The forest grew quieter the deeper they walked.

Snow blanketed the northern path in an unbroken sheet of white, disturbed only by the narrow trail Ulmak had chosen. The mountains loomed ahead, distant and pale beneath the winter sky, their peaks veiled in drifting mist.

After several minutes, Ulmak slowed down.

Then stopped.

The four trainees halted with him.

He turned, his expression calm but firm. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Before we proceed further," he said, "there are basic rules."

Cold air drifted between them, carrying the faint scent of pine.

"I will remain within a fifty-meter radius of your group at all times. You will not necessarily see me. That is intentional." His gaze swept across each of them in turn. "As stated before, I will not interfere unless absolutely necessary."

He let the words settle.

"If I step in, you should assume one of two things: either you are about to die... or you have already failed."

Silence followed.

"You are operating as a group in this test," Ulmak continued. "Groups require structure, so for this examination, you will appoint a leader."

Samara’s brows lifted slightly.

"A leader’s decisions will influence your evaluation. Strong coordination and efficient command will benefit your overall score." His voice remained even. "However, your mistakes will also be judged more harshly. Leadership is a double-edged sword."

He folded his arms.

"Vote. If the chosen one declines, you will move to the next best pick. If no one accepts, I will appoint one myself."

The snow shifted faintly beneath their boots, and Gillard spoke first.

"I vote Teclos."

There was no hesitation in his tone.

"He’s trained outside longer than most of us," Gillard added. "He’s also fought real beasts. And his father trained him personally."

Samara glanced at Teclos, thinking.

After a while, she responded. "Alright," she said. "I agree."

Eldric scratched the back of his head, eyes flicking briefly toward the trees before returning to the group.

"Yeah. Uhh, me too... I vote Teclos as well."

Ulmak looked at Teclos.

"Well?"

Teclos held their gazes for a moment. The weight of responsibility pressed lightly against his thoughts—he was fairly confident he could pull it off.

He nodded once and said, "I’ll take it," in a calm tone.

"But if I am to lead, we move as one. No reckless actions without asking me first."

No one objected.

Ulmak inclined his head. "Very well, the stage is yours then."

Teclos glanced toward him. "Can we begin hunting?"

Ulmak tilted his head. "I mean, what part of ’the stage is yours’ don’t you understand?"

Teclos turned back to the others—and did not move forward.

Instead, he exhaled slowly.

"Before we start," he said, "let’s reintroduce ourselves properly. The better we know each other, the better our teamwork."

Samara gave a faint smirk. "What kind of questions are we talking about?"

"I... nothing too personal... it’s just that I don’t know what you guys can do, well besides Gillard," Teclos corrected.

He scratched the back of his head and faced them fully.

"Here, I’ll start. I’m Teclos, and you probably know, but I have darkness affinity."

The words lingered between them.

"I can sense shadows within a certain range. If they’re ’dense’ enough, I can see through them as well." He paused briefly. "I can also bind targets using shadow constructs—arms or tendrils. It’s only temporary, sadly. Stronger beasts won’t stay restrained for long."

He did not elaborate further and then gestured toward Gillard.

Gillard shifted slightly, surprisingly shy. He was clearly uncomfortable with talking in front of more people.

"Hi... I’m, uh, my name is Gillard. I have fire affinity," he said. "I specialize in close to mid-range combat."

He lifted his bow slightly.

"I can ignite my arrows. Heat my sword until it burns through almost anything. And... propel myself forward using bursts of flame from my feet."

He said the last part quickly, as if reluctant to dwell on it.

Teclos nodded, then looked at Eldric.

The boy scratched the back of his head again—it seemed he was in a similar situation to Gillard.

"I’m Eldric and have wind affinity," he began. "I focus on speed and range. I can enhance arrows with wind—they are faster and fly for a longer distance." He glanced at his boots. "I can also dash using wind bursts from my legs."

He hesitated.

"And I can sense disturbances in the air. Not clearly—just... shifts. Movement."

"A danger sense?" Samara asked.

"Something like that," Eldric admitted.

Finally, all eyes shifted to her.

Samara rested a hand lightly on the hilt of her sword.

"I’m Samara and have water affinity," she said confidently. "I can be a close-range support. I can release pressurized water from my blade—good for staggering or cutting through things." She tilted her head slightly. "I can also draw moisture from the air to create a thin mist."

Her expression sharpened into a smug expression.

"And yes, I can produce drinkable water. So unless one of you plans to eat snow all day, you’re welcome."

A faint breath of amusement passed through the group.

Teclos gave a small nod.

"Alright."

He crouched briefly, brushing aside snow with a gloved hand and sketching a simple formation.

"If we encounter a beast, I’ll take the vanguard position. I can bind the target first."

He looked at Gillard.

"You move immediately after. You are our assault. Your role is to deal decisive damage while it’s restrained."

Gillard nodded without hesitation.

"Samara will be the mid-range support. If possible, attack the beast and blind or disrupt the target with your water. Also use your mist to shroud us."

"Understood."

"Eldric. You’re our long-range support. Use wind-infused arrows like you said. Prioritize weak points and call out movement shifts if anything else creeps up behind us, as I’ll focus on binding."

Eldric straightened slightly. "Got it."

Teclos rose.

"We move carefully. There is no need to rush. If you notice tracks, broken branches, disturbed snow—tell me immediately."

Ulmak had stepped back during the exchange, observing in silence. He gave no comment now.

Teclos turned toward the forest.

"Let’s move."

They advanced.

The trees thickened gradually, pine and oak standing tall. The air felt colder here, the shade from the trees making it colder still. Even the wind seemed to soften as it passed between the trunks.

Teclos slowed their pace deliberately.

He scanned the ground first.

"Tracking in snow is easier—well, usually," he said quietly as they walked. "Snow doesn’t lie, and we can track a beast even if the tracks are old, provided there was no new snowfall."

He pointed toward a shallow depression near the base of a tree.

"See, like this one."

Teclos crouched slightly to examine it.

"The edges are soft," he observed. "Meaning it’s not fresh."

They continued onward.

A broken twig here.

Bark scraped along one trunk at mid-height there.

"Always check tree lines," Teclos murmured. "Large beasts brush against them."

Samara glanced around more carefully now.

"If we see something unusual?"

"Call it out," Teclos replied. "Even if you’re unsure."

Their formation remained loose but still stayed within eyesight, with Teclos leading them.

They moved deeper into the forest.

The morning stretched quietly into midday, pale sunlight filtering through skeletal branches and casting long shadows across the snow. Their pace remained steady.

Tracking in winter was both a blessing and a curse.

Snow remembered everything, yes.

But wind or more snowfall erased everything just as easily.

After nearly two and a half hours of steady progress, the forest began to change. The trees grew sparser, the ground more uneven. Stones jutted from the earth in thick clusters, some half-buried beneath frost.

Teclos slowed.

"Stop."

The others froze instantly.

He crouched near a disturbed patch of snow.

The indentation was deep—hoof-shaped and far deeper than a deer or small beast would leave. Snow had compacted under immense weight, ice crystals crushed into dense layers beneath the footprint.

He brushed aside the powder carefully.

Samara stepped closer. "That one’s fresh."

Teclos nodded. "An hour, maybe even less."

A faint trail carved through the snow and the forest, wide like a wagon. Small rocks displaced. Bark stripped off the trees, with some broken branches.

The signs were obvious, and Gillard exhaled slowly.

"That’s a big hunt... a stone boar."

Teclos rose.

The tracks were unmistakable now that he saw them fully. Massive hoof impressions. Deep gouges where tusks had scraped low-hanging branches. In some areas, the earth itself seemed slightly warped.

"It’s big," Eldric murmured.

Yes.

It was.

Teclos followed the trail several steps forward before stopping again. He studied the spacing between prints.

"It’s fully grown," he said quietly.

Stone boars were standard big game in this region.

Common, sure.

But never an easy fight... even more so for new recruits.

He turned to the group.

"Stone boars are territorial," he began calmly. "Their charge is the most dangerous part. Once they lock onto a target, they don’t stop easily."

He gestured toward a tree trunk ahead. The bark was splintered, wood cracked inward.

"They build momentum fast. If you’re in front when it charges and you hesitate, you die."

They watched the splintered tree in silence.

"Their hide is thick," Teclos continued. "Dense muscle under layered, stone-like skin. Normal arrows won’t penetrate deeply unless reinforced or aimed at weak points."

Gillard adjusted his grip unconsciously.

"And they can manipulate earth," Teclos added. "Not like a trained earth mage—but instinctively. They can raise ridges, destabilize footing, even launch chunks of stone short distances."

Samara’s expression changed slightly. "So, what’s the plan?"

"Well..." He paused. "For a group of four, it should be manageable..."

He looked at each of them.

"We still have time. We could look for something smaller, like snow hares. Something easier like stags, maybe."

His tone was neutral.

Portraying that he didn’t care if they changed targets, and was keeping the safety of the team a priority.

"But this," Eldric said, gesturing toward the heavy trail, "is worth more. In evaluation, right?"

The wind shifted softly between the trees.

"It is, but if we take it, we have to really commit to it. No hesitation."

He paused.

"Speak now. Do we hunt this... or do we track something safer?"

Maybe because of pride, more points, or simple youthful bravado, no one hesitated.

"I’m in," Gillard said first, voice steady.

Eldric swallowed once, then nodded. "We can take it."

Samara rolled her shoulders lightly. "If we’re going to hunt, we might as well hunt something worth it."

Teclos studied each of them for a second longer.

Then he nodded once. "Alright then. Let’s follow the tracks."

The wind favored them as well.

It drifted from ahead toward their backs, carrying their scent away from whatever lay before them. Teclos adjusted their formation slightly, keeping them downwind as they moved.

The tracks became fresher, more obvious.

Another hour passed, and they finally heard the beast.

A distant, heavy stomp. A massive weight moving across the earth without care. They also heard something breaking and crashing.

Teclos froze mid-step and raised a fist.

After listening some more, the breaking and crashing continued.

He motioned them forward slowly.

They crouched low and advanced with deliberate care, avoiding making noise as much as possible.

The bushes thinned gradually, and the forest opened.

A clearing was ahead of them, unnaturally made.

Trees had been uprooted and shoved outward in a rough circular pattern. Trunks lay stacked along the perimeter like crude barricades. Earth was churned and uneven, stone ridges protruding in jagged lines across the ground.

At the center—was the stone boar.

It was massive.

Its body was thick and compact, layered hide resembling overlapping stone plates fused with muscle beneath. Tusks curved outward and slightly upward, their edges chipped from some sort of impact. With each slow movement, dust and frost shook from its back.

It lowered its head and shoved another broken trunk aside.

Almost like it was building a temporary nest.

Teclos turned to signal—

And hesitated.

His fingers moved instinctively, forming short, precise hand signals his father had drilled into him since childhood.

Wait for my mark.

Spread out.

Hold positions.

But the others only stared back at him with obvious confusion.

They didn’t understand.

’...Of course they don’t understand me...’ Teclos grimaced and then sighed.

There was no time to teach an entire signal system now.

Reluctantly, and fully aware of the risk, he motioned them closer. They gathered into a tight circle behind some thicker brush.

He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"First strike is Eldric."

All eyes shifted toward him.

"Aim for pinning shots first. Joints and eyes if you can. Weak points only. The first arrow is our signal to go and attack."

Eldric nodded, focused.

"As soon as he shoots it," Teclos continued, "we move. There can be no delay."

He then looked to Gillard.

"We go head-on at it."

Gillard’s expression became focused instantly, nodding along.

"Don’t worry, we’ll sidestep it," Teclos said quietly. "Just be ready. The moment it lowers its head fully and commits, jump away. Do not try to tank it."

Gillard gave a short nod. "Got it."

"Samara," Teclos turned to her, "you will move with us, but not directly at it. Move in a wide arc around the clearing. Stay mobile."

Her eyes gleamed slightly. "And do what?"

"After the charge. When it misses and has to reorient. Blind it from range, also disrupt its vision with mist."

She smiled faintly. "Alright."

Teclos continued, voice calm and controlled.

"When it misses the charge, I will bind it. Only temporarily. That’s your window."

He looked at Gillard again.

"Go for the head. Full force, don’t hold anything back."

A beat of silence passed.

"If something goes wrong," Teclos added quietly, "adapt to the situation. Don’t freeze up—that’s the worst thing you could do. Just don’t panic."

He let his gaze settle on each of them once more.

"This is still just a hunt," he finished. "We got this."

The stomping continued in the clearing.

The plan was set—it was time to put it to the test.