white layer phased through flesh before the black energy erupted inside.
The beast convulsed, and its momentum collapsed. Before it could recover, Ethan's spear drove through its ribcage, and Leon dealt the final blow.
Silence returned. One hunt after another, the group completed their Spirit Blood. Each found its destination without hesitation.
Leon felt warmth spreading through his chest as the final essence entered the silver seed. For one heartbeat nothing happened, then the seed absorbed it completely. Its silver color gradually deepened into crimson, and tiny veins of light spread across its surface before disappearing once more. The change wasn't violent; it felt complete.
The faint rhythm inside Leon's heart grew clearer—not louder, but steadier. His perception sharpened. The countless strands of Qi drifting through the forest became noticeably easier to distinguish; what had once resembled a vague mist now possessed subtle currents and direction. Even manipulating the small amount of Qi he controlled felt smoother and more obedient.
"...That feels nice."
"It does."
One after another, the others finished their transformations. Lyra watched quietly until everyone had stabilized. "Congratulations. You've all formed your Ancient Spirit Blood." She tapped lightly over her own heart. "Your Spirit Blood is now the engine of your bloodline. It will continuously nourish your blood, improve your affinity with Qi, and gradually refine your control. And most importantly..." She smiled, "...Spirit Blood never forgets."
"It remembers every compatible beast you've overcome," she continued. "It remembers every trial you've survived. Everything you add from now onward becomes part of its foundation."
Leon rested a hand over his chest. This was a living archive—not merely of power, but of experience. He looked toward the deeper parts of the forest where stronger beasts undoubtedly waited beyond the safety of the Grade Zero territory. Tomorrow, the real hunt would begin.