Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

Blood spilled across the sky, and several blood-red feathers floated down. With one wing crippled, the Windfeather Sparrow lost its balance, wobbling unsteadily in the air, its form beginning to plummet.

Rhett couldn't let such an opportunity slip by. He immediately cast another earth spike, which shot through the air and pierced the Windfeather Sparrow's chest, directly impaling its heart. What would have been a highly difficult maneuver for most was effortlessly executed by Rhett, who had honed his skills through countless battles.

As the fatal blow landed, the Windfeather Sparrow spat out a mouthful of blood from its sharp beak. It let out a sorrowful cry as it began to fall in a straight descent.

"Is the battle... over?" Ryleigh muttered as he cautiously stepped forward.

"Yes, it's almost over," Rhett replied calmly, adding, "But a fourth-tier magical beast has far greater vitality than lower-tier beasts. It's probably not entirely dead yet. Ryleigh, finish it off from a distance with your Water Arrow spell to avoid any last-ditch counterattack."

"Me? No problem!" Ryleigh agreed.

Whitegrip carried Rhett and Ryleigh to the spot where the Windfeather Sparrow had just fallen, some hundred meters away. By the time they arrived, the Windfeather Sparrow lay trembling in a pool of its own blood, its legs twitching uncontrollably as its life force dwindled, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.

Seeing its enemies approach, the bird made a desperate, final effort, struggling to lift its head and spewing out a Wind Blade.

Rhett, experienced and prepared, quickly summoned his Earth Armor to shield Ryleigh, blocking the attack. The Wind Blade, with its powerful slicing force, struck the armor with a heavy impact, pushing Rhett back a step. Although the armor's chest area was severely cut, it remained intact.

"Water Arrow!" Ryleigh, following his father's instructions, wasted no time and shot a Water Arrow at the Windfeather Sparrow's eye.

With a sharp "pop," the Water Arrow burst through the bird's eyeball, splattering blood and piercing deep into its skull, mixing with the white brain matter inside.

A pitiful, enraged cry echoed through the air, only to be abruptly cut short. The red and white fluids slowly oozed onto the ground, soaking into the earth and staining the dry grass.

The scene was gruesome, but for Rhett and his sons, it was just another day, eliciting no emotional response. Discussing morality without context is foolish. Truth exists within a specific framework, and so does morality.

It wasn't until Rhett saw the notification appear before him that a faint smile tugged at his lips. Tack approached and began harvesting materials from the Windfeather Sparrow's body. He extracted a magic crystal the size of a fist and placed it into the burlap sack he carried.

Then, with a lingering sense of fear, he patted his chest and said, "The deeper we go into the Darkfeather Eagle Range, the more dangerous it becomes. We just arrived, and we've already encountered a fourth-tier magical beast. I wonder how many more are out there like the Windfeather Sparrow. If we get surrounded, what will we do?"

Ryleigh frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the corpse of the fourth-tier Darkfeather Eagle. "In the Darkfeather Eagle Range, it's unlikely we'll be surrounded by other magical beasts. But if we encounter a flock of Darkfeather Eagles, we'll be in real danger."

At this, Rhett smiled calmly and reassured them, "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I guarantee your safety!"

His words had a magical effect, instantly easing the anxiety of his sons.

Tales tilted his head back slightly, grinning as he said, "I believe in you, Father. Even if we encounter Darkfeather Eagles, you can take them all down. Who knows, maybe there's even a Darkfeather Eagle hatchling somewhere in their nest!"

Hmm?

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Rhett's eyes. He hadn't considered that, but Tales' words sparked a realization. He thought to himself, "If the high-level combat force of the Darkfeather Eagle flock numbers over twenty, then there must be at least a hundred of them across the entire range. This population size is relatively high compared to other magical beasts. And with such a large base, it's only natural that they would be breeding. If... we could find their nest, there might indeed be Darkfeather Eagle eggs!"

Tack's eyes lit up as well. "Yeah, that could really happen! If we find one, I could have my very own magical pet soon!"

"Tack, it wouldn't be you; it would be me! I should be the one getting a magical pet soon!" Tales countered, emphasizing "me" with extra force.

"I don't care. You said yourself that you're still far from becoming a Mage Apprentice. Even if you had a magical beast cub, you couldn't tame it," Tack laughed heartily. "So if we find one, it's definitely mine!"

He then placed a large hand on Tales' head, ruffling his hair.

"Oh no, Tack, don't mess up my hairstyle," Tales complained, frowning. "You always pick on me. Once I'm a mage, I'll make sure to give you a good lesson."

Tack stood with his hands on his hips, grinning shamelessly. "Teach me a lesson? Haha, you'd better work hard for that!"

Rhett watched his two youngest sons bicker as usual, shaking his head with a smile. "Don't be so quick to fight over the magical beast cub. We don't even know if there is one yet. That was just speculation; speculation doesn't equal reality."

"Father is right. And the greater the likelihood of finding a magical beast cub, the more Darkfeather Eagles there will be. If there are several fourth-tier magical beasts among them, we'll be in serious danger," Ryleigh calmly analyzed.

Tack rubbed his head, laughing awkwardly. "Ryleigh's got a point..."

After collecting the materials, the group rested briefly before setting off again. Perhaps because they were near the Windfeather Sparrow's territory, they didn't encounter any other magical beasts for the rest of the day.

The next morning, as dawn broke, the valley was filled with thick fog. Rhett sensed a disturbance in the dark elemental energies ahead, and with a thought, he manipulated the wind elements to clear the fog for several dozen meters.

As the mist parted, the group was met with a surprising sight.

"Wow!" Tack exclaimed in amazement, sprinting ahead to a patch of dark-attribute mid-level magic plants. "Father, there's a whole field of dark-attribute magic plants here, but I don't recognize the species."

Rhett and the others walked forward, taking a quick glance. "Indeed, these are mid-level magic plants, Deadheart Grass. They're often used in poison-making. We can bring them back to Henk and see if he can put them to use."

Ryleigh's eyes lit up with excitement. "There must be around two or three hundred plants here, right? We can keep some for Henk and trade the rest for a large number of water-attribute magic plant seeds!"

Rhett nodded in agreement with the plan.

"Father, should we start harvesting now?" Tack asked, eager to begin but still waiting for Rhett's approval.

Rhett nodded, then, with a thought, activated the system and selected, "Yes, simulate one day!"

As the surrounding space rippled, Rhett entered the simulation, feeling a sense of relaxation. Here, he wasn't afraid of death.

This time, Rhett's goal was clear: find a way to kill the Darkfeather Eagle and ensure it couldn't escape. If he let the Darkfeather Eagle that was about to attack him escape, its flock would hunt them down later.

This would mean the end of his plans to explore the deeper parts of the Darkfeather Eagle Range. Let alone the idea of trying to obtain a Darkfeather Eagle hatchling.

Only by ensuring that this Darkfeather Eagle was completely eliminated could Rhett stay longer in the area, collect Fate Points, and try to acquire a magical beast cub.

Rhett began harvesting the Deadheart Grass. Under his orders, the four of them kept within five meters of each other. Rhett held his wand at the ready, prepared to react immediately to any threat.

After about ten minutes, Rhett sensed a concealed presence rapidly approaching from behind.

"Enemy attack! Get behind me!" Even though it was a simulation, Rhett instinctively shouted.

He then activated his Earth Armor and swiftly cast Earth Spike toward the diving Darkfeather Eagle.

Everything happened in an instant. The Darkfeather Eagle, with its dark wings, hadn't expected its target to react so quickly. Its dark-gold eyes widened in surprise as it spat out a glob of black acid.

Rhett narrowed his eyes slightly. He had already learned enough about the Darkfeather Eagle in advance. These magical beasts, with their mid-level bloodline potential, were not particularly fast flyers and had average physical strength, but they excelled in magic.

As a mid-level magical beast, it had the rare ability to cast three different spells: Shadow Arrow, Corrosive Acid, and Dark Veil.

The air filled with a pungent smell, somewhat resembling sulfuric acid but several times more intense. The Earth Spike passed through the acid, which sizzled and evaporated most of the spike before the Darkfeather Eagle swiped it with a claw, shattering it into pieces.

However, the collision had also nearly neutralized the acid.

Seeing this, the Darkfeather Eagle quickly ascended, its wings moving slower than usual as if preparing for another spell.

Rhett wasted no time, casting a Falling Rock spell that summoned a massive boulder from the misty sky.

The Darkfeather Eagle, sensing danger, dodged downward but was startled by another Earth Spike rising from below.

Caught between two threats, the Darkfeather Eagle instinctively screeched and spat out another glob of corrosive acid.

The spike was partially dissolved but still managed to pierce the Darkfeather Eagle's chest.

Rhett's eyes lit up, ready to finish it off.

But the Darkfeather Eagle, eyes filled with fear, glanced at the human below and flapped its wings to flee into the sky.

"Hmph!" Rhett snorted internally, unwilling to let it escape.

However, just as he prepared to cast another Earth Spike, a Dark Veil suddenly descended, shrouding the area in darkness and obscuring his vision.

Rhett's expression turned grim as the world around him became a blur, making it impossible to track his target.

The darkness lasted only a second, but when the light returned, the Darkfeather Eagle was already a distant speck on the horizon.

Ryleigh approached and saw the frustration on his father's face. He was about to offer some comforting words, but Rhett shook his head, ending the simulation and returning to reality.

He immediately initiated a new simulation.

This time, Rhett reflected on his experience. "The Darkfeather Eagle isn't particularly strong and isn't my match, but its Dark Veil spell has a control effect. It disrupts my vision, making it difficult to stop its escape."

"Father, should we start harvesting?" Tack asked, looking at Rhett.

"Go ahead," Rhett replied absentmindedly.

He pondered the experience of being hit by the Dark Veil. It seemed to descend suddenly, without any clear warning, making it hard to avoid. But he wasn't ready to give up yet. He planned to try again, hoping to find a way to evade it.

Ten minutes later, the Darkfeather Eagle attacked. This time, Rhett took a risk, casting Earth Spike directly, relying on his previous simulation to predict the bird's flight path without turning around.

As the Darkfeather Eagle swooped down, confident that its prey hadn't noticed it, it came within three meters of the ground. Suddenly, an earth-colored spike shot up from below, aiming for its chest.

"Chirp!" The Darkfeather Eagle, startled, twisted its body slightly to avoid a fatal blow, but the spike still pierced its abdomen.

Hot blood splattered, drenching Rhett.

Remaining calm, Rhett mercilessly prepared to cast another Falling Rock spell, blocking the bird's escape route.

However, the world around him suddenly darkened again as the Dark Veil descended.

Rhett's heart sank. When his vision cleared, the Darkfeather Eagle was once again fleeing into the distance.

"How can I avoid this Dark Veil?" Rhett clenched his fists in frustration.

"Father, was that... a Darkfeather Eagle?" Ryleigh asked, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Yes, but it escaped," Rhett sighed.

Tack scratched his head and said bluntly, "What a shame. You were so close, Father. If you'd just hit it with another Earth Spike, you could've taken it down. But then you just stopped, like you were watching it get away."

Ryleigh also sighed. "Father was hit by the Dark Veil. It's a rare racial magic that few magical beasts possess. There's no obvious trajectory, so it's nearly impossible to dodge."

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Rhett like lightning. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I should have realized it sooner! Why worry about dodging it?"