After this conversation, the three youths finally made their way to the water point that Hinata had spotted earlier.
A massive river ran through the forest, its clear waters shimmering under the sunlight.
The current seemed calm… but deep enough to shelter many fish.
Zerath quickly observed the surroundings before turning his head toward the other two.
— Since there are three of us… we need at least three fish. One each.
Hinata simply nodded while Kert remained strangely silent.
Or rather…
He was still slightly sulking since Hinata had completely ignored his "survival lesson."
Zerath noticed his expression but preferred not to say anything.
Instead, he tightened his grip on his improvised spear before smiling slightly.
— Good…
He took a deep breath.
— Let's go.
The hunt begins.
Kert glanced at his weapon lying on the ground before forming a confident smile.
Then he bent down to pick it up.
— I'm mainly going to show you what a real professional fisherman looks like.
He then removed his t-shirt before carelessly throwing it onto the riverbank.
Even without the system, his body remained impressive.
His muscles and abs still clearly showed that he had been a transcendent for a long time.
Then he proudly turned his head toward Hinata.
— Step back a bit, princess. You might break a nail if you try.
Zerath let out a slight laugh while shaking his head.
Hinata simply frowned.
— I could probably catch the fish with my bare hands…
— Yes, but that would completely ruin my moment of glory, Kert immediately replied.
Then he stepped into the water.
The damp current slid around his legs as he exhaled calmly.
— Three fish, huh?
He spun his spear in his hand with confidence.
— I'm going to catch way more than that.
Zerath also stepped into the water before preparing his own weapon.
— Try to get us one first before talking, that would already—
SPLASH.
Before he even finished his sentence, Kert had already struck.
His spear pierced through the surface of the water at an impressive speed.
Then he immediately lifted it.
A fish was already writhing at the end of the wood.
Zerath's eyes widened.
— That… that fast?!
Hinata, behind them, smiled softly.
Kert proudly raised his chin.
— And that's one!
He threw the fish toward the shore.
The impaled creature flailed desperately for a few seconds on the wet sand before Hinata quickly finished it off to prevent it from suffering further.
Kert immediately refocused.
His gaze followed the movements beneath the water with astonishing precision.
Then—
SPLASH.
A second strike.
And another fish immediately appeared at the end of his spear.
Zerath was left speechless.
— Seriously…?
Kert burst out laughing.
— And that's two!!
He threw the second fish toward Hinata, who caught it without difficulty.
Then Kert slowly turned a provocative look toward Zerath.
— So? Are you planning to stand in the water all day?
A mocking smile stretched across his face.
— Maybe you should get out before you scare all the fish away.
Zerath immediately tightened his grip on his spear.
— Are you trying to provoke me?
Kert shrugged with an innocent smile.
— Me? Never.
Zerath took a deep breath before focusing on the river.
Fish were quickly passing through the reflections of the current.
Then he spotted one, slightly closer to the rocks.
His eyes immediately lit up.
— I've got it.
He struck immediately.
SPLAAASH.
Water splashed violently around him.
Then Zerath lifted his spear.
Empty.
His expression instantly froze.
— What…?
A mocking whistle immediately sounded.
Zerath slowly turned his head.
Kert had already caught a third fish.
— Oh wow…
Did you miss it?
Zerath's face tightened slightly.
Hinata discreetly looked away to hide her smile.
But Zerath now absolutely refused to lose.
He tried again.
And again.
Each failure was immediately followed by:
a new jab from Kert;
a new fish caught;
and growing frustration.
Very growing.
And little by little…
The salt was truly starting to take over Zerath.
After this long fishing session, the sun had finally disappeared behind the immense trees of the forest.
Night had returned.
A fire burned softly near the river while the flames illuminated the tired faces of the three youths.
Thanks to Kert, they had managed to catch more than nine fish.
All of them.
Absolutely all caught by him.
Zerath was sitting a little apart, arms crossed, clearly showing a slight bad mood.
Kert, meanwhile, was lying near the fire with almost unbearable arrogance.
— Honestly, Zerath…
He placed a hand on his chest with pride.
— You have to admit that the King of Camping delivered today.
Zerath slowly raised his eyes toward him.
— "King of Camping"… seriously?
Kert completely ignored the remark.
— If we had relied only on you, we'd still be eating strange fruits tonight.
Zerath let out a sigh before slightly looking away.
— Fine… I have to admit you did well.
Kert's smile immediately widened.
— Obviously.
Meanwhile, Hinata remained silent near the fire.
Focused.
She used small sturdy pieces of wood to skewer the fish before cooking them over the flames like improvised kebabs.
The smell of grilled fish slowly began to spread through the air.
Each of them had received three fish.
And Hinata carefully watched their cooking to make sure they wouldn't burn.
Finally, she removed one of them from the fire before observing it for a few seconds.
Then she smiled slightly.
— This one is ready.
She then handed the fish to Kert.
— Here. It's for you.
Kert immediately raised his eyes toward her.
— Huh? Me first?
Hinata gently nodded.
— You caught all of this for us. You probably deserve to be served first.
Kert took the fish with a huge satisfied smile.
— What a pleasure…
Then he slightly tilted his head toward her.
— Thanks, Hina.
He smiled even more.
— You don't mind if I call you that, I hope?
Hinata seemed slightly surprised by the nickname.
But before she could even answer—
Kert brutally bit into the fish.
Then his eyes suddenly widened.
— FUCK THAT'S HOT—!!
He immediately spat out the piece while coughing as Zerath was already holding his face with his hand.
— What an idiot…
Kert immediately shot him an annoyed look.
— Yeah yeah, leave me alone!
Zerath sighed deeply.
— What exactly did you expect? The fish literally just came out of the fire.
Kert proudly lifted his head despite his probably destroyed tongue.
— Doesn't matter.
He then pointed his finger at them with grandeur.
— See me as your king from now on. For it is I who have offered you this feast.
Zerath immediately rolled his eyes.
— Now he's becoming arrogant…
— "Becoming"? I've always been.
— Yes, unfortunately.
Very quickly, the two began exchanging jabs under the light of the flames.
Hinata watched them silently.
Her eyes moved from one to the other as they continued their absurd quarrel.
Then…
A slight smile slowly appeared at the corner of her lips.
The atmosphere was strangely pleasant.
Peaceful.
For a few moments, this terrifying forest seemed almost less oppressive.
Hinata slightly lowered her eyes toward the flames.
She then thought back to the first time she had faced Zerath and Kert during the tournament.
At that time…
They had seemed completely different to her.
Cold.
Overwhelming.
Almost inhuman in the way they fought.
And yet…
Now that she saw them:
bickering over grilled fish;
joking around a fire;
acting like simple youths trying to survive…
She had trouble believing they were the same people.
Deep down…
They were far more human than she had imagined.