After about two hours of travel, Bruul and his companions finally couldn’t go on. As a result, Celia’s team was forced to halt and rest.
At this pace, Bruul estimated they would exit the forest in another hour.
This speed left him utterly astonished. Even a veteran adventurer team from the guild would likely take a similar amount of time to traverse the forest’s periphery as Celia’s team.
“With your strength, you should have become adventurers long ago, shouldn’t you? Why do you still need an instructor?” He approached Celia, who was resting against a tree, and asked, bewildered.
“These are all things our instructor taught us,” Celia said, casting a glance his way. “Besides, whether we can become adventurers is still uncertain.”
“Why?” he pressed. “I recall the beasts for the adventurer assessment are only Tier 3, aren’t they? Even if they’re Tier 3 beasts bordering on Tier 4, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to handle them, right?”
Bruul hadn’t forgotten the efficiency with which their team dispatched Tier 3 beasts. Aside from the Scaled-Eyed Serpent, every subsequent Tier 3 beast they encountered was slain within minutes.
With such power, how could the adventurer assessment possibly pose a challenge to them? What’s more, with roughly three months remaining until the assessment date, he dared not imagine the extent of their growth by then.
‘Could they challenge a Tier 4 beast?’
The moment the thought surfaced, he found it absurd.
“We’re going to challenge a Tier 4 beast,” Isha replied, sitting on the ground.
“What?!”
Bruul almost suspected he had misheard. “How is that possible? The difference between Tier 4 and Tier 3 is immense! Even our seasoned team wouldn’t dare to easily engage a Tier 4 beast.”
For his team, Tier 4 beasts were an insurmountable presence. Only a handful of teams within the guild could claim to have slain one.
Just like the Tier 4 Demonic Scorpion that had suddenly appeared in the city previously, they were utterly helpless before it, lacking even the qualification to fight alongside Roland.
Yet, the assessment for this Tier 2 adventurer team before him actually involved killing a Tier 4 beast?
‘Was he insane, or was the world?’
‘Could the gap between adventurers truly be so vast?’
Celia paid no mind to his reaction. Instead, she turned to Aurora, who stood vigilant nearby. Seeing the grim expression on her face, Celia softly spoke, “Aurora?”
“A very dangerous aura is approaching.”
Aurora turned, her gaze sweeping towards the woods behind them. Her sight seemed to pierce through countless trees and thickets, perceiving a terrifying beast slowly drawing nearer.
“Its strength should be… Tier 4.”
A longbow, formed from silvery-white magic, materialized in her hands. In an instant, she was ready for battle.
Celia and Isha followed suit, preparing themselves. Only Bruul and his companions remained frozen, believing they had misheard, unsure of what to do.
Yet, in the next second, cold sweat began to trickle down their foreheads.
A pair of scarlet eyes emerged from the shadowy jungle, followed by a massive white tiger that slowly stepped forth. Its sharp fangs were still stained with copious amounts of blood, clearly indicating it had just fed.
Its body was adorned with streaks of vivid red markings, enhancing its already ferocious appearance.
Bruul recognized these red markings; they were a distinct characteristic of a Tier 4 Fiery-Striped White Tiger.
“How is this possible?! How could a Tier 4 beast appear in the outskirts of the Silent Forest?!”
His mind reeled, his rationality on the verge of shattering.
The Silent Forest’s periphery rarely saw even Tier 2 beasts, yet now Tier 3 beasts were appearing frequently, and they had even encountered a Tier 4 beast!
Something unknown must have occurred here, something that could very well threaten the safety of Vidona City!
However, his most immediate concern was his own survival.
‘A Tier 4 Fiery-Striped White Tiger. He would most likely meet his end here today.’
The golden-haired girl with the single ponytail moved past him, once again positioning herself in front of them, directly facing the beast. Her longsword was gripped tightly in her hand, its blade glinting with a cold light.
His brow furrowed as he exclaimed, “Celia, are you mad? A Tier 2 challenging a Tier 4 is a death wish!”
“So, should we just stand here and wait for death?”
Celia’s single sentence rendered him speechless.
‘Even without fighting, it was a dead end. A Tier 4 beast wouldn’t be merciful enough to spare them.’
Forcing down the fear in his heart, he was about to offer help when Celia, sword in hand, charged towards the white tiger.
On the other side, Isha drew her chakram, following closely behind Celia.
“Let’s see how much of a gap still remains between us and a Tier 4 beast,” she muttered to herself.
Full of fighting spirit, Celia imbued her longsword with scorching flames.
With a swing of her longsword, the flames surged irresistibly towards the white tiger. However, the beast, with its thick fur, neither dodged nor retreated. It simply stomped a foot, and a gust of wind halted the inferno’s advance.
Isha, who had stealthily moved into the shadows, burst out from the side. The chakram in her hand gleamed with an extraordinary light, seemingly eager for impact. Undeterred, Isha brought it down directly upon the white tiger’s neck.
Clang—
A crisp sound, like metal striking metal, rang out from the point of impact. Isha’s pretty face paled. Just as she was about to leap back and dodge, a sharp tiger claw appeared directly before her!
“Isha!”
Celia cried out in alarm. In the distance, Aurora directly cast a spell, forming a magic shield in front of Isha.
Yet, the tiger claw effortlessly shattered the magic shield, sending Isha crashing into the forest.
With a hand gripping her longsword trembling slightly, Celia gritted her teeth, raised her sword high, and charged at the white tiger.
Flames enveloped the sword’s blade, forming walls of fire in the air, each of which intercepted the white tiger’s pounces.
Seemingly growing impatient, the white tiger used its brute strength to pin down the longsword. It then opened its mouth towards Celia’s head, scarlet flames faintly visible deep within its maw.
Flame Breath!
Pinned and unable to move, a surge of panic struck Celia. She could only channel her magic to shield her body, preparing to endure the breath attack head-on.
Whoosh—
At this critical moment, a golden arrow whistled past her ear and shot directly into the white tiger’s mouth!
“Roar—!”
The white tiger let out a furious roar, forced to release its claw from the longsword, and stumbled back several steps.
It shook its head, blood oozing from its mouth. Then, with a malevolent glare, it fixed its gaze in Aurora’s direction.
In that moment, even Bruul, standing beside her, felt a suffocating sense of peril, let alone Aurora, who faced the white tiger directly.
The white tiger lowered its body, its eyes flashing with scarlet electrical currents. Then, opening its mouth, it spat out a terrifying scarlet electrical orb that flew straight towards Aurora!
Hastily deploying a magic shield, Aurora’s usually serene expression finally showed a flicker of panic.
Witnessing this, Bruul and his teammates didn’t stand idly by. They simultaneously activated their magic shields, intending to help Aurora withstand the attack.
However, they ultimately underestimated the power of the electrical orb.
Sizzle, crackle—
The collision between the electrical orb and the magic shields triggered a violent explosion, scattering birds and beasts throughout the forest. Aurora collapsed, heavily wounded, and it was only after coughing up several mouthfuls of blood that her breathing eased slightly.
Bruul and his companions fared no better. Already significantly injured, this last blow left them all sprawled on the ground, having completely lost their combat capability.