Return of the Youngest Son with SSS-Rank Talent

With the appearance of the mutated six-legged crocodile of Baron rank.

It was considerably larger than any common crocodile. Its elongated, robust body reached six meters in length, and its three legs on each side, arranged asymmetrically, gave it an irregular, almost unnatural gait.

Although it retained the general shape of a crocodile, due to mutation, several sharp, bony fins emerged from its back, covered by a membranous tissue that sparkled incessantly. They were charged with electricity, and each of their movements caused small discharges that crackled in the air with a menacing buzz.

Michel calmly observed the beast. In front of him, the mutated six-legged crocodile crawled slowly and menacingly, its body covered in black scales streaked with electric cracks.

A faint smile appeared on Michel's lips.

The dark aura began to emanate from his body, enveloping his coin sword. In seconds, it took the form of a black dragon spiraling around him, leaving a trail of pressure in the air.

It was the first time he had faced a mutated beast. But he wasn't nervous.

"This will be enough," he muttered.

Without wasting any time, he lunged at the creature, a cold gleam in his eyes.

The first clash was swift. Michel moved like a shadow, attacking from all angles: horizontal cuts, lunges, sweeps with the blade covered in aura. But the crocodile barely backed down. Its defense was monstrous.

Electric sparks flew from its body every time it blocked with its tail or thick legs. Lightning bolts zigzagged through the air, forcing Michel to dodge without losing his rhythm.

He frowned. His sword hadn't even left a scratch.

"So that's what makes you special...?" he whispered.

Immediately, he poured more manna essence. The dragon's aura roared, its form becoming more defined, more savage. Michel stepped forward, and this time, his blows began to rumble with real force.

But the beast still did not yield.

Kael watched Michel's fight with a slight smile, since people usually didn't know what a mutated wild beast was, so they tended to underestimate it, as the young heir to the Abraham family was doing.

Although its rank was Baron, a mutated beast had the defense and resistance of a Viscount-rank beast, but with the difference that it had a weakness.

In the case of the mutated six-legged crocodile, its weakness was in its belly, but Michel didn't know that.

Kael, noticing that the fight was dragging on longer than necessary, began to give Michel instructions, optimizing his movements. Night had already fallen, and continuing to fight was an unnecessary risk.

At first, Michel listened with disdain. Take orders from someone like Kael? It was almost an insult. But as he applied the guidelines, something changed. His eyes opened with growing understanding, and his fighting style was transformed: less useless embellishment, more precision, more lethality.

In just ten minutes, the mutated six-legged crocodile lay lifeless on the sand.

Kael wasted no time. He approached and removed all the meat he could, storing it in one of his space rune rings. With the ship damaged and supplies limited, it was clear that there wouldn't be enough for both of them. Every fragment counted.

To his surprise, he also found a defense-type Zu lodged in the body of the mutated wild beast. He stored it away without hesitation, planning to refine it as soon as he had the chance.

"We have to move fast," Kael said in a firm voice, already walking away from the beach without looking back.

"Why are you in such a hurry? We can rest for a moment and then continue," replied Michel, somewhat annoyed by Kael's hasty pace.

"The blood will attract more beasts," he replied without stopping. "It is likely that creatures of Viscount rank will appear. They will come to claim this territory."

Michel said nothing more. He knew he was right. Staying there was an unnecessary risk... and Kael wasn't someone who spoke just for the sake of speaking.

As he walked behind him, he felt the tension still weighing heavily on his chest. He couldn't help but think bitterly:

I'm still too inexperienced.

He had grown up in an environment that was too safe. Protected. Isolated from the real world. But this... this constant danger, this urgency, this feeling of death lurking... was just what he needed.

True learning did not come from comfort, but from the razor's edge between life and death.

Not long after, the two entered the jungle, which seemed more active and dangerous than ever.

The moon shone brightly overhead, bathing the world in light. Thick clouds moved slowly across the sky, occasionally blocking the moon and allowing shadows to stretch across the damp ground.

The wind rustled the trees, and their branches swayed with a dry crackling sound. Moonlight filtered through them, casting shifting shadows on the uneven ground.

Among the trunks, rough-skinned lizards scurried about, sticking out their tongues and rolling their eyes at any noise. But one was not quick enough: a black bird swooped down, caught it in its talons, and flew toward a nearby branch.

There, in a nest of dry branches, the chicks chirped enthusiastically, opening their beaks. The bird threw them pieces of its prey, and they pounced on them, swallowing them amid squeaks.

The wind carried the sound away, mixing it with the rustling of the trees.

Under the tall, dense canopy, Kael and Michel made their way through the undergrowth with silent steps, watching their every move. There were no words. Only the faint rustling of leaves and the distant murmur of creatures lurking in the darkness.

After advancing a few more minutes, Kael looked up. He recognized the twisted outline of a large tree with exposed roots and branches as thick as giant arms. It was tall, solid, and perfect for spending the night off the ground.

"We'll climb up," he announced.

Michel didn't argue. They both climbed nimbly. The branches of the tree formed a kind of natural platform, stable enough to sit and rest on.

Once at the top, without lighting a fire, Kael took out strips of dried meat. They chewed silently, under the shade of the leaves that blocked the moon.

"So... what are we going to do now?" Michel asked suddenly, breaking the silence. His voice was low, tense. His eyes were on Kael, but cautiously.

Kael didn't answer right away. He finished swallowing and then spoke without turning his head.

"You follow me. I'll set the course."

"And why should I follow you?" Michel replied. There was no challenge in his tone, but there was mistrust.

Kael looked at him then.

"Because without me, you'd be dead before dawn. Because I know these routes, and you don't. Because between the two of us, the most expendable... is you."

Michel lowered his gaze but said nothing.

"However," Kael continued, "you are useful to me. That is why I have a proposal for you."

"What kind of deal?"

"Protection. In exchange for you protecting me until we reach Mount Dubhu. I will decide the pace, the route, and when we rest."

Michel nodded slowly.

"That's all? What's in it for me?"

Kael smiled.

"I'll give you food, teach you a few things to survive. The bare minimum so you don't die within three steps."

There was a brief silence. The wind rustled the leaves.

"Sounds fair," Michel said finally.

Kael said nothing more. With that, he wouldn't have to worry too much about their safety now. Since the minimum rank required to move around the world without dying was 7, and they were simply at rank 8, the Intermediate level.

They chewed silently again. The meat was tough and salty, but better than tempting predators with the smoke from a campfire.