Seeing that his father didn’t bother rummaging through the razorback’s corpse to find a Monster Core, Wolf felt confused.

“Is it possible that this boar wasn’t even a Third Order Monster Beast?” In the end he couldn’t help it. He had to ask.

Up until now Monster Beasts he killed were all below Third Order, but he couldn’t believe that even this boar didn’t make the cut. How strong were Third Order Monster Beasts then?!

“This is just a normal animal with a hint of draconic bloodline. If the dragon blood running through its veins was thicker then it would’ve developed a Monster Core. However, real Monster Beasts were hunted down in this region long before I was born. Maybe through some mutation the concentration of dragon blood could improve or become thicker. But that’s just in theory, in reality it should be very unlikely.”

“How strong was it then?”

“Somewhere between Third and Fourth Order, I’d say. But you can’t determine that without a Monster Core.” Archibald replied as he examined the mess before him.

Properly processing a wild boar would take over two hours. Unfortunately Wolf had ruined the hide while they were fighting, so there was no point skinning the creature. The head could be stuffed and turned into an ornament, but cutting it off would’ve also been a chore.

In the end Archibald decided to take the choice pieces of meat. Even then he was muttering curses about how tough the beast was.

“Dad, if the meat is so tough, why are you taking it?” Wolf asked from the side. He’s father’s been going at it for a while now.

“It makes for decent, crispy jerky if you cut it thin enough. Alright. We’ve wasted half an hour just to get some meat. Do you want to go further into the forest?” Archibald asked, wanting to hear a no.

He was very satisfied with his son’s progress. True, the boy made a number of mistakes, but never made the same one twice. If you ignored the consistent underestimation of his enemies.

“I want to go deeper.” Wolf insisted, causing his father to sigh.

Of course you do…

Archibald wasn’t surprised by Wolf’s call. The boy had yet to meet a real challenge. Even this razorback was a tough opponent only because it was a bad matchup for Wolf. And based on the way his son was frowning it was apparent that he had also realized this.

“Once you rest enough you can continue your hunt.” Archibald said reassuringly, inwardly lamenting that there was nobody around that could assure him that everything will turn out well.

As Archibald had already noted, his son was frowning. Wolf was actually upset with how useless his weapon was. Regular long-swords weighed between one to two kilos, but this one didn’t even have half a kilo. While the blade itself was extremely sharp, the only way it could pierce tough defenses was by letting the monsters impale themselves on it. Which is why Wolf acted the way he did when killing that deer a couple of days ago.

Wolf wanted them to go now. His father had already taken half an hour to butcher the pig and, as far as Wolf was concerned, he was already rested enough. But when he saw the no nonsense look his father was giving him, along with those crossed arms, Wolf decided not to argue. Instead they moved a bit away and then settled down for another quarter of an hour.

“I think I’m ready to continue.” Wolf got up and saw his father nod approvingly.

Pleasing adults is such a chore… Wolf thought, as he started randomly wandering, looking for his next target. After roaming for another hour Wolf noticed an interesting set of prints.

“Bobcat!” He whispered excitedly.

“No son, those are too big for a bobcat. Those are mountain lion’s prints.” Archibald felt uneasy as he gazed at those tracks.

The cat that had left that trail outweighed a grown man. If you added in the fact that its hide was probably tougher than that of a normal mountain lion, this was a creature that could pose a lethal threat to Wolf. Doubly so if the boy stubbornly insisted on not using magic during the fight.

Wolf on the other hand was thinking the exact opposite. A mountain lion was the perfect opponent for him to practice his swordsmanship! But, his father wanted him to polish his Mage skills, not the fighting style of a Sword-Sage. Wolf preferred fighting with a sword over the verbal style of combat Mages used. He didn’t know why, but standing still and chanting while fighting felt wrong for some reason.

That boar was a perfect training dummy for a Mage, due to its lack of agility. Yet Wolf stubbornly hacked at it for ages instead of simply using a single Sixth Order spell to finish it off in one shot.

Seeing the glint in his boy’s eyes, Archibald took a deep breath. How should he broach this without sounding panicked or like he was preaching?

“Son, mountain lions are dangerous animals. Even the regular kind. They are ambush predators, so it’s unlikely you will be able to stalk one. You won’t be able to charge into it swinging your sword like you did with that pig. The best thing you can hope for is not to get ambushed yourself.”

“I don’t think a mountain lion can ambush me. But even if it can, I still want to give it a shot.” Wolf was adamant.

This was the first serious opponent he had encountered ever since entering this forest. Everything else he could laugh off and hack at in a carefree manner. He even sent that groundhog flying with a kick! What kind of a danger zone has raging groundhogs?!

“All right. In that case, promise me you’ll use proper magic. Slow the mountain lion or kill it with an Arcane Storm...” Archibald started making suggestions on strategies Wolf could use, but Wolf didn’t like any of them. They all boiled down to fishing in a barrel.

“Dad, I’ll use Warrior’s Transformation and maybe Subtle Swiftness. I can easily cast it while dodging the mountain lion’s attacks. That should be more than enough.” Warrior’s Transformation would increase Wolf’s strength, agility and double his weight, pushing it to well over one hundred kilos. That would allow him to parry the mountain lion’s attacks without getting blown away after every exchange.

When Archibald heard his son’s plan he cringed. Wolf obviously planned to fight the mountain lion head on, instead of using magic to kill it from a safe distance.

“Son, mountain lions are dangerous, especially if they manage to ambush you. Normal ones would flee from a head on confrontation with a manling, but the ones with a draconic bloodline have a fiery temper…” Archibald saw that his words were falling on deaf ears.

I hope nothing bad happens. Worst case scenario I could do That… No, I wouldn’t have time for a proper True-Naming, but I could kill it with an improvised spell.

“Don’t worry dad. I know what I’m doing.” Wolf said reassuringly, not reassuring his father one whit.

No, you don’t. In fact you don’t even have a clue! That’s why I brought you here. If you knew what you were doing you would be bored when encountering a first or Second Order equivalent draconic animal, like that deer, or a Fourth Order equivalent boar. Archibald had a lot to say, but kept his mouth shut.

The best way to learn was through experience and your own mistakes. It’s just that, as a parent, he found it incredibly difficult to let his son do stupid and dangerous things. And all the while he had to remain silent. It was really a heart-wrenching feeling, of which Wolf was completely oblivious as he started walking hurriedly towards his goal.

After following the tracks for a while Wolf suddenly stopped. He raised his finger up to his lips and pointed towards a distant tree. Archibald squinted and after a while noticed the well-hidden cat waiting in ambush in the tree’s crown. Despite the patches of red scales it managed to conceal itself masterfully. If Wolf hadn’t pointed it out, Archibald would never have noticed it on his own.

I’m getting old and my perception is rubbish now. Back in my prime I would’ve noticed it long ago.

While Archibald felt dejected, Wolf’s hands and lips moved quickly as he muttered the arcane chant for the Warrior's Transformation. The spell had an extremely short duration. Wolf had to win in a minute and a half, otherwise he would be the one to lose. For that eventuality Wolf planned on using Arcane Storm to instantly kill his enemy when the Warrior's Transformation was about to expire.

The chant ended and the ground beneath Wolf’s feet sank a bit more. Bending his knees, the boy sprang into action, madly dashing towards the crouching mountain lion.

The predator was startled by the sudden noise. Even though the large cat froze up for an instant, it recovered before Wolf reached it.

*Hiss!*

The monster hissed at the boy before pouncing straight at him. Wolf, who was running at two-thirds his speed, took all of it in and immediately knew what to do.

Go under!

Suddenly Wolf sped up. That way the mountain lion would leap over him.

When he was a step away from the monster Wolf ducked. The mountain lion swung its paw at Wolf and missed, but the boy saw an opening. Using this opportunity he stabbed the mountain lion’s exposed belly.

*Howl!*

An enraged roar echoed through the forest. The wound was fatal, and the beast knew that it was already dead. Pain and unwillingness transformed the mountain lion into a demon. It turned around, swiping its wicked claws at Wolf, all the while screaming in rage!

“Ugh!” Wolf grunted as he parried the blow.

Using the force behind the mountain lion’s claws he jumped back, trying to open up a bit of distance.

Space, I need space now! That gash on its belly will kill it quickly!

Unfortunately, the mountain lion wasn’t accommodating. The frenzied cat bounded after Wolf, ignoring the pain of its wound for the sake of bringing this manling down with it! Wolf didn’t even have the time to breathe. The monster clawed at him while hissing, growling and whining in pain! Behind it a horrid trail of red marred the lush green of the forest.

*Parry! Parry! Step back. Step…*

Wolf stayed calm and focused on defense. He wanted to do the same thing as with the boar, but the cat was too fast, its assault too furious. Its attacks didn’t let up even for a moment. Finally it struck with its both claws in such a way that dodging one blow would leave Wolf open to the other.

Wolf clearly saw both blows coming and fully awakened his senses. Time slowed down to a crawl. Then it slowed even more as Wolf ran several scenarios through his head.

They will land right and then left. Parry on the right, instead of retreating step into the blow. That way… Yes! That way I’ll have enough time!

Wolf lunged towards the mountain lion’s paw. He smashed his sword with all his might in a one handed fashion. At the same time a frying pan appeared in his left. With a slight flick of the wrist, Wolf placed the pan as a shoulder guard.

“Son, watch out!” Archibald shouted a warning seeing what the mountain lion did, but he was far too late.

*Bong!*

The tough draconic claw struck the frying pan a moment after Wolf parried the other paw. Using this momentum Wolf’s body twisted to the side. In a spinning slash he cut off the still upright monster’s head!

At least that’s what he wanted to do.

The blow to the shoulder really did allow him to make the half-spin he wanted. However, the weapon was too light. It failed to hack all the way through the mountain lion’s neck. Instead of severing the head, the blade got stuck after cutting through the spine. The effect was more or less the same, just less flashy.

Blood fountained and the mountain lion’s body dropped limply to the ground.

This damn sword is useless! It’s like trying to cut things with a feather! Is only the tip supposed to be used for slashing? That doesn’t make any sense!

While Wolf was cursing inside and trying to figure out what the catch was with his overly light sword, Archibald stared in disbelief. The execution of the final stroke was unfortunate. He wanted to say it was sloppy, but there was nothing sloppy about it. Everything was done perfectly, even the block with the frying pan, which was there to add momentum and aid Wolf to move into a better position.

If it was anyone other than his son he would applaud their daring and skill for dancing on a knife’s edge. But it was his son that did this! What if the claw slid off the pan? It could’ve torn open Wolf’s neck like it was nothing! What if the cat launched another attack in the instant when Wolf made an opening to cut its head off?

In the next moment a loud roar from afar snapped the big man back to reality.

Trouble!

Archibald’s Lessons:

Even though they appear identical on the outside, Rings of Holding vary based on the size of the extra-dimensional space they contain.