Chapter 8

Reincarnated as a Sword Emperor in the Sword Master's Family (8)

Meanwhile, Leonard, who had entered the forest, was amazed.

'The concentration of energy here is completely different from the outside... Even if the forest is artificially created, if it can be this dense, how incredible must the place called the sacred land be?'

With each breath he took and exhaled, the impurities in his body were washed away. Even though his body was almost free of blocked meridians, living here for a few weeks would be enough to open every capillary in his body.

After a moment of admiration, Leonard soon began to run.

To fully utilize the advantage he gained as the frontrunner, he needed to penetrate deep into the forest.

'Securing a water source is the top priority.'

While he could survive for a few weeks without food, he wouldn't last a week without water.

Without inner strength, that time limit would be even shorter.

'In such a dense forest, there must be a lake or a pond. Since I didn't find any streams that could be a river on the way here, it must exist.'

It would be impossible to maintain a forest of this scale with just a sprinkler, so his guess was accurate.

Leonard's nose occasionally twitched to check the humidity.

He was smelling the scent of water.

Although not a direct descendant, Leonard's body also carried the Cardenas bloodline. His senses were several times, perhaps even more, sharper than an ordinary person's, allowing him to scan the forest.

Thud, thud, thud.

He continued to run at a steady pace.

The flat, hard ground of the training field and the damp, slippery ground of this forest were different. Running without much thought as usual could lead to an unconscious loss of stamina, or even a serious injury from a misstep.

The instructor, who had been chasing Leonard like a shadow, was also concerned about this,

"...What, why is he running so well?"

Seeing that his steps didn't slip at all and that he handled his strength accurately, the instructor's mouth dropped open.

Tree roots and stones protruding from the ground, and the muddy soil soaked with moisture.

Number 25 moved through them like water, without losing his sense of direction. He even left shallow footprints to make it harder for others to follow.

"Ha, I would believe he has the bloodline of a Veklain Ranger rather than a Cardenas knight."

The instructor wrote this evaluation in the notebook he took out from his pocket and immediately followed Leonard, shaking his head.

'Even the direct descendants overcame with their innate strength and physical abilities, but it took them quite a while to adapt to the environmental factors...'

There are gaps that can be bridged by talent and abilities that can only be gained through experience. The instructor, who had always thought this way, now had to doubt his own common sense.

"Ah, Squad 5 should be entering soon."

The instructor, checking his pocket watch, clicked his tongue.

"Damn, they're in. The other kids won't be able to catch 25 in this forest, no matter how many gather. The direct descendants might have a minimal chance, but if he just runs away, they won't be able to catch him."

Seeing him head for water first, he must have knowledge of survival and hunting. If he can hunt, he doesn't need to buy food or tools with badges, so there's no need for unnecessary conflict.

He didn't act alone for no reason.

It's because he knew that bringing along clueless kids would only hold him back.

"Though he lacks teamwork... If he has the strength and skills that make teamwork unnecessary, it's a correct judgment. No points deducted. I need to observe more."

Leonard's instructor, Collin, leaped from a tree branch.

* * *

A while later.

After running for nearly an hour from the starting point, Leonard finally found a small lake. If he hadn't discovered the path between the densely grown trees, he might have had to do some impromptu logging.

The discovery itself was thanks to his keen sense of smell and concentration, which immediately detected the change in humidity in the air.

'The water quality... seems fine. There are quite a few fish. It might be circulating through underground streams.'

Leonard took a sip of the water, held it in his mouth, and let a few drops fall on the back of his hand. If his mouth tingled or his skin turned red and swollen, the lake water would be unusable.

He waited for about five minutes.

Fortunately, there were no issues, so Leonard spat out the water he had held in his mouth and drank half the water in his canteen. Then he refilled the empty half with lake water.

'Boiling it would be better, but this body should be fine. I'll start fishing after making a spear or a fishing rod.'

He could dive in to catch fish, but the problem was that the water he needed to drink would be contaminated.

Even if there were no major issues, he would end up drinking his own waste and dirt.

There was no need to be so anxious about food supply yet.

Snap!

Leonard, who had thought that far, moved his foot to step on the neck of a snake that had crawled to his feet.

After completely subduing it, he finished by smashing its head with a wooden sword.

When hunting snakes, one must be careful because even if the head is cut off, it can still move and bite. Therefore, the head must be buried in the ground or crushed.

After examining the dead snake, he nodded.

'No venom glands. The size is decent.'

Leonard removed the crushed head, which he couldn't identify, and reached inside to pull out the internal organs.

The stomach and intestines, containing unknown birds and field mice, came out in a string. He discarded them on the ground, covered them with soil, and only kept the flesh after removing the scales and skin.

"I can save some rations."

Snakes surprisingly taste similar to chicken.

He had caught and eaten many snakes while operating in the southern regions.

Once one's inner strength reaches a certain level, non-spiritual snake venom hardly affects them, so some used the venom glands as seasoning. The tingling and numbing sensation was a special treat.

'If people who don't know see this, they would think we're crazy.'

This is why people from the southern regions were often treated as barbarians or savages in the Central Plains.

The southern regions are too hot and humid, making it difficult to preserve food, so they often ate reptiles and insects that were easily available.

Shaking his head, Leonard was reminded of old memories.

'Let's focus on this forest now. I haven't found a place to sleep yet, and I don't know what threats remain. I need to gather firewood for a campfire before sunset.'

He put down the bag containing the snake meat and his backpack. No one would come to this lakeside for quite a while.

Leonard's body, now much lighter, left the lakeside to search for a suitable camping spot.

He didn't plan to eat or sleep here.

Unfamiliar people might want to stay by the lakeside, but that's not a good choice. The area around the water is always infested with animals and insects, and if a campfire is lit at night, the advantage of not being exposed due to the trees would be meaningless.

'A place not too far from the lake, with less humidity, appropriate space, and hard to find.'

It's difficult to find a place that meets all these conditions in a naturally formed forest.

However, this forest was artificially created by the Cardenas family to train children. It wouldn't be surprising if there was a camping site that met all the ideal conditions.

Leonard's guess turned out to be correct.

"Good, let's make this our spot."

It was a small, dark cave.

There seemed to be a vent somewhere, as the wind blowing from inside the cave stirred his hair.

The humidity was low.

It must stay dry because the wind continuously circulates. It was perfect for a place to sleep. Also, with the vent, he could maintain a fire without suffocating from smoke, keeping his body warm.

'There's a bit of a gamey smell.'

The only problem was that the wind from the cave carried the scent of an animal.

It wasn't the kind of smell that lingers after a day or two.

There was likely an owner of this cave.

...Rrrrr...

Aware of Leonard's approach, a wolf almost as large as a tiger walked out of the cave.

Its black fur seemed to blend into the darkness, and its thick skin looked hard to penetrate even with a real sword.

"A wolf."

It's too big and strong to be left for the children to catch.

Leonard, gauging the wolf's strength, raised his wooden sword.

While the wolf began to circle to the side, Leonard's thoughts continued.

'This isn't a creature that should be in a forest with a limited ecosystem. It's too big. But it's not emaciated, and there are no bones or remains of prey nearby.'

It felt like a wolf raised and trained by the Cardenas family. The most convincing evidence was the intelligence in its eyes rather than wildness.

It was undoubtedly well-trained to avoid fatal injuries and not kill the children.

'What a letdown.'

Realizing it wasn't a life-or-death fight, Leonard's fighting spirit waned, which triggered the predator's instinct.

Roar!

Showing weakness means death.

The law of the wild.

The wolf, aware of this, didn't miss the opportunity to attack its seemingly vulnerable opponent.

The wolf, as big as a house, charged like a gust of wind.

The weight of several hundred kilograms could shatter bones with just a collision, and the claws, filled with momentum, could turn a wooden sword into sawdust.

'If I avoid it, that's it.'

As Leonard crouched to lower his body, a chilling sound of air being split came from above his head.

Simultaneously, he stood up and struck with his wooden sword.

Unfortunately, this wolf was male, and the area hit by the wooden sword was its most vulnerable spot.

Squeal! Yelp! Roar?!

The wolf, foaming at the mouth, rolled on the ground. Leonard, feeling a bit sorry for it, said,

"Since it's not broken, just endure for a while. Don't attack again."

The wolf, thrashing like it had rabies, finally managed to stand up after nearly ten minutes.

Its four legs were still trembling.

Rrrrr...

Knowing who had caused it pain, the wolf's amber eyes now carried a murderous intent that wasn't there before.

'This is troublesome.'

The instructor, Collin, pondered for a moment.

Should he stop the wolf? Or let it be?

Leonard had successfully attacked once, but it didn't significantly impact the wolf's fighting ability. Instead, it stimulated its wildness, putting it in a more dangerous state. Objectively, it was a mistake to leave it alone when he could have finished it off.

If this continues, Number 25 has a high probability of dying.

"What, are you really going to do it?"

At that moment,

Before Collin could intervene, Leonard, sensing the wolf's murderous intent, turned around smoothly.

Human and beast.

Their eyes met.

The wolf, being well-trained and having regained some of its wildness, could see it.

The transparent eyes reflecting the intent to kill.

Eyes deliberating whether to kill or not, without hunger or a sense of crisis.

The state of a full predator facing a fearless prey, deciding whether to show its teeth or claws.

The wolf, recognizing this, took a step back.

Yelp?!

The instincts of beasts are often superior to humans.

When natural disasters occur, it's common to see wild animals and birds move to higher ground first.

The ability to sense and avoid approaching death as a living being!

The wolf's nose was pierced by a scent of blood so strong that it was surprising it hadn't detected it before.

That was the decisive blow.

Yelp! Yelp! Yelp!

Without hesitation, the wolf, lying on its back, exposed its belly and wagged its tail between its legs.

A posture of absolute submission.

An attitude it had never shown to a trainer.

"...What, what's this?"

Leonard, seeing this, chuckled.

The murderous intent in his eyes had already dissipated.

Collin, watching from the tree, was equally bewildered. He was already headache-ridden thinking about how to report this to the senior instructor.