Chapter 303: Hunting, and Trying to Avoid Murder

The area was famous for its caves. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary forest, but within it lay an absurd number of caves—some close to each other, others far apart, and some even connected by tunnels.

It almost felt as if the entire place wasn’t natural at all.

The sight of the caves, paired with the nearby river, made the whole area breathtaking, and also the perfect home for magical beasts and predators.

William and Rebo were walking toward one of the caves. They hadn’t picked any particular one; it was simply the closest with a beast inside. William knew there was a beast because he could sense it.

“Master…” Rebo said, staring at the ground, “why did you kill that man? I mean, did you have to?”

Rebo was just a teenager, still naive about how the world worked. As his master, William felt it was his duty to explain.

“It was to send a message. If we hadn’t done that, many of those people back at the camp would’ve followed us and tried to kill us.”

“Why would they want to kill us?”

“Tell me, my dear disciple,” William said, “what’s easier: killing a strong beast or killing a man who’s exhausted after slaying a beast?”

Rebo was starting to grasp how things worked. “And they’d get more loot in the end, since an adventurer has likely killed more than one beast… So it’s much easier that way.”

“Exactly. That’s why we had to send a message. Now we can hunt our beasts without anyone trying to ambush us. At least, I hope that’s the case—if not, I might have to deal with yet another person.”

William didn’t mind killing when necessary, but he didn’t want Rebo to keep seeing him do it. It could strain their relationship over time.

The cave they entered was dark, like all caves. Rebo carried an oil lamp in his backpack, which helped them see better.

“Much better, right?” Rebo said after lighting the lamp, looking for William’s approval.

It didn’t matter much to William, who could see in the dark, but he responded anyway.

“Yes, much better. Thank you.”

That single word made Rebo feel much better, like he was actually useful in the situation they found themselves in.

Rebo knew full well that when it came to fighting the magical beasts, he wouldn’t do much. William would be the one to kill them all and collect their parts to sell.

Those magical beasts were far stronger than anything he was used to facing. As an apprentice simply following William, Rebo understood it wasn’t wise to take risks just to prove something. He’d take it slow, growing stronger over time, and eventually becoming someone William could rely on in battle.

For now, though, he was just an observer, a mere apprentice watching every move his master, William, made, trying to learn something from it.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the part of the cave where the magical beast was. The fact that they’d reached the end of the cave was a good clue.

But what really confirmed it were the bones scattered on the ground, crunching under their steps, and, of course, the not-so-pleasant smell.

William saw it. It looked like a bear, but much larger, its fur a gorgeous brown that would surely make a fine cloak.

The moment it spotted them, the bear roared! Its roar was so powerful it seemed to shake the cave. A strong energy radiated from its body—its mana.

William drew his sword and struck the bear. It was a single blow—swift, precise, and deadly. The bear’s head was severed with just one swing of his blade. Blood sprayed to the sides, but not a drop touched William’s clothes. It only showed how powerful he was.

Rebo watched it all from a distance, barely able to believe his eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rebo said. “I thought there’d be a bigger fight for me to watch and learn from. How am I supposed to learn anything like this?”

William chuckled at that.

“Sorry, but since we’re short on time, it’s better to get things done quickly. If we had more time, I’d definitely teach you a few things.”

Here’s your text translated into English, revised for grammar and flow, while keeping your straightforward and descriptive style intact:

They were only staying in the town for a few days, so it was best to make the most of their time and kill as many beasts as possible. That way, they’d earn more money.

William searched the cave to see if there were any other bears to take down. He found nothing. There had only been that one bear.

Not that it was a problem. There were plenty of other caves for them to check out.

William slung the massive bear over his shoulders as if it weighed nothing. The weight itself wasn’t the issue, but its sheer size compared to him made it a bit cumbersome to carry.

They left that cave and entered another one nearby. Inside, they found two bears—likely a pair.

Just like before, William dispatched both in a matter of seconds.

Now, carrying all those bears was starting to get tricky. The best option was to store them in his spatial bag. It was the same one that had belonged to Jinra, and William still hadn’t fully mastered its use.

He could store things in it without any trouble, but the treasures already inside were impossible for him to retrieve for now.

Regardless, he stashed all the bears in the bag. Rebo’s eyes widened in shock.

“You have a spatial treasure?” he asked. “From what I know, those things are insanely expensive. How’d you get it?”

“It was an inheritance from an old friend,” William said.

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

They continued their hunt, encountering other types of creatures. There was a black tiger with two tails that walked on just two legs—pretty peculiar. William took it down too.

Now he understood why this area was so famous among adventurer hunters. All the magical beasts here had pelts—beautiful, high-quality ones.

Those fetched a hefty price when sold, since nobles and the wealthy loved fur clothing. It was a universal thing, especially in a place like this, where the weather was cold for much of the year.

William and Rebo hunted for hours, and after amassing a hefty haul of about forty magical beasts, they decided to call it a day.

That amount would bring in a fortune. Few people could take on beasts like these, after all—they were considered quite powerful by the rankings.

On their way back, a group suddenly appeared out of nowhere and confronted William. They emerged from the forest, and from the looks of it, they’d been waiting for him for quite a while.

“Well, well, look who’s finally back,” one of them said. “After hours of hunting, I bet you’re exhausted, aren’t you?”

It was almost funny. It was exactly the kind of thing William had explained to Rebo about earlier, playing out right in front of them.

William wasn’t tired at all. His fights ended in seconds, and he barely used any demonic energy to do it.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Straight to the point. Good. Hand over all the beasts you killed, and maybe we’ll consider letting you and your kid walk away alive.”

William played dumb. “Beasts? What beasts? I don’t have any on me.”

“Liar. You probably hid the bodies somewhere until you could get someone to haul them. Don’t play stupid.”

“I’m serious,” William replied. “I just came here to take a stroll with my disciple. I haven’t fought any beasts. You can tell by looking at me—I’m not tired, and my energy’s perfectly normal. Go ahead, check for yourself.”

The man frowned and did as William suggested. Sure enough, William’s energy seemed completely normal, which could only mean he hadn’t fought any beasts.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the group’s leader said. “You came all the way out here just to take a walk with your disciple? Why not go somewhere less dangerous?”

“This place is beautiful,” William said. “And it’s only dangerous if you go into the caves, right? We stayed clear of them and kept our distance. You should see the river nearby—it’s stunning.”

William was confident this would be enough to make the men leave, but it didn’t quite work out that way. They were determined to find something to take from him, no matter what.

“You must have something valuable on you,” the leader said. “Hand it all over. Or you’re dead.”

William sighed. “Man… I’m trying to give you guys a chance to walk away alive, and you’re still trying to rob me? Tell me, what can I do to convince you to back off? I really don’t want to kill anyone today.”

“This game of yours won’t make us fall back. Give us everything, now!”

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