The following days passed quietly.
Kael's routine never changed.
Morning.
Training.
Afternoon.
Hunting.
Night.
Rest.
Then...
The cycle began again.
Each hunt became another lesson.
Each battle polished Ripple Slash.
...
Deep within the Southern Forest...
Kael stood before another Iron Rank beast.
A Greyfang Wolf.
The beast circled him cautiously.
Its sharp eyes never left the sword in his hand.
Neither moved.
Then—
The wolf lunged.
Kael stepped forward.
Shhk!
His sword swept across the wolf's shoulder.
The momentum didn't stop.
His wrist turned naturally.
The returning slash followed without hesitation.
Shhk!
The second cut landed before the beast could recover.
The wolf staggered.
Then collapsed.
Kael remained where he stood.
His breathing was calm.
His heartbeat steady.
There was no excitement on his face.
Only thought.
...
The following hunt...
A Horned Boar.
It charged with enough force to uproot a small tree.
Kael waited.
At the last possible moment...
He moved.
One flowing motion.
Two slashes.
The beast crashed past him.
It took several more steps before collapsing into the dirt.
Kael slowly sheathed his sword.
Still...
He wasn't satisfied.
...
Days continued to pass.
One beast.
Then another.
Then another.
Each battle became smoother than the last.
He no longer thought about his footing.
He no longer thought about the second slash.
His body simply moved.
Exactly as it should.
...
Nearly two weeks after creating Ripple Slash...
Kael accepted one final mission.
The target...
An Iron Rank Black-Horned Boar.
Larger.
Faster.
Far more aggressive than the beasts he had hunted before.
The moment it spotted him...
It charged.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
Kael watched it approach.
Fifty steps.
Thirty.
Ten.
Five.
Now.
He moved.
Shhk!
The first slash cut cleanly across its shoulder.
Without a pause...
The second followed.
The two strikes flowed together so naturally they seemed like a single attack.
The boar let out a pained roar.
It tried to turn.
Too late.
Its legs gave way.
The massive body crashed heavily onto the ground.
Silence returned to the forest.
Kael stood motionless.
He replayed the battle in his mind.
Every step.
Every movement.
Every slash.
There hadn't been a single mistake.
Not one moment of hesitation.
Ripple Slash...
Had finally become instinct.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...I've mastered it."
The moment those words left his lips...
A strange warmth spread throughout his body.
Not painful.
Not overwhelming.
It was gentle.
As though every part of him had awakened at once.
The fatigue from the battle disappeared.
His breathing became lighter.
His senses grew sharper.
Even the sword in his hand felt lighter than before.
Kael slowly clenched his fist.
He didn't know how to explain it.
But he knew one thing.
He had changed.
He looked toward the distant walls of the city.
"...So this is what happens."
He sheathed his sword.
According to the Hunter Association...
Mastering a technique was only the first step.
To be recognized as a Bronze Rank hunter...
He would have to undergo the Association's assessment.
Without another glance at the fallen beast...
Kael began the journey back to the city.
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