"Managing this Knight camp will be hard work for us cousins James. From the reports I have gotten, they have mismanaged it for quite some time. There are a great deal of peak-Knight demon beasts in this camp," Mikael said.

"When a peak-Knight demon beast breaks through to the Baron realm in a Knight camp, that is a major incident. If that happened it would mean our management has let the public down!"

"The public depends on us to maintain a safe and prosperous area for them to visit. So we must quickly eliminate all hazards."

"You can not assist with this yet but I want you to help me survey the Esquire area of the Hazel Canopy. It might take you a few weeks to finish surveying, but it will be the best contribution you can make to the camp for now."

Why do you always have to have a long-winded monologue?

I was sitting trying to enjoy my meal as Mikael droned on and on. Mikael spoke of what he expected from me over the next few weeks. Since I was not a Knight yet I could only take on such meager tasks in the Knight camp.

My motivation to become a Devil Knight had reached its peak. Since Mikael had become a Devil Knight, I was far from being able to beat him!

I'll double, no I'll triple my devilry practice. How could I fall behind such a righteous prick! This young noble has plenty of fel shards. All I need is to work hard at improving my devilry.

The campgrounds themselves were crude towns. With gloomy wooden rooftops, felstone walls, and overgrown vegetation, the Hazel Canopy Knight camp had a bizarre atmosphere.

Campgrounds had flourishing tourist traffic usually, but they had neglected this one. Mikael planned to get this camp-ground back on track.

I got my rooming accommodation all set and began preparing for my next moves. My hut looked old but wonderful. They had built it with white stones and had yellow pine wooden decorations.

Small squared windows brightened the house. They equipped the hut with an old-fashioned kitchen and one enormous bathroom, a snug living room, and two bedrooms. I would call this place home for two years. It was the first place I'd live in, outside of my parent's house.

My next goal was to forge a soul orb and a resentment weapon. My Soulflame qi was now powerful enough to temper these two armaments, and I was skillful enough in Blacksmithing to take up the task.

I went to the Hudson clan base the next day to trade for the required materials. They were Tier-1 materials, so they weren't hard for me to gather.

Soon I will have a soul orb and can formally begin truly practicing the Soul Dao!

My face was all smiles as I headed into my hut. I spent the next few days finally forging my soul orb and resentment weapon.

I hit a snag forging the soul orb. The soul orb was not like a blacksmith weapon, for this devil armament I had to carve formations into the materials for it to function properly.

I did not know of the Formation Dao; it was an important Dao used in crafting. The instructions said that the formations to be carved in the soul orb were rudimentary and easy to create.

I found the aspects of the Formation Dao interesting as I crafted the soul orb. I would learn it one day, considering its usefulness in crafting things. Higher-level blacksmiths were privy to the Formation Dao. Powerful weapons would have formations carved into them.

~~

People within the first three realms of cultivation could not learn the Formation Dao, it was beyond them. Higher Daos like the Formation Dao had many Dao branches. Just like the Blacksmith Dao was a part of the Craftsman Dao. The Formation Dao was complicated. Much too complicated for low-level cultivators to explore.

Even if he could learn the Formation Dao, James would not spend time on it. He had fallen behind Mikael in devilry so he could only focus on the Dao he was good at already, to increase his devilry.

If he spent months learning another Dao, he would only fall further behind. With his soul orb and resentment weapon in tow, James then looked at the survey mission he had received from Mikael.

~~~

I started by investigating a clearing which had high-Esquire level demon beasts. If any of the prey demon beasts were above high-Esquire, then I was to relocate them. I suited up into my new uniform for the next two years.

The Hudson ranger uniform had a long-sleeved, brown clothed jacket. On the jacket were two badges, one side had his name 'James Hudson' and on the other side it had an emblem of the Hudson clan.

On the badge emblem it included the writing 'Esquire Forest Ranger'. Underneath the jacket laid a lightly colored dress shirt and black tie. His pants comfortable and tan and his shoes dark.

I also had a mountie hat. It was stylish for this young noble. With this uniform I was now officially a Wesser forest ranger. They tasked me with keeping the peace in the forest. A few of my common duties were law enforcement, rescuing, administration, path management, interpretation, firefighting, and education.

I now have authority! People visiting our Knight camp will have to respect my authority!

The uniform quickly went to James' head. No one had ever given him so much authority before.

Wearing the uniform of a ranger, I now had broad powers when dealing with visitors to the Knight camp area. I will abuse these powers well!

Before I could find time to abuse my powers, Mikael skirted me off to survey. Damn you, Mikael!

Mikael wanted me to begin his tasks as soon as possible. The campground would not straighten itself out. Everyone had to do their part.

I surveyed a clearing and ensuring the demon beasts were of the correct level.

I read over the map. This clearing was home to several types of demon beasts. The most populous were the capybara demon beasts. I could find these large rodent demon beasts in groups as large as 100 individuals, but they usually lived in groups of 10-20 individuals.

They were semi-aquatic, spending much time in the local water holes. After looking over the groups, I documented them on my sheet. I found 16 distinct groups on the first day and named and cataloged each of them. None of them had any peak-Esquire demon beasts.

I could tell at a glance the cultivation of the demon beasts. Demon beast cultivation involved evolution. At each level demon beasts would gain new traits. James had information concerning capybara demons and what traits to look for in peak-Esquire ones.

Higher-level demon beasts became unique, very different from their low-level counterparts. Their looks, their auras, and their demeanor would all be unique to them. It might be even difficult to tell a high-level rodent type demon beast started as a capybara. That was just how much demon beast evolution changed them.

The Wesser forest was a veritable forest containing a thriving ecosystem. There were prey demon beasts and predator demon beast species. Most prey species were usually docile unless provoked. I did not have any difficulties documenting the capybara demon beast groups.

I was quick to be alert to predators. Predatory demon beast species were the ones likely to attack you unprovoked. Jaguar, puma, ocelot, eagle, caiman, and rarely anaconda, these were the demon beast predators common in this area.

Capybara was their favorite food. After a few days, I was almost done documenting the capybaras. It upset me I had not run into any predators yet. I was itching to try my skill in combat!

I thought I would have found one by now. I guess I haven't been sneaky enough.

Predators were cunning. They preyed on capybaras, not humanoid races. James was in the Esquire area, so most demon beasts here were weak. They would do well to avoid humanoids if they hoped to evolve and become strong.

One day I came across a peak-Esquire capybara.

"It's wrangling time!" I said.

The capybara was alone, away from the pack. I could tell it was peak-Esquire because the color had changed on the tips of its fur.

Whenever prey species reached the peak-Esquire realm, the rangers would move them to the Knight area. Though they were not dangerous when unprovoked the Hudson clan didn't want accidents happening to visitors.

Throughout the campgrounds demon beasts had to be kept in their proper areas according to their cultivation.

I pulled out my standard-issue ranger lasso. Growing up, members of the Hudson clan had all practiced wrangling demon beasts. It was one of the core skills to be a good forest ranger. I saw myself as the best wrangler.

Though only he saw that. James saw himself as the best at everything.

As soon as I began chasing the capybara, it did what capybaras do. It fled to the nearest watering hole!

It was a small mud hole; I didn't think much of it after a cursory glance.

I threw the lasso over the capybara and began pulling it out of the mudhole. As I came closer to the shore, attempting to pull the capybara out, I noticed what seemed like a log moving in the murky waters.

Before I could react, the log struck latching on to me with six rows of teeth and quickly coiling itself around me. The log turned out to be an anaconda!

There was no escape from its grasp! Anacondas are not snakes that kill with venom, they constrict their prey. It wrapped tightly around me.

This young noble devil is not an easy meal! Stupid snake, soon we will find who is the predator and who is the prey. I will take you down!

The anaconda had found unsuspecting prey. Our devil hero was in dire straits!