I'm The supreme Fairy King

"Good, let's retreat then," Hector leaned over, carrying Jim's body like he was carrying a weightless sack. "I recall the presence of mountains on the other side of the river," he said.

"There is a cave I hid at night there," Jim weakly said before motioning with his head, "it's in that direction."

The next moment he felt more pain that he couldn't endure anymore. Each single bone of his body seemed to be crushed and even muscles were torn apart from his last act.

But at least he got what he needed.

"Can you get me his rings?" clinging to the last rope of being conscious he motioned towards the chimera core kid and asked.

"Sure," Hector said before noticing Jim's eyes getting closed and his body started to grow weaker, "sigh, that's the price of acting heroic in these forest foolish kid," he softly muttered before turning around and ordered someone to bring the belongings of all the fallen kids here while retreating fast.

"Ouch!"

The moment Jim opened his eyes again he found himself lying inside a large cave. He wasn't in the same cave he stayed the past night at, but it was seemingly dark outside.

"The little princess has awakened," one of the kids said in a strong tone while Jim heard faint laughs before a strong shout came to silence them.

"Don't be rude," he could tell it was Hector's voice, "he fought alone for an entire night and survived the assault of entire teams and monsters. He should get the credit for doing so."

"That's why I gave him the nickname," yet the first kid to speak said and others laughed.

Jim tried to stand up but all he felt was a deep shock of pain assaulting his body.

"Easy now," Hector appeared next to him with a wide smile over his face, something that didn't match his earlier shout or words at all, "your body was deeply wounded and it needs a lot of time to heal."

"I... don't have that time to waste on healing," Jim didn't give up the try and finally could lean on the side of the cave with his legs stretched on the ground.

There he found his body covered with a strange layer of mud like new scales grew out of nowhere.

"Stubborn as usual," Hector laughed, "at least this got you to where you are."

"Wounded and crippled?" Jim mockingly said in a bitter tone.

"Someone who has over five thousand monster cores isn't a crippled or wounded one," Hector's smile went bigger, "I bet your score would be so high even if you didn't move a finger from now on."

Jim glanced strangely at him before a small shadow appeared, jumped over his body and started rubbing its head in a very happy manner.

"Don!" Jim happily said while patting over his loyal pet's head.

"He is just more stubborn than you," Hector said with a short laugh, "didn't leave your side for the past two days."

"T- Two days!! I was unconscious for two days?!!" Jim was extremely shocked by this news.

"Don't worry, your team is safe and sound," Hector could read his mind, "they are stationed at the safe zone at the other side of the forest. No harm can come to them while they stay there."

"Safe zone?" Jim muttered in doubt, "they returned to the beginning point then?"

"Nah, there are many safe zones stationed in this brutal forest," one of the kids said, and the moment Jim saw him he felt restless.

After all he was one of the giant clan, just like his archenemy, Pol.

"Easy there," Hector seriously said, "he is someone I trust with my life, and you should too."

Jim didn't speak while glancing deeply at that kid. The kid didn't seem to bother with his glances as he continued to say:

"The academy planted many secure places all over the other side of the forest. The expedition should be held at that side, not here at the deadly zone."

"You... are really something," Hector couldn't help but sigh, "even i couldn't delve in these regions until third grade, and i had a team back then backing me up."

Jim suddenly realized why he felt the forest here looked so deadly and unbelievingly hard to deal with. "I fell off that cliff and ended up here," he muttered.

"No way!" another kid said and he seemed to hail from the unicorn clan with that strange single shining red horn in the middle of his head, "that cliff is almost half a mile in height! How did you fall and didn't get injured at all?"

"That's... thanks to mere luck i guess," Jim said while patting warmly over Don's head. If not for his pet's special powers he couldn't even take a single step in this expedition without losing his life.

"Enough talking now," Hector said before motioning to one of his men, "you need to drink this potion. It will help you in healing."

Jim took a small cup from another kid and thanked him. "What are you going to do?" he took a small sip before adding, "I feel like hindering your progress forward."

"No it's playing according to my plan," Hector said before pointing to the depth of the cave, "we will explore that way while you get some rest and good sleep."

The moment Hector pointed there Jim recalled instantly his bitter fight with the monster in the other cave.

And his face changed while Hector and others noticed that.

"You... met one of them?" Hector couldn't help but ask and from the face of Jim he could get the answer.

"Hahaha, i take back my earlier words. You are far crazier than I thought, hahaha," he laughed alongside his team while some glanced in a different way to Jim.

"He has to be the god of luck," the giant kid said, "facing such fallen monsters alone and in year one is simply a dead end. He came out unscathed and that's considered something never heard of."

"I bet he even killed one or two of them," Hector was very amused by what Jim said before taking one ring and tossed it to him, "here is your trophy from before. You can lay down and rest. They are more than enough to get you past the first twenty list."

Jim grabbed the ring and felt some heaviness inside his head. "What's wrong with that potion?" he couldn't help but ask while storing the ring inside one of his own while feeling more heavy and sleepy.

"It's a sleeping potion," Hector calmly said, "I need you to rest for a couple more days if you plan to join us in the fight."

"B- But..." Jim was about to object however his head suddenly felt like being covered in fog and the next moment he fell asleep.

Hector watched him closing up his eyes and his head leaned slowly over his chest. Don raised his head to support his master's while resting his body over Jim's.

"Keep a vigilant eye around," Hector turned to a group of ten disciples, "if anything approached just alarm us."

"Don't worry boss," the kids said in unison while Hector took a deep glance again at Jim before sighing. "I don't recall being this reckless or foolish when I was at his age."

"You were much wiser and braver boss," the giant kid said with a big smile.

"You said two words that can't come together Rant," Hector laughed before clapping his hands, "let's go, we have some monsters to fish and treasures to be taken."

Next the team dispersed as ten went outside, five were stationed around Jim, and the rest vanished inside the darkness of the cave.