Tension hung in the air. Helen's face was twisted in frustration as she paced the room, while Grant sat quietly in the corner, eyes clouded with silent concern.
Little Nate hovered nearby, his hands fidgeting, unsure if he should speak or stay quiet, until a familiar figure appeared in the doorway. His face lit up instantly, and he ran forward, wrapping his arms around Leo's leg.
"Brother, you're back!"
"Yeah."
Leo smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, then looked at his parents. "Dad, Mom, what's going on? I heard you mention Ravenshade Hold earlier. Did something happen between us and them? Is anyone hurt?"
"Don't worry. No one's seriously injured," Grant replied with a shake of his head.
"How could you say that?" Helen snapped. "They took our prey! Those bastards are no better than bandits!"
"Enough. What's done is done," Grant frowned and shot Helen a look, subtly signaling her to drop it. Nate didn't understand, but Leo… Leo was different. Letting him hear too much would only add to his burden.
Helen opened her mouth again but closed it without saying more.
"Let's just eat."
Leo frowned. From the way she trailed off, it was clearly something important.
"Dad, Mom, I'm part of this stronghold too, aren't I? And if Mom already knows, I bet the rest of the camp does as well. I could just ask someone else after dinner anyway."
Helen gave Grant a slightly resentful look. Grant hesitated for a few seconds, then finally sighed.
"Alright. I'll tell you. Just don't act rashly afterward."
And so, after Grant recounted everything, Leo finally understood.
Earlier, the hunting party had gone out to check traps. They found nothing—until the final trap, when, out of nowhere, a massive horned wildebeest came crashing through the woods.
This particular beast was about two meters tall, known for the single spiraled horn atop its head. Despite being considered a low-grade beast, it was among the largest of its kind.
At first, everyone had been overjoyed. Then reality set in: without any long-range fighters, they couldn't bring it down in time. The creature panicked at the sight of them and bolted… right into one of their traps.
It was as if heaven itself had dropped them a gift. They were already celebrating when an unease crept into Grant's gut. The beast clearly hadn't been running aimlessly—someone must've been chasing it. And if so, those people would probably catch up soon.
They scrambled to extract the kill from the trap, but before they could finish, the people of Ravenshade Hold arrived.
What followed was a heated argument.
Ravenshade's hunters claimed they'd been pursuing the wildebeest first and insisted on a share—finders keepers. But the villagers refused to give in. After all, the beast was now in their trap.
However, the Ravenshade group soon realized something: the numbers didn't add up. The Carter camp was missing people. The Wells brothers weren't around. Fourteen versus eight—not a fair fight.
With their numerical advantage and archers on their side, Ravenshade took it all—like it had been theirs from the start.,.
In the past, when both sides had been evenly matched, they might've split the kill fifty-fifty. But not today.
Grant's group could've fought, sure—but they'd lose. And even if no one died, just one injury could mean death in a world like this.
So, they were forced to stand there, helplessly watching the others break their trap and walk away with the beast, even throwing in a few smug jabs as they left.
"That's what happened," Grant said with a sigh. "If anyone's to blame, it's me."
He hadn't planned to tell anyone. News like this would only destroy morale.
Unfortunately, someone in the group—unable to hold back their anger—had told others. Word spread quickly.
People needed to vent. He understood.
"Dad, I think you made the right call," Leo said with a firm nod. "If we'd fought, at best it would've been a draw. At worst, we could've lost everyone. If something had happened to you or the others, the rest of the village wouldn't survive."
He exhaled silently.
In a world like this, the real monsters weren't just beasts. Sometimes… it was people.
Grant blinked, surprised.
He'd half-expected Leo to rage and demand revenge.
Even Helen fell quiet. Of course she understood, but understanding didn't stop the anger. Even if shouting changed nothing… she needed to shout.
"Alright, let's eat first. You've been training all day," Grant said.
Leo nodded and sat down with his little brother.
Dinner was simple—just like yesterday. A bowl of thin porridge and a small plate of meat slices.
"Eat more, Leo," Grant said, trying to serve more meat into his bowl.
Leo blocked the chopsticks with his own.
"You should eat more, Dad. I'll just have a couple pieces. Actually… I have something important to talk to you about."
Grant paused. It was the first time he'd seen his son look so serious.
"What is it?"
"I want to join the hunting party tomorrow."
"What?!"
Both parents exclaimed at once.
Helen spoke up first.
"No! Absolutely not! You're just a kid—do you know how dangerous it is out there? What if something happens to you?!"
Grant gave her a look but still nodded.
"Leo, I know you've been training nonstop these past two days. I know you want to help… but this is too soon. Give it another month or two."
Helen opened her mouth to argue again but bit it back.
"Don't go, big brother," Nate tugged at Leo's arm, eyes full of worry. "It's scary out there."
Leo shook his head firmly.
"I wouldn't say this if I wasn't ready. After dinner, come with me to the warehouse, Dad. Then you'll understand."
Wait a few more months?
Could the village even last that long?
Grant and Helen exchanged looks.
Where was this confidence coming from? Was it really possible that Leo had mastered archery in just a few days?
Still, Grant eventually nodded.
They could decide after seeing for themselves.
After dinner, Leo led the way toward the training ground behind the warehouse. Helen, worried as ever, brought Nate and followed along. The whole family headed out together.
Zach stared wide-eyed when he saw the group approach.
What the hell is going on here?
Isn't this just archery practice?
Why bring the whole squad?
Leo flashed him a smile, then picked up the sixty-pound bow.
Grant's eyes narrowed immediately, his face turning serious.
Wait a second—wasn't Leo still using the forty-pound bow just yesterday?
When did he upgrade?
If he could draw a sixty-pound bow… that was enough to kill nearly any low-tier beast. Even mid-tier ones would be within reach, if given enough time and arrows.
Leo had definitely given him a surprise.
But…
It wasn't quite enough.