Leaving the safety of the perimeter behind, we reached the edge of the hunting grounds. The air here was thicker, heavy with the scent of damp earth and unseen monsters.

  "Alright, your objectives are simple." I turned to face the group. "Target one: a piglet. Target two: a Frenzy Red Bear. Target three: a troll."

  Mathilda raised a hesitant hand. "What do we bring back as proof?"

  I met her gaze. "A patch of fur from the piglet. A claw from the Red Bear. And a fang from the troll."

  She gave a sharp nod.

  I swept my eyes over the rest of them, reading the smug overconfidence radiating from their postures. They had no idea what they were walking into. "Good. Happy hunting."

  Without another word, I walked away, settling against the rough bark of an ancient oak. They immediately erupted into bickering. I pulled my collar up and closed my eyes. Let them argue. The forest would teach them soon enough.

  When I opened my eyes a few minutes later, the clearing was empty.

  Sigh. And they claimed they were good at teamwork. Pathetic..

  I strolled over to where they had been standing, my eyes scanning the dirt.

  Hoiler. His boot prints dug deep into the soil, heading straight north. The strides were too long, too rushed. He was practically bounding through the brush. Reckless and loud.

  I shifted my attention. Kenny and Patrice. They had grouped up, heading northeast. I traced the overlapping tracks. Kenny was taking the lead. A fragile magic user walking point in an unknown magical forest? Suicide.

  I scanned the remaining perimeter. Nothing. Not a single footprint belonged to Mathilda. I tilted my head, inspecting the low-hanging branches for snapped twigs or scuffed bark. Still nothing.

  I crouched low, closing my eyes and filtering out the ambient smells of the forest. Beneath the rot and damp soil, I caught it—a faint, crisp scent of crushed pine needles. She had waited until the boys stomped off, masking her own departure, and slipped northward like a ghost.

  A genuine smile tugged at my lips.

  Smart. Meticulous.

  I stood up, brushing the dirt from my knees.

  Let’s check on Kenny and Patrice first. Statistically, they are the most likely to die.

  I melted into the shadows of the tree line, tracking their clumsy trail in complete silence. As the trees thinned near an open clearing, I climbed a massive elm, settling onto a thick branch overlooking the tall grass.

  Heh. They actually found a piglet.

  "Kenny! Don’t let it get away!" Patrice barked, circling behind the hulking beast to cut off its escape.

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  "B-but, it’s gigantic!" Kenny shrieked. He was shaking so hard his spear tip drew erratic circles in the air.

  "Dimwit!! Did you even read the guide book?" Patrice roared.

  "I-it looks like a giant boar! A-are you sure that’s a piglet?!"

  "Yes, you idiot! No tusks, and it has the white stripe down its spine! Now focus!"

  The constant yelling made the piglet anxious. In this domain, "piglets" weren't targeted because they were weak; they were targeted because they possessed a terrifying, hyper-aware intelligence. Their first instinct was always to flee, analyzing their prey's weaknesses from afar.

  "It's strafing! How the hell is a pig strafing?!" Kenny panicked as the massive beast sidestepped with unnatural agility.

  Refusing to let it escape, Patrice leaped sideways, bringing her battleaxe down like a meteor.

  CRACK!

  The heavy steel bit into the earth, sending a concussive shockwave through the dirt that forced the piglet to stagger.

  "Now, Kenny! Aim between the eyes!"

  I tightened my grip on my dagger, my muscles coiling like a spring. This was the tipping point. While piglets usually tried to flee, the moment they were cornered, they became highly dangerous.

  Before Kenny could even brace his legs, the beast snapped its gaze to him and charged, kicking up a rooster tail of dirt.

  "Kenny, move!" Patrice screamed.

  Kenny thrust his spear out in a blind panic. The wooden shaft caught the beast's snout, but the sheer kinetic force of the charge was overwhelming. Kenny was launched backward through the air, slamming brutally against a tree trunk.

  Patrice didn't hesitate. She lunged, swinging her axe in a lethal downward arc. But the piglet was too fast, pivoting sharply to charge her instead.

  Thinking fast, Patrice drove her axe head into the soil, using the thick handle as a vaulting pole to launch herself over the charging beast.

  Hanging in midair, she cocked her arm back and delivered a devastating, mana-infused punch squarely onto the creature's spine.

  BAM!

  The shockwave flattened the grass, but the beast only squealed in fury.

  "Just! Fucking! Die!" Patrice roared, raining a flurry of savage blows down upon its thick hide as it bucked wildly to throw her off.

  A sudden hum of volatile energy caught my attention.

  I snapped my gaze to Kenny. He was back on his feet, but his eyes were wide, glassy, and fixed on the beast. A terrifying vortex of sapphire mana was surging down his arms, condensing around the spear tip until it glowed like a miniature sun. His face was twisted into a psychotic, unhinged grin.

  "Hyaaaaaaah!" Kenny screamed, hurling the spear. It tore through the air, shrieking with raw, unstable power.

  Shit! He's going to blow Patrice in half!

  I dropped from the canopy like a stone. I hit the ground dashing, snatching Patrice by the collar of her armor and violently hauling her backward.

  A fraction of a second later, the sapphire spear struck the piglet. The explosive impact ripped the massive beast cleanly in two.

  Patrice wrenched herself out of my grip, her face pale with shock that quickly boiled into absolute fury. "You psychotic bastard! Were you trying to kill me?!"

  "I-I’m sorry!" Kenny stammered, the manic energy vanishing, leaving him pale and trembling. "I-I thought you moved!"

  Patrice didn't say a word. She closed the distance in two strides, drew her leg back, and delivered a flawless, punishing kick directly between Kenny's legs.

  "Fuuuucccccckkkk!" Kenny collapsed, curling into a tight, agonizing ball in the dirt.

  Patrice adjusted her gauntlets, taking a breath before glancing up at me. "...Thank you."

  "Both of you. Back to the rendezvous point."

  "Wait! Why?" Patrice demanded, her anger flaring again.

  "Because you forced the guide to intervene," I said flatly, turning my back on them. "You failed. Now move."

  As I walked away, my mind raced. Kenny's raw power was incredible, but the way his magic completely erased his situational awareness—and his sanity—was a massive liability. I exhaled a slow, heavy breath.

  Time to see if Hoiler and Mathilda are still breathing.