"They're fast," Aston smirked. "But we're faster."

"Sling!" he barked.

The krait hissed and exhaled, thickening the poison mist. The wolf howled and rolled away, back towards its master.

From above, Mirage shifted angle and dove. A streak of icy light carved toward the scarab mid-flight, catching it with a glancing slash. It discharged defensively, with lightning bolts snapping out. But Umbra slid into its shadow just before the impact and dragged the insect downward.

The trio of boys hesitated.

"D-Don't let them regroup!" the purple-robed one shouted.

Genevieve tossed a vial toward the field. It erupted in a wave of condensed wind, then an attracting force gathered the mouse, scarab, and the wolf into the center of the explosion. The mist surged outward, then inward, reaching dense concentrations.

Yosef grinned. "Still think we're tired?"

The trio hesitated again. Their beasts had taken real damage already, while Aston's team moved like a single machine - efficient, overwhelming, relentless.

The scarred leader gritted his teeth.

"Retreat. Now!"

But it was too late.

Umbra emerged behind him, fangs bared and glowing with energy.

Void Fang.

The attack struck the leader's shadow, jolting his body with a backlash. He stumbled, pain flashing in his eyes.

Mirage circled overhead, frost gathering once more.

Gray yawned lazily from the boar's back, stretched, and then… vanished.

A black shadow appeared beside the youth with goggles, claws flashing in a razor arc.

The youth barely managed to block with his arm, his bracer splitting from the impact. "What the hell is that cat?!"

"Trouble," Aston answered sharply.

"Last chance," he added with a cold voice. "Run, and we won't bury you with the beast."

The trio exchanged a look. Their beasts were already faltering, feeling the aftereffects of Sling's poison.

Then, defeatedly, they turned around and ran, dragging their wounded spirit beasts behind.

The tension faded.

Gray returned to Aston's shoulder and resumed grooming itself like nothing happened.

Yosef cracked his knuckles. "Guess the lazy cat can fight."

Genevieve exhaled, lowering her guard. "Good thing they didn't stick around any longer."

Aston nodded silently, his eyes trailing their retreat.

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"Let's finish harvesting before someone else shows up."

Yosef knelt beside the Earthrend Ravager Boar, blade in hand, and began slicing through the thicker parts of the hide. Although it was as hard as a rock, he used some tenderizing reagent in order to slice through it like jello.

"We're not gonna be able to harvest much," he muttered. "Most of this is either cooked from the fight or too heavy to carry."

Aston nodded, crouching beside him. "Focus on the core flesh around the heart and spine. Those parts will carry the highest spirit energy density. And cut along the outer ribs. They might be tasty."

Genevieve scanned the area with a wary glance, then flicked her wrist. A silver ripple passed through the air as a spatial ring shimmered around her finger.

"I'll store the good parts in here," she said casually.

Yosef's knife stopped mid-slice. He blinked. "Wait, wait. You have a spirit ring?!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes? Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because those things cost a fortune! I thought you were broke like the rest of us!"

"When did I say I was broke?!" Genevieve sneered. Just so you know, I came from— Never mind," she paused, unwilling to say more.

Yosef groaned. "Well, we have a young miss over here."

Genevieve smirked and reached down to scoop up the wrapped cuts, tucking them effortlessly into the spatial ring. "Be grateful. This just saved us hours of struggling with sacks."

By the time the sun reached its peak, they had stripped the boar clean of its core components. They carved the muscle bands, marrow essence, crystallized nerve clusters, its meat, and the other tusk for proof. They gathered the remains and, after a quiet moment, buried what was left in a shallow grave under one of the fractured rock beds.

"We don't want to have a repeat of what happened earlier," Aston said.

"Also, a bit of dignity for the beast," Yosef replied, patting the dirt flat.

Aston stood, wiping his hands on a cloth. He sent a thought to Nova.

Nova, guide us out towards the exit.

The holographic interface flashed briefly in front of his eye.

[Route locked. Estimated time to exit: 1 hour and 27 minutes]

He turned to the others. "Let's move."

With the midday light slanting through the leaves and shadows stretching, they left the clearing behind.

They walked in silence for a while, the crunch of boots over roots and fallen leaves the only sound between them. The forest had begun to quiet again.

Aston glanced sideways at Yosef, who still had streaks of dried blood on his forearms. "That carving earlier," he began, "you know exactly where to cut. You trained for that?"

Yosef blinked and chuckled. "Spirit Beast Anatomy. Have read a book about it. Also, my cousin is a butcher in my town. Have seen him cut through pork lots of times. Since the target was a boar, their anatomies barely differ."

Aston nodded thoughtfully. "Think I could learn it? I've got decent memory."

"Sure," Yosef said, grinning. "I'll teach you the basics when we enter the academy. I can even quiz you with bones if we find more corpses."

Genevieve, walking just ahead, turned slightly and glanced over her shoulder. "Aston," she said, her tone curious, "the cat fought off just a while ago. The owl can also fight decently. With beasts like that, you'd easily qualify for combat placements. So why are you registered under the Scouting Arts Division instead of Spirit Combat?"

Aston looked ahead. The filtered sunlight flickered across his face as he answered quietly, "Because I awakened with red potential."

Genevieve's eyes narrowed slightly. "Red?"

Yosef was surprised. "Someone so talented has only red potential?"

"Yeah," Aston said, brushing a low branch aside. "No one expected much. Gray was already with me back then. It was just a stray kitten I raised. When I contracted it, it was seamless. But Mirage had a better potential. When I tried forming a contract, it nearly failed. I couldn't stabilize it at first."

Genevieve tilted her head, "So you hid your strength?"

Aston gave a wry smile. "Well, what is strength when faced with potential? I can be strong later on but that will be it. The lower your potential, the harder it is to advance your spirit profession rank further."

Yosef said, "There are elixirs that can boost your potential to orange, but they are expensive."

"I know. Let's just further our studies at the academy for the moment. Maybe next year, I'll be able to buy that elixir," Aston smiled wryly.

My potential will show orange by next year. I'll have to get the elixir and do the same protocol with the Crimson Genesis Elixir all over again.

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