52: Tesai

Caleb, Jin, and Athena ventured out of the depths of the jungle, where the dense canopy of emerald leaves overhead filtered the sunlight into fragmented rays that danced upon the forest floor. The humid air wrapped around him like a warm, embracing shroud, heavy with the scents of earth, decay, and vibrant life.

Each step Caleb took crunched softly against the carpet of fallen leaves, a natural orchestra of sounds that whispered secrets of the wilderness.

The towering trees, gnarled and ancient, reached for the heavens, their trunks adorned with mossy tapestries and lichen-flecked patterns. Vines dangled from branches like intricate curtains, waiting to ensnare the unsuspecting traveler. Sunlight, diluted and soft, flickered through the gaps in the canopy, painting fleeting patterns of light and shadow on the lush undergrowth.

The air pulsed with the harmony of nature's symphony. Chirping insects and unseen creatures set the tempo, while birds of vivid plumage painted melodic strokes across the canvas of the sky. The distant gurgling of a hidden stream hinted at a source of life deeper within the jungle, a source to be discovered.

With each breath, Caleb absorbed the heady scent of damp earth, exotic blooms, and the pungent tang of foliage. It was a scent that spoke of fertility and growth, of life's unyielding persistence in the face of adversity.

"Hahaha! Johan, what do you say? Am I good at teaching? You have learned from me, aren't you?" Athena had a shit-eating grin on her face as she bragged.

Unlike other girls, Athena acts like a savage, not girly at all. She was like a mighty huntress that behaves waywardly and can be quite rude and loud-mouthed. Still, she was a good person and often showed care about him in a roundabout way.

"Are you? Well, I'll be lying. If I didn't say that I've learned a lot from you. You know... Survival in the wild and the likes." Caleb admitted generously, causing Athena to lean on his shoulder and grin.

"Well, Johan. I must say you have a good head on your shoulders. You're bright for your age. Now, you're capable of joining us in hunting from other dangerous areas. Areas that are even more dangerous than this place." Jin, just beside him, broke his silence.

Calen sighed. 

"Dangerous than Forest of Death?"

Then he grinned.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it then!"

After days of getting along with Jin. Caleb finally got familiar with the other party's personality. In his opinion, Jin was a meticulous, knowledgeable guy. He was analytical in the things that he did. And he can be cold and calculating, mature beyond his age.

However, Jin was a good senior to him and also looked out for him. All in all, his first impression of Jin turned out to be wrong, and he was more reliable than Dunn.

Just like that, they walked for half an hour until they appeared in a clearing. Just ahead, they would reach the Sasmuan River. 

Suddenly, Jin began to sniff the air with his nose, his eyes sharpened. Athena and Caleb brandished their weapons and looked alertly around. At that moment, three-four inches of shadow shot out above a branch of a tree, covered by leaves.

Jin raised his index finger. Caleb had an illusion as he felt the strong danger from Jin's finger. Two of the shadows were going to Jin's position, while the other two headed to Athena and Caleb. 

'Fuck! What are these things!?

With a pivot of his left foot, Caleb flexibly tilted his body and sidestepped out of the way of the fast-approaching three-inch-long shadow. He barely managed to see its appearance as it literally passed in front of his face. Only two centimeters away from biting his nose. 

Athena, on the other hand, moves in a weird, bizarre way that Caleb thought wasn't possible. As the other shadow was only one inch on her chest, she took a small step back and her body seemed to be floating like a leaf and her body just moved sideways. It was both exaggerated and cool at the same time. One word appeared in Caleb's mind as he determined what it was.

One of the Five Powers! Feathery Body! It was the first time he witnessed one of the five powers after Fushigiro's Deka Step and Soft Fist! And it was as surprising as it should be!

However, the spectacle wasn't done yet. The two-three-inch shadow that attacked Jin fell to the ground with a hole in their heads. 

Jin wiped the blood on his fingers with a strip of white cloth and looked at the other two-three inches as snakes coiled around a branch of a tree, ready to lunge at them again. He snorted and pointed that index finger he used to kill the snakes with a faint smile.

"Damned snakes. Come!"

'So that's the Finger Gun. Also, one of the Five Powers. Interesting... Goddamn it! I also want to learn it!' Caleb thought.

All five powers are the kind of technique that would make anyone who masters them superhuman in a sense. Deka Step, Feathery Body, Finger Gun, Soft Fist, and Tesai! 

Each move is special and if anyone masters them, they would almost have no weakness when it comes to physical battle. A hexagonal set of techniques! Unfortunately, only Fushigiro masters all of them. While Jin, who was the Vice-Captain, masters two.

Just like that, the two snakes turned into shadows due to their speed as they accelerated mid-air toward Jin, who remained calm and composed.

"Tesai!" All the muscles in Jin's body moved and contorted. Both from his upper body, lower body and even on his face. Veins became visible. It looked quite disturbing, yet impressive. Then the muscles compressed.

Caleb watched with his mouth agape as Jin just let the two snakes become closer and closer with no intention of dodging.

"Jin W-what are y-y..." Caleb was just about to push Jin out of the way of the snakes, but there was a bit of distance. Then he saw the snakes bite Jin's arm and neck.

'Damn, I'm too late!' 

Although he didn't know if the snakes were poisonous. Caleb became worried about Jin. 

"Don't worry about him." Athena chuckled.

Suddenly, blood-curdling shrieks sounded. Then Caleb saw as the snakes exploded into blood mist. Jin didn't have any sign of bite marks from the spot where he was bit either.

"Can you tell me what is happening?" Caleb glanced at Athena.

With a shrug, Athena walked towards Jin while saying.

"Tesai... You can also call it Steel Body. One of the Five Powers that increases defense by moving and contracting every muscle on your body in a single moment simultaneously. Didn't Dunn explain it to you?"