Chapter 132 — The First Hunt Together

The forest was quiet.

Kael sat beneath a massive tree, watching the three infants sleeping around him.

The baby Shadow Lion was curled against his leg.

Its tiny crimson eyes were closed, and one paw rested on Kael's boot.

The baby Verdant Serpent had wrapped itself around a low branch above him.

Its small head occasionally moved whenever it sensed something nearby.

The baby Bone Sovereign sat several meters away.

It wasn't sleeping.

The tiny skeleton simply sat beneath another tree, blue flames flickering inside its eye sockets.

Kael stared at the three of them.

They were strange.

Completely different from the three ancient Legendary Beasts he had known.

The old Shadow Lion had been proud and fierce.

The old Verdant Serpent had been cautious and calculating.

The old Bone Sovereign had been ancient, patient, and terrifyingly knowledgeable.

These three were nothing like them.

The baby Shadow Lion was curious about everything.

The baby Verdant Serpent spent most of its time exploring.

And the baby Bone Sovereign seemed quiet but constantly alert.

They were starting from nothing.

No memories.

No experience.

No understanding of the world.

Only potential.

Kael smiled.

"So that's where we begin."

The baby Shadow Lion opened one eye.

It looked at him.

Then it yawned.

Kael laughed softly.

"You don't look very impressed."

The lion's tail moved once.

Then it went back to sleep.

Kael shook his head.

"Fine."

He stood.

"Then we'll start with something simple."

He looked toward the deeper forest.

"Hunting."

The New Rules

Kael didn't allow the three infants to fight immediately.

They were too inexperienced.

Even ordinary monsters could be dangerous if they were careless.

So he created three rules.

First—

Never fight an enemy you cannot escape from.

Second—

Never attack without observing first.

Third—

Never depend on a single ability.

The three infants obviously didn't understand the rules.

The baby Shadow Lion simply stared at him.

The Verdant Serpent flicked its tongue.

The Bone Sovereign's blue flames flickered.

Kael sighed.

"You're going to learn."

He opened his hand.

A thin System window appeared.

[Beast Training Mode activated.]

[Three independent beast growth paths detected.]

[Synchronization with Host: Beginning.]

[Warning.]

[Infant Legendary Beasts possess extremely high growth potential.]

[Current combat experience: Minimal.]

Kael looked at the screen.

That last part mattered.

Their potential was enormous.

But potential wasn't strength.

Just like his own Metal Control had once been far beyond his actual ability to use it.

He understood that better than anyone.

"We're not going to rush."

The Shadow Lion stood up.

Its tiny ears pointed forward.

Kael smiled.

"Exactly."

The First Monster

They traveled deeper into the forest.

Kael moved slowly.

He wanted the infants to experience the environment themselves.

The forest was completely different from the pocket world.

There was sunlight.

Wind.

Normal vegetation.

Birds.

Insects.

Natural sounds.

For Kael, it was almost peaceful.

For the three infants—

it was an entirely new world.

The baby Shadow Lion constantly stopped to investigate things.

A strange flower.

A moving insect.

A branch falling from a tree.

At one point, it attempted to chase a butterfly.

Kael caught it by the back of the neck.

"No."

The lion looked offended.

Kael sighed.

"That isn't prey."

The Verdant Serpent slithered around a nearby tree.

It was clearly more interested in climbing than hunting.

The Bone Sovereign simply followed Kael.

Then—

Kael stopped.

His expression changed.

Something was nearby.

He raised one hand.

The three infants immediately stopped.

Kael activated Threat Analysis.

[Creature detected.]

[Species: Iron-Claw Boar]

[Level: 5]

[Grade: Common]

[Traits: Thick Hide, Charge, Enhanced Musculature]

Kael looked toward the bushes.

A large boar emerged.

Its body was far larger than a normal animal.

Two metallic tusks curved upward from its mouth.

It sniffed the air.

The baby Shadow Lion lowered its body.

Kael held out his hand.

"Wait."

The lion glanced at him.

"Watch first."

The boar looked around.

Kael waited.

The infant's eyes remained fixed on the monster.

Its body slowly lowered.

Its tail stopped moving.

For the first time—

the baby Shadow Lion was hunting.

Kael smiled.

"Good."

The boar suddenly charged.

The Shadow Lion moved.

It didn't attack head-on.

It jumped sideways.

The boar passed beneath it.

The lion landed.

It turned immediately.

Its tiny claws scratched the boar's back.

The attack barely damaged it.

The boar turned.

The lion jumped away again.

Kael watched carefully.

The infant wasn't strong enough to kill the boar.

But it was learning.

Movement.

Distance.

Timing.

The boar charged again.

This time, the Verdant Serpent moved.

It dropped from the tree.

Its tiny body wrapped around one of the boar's legs.

The boar stumbled.

The Shadow Lion attacked.

Its claws struck the same area.

A small wound appeared.

The boar roared.

The Bone Sovereign stepped forward.

Blue flames flickered.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

The tiny skeleton raised one hand.

A faint blue spark appeared.

Then disappeared.

The Bone Sovereign looked at its own hand.

It seemed confused.

Kael smiled.

"Not yet."

The three infants stopped.

The boar charged again.

Kael finally stepped forward.

His Metal Control activated.

A small piece of metal flew through the air.

It struck the ground in front of the boar.

The animal stopped.

Kael looked at the infants.

"Finish it."

The Shadow Lion moved first.

The Verdant Serpent followed.

The Bone Sovereign raised both hands.

This time—

blue flames appeared.

A tiny skeleton hand formed from blue energy.

It struck the boar.

The creature collapsed.

The forest became quiet.

The three infants stared at the fallen monster.

The System appeared.

[Group Hunt completed.]

[Host assistance detected.]

[Beast participation: 73%.]

[Combat experience distributed.]

Kael looked at the three.

"You all contributed."

The baby Shadow Lion's tail moved excitedly.

The Verdant Serpent raised its head.

The Bone Sovereign simply looked at the fallen boar.

Then—

a notification appeared.

[Baby Shadow Lion.]

[Level increased.]

[Level 4.]

Another followed.

[Baby Verdant Serpent.]

[Level 3.]

Then—

[Baby Bone Sovereign.]

[Level 3.]

Kael smiled.

"That's your first level."

The Shadow Lion immediately looked proud.

Kael laughed.

"Don't get arrogant."

Three Different Paths

They continued moving.

As the day progressed, Kael noticed something important.

The three infants were developing completely different combat instincts.

The Shadow Lion was aggressive.

It loved moving forward.

It relied on speed and direct pressure.

The Verdant Serpent was cautious.

It preferred positioning, restraint, and waiting for openings.

The Bone Sovereign was the strangest.

It rarely attacked first.

Instead, it observed.

It watched the monsters.

Watched Kael.

Watched the other two.

And whenever a useful opportunity appeared—

it tried something new.

Kael found that fascinating.

"You three are going to become completely different."

The Shadow Lion jumped onto a rock.

The Serpent climbed a tree.

The Bone Sovereign sat beneath the tree.

Kael looked at them.

Then smiled.

"Good."

He didn't want three copies of the same creature.

He wanted three independent beings.

Three different companions.

The Second Battle

The next monster appeared near sunset.

This time, Kael didn't intervene immediately.

The three infants sensed it themselves.

The Shadow Lion stopped.

The Verdant Serpent froze.

The Bone Sovereign turned its head.

Kael stayed silent.

[Monster detected.]

[Species: Blackback Wolf]

[Level: 8]

[Grade: Elite]

[Traits: Pack Instinct, Enhanced Agility, Blood Scent, Coordinated Hunting]

Kael frowned.

This was different.

The creature wasn't alone.

Three more appeared behind it.

Four Level 8 Elite wolves.

Kael didn't move.

The Shadow Lion growled.

The Verdant Serpent backed toward the trees.

The Bone Sovereign raised its hands.

Kael spoke quietly.

"Remember the rules."

The wolves spread out.

The Shadow Lion stepped forward.

Kael immediately noticed the problem.

It wanted to fight first.

But the wolves were smarter.

One wolf moved left.

Another right.

Two remained directly ahead.

The lion was being surrounded.

Kael didn't interfere.

He wanted to see what it would do.

The Shadow Lion suddenly sprinted.

It attacked the nearest wolf.

The wolf dodged.

Another wolf lunged from the side.

The Verdant Serpent moved.

Its body wrapped around the wolf's leg.

The attack missed.

The Shadow Lion turned.

The Bone Sovereign raised its hand.

This time—

the blue flames didn't disappear.

A small skull-shaped projectile formed.

It flew toward one of the wolves.

BOOM.

The wolf was knocked backward.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Good."

The Bone Sovereign had finally produced a stable attack.

The Shadow Lion immediately noticed.

It changed targets.

The Verdant Serpent tightened its grip around another wolf.

The Bone Sovereign continued firing small blue projectiles.

The battle became chaotic.

But slowly—

the three began adapting to one another.

The Shadow Lion became the attacker.

The Serpent became the restrainer.

The Bone Sovereign became the ranged support.

Kael watched carefully.

He didn't interfere.

The final wolf charged toward the Bone Sovereign.

The Shadow Lion intercepted it.

The Serpent wrapped around its rear leg.

The Bone Sovereign fired.

The attack hit.

The wolf collapsed.

Silence.

The System appeared again.

[Cooperative combat successful.]

[Combat synchronization increased.]

[Three-beast coordination: 1%.]

Kael stared.

"Synchronization?"

The System displayed more information.

[Synchronization does not merge consciousness.]

[Each beast remains an independent individual.]

[Synchronization represents combat compatibility and teamwork.]

Kael smiled.

"Perfect."

The three infants stood together.

The Shadow Lion looked excited.

The Verdant Serpent looked alert.

The Bone Sovereign's blue flames flickered calmly.

For the first time—

they looked like a team.

The Night Camp

That night, Kael made camp near a small stream.

He started a fire.

The three infants stayed nearby.

The Shadow Lion slept beside him.

The Verdant Serpent curled around a branch above the camp.

The Bone Sovereign sat beside the fire.

Kael looked at them.

Three ancient bloodlines.

Three new lives.

Three completely different futures.

The three adult Legendary Beasts had given him enormous power.

But these children—

these infants—

would become something else.

Something that had never existed before.

Their own identities.

Their own choices.

Their own paths.

Kael smiled.

"We'll do this properly."

The baby Shadow Lion opened one eye.

The Verdant Serpent slowly lowered its head.

The Bone Sovereign's blue flames brightened slightly.

Kael looked toward the forest.

"Tomorrow, we'll hunt stronger monsters."

His expression became serious.

"And this time, I won't help."

The three infants looked at him.

Kael smiled.

"You're going to learn how to survive without me."

Far beyond the camp—

something moved between the trees.

A System notification appeared.

[New Hunting Zone discovered.]

[Recommended difficulty: Level 10–15.]

[Potential boss detected.]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Perfect."

The three infants were ready.