Right after the initial attack, a swarm of wind blades flew towards the boys. Everyone’s faces turned grisly, knowing that even Kairos’ physique will be torn apart if struck by this many razor-sharp gales.

The ominous black wind was like guillotines that came to take their lives, but as death arrived, an unexpected party stood in the way.

Grey Wolves, fearlessly, jumped in front of the boys and threw themselves into the deadly wind. The merciless edge cut into fur and flesh, dying the ground crimson.

*uwoooo*

Their sacrifice and screams drove every person here into seething anger; not at the Black Winds, but their own carelessness.

“Let’s not hold back anymore,” Edward said coolly.

“Seconded.”

“Yeah…”

“For sure!”

“Let’s do it,” their captain agreed.

The boys closed their eyes for a moment and connected with the lifestream hidden within themselves. The passive pool of energy that is meant to keep one alive started stirring and the immense power they had been holding back now rolled out from each of them with suffocating pressure.

Using this power is burning the oil lamp when the flame is spent so will their life. However, if they remained unfeeling by the Grey Wolves’ sacrifice, then they are no better than the degenerate nobles they despised.

Their cultivation quickly raised as their complexion paled. From Peak D rank, the infusion of Origin Energy into their flesh brought them all the way to Mid B rank before stabilising.

Wind blades continued flying at them but were deflected with ease. The boys moved forward with determined steps with Jim, who is the swiftest leading the charge.

Disregarding his wounds, he jumps into the midst of their enemies like a vengeful wraith while muttering under his breath an incantation. The rage of seeing their wolf companions die was thick on his tongue.

I am the one whom encompass all,

The abyss of dusk and dawn,

The purgatory of good and evil,

The devourer of the enduring day.

I am Suzaku, vermillion bird of the South!!!

The entire space turned chaotic, powerful spheres of light manifested which quickly dimmed into pure darkness. When the spheres became completely black, it once again reverted into luminous white orbs. The beasts that touched the white balls were blown apart, while those that touched the black balls were sucked into it and crushed into dust.

Then, they witnessed a truly terrifying event.

As the intervals of the spheres flickering between black and white varied, it was inevitable that two orbs of different colours will touch. At that moment, the planes of existence trembled dangerously with a terrible screech. More and more orbs gathered, and it wasn’t long before reality was torn like a paper ripped into two. Above Jim, an enormous fissure opened up with a howling roar. Those nearby Jim did not notice any pressure, but the Black Wind wolves felt an immense force dragging them closer.

The gaping darkness revealed by the tear was like a hungry beast, and it noisily pulled in almost two dozen wolves with a frightening voracity. While friends and companions stared wide-eyed, the crack had already resealed itself like it never appeared.

For a moment, there was only silence. Both men and beasts dared not make a sound as if fearing that the fissure may return.

Against this Secret Art, any A ranker can easily avoid it. However, what’s frightening is that Jim is only using Mid B rank power.

Kairos was the first one who snapped out of it, he turned towards their enemies and shouted, “Follow me to rout their leaders!”

Like trained soldiers, the boys gathered by his side with weapons ready. Caught by their sudden and fearsome charge, the rest of the Black Winds were scattered easily.

“Formless style! Dance of the raindrops!” Kairos commanded.

The five of them moved as one. Their steps aligned so perfectly it will cause practised dancers to be ashamed.

“Dance of the raindrops!”

With a shout filled with fighting spirit, a rain of attack pelts down on the alphas.

*oowuu!*

Behind the boys, the Grey Wolves howled, tails high with confidence.

They had regathered before anyone noticed and joined in the battle beside the humans.

It is now that the boys finally noticed that the Greys they believed to be dead had mostly recovered. Tiny vines covered their bodies hidden underneath their thick fur provided a solid defence and nature healing magic. There is a reason why the Black Winds did not clear out their last enemy in this forest, the Greys that worshipped wisdom instead of power had gained the forest’s blessings and are incredibly sturdy opponents. Now that the Black Winds are cut down to half of their number thanks to the boys, the Grey Wolves began retaliating with unbridled savageness. Their timing was at the level of top-tiered strategists and the remaining Black Wind alphas quickly turned to flee for their lives. With their leaders gone, the rest of the Black Winds soon followed, choosing to retreat deeper into their territory.

“Let’s chase them!” Jim called out with bloodlust.

“Wait. Look!” Edward stopped his brother and pointed.

Those demonic wolves that are in mid-run are already healing their injuries. The demonic blood in their veins gave them a dangerous recovery ability; an advantage inherited from their devilish lineage. Not only the Greys could recover, but the Black Winds also have their own methods of survival.

Tommy crackled his knuckles, “So what! Let’s hunt them down before they run!”

“Forget it guys. Only Jim could catch up to them now, and I’m not willing to let you go alone,” Alan placed a firm hand down on the shoulder of his brother.

“The Grey Wolves could keep up with me!”

“No. We would be sacrificing them that way,” Kairos shook his head.

The boy sighed… then nodded.

The Greys howled long and loudly with triumph. They have achieved what they failed to do for ages and reclaimed a long lost hunting ground.

The boys kept the bodies of the fallen beasts in their time-space rings for-profit and to feed the dragonlings. This time, because of the intensity of their battle, even after filling the containers, they have quite a few leftovers, and these became the Grey Wolves’ food as long as it isn’t wolf flesh.

Having reduced the number of Black Winds sufficiently, the little group made their way back towards Tiny Town to claim their rewards.

The Greys came along, more out of gratitude than necessity.

At the edge of the forest, their alpha speaking through Aisa as before, rumbled softly, “Thank you, young humans. The forest will become abundant once again.”

“It’s part of our quest and what we should do. I’m sure with their numbers dented there will be peace for a while.”

“The Black Winds have indeed suffered a great loss today. The fangs of your pack are most impressive, now I see why the esteemed Primordial One follows you,” the wolf bowed his beautiful and proud head low, in a show of honouring the boys, then it turned and left with its pack following right behind him.

A whistle rung out in the forest, and the ground rumbled powerfully. A moment later, a large head with oversized eyes popped out of the earth and blinked at them.

Alan: “Wyrmy!”

Jim: “Wyrmy?”

Edward: “Wyrmy?!”

Tommy: “WYRMY!!”

Aisa: Wyrmy!

Kairos gently rests his face on his palm in despair.

The Land Wyrm easily carried the boys and the beast corpses that were thrown on its back and wobble the entire way back. Most of them had been injured, and everyone needed a good rest. Besides restocking the dust, getting some healing salves will be a good idea. The weakening powder is a strong tranquiliser only purchasable by those on a subjugation mission. Even so, the boys are only allowed to purchase a limited amount, so they planned to store as much as they could. Who knows if it would come in handy for them in the future?

Normally, unless one has a special permit to purchase poisons, it would be either too expensive or simply illegal to get their hands of this stuff.

…..

A day later, the boys finally arrived at the gates of the town. They sold off some of the things they brought back at a good price. The pelts of the Black Winds, the fangs and claws of all the beasts they hunted paid for their supplies and a little more.

The demon cores and monster cores were removed – tiny crystals that are very rarely found in a beast that could be used like spirit stones to aid in cultivation. Today the boys will be able to use these cores and quickly recover their strength.

After taking the parts they needed, most of the leftover meat will not be wasted either and be used to feed their infant Contract Beasts and the twin dragonlings. As the tiny creatures ate, their strength increased tremendously. Unlike humans who can follow Cultivation Methods to refine their Ki, beasts grew according to the spirit energy in the food they consume.

“Whoa, how unfair! I also want to become stronger just by eating and sleeping all the time,” Alan exclaimed with Jim nodding his head quickly nearby.

“They’re growing so quickly… My pet is already almost as strong as me!”

“Don’t worry…Your turtle is still useless…!” Jim tried his hand at consolation.

“Hey! Your contract beast hadn’t even hatched. Wait until you have gotten your little bird before you laugh at me. Hmph.”

“Well,” Tommy started explaining earnestly, “The growth a creature experience depends on the type of spirit energy from the food they receive. If the quality is too low, the contract beast will even stop growing, and its requirements will only raise as it matures.”

Jim: “Heh heh, did you learn all that from someone special?”

“Yeah, Snow taught me… Wait, hold up! Did you just tease me?!”

“No, it was Edward!”

“No, it was Edward,” the archer mimicked, then he generously gave Jim a six-spiral three-somersault intelligence-increasing friendship knuckle.

On the ground with a bump on his head, Jim softly muttered his last words, “A… Actually, it was Kairos.”

This day, Jim fully received appreciation from his three older brothers, and in order not to be left out, Alan provided the healing salves so they could knock themselves out without restrain.

Of course, the mission reward meant that they could splurge a little.

When they entered the Adventurers Guild with a panda-eyed Jim, the veterans felt their mouths twitched unnaturally.

These experienced adventurers knew better than to offend an aristocrat's guard trainees, but trying to keep a poker face isn’t a universal talent.

They wondered what kind of mission could cause such injuries to the eyes.

Kairos and his team ignored the strange whizzing and huffings, and the unnatural coughs that are used to cover up snickers.

The other members of the Snowdrifts, however, had no such constrain and they burst into roaring laughter.

“The leaders are really know how to have fun… Hahaha.”

“I didn’t know that Boss Jim is actually a panda spirit.”

“You’re better than me. I just learned that pandas could gain enlightenment.”

The five of them handed their Adventurer Card to the counter to confirm their kills and waited for their reward. At this time, Sasha, who had completed her mission earlier, came up to Kairos and whispered in his ears.

She had been waiting for them for two days now. Kairos gave her a nod, and the group returned to the tavern together. When they passed through the dining area, Kairos looked around but couldn’t find his father. Apparently, Vouno is still tracking down his bounty.

Everyone that had taken up a mission started exchanging the information they gained. Most 0f them confirmed that there was a battle in the Black Forest around the time that Jones had gone missing. There were also several sightings of a boy of Jones’ description confirming they were on his track.

Then, they received a critical piece of information despite not hoping for much. Sasha’s team had been doing a resource gathering mission for a perfumer who needs wild herbs growing in a monster-infested area.

“While we were on our mission, the perfumer told us what she is making is a scent not only popular but is capable of fighting off the miasma and toxic fumes from the nearby marsh,” Sasha said with an excited smile. Her tomboyish exterior did not hide how cute she is.

“Are you certain?” Kairos asked urgently. The implication of this news is rather large.

Sasha nodded, then continued, “I am. And I think that you’ll be interested to know what she told us next. She said, a group of men showed up by her apothecary one night and ordered a large batch, and it’s why she ran out of materials and posted this quest.”

“A large group preparing to cross the marsh?”

Though they have not received any demand of ransom, as long as they don’t find the body, the chances that Jones had been taken instead of killed is higher. And, to do so without being detected, it is very likely that the kidnappers will cross the marsh if they could avoid being poisoned.

“When did that happen?”

“About two months ago.”

“It matches with the time that Jones disappeared. We need to hurry. Buy some of that perfume and get ready to leave.”

Piecing together with what they learned in the Black Forest, it is likely that Jones was captured thereafter a great battle then brought across the poisonous marsh using this perfume.

If they could get their hands on the perfume, they will be able to track them through the marsh and look for his whereabouts.

The others left immediately to carry out Kairos’ instructions. Meanwhile, the five of them quickly returned to their rooms to rest. Later that evening, as the boys are sleeping, a tiny shadow landed on Kairos’ lap.

It looked at him with large eyes but otherwise is silent, choosing to communicate directly by sending images to the boy.

Kairos’ expressions turned blank for a moment then quickly became grim. A moment later he jumped off his bed and roused the others, “Wake up. The Grey Wolves are in danger. I’ve left a dragonling with them in case their den is found. And it seems that the worst had happened.”

“How’s their current situation?”

“Not good. We need to hurry.”

“Then let’s go.”

They rushed out on the back of the Land Wyrm in the middle of the night. The Greys had stayed peaceful for so long, but they are attacked now despite the Black Winds are weakened. It didn’t require a genius to guess that this is a bait laid out for them.

The boys have grown confident over the past year, even somewhat reckless. Although they wouldn’t run into danger with nary a drop of fear, there are few things frightening enough to compare with the dangers they felt when they were trapped in the East Hill base.