Chương 42: Chapter 46: Team Effort

In the beginning, Ember was too preoccupied with finding those Mirewood Toads to notice anyone. And that would have remained the case if the unknown figure had decided not to meddle in his business. He was fully engaged with the pack of toads, killing them indiscriminately with his sword and spells, when an arrow hurtled from the dark to strike a frog lurching at his rear. With Blitz Steps, he swiftly bolted from his spot, his eyes scanning the surroundings but unable to find anyone within the gloomy obscurity.

More arrows fell, allowing Ember to pinpoint the archer's relative location. Though more significantly, they weren't targeting him. All their arrows seemed to fall upon those raucous toads. Still, Ember remained cautious and dealt with the croaking monsters more carefully. Until finally, when the remnants of the flock dispersed, he waited for the sneaky figure to present themselves. Ember secretly sighed in relief upon finding the familiar silhouette of Zea. Thankfully, it wasn't someone from the Asarii Clan.

He really needed to be more cautious about his dealings.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, peering at her slender figure.

"Are you out of your mind?" the girl burst out without ceremony.

"Do you know how dangerous it is to face these creatures in the dark, not to mention all alone? What if you meet a single creature over level 50, huh? We wouldn't even find your body." Ember narrowed his eyes. He had expected perhaps some rebuke or maybe even blackmail from her. Although her words were severe, it all seemed to be borne out of concern. Ember scratched his cheek, only to smear some ichor across his face.

He had forgotten that not everyone in the noble clans was a bad apple, though that made him unsure how to respond to her.

"Are you mute now?"

"If you have a problem with me being here," Ember snorted, "what are you doing here in the first place?"

"I saw you sneak out two days in a row," Zea glowered, "and wanted to see what you were actually up to. But I didn't think you would be this reckless."

"You mean daring," Ember corrected. Zea shot him a pointed look. He exhaled before eyeing the dozen corpses strewn across the damp earth.

"This is no place for squabbling. Let's collect our spoils before we argue." She didn't stand around in ceremony once he began collecting the cores. The flock was far from the largest, so the bounty wasn't that great. Still, Ember reckoned there were six iron cores to be salvaged from here. He decided to leave two for her, even though most of her arrows had only slain the smaller minions. Well, he had to win her over with something.

"For how many days have you been sneaking out at night?" she asked.

"Not many," Ember said. It was perhaps only today that he would reach fifty iron cores in his savings.

"Did you always fight so fearlessly, taking those monstrous things head-on?" Ember craned his neck to shoot her a look. In the looming darkness, he could barely make out her face, much less the expression she wore. He only shrugged.

"It seems to be the fastest way to do it." Zea snorted.

"The only reason that has worked so far and you haven't been devoured by one of those toads is because you're faster than them." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Ember hummed in agreement. Of course, just being stupidly agile wasn't enough, not with the toads hopping and tackling him from all directions. He had to time his movements meticulously while his sword and wand did their magic.

"But I am surprised that you can fling so many spells without needing to take a breather." Zea stood up, collecting all her arrows and the spoils. She tossed one of the cores to him, perhaps believing he had missed it.

"You even supplement it with your swordsmanship. How much mana does all that cost?"

"Quite a lot," Ember mumbled, feeling a quarter of his reservoir had been drained in this battle.

"Being at tier 3 in the mana foundation does make it easier." Well, Ember's mana reserve was far greater than tier 3. His breadth of mana had met the requirements for tier 4 months ago; it was only his mana circuit that was stopping him from advancing his mana foundation. As Ember finished speaking, Zea seemed fully intent on bringing him back to camp.

"Come on. If we return now, nobody would notice if we had even snuck out."

"They wouldn't care if I returned in the morning either." His group was already used to his morning rituals. Zea's eyes contracted.

"Are you still thinking about hunting more?" Ember shrugged.

"This flock was merely an appetiser. There were only half a dozen tier 4 creatures among them. I still need to find a bigger pack to make this trip worthwhile." Zea rubbed her forehead.

"I don't know if you're courageous or just a reckless fool." She sighed and shook her head. Why do you care, anyway? He almost blurted out, but suppressed himself as an idea surfaced in his mind. If she were really so concerned about his livelihood, she wouldn't mind sticking with him for a little longer, would she? After all, Ember had to agree that it was a little reckless to hunt alone in the obscurity with nobody to support him. Zea was an archer, with perception being her greatest asset.

With her long-range support, she would fill the role remarkably well.

"Tongue-tied again? Why are you staring at me like a fool?" Ember shook his head before asking, "Hey, Zea, what do you think about earning some good coin?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"If you agree, I may have a proposition for you." An hour later, both Ember and Zea dashed through the wetlands, their feet squelching in the mud, uncaring of how much filth smeared their forms as they evaded a wild pack of toads.

"I can't believe I agreed to this!" Zea cried, though her voice was drowned out by the raucous croaking of the hideous toads. There was a large flock of them, though the most worrying was the massive toad trailing behind Ember. It wasn't the humongous one that seemed to have formed a blood feud with him, at least.

"Less talking, more action!" Ember shouted back.

"You still haven't managed to shoot a fucking arrow through its eye!"

"I have!" she said.

"It's just huge and too tough to be penetrated completely." Two of her shots had actually struck true, though they couldn't completely blind the rotund amphibious monster. It had only enraged it further. With bloodshot eyes, it lurched after him, disregarding any of its minions.

"Continue targeting its eyes," Ember commanded.

"That'll keep it distracted while I hit it with my spells and sword." So far, his Windblades had little effect. It was only after he struck with his sword to rip open its flesh in a few places that the spells found purchase on the tough exterior of the tier 5 Mirewood Toad. Ember had been targeting the open wounds with spells, which was producing greater results, though the humongous creature's onslaught wasn't slowing down at all.

"Ember, I only have eight more arrows left. I think it's better to flee."

"Eight is enough. Have some faith in me, would you?" The best way to end it would have been to injure it from the inside out, as its inner organs weren't as tough as its exterior. Ember had experienced that firsthand on his first nightly adventure. But he had no intention of inspecting its maw from any closer. Ultimately, he still had to work as bait, coming within its range. Immediately, a snaking tongue whipped out towards him, attaching to his body.

Ember was prepared, hurtling his Windblade directly into its mouth cavity while his blade cleaved through its tongue. Neither attack killed it, though the creature let out a painful screech. With Blitz Steps, Ember arrived atop the three-metre-tall monstrosity and dug his blade into its skull. The resistance his sword met was immense. It was only after pouring mana through the blade that its edge dug into the flesh, while the toad decided to flee.

"Let's just let it flee!" Zea cried. Ember wasn't willing. Not after all that hard work. With the sword pinned in its head, he had no trouble sticking to its erratic thrashing. And then, once his Windblade was prepared, he plunged it directly into the deep laceration in its neck. The toad flopped onto its side, tumbling over. Ember lurched away before he could be pinned beneath its massive form. Despite her whining, Zea hadn't stopped hurtling the remaining arrows into its face.

Charging his wand, Ember shot a couple of potent Windblades into the wound, finally overwhelming its defences. Yet it still suffered miserably for another minute before finally lying still in peace. [Enemy Slain: Mirewood Toad Level 52] [Keen Mind (Copper) +9 → Max] [100 EPs.]