Chương 104: (B2) Chapter 31 - Backing off

The rustle of the long grass made Ethan pause, his attention leaving Striker. His greatsword settled comfortably in his hand as [Keen Sense] spread through the surrounding plains. Immediately, he picked up movement.

"More are coming." Aura flowed through his body, sinking deeper into his muscles. The sensation reminded him of wrapping himself in a warm blanket on a cold night. The others looked around in unison. Even Striker had climbed back to his feet, one hand clamped over the deep gashes running along his arm. Ethan glanced toward Leah. She was comfortably in the mid-twenties now. Add her cultivation on top of that and she had become surprisingly capable.

More importantly, none of the approaching monsters stirred his fighting spirit. He'd grown accustomed to the instinct over the years. Whenever something truly dangerous appeared, something capable of threatening his life, he felt it. His body almost welcomed the challenge. These creatures didn't produce that feeling.

"Leah," Ethan said calmly.

"You take point. I'll stay with Seb and Striker." She nodded immediately, resting one hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Do you know how many?" Ethan closed his eyes, letting his senses expand. The wind swept across the grass, bringing with it the smell of damp fur and the sound of soft footfalls.

"There are three," he answered confidently.

"They're circling us. Fairly small. I'd put them around level twenty-five." Leah frowned slightly but didn't question him. She simply lowered her center of gravity, eyes scanning the sea of grass surrounding them. Ethan couldn't help watching her for a second. This was a test. Not just for Leah but also for him. He needed to prove to himself that he could trust her. Ever since arriving on the second level, he'd been worrying constantly, even if he'd never admitted it aloud.

He'd taken a gamble telling her to join another team. One he had accepted, but being stuck in Conevil while she'd continued clearing dungeons with Marcus's team hadn't helped his nerves. Outwardly, he'd acted as though everything was fine, trusting her decisions and giving her the freedom to grow. Inwardly, he had constantly worried. Perhaps it was because he knew she didn't make it in the last timeline that made him more paranoid, but either way, it needed to stop.

He needed to have full faith in her like he once had. Believe it or not, Leah had always been the leader between the two of them. The boss of the family. Ethan had never minded that dynamic. If anything, he'd preferred it. Unfortunately, the trials had changed things. Leah had stepped into his world now. A world where Ethan held years of experience she simply didn't have. He hated it. But if he intended to chase his own goals, then he needed to know she could stand on her own.

As though sensing his thoughts, the monsters abandoned their circling. All three began rushing toward them. A smile tugged at Ethan's lips as Seb instinctively stepped backward. Ethan caught the healer by the shoulder before he could retreat.

"Watch." The first creature burst from the grass in a blur of black fur and claws. Four powerful forelegs reached for Leah as it closed the distance, jaws spread wide enough to clamp around her torso. Before it could reach her, her hand blurred. [Quick Draw] Ethan realized. The sword was already back in its sheath before he truly registered that she'd moved. A silver flash cut through the air, followed by a wet spray of blood.

The panther-like creature sailed over her shoulder and crashed heavily into the grass behind, tumbling several times before finally skidding to a stop. One of its legs had been severed cleanly at the shoulder, the limb lying several yards away while the beast screamed in pain. Ethan couldn't help but appreciate the skill. It really was ridiculous. Against anything that didn't expect it, the opening exchange was almost always won before it began.

For a fleeting moment, his thoughts drifted toward the two empty skill slots waiting on his status. There had to be something comparable. Something equally unfair. Though with the sheath resting across his back instead of hanging from his waist, he wasn't entirely sure how a draw skill would even function. The thought lingered only briefly before reality dragged him back. Leah had made one mistake. She'd watched the wounded creature. The second monster exploded from the grass before she shifted her attention.

It slammed into her with enough force to lift her from the ground. Leah twisted instinctively, getting her sword between herself and the creature just before its claws reached her chest. Steel screeched against claws as the impact carried her backward, both of them crashing into the grass. Ethan took one step forward, but Striker beat him to it. The guide sprinted in without hesitation and drove a hard kick into the creature's ribs.

The beast let out a startled snarl as it was launched sideways, tumbling off Leah before landing awkwardly several yards away. It recovered almost immediately, vanishing back into the sea of grass before Ethan could properly study it. Interesting. Ethan's eyes lingered on Striker. The man had no weapons or skills. Just good timing. Leah rolled onto one knee before pushing herself upright, brushing dirt from one shoulder as she immediately searched for the two remaining monsters.

"Two left!" she called.

"Three," Ethan corrected calmly.

"It lost a leg, it's not dead." She gave a sharp nod as the grass rustled from opposite directions. Stolen story; please report.

"Are you not going to help?" Seb asked. Ethan shrugged.

"Are you?" The man didn't have time to reply as two of the monsters attacked simultaneously. The wounded panther limped through the grass, no longer nearly as fast, while its healthy companion circled wide before launching toward Leah's exposed side. She pivoted to meet the healthier one, her sword catching its claws before she drove it backward with two powerful swings. The injured beast seized the opportunity, charging in from behind with a low growl.

She reacted accordingly, swinging her blade around and fending off the attack while pivoting out of the way. Each time one monster attacked, she forced it into the other's path, never allowing both to reach her together. It wasn't perfect, but it was clever. Marcus's team had clearly done more than simply drag her through dungeons. Then Ethan noticed the third monster attack. It had snuck closer, keeping low in the grass as it moved forward.

It attacked while she was engaged with the other two, with Striker helping out whenever he could, though the blood pooling from his arm didn't help the situation. As it launched from the ground and Ethan got ready to help out, he noticed the faint stir of mana, and the beast tripped, its leg getting taken out from underneath it. Leah turned at the sound of the impact and darted forward. Her blade sank into its side before it could stand. Another pounced behind her, trying to take advantage of the situation.

She must have expected it because, lightning-fast, her dagger appeared in her hand as she drove it straight through the creature's throat. Blood erupted around the blade as the beast collapsed almost instantly, momentum carrying it another few feet before it finally stopped moving. Ethan's gaze shifted toward Striker. The young guide hadn't moved. His face remained hidden beneath his hat, shadow clinging to his face unnaturally, his breathing steady despite the blood continuing to drip from his injured arm.

The final wounded beast let out a pained snarl, pulling everyone's attention back to it. Then it ran forward with a limp. Desperation had replaced caution. Leah lowered her stance and waited until the last possible second before stepping neatly aside. Her sword swept out in one clean horizontal cut. The monster's head struck the ground before the rest of it. Silence settled over the plains. Leah let out a long breath before wiping her sword clean and sliding it back into its sheath.

"Well?" she asked, turning toward Ethan with a small grin.

"How was th—" Ethan moved. His greatsword cleared his shoulder in a single smooth motion. The fourth monster burst from the grass behind Striker, six legs propelling it forward. Unlike the others, it hadn't joined the fight. It hadn't circled. It hadn't growled. It had waited. Patiently. For the exact moment everyone relaxed. Steel met flesh. The greatsword carved through the beast from shoulder to hip with such force the two halves continued traveling several yards before crashing separately into the grass.

Blood painted the surrounding plains crimson as silence returned once more. Leah slowly turned toward the corpse. Striker stood frozen.

"…There were four?"

"There were."

"You told me there were three."

"I told you there were three for you." She frowned.

"You knew?" Ethan nodded as he cleaned his blade.

"It never moved during the fight. It was waiting for the others to soften us up before attacking." Leah looked between the split corpse and the three monsters she'd killed.

"You could've said something."

"I could have." She folded her arms.

"Why didn't you?" Ethan rested the greatsword across one shoulder, blood dripping onto the material and making him regret it.

"Because you handled the first three exactly how I hoped you would." She looked away, trying to hide the small smile creeping onto her face.

"Don't get too pleased with yourself," Ethan continued.

"The lesson isn't that you won." Her smile disappeared.

"The lesson is that the fight isn't over just because you think you've killed everything." Leah glanced back toward the fourth monster. It had almost gotten one of them. And it looked like they all knew it. She gave a slow nod.

"I'll remember."

"Good." He turned back to Seb.

"I think your guide might need a hand." Seb nodded, still staring at the monsters before snapping out of it and rushing over to kneel beside Striker, who had decided to sit down. Without a word, the healer reached for the torn sleeve and peeled it back, exposing the deep claw marks running the length of his arm. Ethan watched from a short distance as mana gathered around Seb's hands, flowing into the wound with practiced precision.

The torn flesh immediately began knitting itself back together, the bleeding slowing before stopping entirely. It wasn't instant. Healing rarely was. But it was efficient, almost elegant. Ethan found himself studying the spell more than the injury itself. Even now, this early in the trials, Seb's control over healing mana was extraordinary. Every thread of mana moved with purpose, repairing damaged muscle before sealing skin over the top. There was no waste. No hesitation.

It was difficult to appreciate just how talented the man was without understanding healing magic, but Ethan had watched countless healers throughout his previous life. Very few possessed such natural intuition. Seb truly had been a prodigy, even before the trials had handed him magic to complement the skills he'd spent decades developing as a surgeon.

"That should hold," Seb muttered, withdrawing his hands.

"How's it feel?"

"I'll survive," Striker said, standing up and adjusting his hat. Seb snorted.

"That's generally the idea." Ethan's attention shifted toward Leah.

"You alright?" She looked down at herself before giving a small nod.

"Didn't get touched. Just a bruised shoulder where that thing tackled me."

"Good." He left it at that. If she'd been injured, Seb would've treated her next, but there wasn't any point wasting mana over a bruise that would disappear on its own. Instead, Ethan walked over to the nearest corpse and crouched beside it. The creature's hide was coarse beneath his gauntlet as he turned its head, searching for anything valuable. His gaze eventually settled on the claws. Each one was nearly the length of his hand, dark and surprisingly dense.

Running a finger across one of the edges, he found it still sharp despite the beating it had taken during the fight.

"These should be worth something," he muttered, completely aware he was broke after paying the ship fee. Drawing his harvesting dagger, Ethan quickly went to work. It didn't take long before he'd removed the claws from all four beasts. They disappeared one by one into the storage space within his necklace.

"What're you doing?" Striker asked. Ethan looked up.

"Harvesting."

"I can see that." The young guide tilted his head toward the empty ground where the claws had disappeared.

"You fought one monster." Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

"You didn't help with the other three." A small smile tugged at Ethan's lips.

"You've got a point." Striker blinked, seemingly not expecting agreement. Ethan spun his dagger and hooked the chain of his necklace before pulling it from under his armor.

"You got somewhere to store it all?" The young guide hesitated before shaking his head.

"…No." A faint red tinge crept across the lower half of his face, the only part visible beneath his hat and shadow. Thought so. Storage items weren't exactly common. Most people wouldn't obtain one until much later unless they were lucky or particularly wealthy. Ethan nodded.

"I'll carry everything for now then." He looked around at the group.

"When we get back to Nexus, we'll split whatever we sell between the four of us. Fair?" Seb shrugged.

"Works for me." Leah nodded.

"I've got no complaints." Striker hesitated for another moment before finally inclining his head.

"…Thanks." Ethan simply nodded back before standing.

"Then let's keep moving," Ethan said, pulling up the notifications waiting for him. You have defeated [Lunging Snipper Lv. 26] Skill learned: [Aura Empowerment] Do you wish to incorporate this skill? Yes / No Ethan selected no. Honestly, he had expected the skill to be offered earlier. It was one he had taken in his previous timeline and one that had admittedly helped him out a lot. But he could do it without the skill if he needed to and had other plans anyway to create something even better. So he'd leave it.

With that, he fell in line behind Striker as the four of them set off once more, disappearing into the sea of waist-high grass as the shattered island stretched endlessly before them. As Ethan walked, his thoughts drifted back to the monsters they'd just fought. They had all hovered somewhere around the mid-twenties, and those had merely been hunting the coastline. If the outskirts of the island housed creatures of that strength, then the center would almost certainly be far more dangerous.

A small smile formed beneath his helmet. Perhaps this expedition would provide a decent fight after all