Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 271: Lion Hunt

Jayden’s eyes snapped open to the dim gray light of predawn filtering through his curtains. He hadn’t slept well... he hadn’t really slept at all, if he was being honest with himself.

He sat up, running both hands through his hair with a frustrated groan. Two days. It had only been two days since everything fell apart with Cassie, and it felt like a lifetime. The guilt sat in his chest like a stone, heavy and immovable.

And then there was Aileen.

Jayden swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet touching the cool floor. His mind drifted to yesterday’s training session, to that final conversation by the gates.

Her warning echoed in his memory, spoken with such casual certainty that it had sent chills down his spine. And it wasn’t just the words... it was everything about Aileen that didn’t add up.

Dragon Eye couldn’t read her. Not a single stat, not her level, not even her name. In all his time using that ability, it had never failed so completely. Even Penelope, powerful as she was, had shown up with full information except for her age.

But Aileen? Complete nullification. Like she existed outside the system’s ability to perceive.

And her combat demonstration... that speed, that precision, the effortless way she’d destroyed ten Xeno bots in under four seconds. It was beyond what someone at level 19 should be capable of. Far beyond.

Was she some hidden powerful figure pretending to be a timid teenager? Some kind of guardian watching over humanity from the shadows? Or was she exactly what she appeared to be... just a brilliant, intuitive girl who’d simply noticed things she shouldn’t have and was doing what she thought was right?

But more importantly: was she an ally or a potential enemy?

Jayden didn’t know. And that uncertainty was almost worse than having a confirmed threat.

"I need to find out who she really is," he thought.

He stood up, stretching him limbs. The digital clock on his nightstand read 5:47 AM. The day was still early, but he wasn’t going to get any more sleep anyway.

Besides, he had a mission today. One that would require his full attention and couldn’t be delayed any longer.

The Sabertooth Flare.

Jayden moved to his bathroom, splashing cold water on his face. The shock of it helped clear some of the fog from his mind. He stared at his reflection in the mirror... tired eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, dark circles underneath them, jaw tight with tension.

"Get it together," he muttered to himself. "Focus on what you can control."

Cassandra was a problem he didn’t know how to solve. Aileen was a mystery that would take time to unravel. But the Sabertooth Flare? That was simple; Find it. Fight it. Kill it. Claim its power. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Simple didn’t mean easy, but at least it was straightforward.

He showered quickly, the hot water helping to loosen his muscles and wake him up properly. By the time he was dressed... black cargo pants, a dark gray shirt, and his leather jacket, he felt more like himself. More focused.

Jayden moved quietly through the house. Everyone else was still asleep, which was just as well. He didn’t want to explain where he was going or face Jessica and Tasha’s concern. They’d try to come with him, or worse, try to talk him out of it.

This was something he needed to do alone. He grabbed a protein bar from the kitchen and ate it on his way out.

Outside, he summoned his bike and mounted it, the familiar hum of the engine a comforting sound as it came to life beneath him.

With a twist of the throttle, Jayden shot off the ground and into the early morning sky.

The city was just beginning to wake up... a few early morning commuters, delivery vehicles, the occasional patrol craft. Jayden wove between them easily, heading northwest toward Jade City.

The flight took about thirty minutes. As he flew, the urban sprawl gradually gave way to suburbs, then to rural areas, and finally to the dense canopy of Jade City Forest stretching out below him like a green ocean.

Jayden descended, bringing his bike down in a small clearing near the forest’s edge. He dismounted and recalled the vehicle to his gloves.

The forest was eerily quiet. No bird songs, no rustling of small animals. Just the whisper of wind through leaves and the occasional distant sound that might have been a beast’s call.

"Luna,"he called mentally as he began walking into the treeline. "I’m going in."

[Be careful] Luna’s voice replied, carrying a note of concern. [The Sabertooth Flare is C-rank on the verge of ranking up. That’s a significant jump from what you’ve been fighting]

"I know," Jayden chuckled. "But I’ve been preparing for this."

[Just don’t get cocky] she warned. [Confidence is good. Overconfidence gets you killed]

Jayden smiled grimly. "Noted."

He activated his enhanced senses, letting them spread out through the forest. His hearing sharpened, picking up sounds from hundreds of meters away. His sense of smell became acute enough to distinguish individual scents... earth, rotting vegetation, beast musk.

And his vision... even in the shadowy depths of the forest, he could see clearly, picking out details most people would miss.

He was hunting. And he was very, very good at it.

The first beast he encountered was a Razorback Boar... a massive creature the size of a small car, with tusks like curved swords and spine-covered hide that bristled with danger.

It charged at him from the undergrowth, moving with surprising speed for something so large. Its beady red eyes were fixed on him with pure predatory intent.

Jayden sidestepped the charge with minimal effort, his hand shooting out to grab one of the spines on its back. He used the beast’s own momentum against it, redirecting its charge and sending it crashing into a tree with bone-breaking force.

The Razorback staggered, disoriented. Jayden didn’t give it time to recover. He closed the distance in two quick steps, his fist driving into the side of its head with enhanced strength behind it.

The impact made a sound like a gunshot. The boar’s skull cracked, and it dropped like a stone, dead before it hit the ground.

[+30 Exp received]

Jayden added the beast’s crystal into his inventory and continued deeper into the forest.

Over the next several hours, he encountered and defeated multiple beasts. Tremor Gators that tried to ambush him from the trees. Earth Smashers that struck from underground. A pack of Howlers that had the misfortune of thinking he looked like prey.

And each time, the pattern was the same: engage, eliminate, continue.

By mid-afternoon, his experience had climbed steadily:

[Current EXP: 1960/6700]

But none of the beasts he hunted were his target. None of them carried the distinctive fire-based signature he was looking for.

The Sabertooth Flare was proving elusive.

As evening approached and the forest began to darken, Jayden found himself growing frustrated. He’d covered miles of territory, climbed dozens of trees to get better vantage points, even used his enhanced senses to their absolute limits.

Nothing.

"Where are you?" he muttered, scanning the forest from his current perch high in an ancient oak.

[Maybe it’s not active during the day] Luna suggested. [After all, most beasts only come out at night]

"Yeah, you’re right," Jayden admitted. "But if I don’t find it soon, I’ll have to come back tomorrow, and..." He stopped sentence, his entire body going still.

Then he felt something. A presence. Stronger than anything he’d felt all day. An aura that carried heat and power, making the very air seem to shimmer around it.

It was the Sabertooth Flare.

Jayden traced the energy until his eyes finally locked onto the source... roughly half a mile to the northeast, near what looked like a rocky outcropping. He focused his enhanced vision, zooming in despite the distance and fading light.

And then he saw it; at the mouth of a cave, partially hidden by vegetation. Stood a massive feline shape, easily the size of a full-grown tiger but more powerfully built. Its fur was a deep russet color that seemed to glow faintly in the gathering dusk. And its mane... its mane was made of actual flames, flickering and dancing around its head and neck in shades of orange and gold.

The Sabertooth Flare was feeding on something... the corpse of what looked like a Dire Stag, its antlers still magnificent even in death.

Jayden activated Dragon Eye immediately, focusing on the beast.

––––––

*Name: Sabertooth Flare

*Rank: C

*Ability: Pyrokinesis

*HP: 1000/1000

––––––