Two hours had passed since Chen killed the first Death Scythe Mantis.

Following that dominant display of power, Chen continued on the hunting trail and managed to sniff out two additional tracks of the Magic Beasts. After killing three of the Death Scythe Mantises, Chen was getting used to their tough hide and had become more adept in striking them on their weak points.

Against the first three, Chen needed to spend about thirty seconds for the fight. He utilised a significant number of his Aura abilities and Magic Spells to burn the Magic Beasts to embers. However, as Chen continued his hunt, the efficiency of his attacks steadily improved.

The fourth Death Scythe Mantis was killed in a mere fifteen seconds while the fifth one was instantly killed by Chen's precise Aura strike. He didn’t even use his signature flame spear for the final Death Scythe Mantis.

In the end, Chen killed five of the Death Scythe Mantises and was halfway through completing his commission.

“Hah… Hah… We should head back now...”

Chen panted heavily, taking large gulps from his water flask. Dirt and dust coloured his flushed face with a grimy dye, and his body was occasionally convulsing. Thankfully, there weren’t any visible injuries on the young Magic Warrior’s body. It took a moment for Chen to catch his breath and his expression to stabilise.

“Done for the day?”

“Yeah, we killed three Death Scythe Mantises. That should be enough.”

“Hoho… Didn’t you want to clear Ganger Road for the innkeeper?”

‘You fucking slacker! You didn’t lift a single finger to help me, and you’re complaining about my work now?’

Chen snorted and held back desperately the curse words in his mind. “It has been over five hours since we’ve explored the forest. While I would love to continue, it would be a problem if we got lost before sundown.”

Chen told a white lie about his intentions. The sun was still high up in the sky, no it was at the zenith among the empyrean carpet above. Nightfall was at least six to seven hours away. So there was no reason to suspend the hunt this early.

The young teen’s true reason for leaving the woods was something more straightforward. Chen’s body was on the verge of collapsing.

Internally, Chen’s fried Magic Circuits had shown its inferiority, bowing down to the overwhelming mana that he’d repeatedly used. Although there wasn’t any permanent damage yet, if Chen continued to push himself, the consequences would be dire.

“Yachi, what do you think?”

“... I would like to continue the hunt.”

“Hohoho, there you have it! Two to one! Let’s go, Boots!”

Roan slapped Chen on the back and pointed his finger deeper into the forests. He then looked at Yachi, who was busy pouting in a mixture of disappointment and anxiousness. Yachi’s reason for staying was simple… She hadn’t fought a single Death Scythe Mantis yet!

From the start of the expedition, Chen hunted the D-ranked Magic Beasts all on his own. The moment he spotted a Death Scythe Mantis, he killed it immediately. While that was a wise choice, Yachi’s fingers were aching for battle.

Chen was obviously able to read Yachi’s eagerness for a fight. He once held that same desire to prove himself to others. But as much as Chen could relate to the young girl, his logical brain was refusing to help her.

“Senior… If you’re going to hunt more Magic Beasts, please do so without me. I’m returning to the inn.”

“Ah, are you sure you want to leave a weak old man and a pitiful young girl out in the woods with no guide and no method to defend ourselves? Are you truly that heartless?”

‘Defend yourselves? You’re stronger than me, you asshole!’

Chen mentally cursed the man with everything in his heart. Although their actual appearance and Magic Sources were masked, Chen could tell that Roan was undoubtedly a Magician beyond his level. Yachi wasn’t a slob either, given as to how calm she was when faced with the Death Scythe Mantises.

Either one of them was capable of completing the commission all on their own and Roan called them weak and pitiful?

“Also, didn’t you tell the innkeeper that we would clear Ganger Road today?”

“Senior, that was you...”

“Oh, was it? Anyway, it’s not good to renege on one’s promises, right? Come on, vamanos!”

Roan grabbed Chen by the wrist and dragged him further into the forest. Or at least, he tried to. Chen slapped Roan’s fingers off his hand and raised his voice for the first time.

“Senior! Please be reasonable. I’m the one who took the commission, so I should call the shots. If I want to leave, you can’t stop me!”

“...” Roan paused. His brows were raised, and his happy-go-lucky smile turned into an odd grimace.

At this point, an average Magician would stop pestering Chen or get angry that their authority as a senior was being undermined. In fact, Yachi was baring her fangs, ready to bite the red-haired teen on her Master’s behalf. However, Roan didn’t feel that way. Instead, numerous thoughts flowed through his mind.

“You… Give me your hand.”

“W-What?”

“Don’t be so wishy-washy. Give it here.”

When Chen pulled his arm back, Roan lunged forward and yanked it towards him. Chen wanted to resist, but no matter how much he pulled, Roan’s fingers would not let go. They slithered onto his wrist and tapped the open palm slowly. Roan then closed his eyes and focused.

“Ah, you’re at your limit already. Why didn’t you say so?”

“T-That… That’s none of your business.”

“Hah… You’re really a fool, you know that?” Roan sighed and released Chen’s hands with a smile. “What’s wrong with asking for help?”

“...”

“How about this? Continue to guide us through the forest, and we’ll take care of the other bugs. Yachi is strong enough to deal with them herself, but her tracking skills are far inferior to yours. That way, you won’t have to spend any more of your mana, right?”

“...”

Chen bit his bottom lip. Roan was right, he was at his limit. It was physically impossible for Chen to get into another fight with the Magic Beasts. However, tracking them was another story altogether. If all he needed to do was just spotting the area for clues, then his body would be able to endure for a few hours more.

“And to top it off...”

Roan placed his finger right above Chen’s abdomen. Bright green light flowed out from his fingers and targeted the youth’s Magic Source. Chen twitched slightly and stepped back, but it was far too late. Roan’s mana was already within the young man’s body, and it was significantly altering his physical state.

The young man immediately felt his fatigued mind grow sharper and his body, which felt like it was holding onto ten tonnes of weight, was now much lighter. While Chen’s Magic Circuits were still in disarray, he felt rejuvenated from the bottom of his soul. Far more so than he’d felt in ages.

“This is… Enhancement spell?”

“Hmmm, you could say so.” Roan scratched the bottom of his chin and replied. “Now you can lead us, right?”

“... Fine,” Chen relented. “However, I determine if we withdraw or fight! If I say we run, we run. Got it?”

“Roger that!”

Once Chen had finally given in to Roan’s demands, the trio immediately headed westward. Chen was leading the pack so neither Roan nor Yachi could determine if there really were any Death Scythe Mantises ahead. However, true to his reputation as a hunter, Chen led them to a suspicious location within fifteen minutes.

It was an isolated cave, free from any animal markings and any trees. Hard fragments of broken boulders remained outside of the hidden cave with numerous marks crisscrossing its exterior. Traces of blood remained, and the overwhelming stench of death burst out from the darkness.

Chen swung his spear around, and his face tightened immediately. While he was the first person to discover this place, an ominous chill crept up his spine.

“Oh wow, you actually found this place quickly.”

“We circled this area two hours back. To be honest, I’d actually found this place suspicious from the beginning. I’d just ignored it since I wanted to come back at another time, so I marked it instead.”

“... and when did you have time to do that?”

“When you were busy yapping away.”

Roan was genuinely surprised by Chen this time. There weren’t any magical markers, else Roan would be able to identify it straight away. So it meant that Chen had used other means such as scent and visual markings to accurately identify this place.

As a Magician, Chen was inferior to Roan in every way. However, as a hunter, Chen was far greater than the Magic God.

“Senior… I have a bad feeling about this place.”

“Hey, hey. Don’t spit those cliche words! If you’re a main character, your words will raise flags! Don’t you know that?”

“H-Huh?”

Just as Chen was about to question Roan’s logic, a deafening screech broke free from the depths of the hidden cave. The ground beneath them began rumbling, and the winds howled, seemingly in resonance with the earlier monstrous cry.

The forest continued to shake as if it feared whatever was inhabiting within the cave. The wind currents became more turbulent by the second and eventually, the source of all the elemental changes emerged.

Four distinct shadows, each one standing over two metres in height. They flew out from behind the cave and landed squarely in front of the dark cave. The four Magic Beasts swung their signature death blades around and let out an ear-busting screech.

“Four of them at once?!” Chen let out a shriek.

Chen’s mind blacked out. Yes, he had hunted five Death Scythe Mantises already, but the majority of them were killed due to a mixture of luck and the element of surprise. In addition, he wasn’t in his fatigued state. Now they had to face four of them at the same time when they were battle-ready?

While Chen had frozen in place, Roan and Yachi weren’t shocked at all. No, they were the opposite of afraid. Yachi’s face had turned red from excitement, and her pearly white teeth were showing.

“Master! Should I use Tempest to eliminate them all at once?”

“Silly lass… Are you trying to burn the forest down? Your normal spells should be sufficient to fry them. Also, who uses their ultimate ability immediately? You need to warm up with some smaller spells and then burst them all when they think you have nothing left in your pocket! Have you never read a novel?”

“Ah, that’s right!”

“You have much to learn, young padawan. Now go and use your spells to your heart’s content!”

“Got it!”

Yachi chirped merrily and leapt out from the bushes to face her new opponents. She reached into her robes and grabbed an ostentatious wand from her inner robes. Yachi held it by the golden handle, which in itself hid an enormous magical substance. It was expertly crafted, with a few gems embedded within it, making it look as expensive as a King’s crown.

However, the highlight of Yachi’s wand wasn’t the luxurious handle, but the light purple tip that was hanging right above it. Luminescent as the moon itself, the glowing tip looked like a blessed dagger blade that could reap life without touching flesh or drinking blood. It held an ungodly amount of mana within, something that was hardly found in any wand of its size.

And to top it all off… the glorious magic wand buzzed happily in resonance with Yachi’s mana.

“Master is watching me, so I should do my best!”

Yachi beamed in delight. Her expression wasn’t like any young girl who was facing a real-life battle for the first time. Instead, Yachi looked like a war valkyrie who lusted for the battlefields.

“I’m sorry little bugs… But you’re going to die for me.”

Yachi waved her wand with confidence. Typically, a Spellcaster would stand in the backlines, away from mortal danger as they formulate their Magic Circles from memory. However, Yachi had no need for that fearful attitude.

Blessed with the Pinnacle Tempest Body, Yachi could create lightning bolts with a whim. She didn’t need any complicated magical formulas or any grimoires to assist her. In fact, she didn’t even need a wand to channel her magic!

As long as it was a lightning ability, Yachi could cast it with her five fingers. The wand was just something that aided her control and destructive force.

Of course, Chen wouldn’t know that. By the time he came to his senses, Yachi was already staring at the four Death Scythe Mantises in the face and had her hand raised with no Magic Circles at all.

“Senior! You should go help her! She’s going to die!”

“Die? Yachi? Haha, you tell funny jokes.” Roan folded his arms and snorted.

“Don’t you care about your disciple’s life? How could you be so indifferent about this?”

“Don’t worry, Yachi won’t be done in by some mere bugs. But if she really did die…” Roan paused and looked down at Chen. Then, a mischievous smile crept up his ugly face as he said the unthinkable:

“Perhaps she wasn’t worthy of becoming my disciple in the first place.”

Chen’s mouth dropped after hearing Roan’s ludicrous words. Were this the words of someone who was supposed to be a Master? And funnily enough… those words were similar to something he’d heard in the past…

A disdain of failures… just like he was.

‘That guy’s crazy!’ Chen deduced immediately.

Knowing that Roan wasn’t going to lift a finger to save Yachi, Chen grabbed onto his spear and lunged forward.

‘Damnit! I’ll save you from your wretched Master!’

Chen was in no position to save Yachi. He didn’t know her personally, and neither did he have the body to sustain a battle. Yet, for some reason, the young man stepped forward.

It was the classical hero coming to rescue the damsel in distress. At least, that was what Chen had thought. He raised his spear and was ready to sacrifice his life if need be, but alas...

‘I will save you! Save you! S-save you?’

Yachi’s motionless wand finally moved from its stationary position. Coils of lightning sprung out from the young girl’s flesh and were enchanted by the mystical rod in Yachi’s hand. The Death Scythe Mantises backed away in fear after watching the sudden spell invocation, but it was far too late.

“Avada Kedavra!”

With an adorable roar, Yachi swung her wand like in Harry Potter. Dozens of lightning bolts broke free from her confines and struck the Magic Beasts in tandem. The four Death Scythe Mantises resisted, some even tried to cast their signature wind blades to slice the young girl in half.

But… how could the wind be faster than lightning?

Yachi continually channelled lightning bolts as if she were an endless battery. The Death Scythe Mantises were unable to do anything to the girl and could only accept their fate to become fried insects.

True to Roan’s words, Yachi didn’t need to use Tempest to wipe out the Death Scythe Mantises. In fact, she was a little bit disappointed that the first Magic Beasts she longed to hunt, died so quickly.

Chen almost dropped his spear immediately after watching Yachi’s solo hunt succeed so quickly. They were Death Scythe Mantises! Bonafide D-ranked Magic Beasts that terrorised Ganger Road so much that no trade could pass. When grouped together, their ability could reach the C-ranks! Yet, Yachi finished all of them this easily?

“Just thirty percent is enough to kill them all? Master was right, Tempest would be an overkill. Oh? Senior Chen, what are you doing here?”

Yachi was muttering her displeasure to herself before she noticed Chen staring at her with a slack jawed expression.

“Y-You… what did you do?”

“Huh? What did I do? I just channelled my lightning bolts towards the Magic Beasts, and they died.”

“C-Channelled lightning bolts? That wasn’t a spell?”

“No? Ah, that incantation? That was something Master asked me to say when channelling lightning out from my wand. I’m not sure what it means, but Master seems to like it?”

“Y-You...”

There were a thousand questions in Chen’s mind, but the young man opted to ask none of them. Instead, he dropped his fingers and just said:

“It was dangerous, junior. You should value your life more. What if a more powerful monster was lurking in the shadows?”

“Moron!” Roan teleported right before the young pair and slapped Chen behind his head.

“W-What was that for?”

“What did I tell you about your words, you stupid foreshadow king!”

“Foreshadow?”

“The main characters always have a sense of when trouble is brewing to move the plot along! So when they say those kinds of words...”

EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!

A gut-wrenching screech echoed out from the isolated cave, bringing both Chen and Yachi to their knees. A torrent of hurricane winds gushed out from the enclave, and a giant shadow headed right at them at astonishing speeds.

In no time at all, the trio were greeted by a new monster, one that was far superior in size and mana than the regular Death Scythe Mantises.

“See? You called out the boss with your blatant foreshadow, main character.”