On the fourth day of practical training, deep in the dense forest, dappled light spots fell in a scattered pattern on the panting girl's face.

Leaning against a thick tree trunk that could hold her whole body, she bent down and simply bandaged the cut on her right leg.

Breathing heavily, Lily—whose clean little face was smeared with dirt—gripped a Wooden Sword broken into two halves and waited gravely for the approaching enemy.

In a few breaths, the rustling sound from the bushes instantly made the girl tense up, not daring to breathe.

Under the dim light, the burly jungle lord—a scarred tiger—moved forward cautiously and slowly.

Dried blood still clung to its sharp claws, and the one-eyed tiger kept letting out restless roars.

"Almost... there... just a little more..." Patiently listening to the approaching footsteps, Lily—whose palms were sweating—silently counted in her heart.

Hunter and prey, the roles can switch in an instant.

"Roar!!"

As if unable to endure the agonizing wait, the roaring tiger was clearly on the verge of losing its sanity.

A flash of light shot through her eyes. Seizing the moment, she threw the blood-stained half of her skirt into the air. Confidently, Lily—poised for the killing blow—shouted, "Now!"

"Thud!" Only two muffled sounds were heard. Then, under a shower of flying fragments, the girl's half sword blade easily pierced the vulnerable throat of the tiger.

Collapsing weakly onto the cold ground after three long days and sleepless nights of battle, the finally victorious Lily excitedly said from the bottom of her heart, "Huff... I finally won!"

"Hiss..."

However, just as the girl was completely unaware, a python with emerald-green eyes silently slithered toward her.

Ten meters, eight meters, five meters... The python, baring its vicious fangs, suddenly leaped into the air. "Hiss! Foolish human, you are far too careless!"

"Squelch!"

"Oh ho! Seems like tonight Lily can make us some snake soup to try?" Looking at the python whose head he had accidentally crushed underfoot, Ink Ash—who happened to be passing by—licked his lips and happily mumbled.

Sitting up in confusion and watching her master's excited appearance, Lily tilted her head in puzzlement. "Master? What... what happened?"

"Oh, just an extra dessert..." Casually skinning and gutting the ambitious python, Ink Ash—multitasking—didn't forget to instruct, "First, congratulations on your final victory!"

Listening bashfully to her master's praise, the overjoyed Lily humbly said, "Hehe, not at all... it's all thanks to the knowledge you taught me before."

"However, kid! Do you know you made a fatal mistake here?" His tone shifted abruptly, and Ink Ash's voice turned cold as he emphasized the reminder.

After pondering with distress for a moment, Lily gently shook her head. "Um... this disciple doesn't know."

"Before leaving the battlefield or when you don't know if the fight is over, never... never let your guard down!"

Gently stroking the girl's head, Ink Ash—feeling helpless about her upright conduct—solemnly reminded her.

Looking at the recently deceased python, Lily—deep in thought—promptly replied seriously, "Yes, Master!"

"Well then~ Good that you understand. I've prepared the ingredients. Today, should we grill, steam, or stew?"

Taking out a full set of cooking utensils one by one and looking at the fresh ingredients covering the ground, Ink Ash—rubbing his hands together—looked extremely troubled.

After so many days of training, Lily—who had gained a rough understanding of the various novel cooking utensils—said softly, "If Master doesn't mind waiting, this disciple can make a bit of each..."

"Hmm, truly worthy of being my good disciple, just like I thought." His eyes suddenly gleamed with a different light. The Great Demon King, holding his disciple's hands, didn't spare his praise.

As the saying goes, "First time stranger, second time familiar." After the initial hard training, Lily—with exceptional comprehension and adaptability—had transformed from a greenhorn rookie into a skilled jungle hunter.

In the blink of an eye, that tender girl who had been anxious and flustered before leaving home now quietly gained a trace of confident and dashing demeanor.

From nimble wild rabbits to rampaging wild boars, even burly bears and fierce tigers—many had fallen to the girl's hands.

Of course, our Great Demon King, upholding the virtue of thrift, kindly gathered their remains.

Thus, the practical training was about to come to an end. However, before that...

At the peak of the hill where birds and beasts had scattered, the low-level magic beasts at the top of the local food chain trembled and curled up in their caves, not daring to show their heads.

Roaring booms continued incessantly. From the billowing dust, a spotless young figure slowly emerged. Opposite him stood a group of emerald-green rabbits with slightly longer front legs and crimson eyes.

Smiling at this group of delicious-looking prey, Ink Ash—who had decided to take back "some"—leisurely said, "Don't run away. You keep fleeing, and it troubles me."

"Squeak! Human, we have no grudge! Why are you exterminating my kind?!" Glaring hatefully at the demon who had been hunting his kin for days, the giant long-legged rabbit—as the leader—bared its teeth and demanded.

Although he didn't know why he could understand their words, Ink Ash—licking his lips with lingering desire—seriously said, "Why? Because... you taste delicious!"

"Squeak! Just to satisfy your gluttony, you commit such heinous acts—are you a devil?!"

Gladly accepting the compliment, Ink Ash casually explained, "Now now, relax. How could I exterminate a species? I'll leave you two pairs to reproduce. How about that?"

And then, there was no "and then"... Satisfied, he left four terrified, motionless little rabbits behind and happily went to meet his disciple.

Roughly speaking, after this genocide, the long-legged rabbits with strong survival instincts embarked on a path to become elite warriors.

Unrestrained overpopulation only invites endless slaughter and killing!

In the centuries that followed, after countless trials of blood and tears, the delicious long-legged rabbits... went extinct, replaced by elite rabbits that dominated the region.

To commemorate that brutal battle, they took the painful experience as a lesson, pursued the preciousness of life, and redefined themselves through combat. Yes, their name became—the Battle Rabbits!

Ahem, just a joke, just a joke.