From that moment on, many tried to persuade Theo not to stay behind, but no one was able to do anything to change his mind.

After a while, they began collecting samples, and by the end of the day, most of the work was done.

They had gathered samples of almost anything they could see, even the soil beneath their feet.

The resin that oozed from many trees, they collected that as well, leaving them feeling like they were almost done.

They had to rest for another night. And as the others went with it, the trio remained at the camp, exchanging glances.

"I want to try a few things with my ability and a few other things. So I need you both here once everyone else is gone," Theo said with a smile.

Clara and Elias let out a relieved sigh.

"You really scared me, young master. I thought you were serious about going after that beast." Clara spoke with a chuckle before letting out a deep sigh.

Theo met her gaze with a knowing smile, and that was when realization dawned upon her, and she shook her head.

"You still want to go, don’t you?" Elias had realized it too by this point.

Theo nodded.

"Before the end of our gate mission, I want at least one of your four beasts to evolve," Theo said. "And with that, I also want to try hunting something, to really test the waters with the mantis."

Theo said, but he wasn’t done, as he added.

"But before you say anything, I already have a plan."

With that, he grabbed a stick and began carving into the dry soil around the camp.

"All three of us can hyper jump, which lets us travel long distances quickly," he explained. "But we can’t fight the beast in its own territory, so..." Theo stopped, meeting their eyes.

"I want to lure the beast toward the gate and fight it there. If by any chance things go wrong and we aren’t able to fight it; if it’s a lost cause, we will jump out of the gate immediately, abandoning the fight."

The two just stared at him.

Silence followed for a few seconds, but Theo didn’t rush them to speak fast. He wanted them to think it through and, if needed, even put some of their own thoughts into improving the plan.

"You want to provoke a high-level beast and draw it all the way to the gate with us..." Elias muttered.

But before he could say something like usual, Clara stood up.

Theo looked at her, already knowing what her answer was going to be, but he still let her speak.

"...If you believe that what you are doing is the right thing, then we follow you, no matter what," she said, her eyes steady and resolute.

Elias, meanwhile, was at a loss for words.

"Thank you, Clara," Theo said with a nod, then turned to Elias.

"If you think this is a bad idea, we can change it if needed, Elias. What I want to do is draw the beast toward us. But..." Theo paused, considering his next words carefully.

"We will need additional help."

At that, Clara and Elias shook their heads in unison.

"I don’t think anyone will want to join us in this, young master," Elias said.

"I want Knight Kaelor, Scout Garrick, and Healer Lysara to stay behind with us. That way, defeating it would become a lot smoother." Theo’s gaze shifted toward the hut’s entrance.

A shadow lingered right by the gate, a foot peeking out. The moment Theo noticed it staring at them, it sighed and withdrew.

"So you are curious too, Sir Kaelor," Theo said with a smile.

Clara and Elias turned around just as Kaelor stepped forward and settled by the campfire they had just refueled.

"...I can’t say I am not," he responded, feeding another dry stick into the flames.

"I have seen a glimpse of your strength, Sir Kaelor," Theo continued.

"And I have come to the conclusion that you haven’t even been able to show even half of what you are capable of in this gate. It’s been too easy. Now, I don’t know if you are satisfied with that or not... but that is the same with me."

Theo met Kaelor’s eyes, a confident smile forming on his face.

"I want to test my strength. And for that... I believe that beast will be the perfect candidate. A proper fight of sorts, you could say."

Theo knew he was leading them toward danger, toward risk. But at the back of his mind and heart, a fire burned.

He had done his best to do everything that was expected of him in this gate: capturing creatures and gathering samples, but nothing about it had felt truly ’dangerous’.

And now that he had finally found something that could help him test his new powers after the evolution... was he going to give the information to the kingdom and let them handle it?

That didn’t sit right with him.

Kaelor stared Theo dead in the eye, searching for even a trace of doubt. After a moment, he let out a quiet sigh. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"If you are truly confident that you can lead us to the victory... then I don’t feel like it will be much of a problem, young master."

Both Elias and Clara turned to Kaelor as if he had just said something dumb, and as if he could sense their stares, Kaelor shrugged.

"It’s not my fault that your young master is so persuasive. That determination in his eyes... it makes you want to crave a real fight too," he said, scratching his half-kept beard.

At that, both Clara and Elias couldn’t help but smile. Theo had always been like this.

"I know you all are also awake. You can come out," Theo called toward the entrance with a smile.

A moment later, two more figures stepped into view. When the others saw them, they couldn’t help but chuckle. They were the right people.