Cute Little Fellow X Making a Quick Escape

One day, two days, or five days.

Outside the Red Maple Forest.

Kevin has been here for five days.

Kevin woke up early in the morning and slowly walked toward the stream that meandered out from the Red Maple Forest.

At the Boundary of this Red Maple Forest, even by the stream, it's rare to see other creatures coming to drink.

From inside the Red Maple Forest to the outside, an area of about several tens of meters, almost no animals dare to venture there, because this is the territory of the "Red Sparrow".

These incredibly fast Little Bird, whose attacks resemble streaks of red Flowing Light, have already firmly established themselves in this area.

Or perhaps, this Red Maple Forest was originally a place specifically planned by those [Traveling Chef] to raise Red Sparrow hundreds of years ago.

Red Sparrow are among the few creatures that, even after losing their breeders, continue to live peacefully in their former breeding areas.

Of course, this is also closely related to their habits.

After washing up and fetching water, Kevin returned to the small campsite by the Red Maple Forest.

By this time, Gowen had already woken up and was preparing breakfast.

He picked up an orange-red fruit from the ground beside him, placed it in the center of the fire, piled dry firewood and branches on top of it, and then gently stimulated it with his Nen Aura.

"Boom!"

Just like igniting fuel, the orange-red fruit instantly split open, and flames roared, instantly setting the dry wood piled above ablaze.

Next, he began to roast the dried Rabbit Meat.

"Nature is truly amazing; the food of these Red Sparrow can actually be used as fuel."

Gowen said this while turning over the rabbit meat on the wooden stick.

These orange-red fruits are the food of the Red Sparrow and a product of this Red Maple Forest.

Without a doubt, the [Burning Fruit] is a C-grade Material; it can ignite into a raging fire with extremely high temperatures with just a slight stimulation.

Moreover, with careful processing, the outer shell can be peeled off without causing combustion, revealing a special seasoning.

In other words, it is actually a kind of [food], a [material] with elemental properties—fire.

Both the Red Sparrow and the Burning Fruit are Kevin's targets.

The Gowen just used was not freshly picked; it was an empty shell from which the Red Sparrow had eaten its core.

But it still possesses such power.

"You're progressing very quickly. Will you achieve your goal today?" Gowen asked, twirling the wooden stick and looking at the fire.

Hearing this, Kevin nodded. "That's right, if nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to catch the first one today."

Red Sparrow are known for their speed; their movements are almost impossible to discern with the naked eye, making them extremely difficult to catch.

But after these few days, Kevin finally figured out their habits, gradually adapted to their speed, and was even able to keep up with their movements. He was able to touch the birds and feel their high temperature.

Of course, successfully capturing it wouldn't be easy, but today, Kevin felt the time was about right.

After they finished eating, the two returned to the edge of the woods.

After witnessing Kevin's actions over the past few days, Gowen joined in, treating it as a form of training, which it indeed was.

However, Gowen obviously couldn't improve his accuracy by spreading his Nen Aura into a "circle" like Kevin could.

His physical condition wouldn't allow him to do that; otherwise, if the Red Sparrow were to get in, it would definitely seriously injure him or even kill him.

He can only defend himself using his Nen Aura, which, in a way, is also training his [flow], as well as his eyesight and reaction speed.

He didn't expect to be able to dodge or catch the Red Sparrow; he only hoped to be able to determine the attack location when the opponent attacked.

To be honest, Kevin thinks this is precisely Gowen's strength.

No matter what he does, Gowen seems to be very rational, clearly aware of his own strengths and the scope of his abilities.

Therefore, even when setting training goals, he never sets unrealistic targets, always choosing goals that he can achieve through hard work.

It's hard to imagine that this young man, who is a few years younger than Kevin, is so composed.

"I'll go first." Gowen nodded, standing behind Kevin, ready to assist him at any time.

This stems from a problem that occurred a couple of days ago.

Because of the presence of the Red Maple Forest, they had difficulty determining how many Red Sparrow were in the trees in front of them.

How many more Red Sparrow are preparing to attack?

Sometimes only two or three Red Sparrow attack, sometimes as many as eight or nine, and a couple of days ago there were even as many as thirteen.

Even Kevin was almost overwhelmed by such a situation. If Gowen hadn't been quick to pull him out, Kevin would most likely have been seriously injured.

Moreover, as time went on, the number of Red Sparrow in the tree in front of them remained at more than five, as if they were on guard against them.

In the eyes of the Red Sparrow, these two humans were undoubtedly intruders, different from wild beasts, and no matter how they attacked, they could not be driven away; they could only keep a close watch on them.

"Inhale, exhale..."

Kevin regulated his breathing, then silently closed his eyes.

This wasn't due to overconfidence, but rather his assessment that his eyesight was ineffective against the Red Sparrow, given the Red Sparrow's incredible speed.

My eyes simply can't keep up.

Since we can't keep up, we won't try anymore; we'll just rely on the precision of the "circle" to replace our eyes.

Kevin stepped into the edge of the woods.

However, the Red Sparrow did not immediately launch an attack.

Five days is enough time for these clever Little Bird to make a change.

They no longer acted impulsively in the face of Kevin, which is why Kevin has yet to catch the Red Sparrow.

These Red Sparrow are learning and adjusting. They have learned to attack in succession and to coordinate their attacks to launch surprise attacks, instead of rushing in all at once like they did at the beginning.

Clearly, the previous attack methods were sufficient to deal with other invading creatures, but a change was needed when facing Kevin and his group.

Indeed, biological change and evolution stem from pressure. It's just that these organisms are evolving at an incredibly rapid pace, which is perhaps a unique characteristic of this world.

Nen Aura, a power that originates from life, is like an accelerator of evolution.

Kevin wasn't in a hurry, nor did he intend to venture deeper into the woods; he simply stood at the edge and waited quietly.

In any case, these Red Sparrow absolutely cannot stand having enemies constantly lurking on the Boundary of their territory; they have an extremely strong sense of territory.

"Call out!"

The attack is coming.

Kevin's right hand suddenly reached for his waist and abdomen, his palm touching a scalding hot object, but the object was too fast and slipped away from his palm in an instant.

At that moment, three attacks came simultaneously, targeting Kevin's right hand, left leg, and right leg.

He immediately reached out his right hand to grab the back of his left hand, and this time he only felt a burning sensation before his palm was empty.

At the same time, his left and right legs were struck, and the affected areas instantly became red and swollen, showing signs of burns from the high temperature.

"Call out!"

Almost simultaneously, the final attack followed.

Kevin smiled.

You've been tricked.

This time, he extended both hands directly forward to meet the attack.

The Red Sparrow stung his chest, a burning pain shooting through him instantly, but Kevin paid it no mind, quickly clasping his hands together.

They caught the Red Sparrow as it turned to flee.

"Combine!"

A burning, scalding sensation spread through my palm, as if I were holding a red-hot metal ball, and the searing pain spread from my hand.

But Kevin ignored it all and, with a quick leap, fled towards the outer perimeter.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Kevin has really stirred up trouble.

The moment their companion was captured, the Red Sparrow seemed to be enraged, transforming into streaks of yellow light and charging madly toward Kevin's location.

They swept directly across the Boundary, Kevin, who had escaped, remained a target.

I knew it.

Kevin had expected this, and a wide smile spread across his face.

"But don't think I can't stop you!"

Kevin was only beaten to catch the Red Sparrow; defending himself would not have been difficult for him.

He gripped the Red Sparrow, which felt like a red-hot iron ball, tightly with his left hand, and pushed it forward with a jolt with his right.

A large amount of Nen Aura condensed under his control into something resembling a barrier, which he forcefully pushed out.

A wall of air composed of hexagons appeared.

Although the air barrier could only last for three or four seconds, that was more than enough for Kevin.

The sound of ping-pong balls colliding rang out; these Red Sparrow were indeed formidable, managing to shatter Kevin's Hexagonal Aura Wall.

This three-dimensional air wall was only 20 percent weaker than Kevin's defenses, making it extremely tough, yet it was still breached by the Red Sparrow.

But it's alright, the attack was successfully blocked after all.

With a big smile on his face, Kevin jumped back a few times and retreated to a place twenty meters away from the Boundary the Red Maple Forest.

Beyond this distance, the Red Sparrow's attacks become meaningless, and they will not leave their own forest.

Upon seeing this, Gowen quickly came over, holding the medicine in his hand.

This is a new medicine that Kevin has concocted using available materials over the past few days to treat burns; it's not even C-class potion.

"Don't rush, let's see what this little guy looks like," Kevin said impatiently.

After several days of work, I finally achieved my goal.

I really underestimated these creatures.

Hearing this, Gowen leaned closer, equally curious.

After all, they had only been taking beatings these past few days and had never even seen what these red birds looked like.

Kevin slowly loosened a few fingers, revealing burn marks on his fingers and the heat emanating from the Red Sparrow in his hand.

Compared to when I first caught it, the temperature has dropped considerably, probably to around 40 or 50 degrees Celsius, which is well within my tolerance range. This seems to be the normal body temperature of the Red Sparrow.

Kevin adjusted his hand gesture slightly, moving the Red Sparrow to his right hand and gently holding its claws between two fingers.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

The Red Sparrow chirped angrily, but their voices were very soft and gentle, creating a stark contrast to their fierce appearance when attacking.

The two were finally able to see the Red Sparrow in its entirety.

The Red Sparrow has short, orange-red feathers with varying shades of brightness, layered upon each other, resembling a burning flame.

There is a white line running from her forehead to her back.

Its whole body is round and chubby, and its two small eyes shine like black pearls. It looks really cute.

In addition, its small size, no bigger than the palm of your hand, makes it even cuter.

"I can't believe I got beaten up by such a cute little guy without even being able to fight back."

Gowen smiled helplessly and shook his head.

"Haha, who can argue with that?"

Kevin smiled and nodded, then reached out and gently poked the Red Sparrow's head, watching it chirp softly yet full of anger.

"You're so cute, little one, I almost feel bad about letting you be used in medicine."

The "desire" that Kevin passed to him was undoubtedly B-Rank, but it also had a hint of top- C-Rank. This kind of "desire" that was neither high nor low was a bit strange, but it undoubtedly indicated the overall grade of this Red Sparrow.

With the right materials, you might be able to create a basic B-Rank potion; with the wrong materials, you could end up with a top-tier C-Rank potion.

"How can we keep them in cages? Look at their tiny bodies, but they have quite a temper. A regular cage probably won't work, right?"

Gowen asked curiously from the side.

Indeed, given a good foothold, Red Sparrow can regain their previous attack speed, and they might actually smash through an ordinary cage.

Kevin had just touched the Red Sparrow's head and confirmed that its seemingly chubby and cute beak and head were harder than steel.

It's hard to imagine how high the density of such small bodies must be to allow them to rampage at such incredible speeds.

"Haha, I was prepared."

Kevin smiled and took a small cage woven from vines and branches from the package next to him.

The cage was also only the size of a palm, with two holes at the bottom.

"This was made based on the body shape of the Red Sparrow I've encountered these past few days."

The cage may be simple in appearance, but it's functional.

Kevin carefully placed the Red Sparrow into the cage.

Once placed inside, the cage was almost flush against the Red Sparrow's feathers, and its claws could just peek out from the two holes that were specially left at the bottom.

In this way, the Red Sparrow was completely unable to move and could not find a foothold.

Kevin took out the hook from the cage and used vines to hang it from a small tree branch next to it, so that the cage was suspended in the air.

That's fine.

Gowen glanced at it, nodded, and then turned to look at the Red Maple Forest.

"I'd better not mess with them now; I feel like they could really kill me."

Numerous angry gazes pierced them like needles.

"Don't use your feelings."

Kevin chuckled from the side.

He could feel the gazes cast upon him from within the Red Maple Forest; these Red Sparrow were clearly furious.

He dared not provoke them further, otherwise he would surely be attacked by the Red Sparrow like raindrops.

The two obediently returned to the camp.

Kevin took out the medicine and began applying it to his burns.

"I've always wanted to ask, how did you manage to withstand attacks with your bare hands in just a few days and only suffer burns now?"

Gowen asked curiously from the side.

Two days ago, after Kevin was hit, he had festering wounds from the impact and burns. But in the last two days, only burns and slight redness and swelling remain after the impact. It's as if Kevin's physical strength has increased several levels in just a few days, which seems unreasonable.

"It's a technique for controlling Nen Aura and muscles. The moment I'm attacked, my muscles tense up, Nen Aura is heightened," Kevin explained.

Upon hearing this, Gowen silently looked up at him, his suspicion evident in his eyes.

Are you making this up?

Gowen clearly didn't believe it, after all, it sounded too outrageous.

The Red Sparrow's attack speed is so fast that it's difficult to keep up with the naked eye. To adjust a part of the muscle at the moment of attack to achieve the effect Kevin described is simply a fantasy; it's something that a normal human body could not do.

"You can think of this ability as a form of Nen ability," Kevin added.

Hearing this, Gowen nodded; it sounded much more reasonable that way.

If it's Nen ability, then it makes sense.

In fact, this is indeed a Nen ability— [Blank Meteor].

[Blank Meteor] is essentially Kevin's ability to enhance "muscle memory" to a certain level of abstraction.

This ability is abstracted to the point of being able to remember the effects of drugs and various states attached to the body, but the essential muscle memory still exists.

After several days of heavy blows, Kevin's body developed muscle memory in a way he hadn't anticipated.

In the instant of being attacked, the body will instinctively adjust its muscles and strengthen itself with enhanced Nen abilities.

After being beaten for several days, the body memorized this coping mechanism.

However, [Blank Meteor] is powerless to treat burns.

It aims at what the body can achieve and then processes it automatically without much thought, rather than letting Kevin evolve inexplicably and suddenly develop a Fire Resistance structure on his skin.

But this change is also a pleasant surprise.

"Are we leaving now?" Gowen asked.

Given the current situation, they simply cannot approach the Red Maple Forest again, otherwise they would definitely suffer a severe beating, either dead or seriously injured.

"One is enough, let's go."