202 The Trust Of Men (1/2)

For the second hunt, they set forth at daybreak. Despite being the beginning of summer, mornings were still rather cool and crisp. An Sun followed the rest into the woods, riding in the back. He often rode alone. There were almost ten in the group he trained with, yet not one he could call a comrade.

For a long time now, it was apparent to An Sun that his comrades didn't like him very much. By now, the other troops started taking note of An Sun's strength.

Compared to the rest, he was quicker, stronger, and smarter in numerous tasks. It was clear he had the experience. This naturally upset numerous members of the troops fighting for a higher rank. Thus, they outcasted him.

For days, he noted their looks of disdain. But behind those gazes, he saw envy. An Sun was no stranger to being the odd one out. In comparison to the years of mockery and hidden scorn he encountered within the An Clan, the troops shunning was that of being hit by a child's small fist.

Even though An Sun showed very little interest in their opinions, he needed their trust and teamwork to make it through this training. There was nothing more important and reliable on the battlefield than having your men's trust.

Something he lacked at the moment.

A faint wind blew through the forest. Over their heads, the tops of the trees narrowed in the deeper they walked. The troops split into ten groups. This would show the level of cooperation and skill within the groups.

From their previous victory in the first hunt, the troops felt confident. However, An Sun's group was an hour into the hunt, and they had yet to encounter a single animal - not even a worm. While this didn't faze An Sun too much, the same couldn't be said for his team members.

”Damn it! Why can't we find a single animal in these woods?” A man named Fan Mingli fussed.

An Sun sat solemnly on his horse, his long black hair stirring in the wind. He glanced over at the man who spoke. Fan Mingli was a frail, broad-faced boy with an unpleasant voice and freckles on the bridge of his nose. Despite this, he managed to get through the training due to his quick skills and tactics.

”Just be patient. It's only been an hour.” An Sun kicked his horse forward.

”Ass,” Fan Mingli cursed low enough so An Sun could not hear. Unfortunately, An Sun caught his words clearly but didn't bother to respond.

After a while, their talking receded, and the woods grew silent apart from the sound of their horses' feet against the grass. The men galloped off down the trail, still without a prey in sight.

”Wait,” An Sun suddenly raised his hand with a frown.

”What? Did you hear a squirrel?” The men snorted and snickered.

An Sun said nothing and looked ahead. While the other men watched him with ridiculing gazes, An Sun's eyes narrowed. Just then, they caught the sound of rustling. It sounded like an animal.

Without waiting for his team members, he took the bow from his back and charged to the sound. When An Sun saw the young man rush forward, he cursed under his breath.

”Get away from there, now!” An Sun shouted as he kicked his horse forward. His sword was already out.

Fan Mingli, who heard his shouts, clicked his tongue followed by the roll of his eyes. However, when he looked back ahead, his breath caught in his throat.

Not five feet from Fan Mingli's horse stood a black bear. It had been feasting on the carcass of a deer when it suddenly heard Fan Mingli approaching.

Shielding the carcass, its teeth were exposed angrily. They were sharp, like white daggers. Paws rooted to the ground, there was no doubt the bear was ready to clobber him if he made any sudden movements.

The sight of the bear gave Fan Mingli's horse such a fright, it jerked so hard that he had fallen. The horse ran away in fear, while Fan Mingli groaned in pain after falling from his stead.

When he looked up, the bear was already charging at him. He let out a sudden cry of pain. The bear's sharp teeth tore into the flesh of his foot. Fan Mingli cried in agony while attempting to yank his foot from the bear's jaws. He could feel its teeth sinking deep into his flesh the more he pushed back.

”Ngh...Help me!”

The other men instinctively looked at each other, seeing extreme fear in each other's eyes. Fighting a man was an easy feat, but a bear…unpredictable.

Just then, the swift and almost beautiful sound of a sword hummed in their ears. When they looked over, An Sun had jumped from his horse and charged - sword in hand.

He stabbed the back of the bear, setting off a deep growl from it as it swung a claw at its attacker. An Sun dodged and took a few steps back.

”Get him out of here!” He commanded, never withdrawing his gaze from the bear.

An Sun's shouts brought the men back to focus. Looking at the scene, they mustered up the courage to grab Fan Mingli while An Sun distracted the bear. Seeing them drag Fan Mingli to a safe area, An Sun let out a huff.

Cowards.

However, recalling the situation in front of him, a string of curses unraveled from his tongue as the bear advanced. He tried to dodge a swing from its massive claws, but it struck his side and he tumbled into the ground.

A heat of searing pain shot through his arm, but he hardly had time to think when the bear charged again. An Sun seized the sword by his side and blocked the bear's vicious jaws with the blade. It was inches away from his face, warm drool pooling onto his skin.

Gritting his teeth, An Sun thrust the blade back even further. His eyes glanced to the side to see the other men watching him on the side, they seemed fearful, but he noticed behind that fear…was satisfaction.

”Fucking bastards…” An Sun muttered under his breath.

With all the strength he could muster, he shoved the bear with his sword. Just before the bear snapped its jaws at him again, he rotated the sword in his hand and shoved the blade down its throat.

The bear squirmed, struggling even more viciously and its claws reached for his face. An Sun dug the sword deeper down its throat until he saw blood pooling from its teeth.

When it went limp, he finally released a loud breath and relaxed his arms, hands still on the hilt of his sword. As he panted and tried to regain his breath, he looked up at the sky with a deep gaze.