Chapter 17: Hunting The Sabertooth Tiger (3)

Chwaang!

Elaine deflected the claws of the Silver Sabertooth, clicking her tongue at the heavy vibration that resonated in her hands.

Just a week ago, she had faced a Mountain Bear, a second-class monster, but the Silver Sabertooth before her now was a first-class beast.

The difference of just one rank brought an entirely different level of pressure in battle.

‘If the Mountain Bear was a group of several strong individuals, the Silver Sabertooth is a single, overwhelmingly powerful entity.’

Of course, the Mountain Bear was also a formidable opponent.

However, the danger stemmed from their tendency to move in packs of four or five, fighting as though they were one. Individually, they were manageable for someone at the level of a deputy captain in the escort unit.

As a group, they were second-class monsters, but scattered, they were third-class.

In contrast, the Silver Sabertooth was a step stronger than even a combined force of four or five Mountain Bears.

Moreover—

‘This lake, it’s brimming with mana. Having consumed such highly concentrated mana here, the creature is even stronger.’

The power emanating from the lake felt different, possessing the chill of frost rather than ordinary mana.

And the Silver Sabertooth wielded this energy.

“Graaaaah!”

The beast roared, raising a massive forepaw before slamming it down toward the lake.

Kwaaang!

Ice spikes shot up like spears from the ground, aiming to engulf Elaine.

Recognizing it as ice magic, she quickly moved.

But whether it was a ploy or sheer speed, the Silver Sabertooth closed in, baring its sharp fangs.

Elaine swung her sword in a series of strikes against the beast’s gleaming teeth.

Cha-cha-chang!

The sound was like steel striking steel.

‘It’s solid.’

Sensing the danger, she shifted her footing to avoid the attack.

Crunch!

The beast’s jaws snapped shut on empty air, the sound unnervingly sharp.

Elaine felt as if anything caught between those fangs—armor or otherwise—would shatter like a cookie.

Joining up with Grace, she heard the latter comment.

“The claws and fangs are troublesome enough, but with ice magic too? This is no ordinary monster. Its rank holds true.”

“Yes, especially its fangs. They’re exceptionally sturdy. Please be cautious.”

“Hehe.”

“Your Grace?”

“It’s nothing. I just heard something similar a moment ago.”

Elaine found Grace’s sudden laughter puzzling but refocused on the Silver Sabertooth.

“Sir Elaine, for me to go all out, we’ll need to draw it out of the lake. Is that possible?”

“That creature has made the lake its nest. If Your Grace retreats, it may follow, but it might also prioritize protecting its lair.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The Lion Blade, the pride of the Northrain Ducal House, was a destructive and powerful technique.

Because of this, Grace found the battlefield itself bothersome.

They were fighting on the Crystal Lake, a basin filled with water.

Though the surface had frozen, allowing for battle, it was still water beneath the ice.

During the fight, Grace had tested the ice’s strength by deliberately targeting it with her sword.

When her Lion Blade struck, cracks formed on the surface, and water seeped through.

‘Oddly enough, it repaired itself almost immediately.’

Something was strange about Crystal Lake, swarming with so many monsters.

Even in the frigid North, it was impossible for cracked ice to repair itself within seconds.

The important thing, however, was that the ice couldn’t withstand the full force of the Lion Blade.

Reckless use of it could harm allies fighting on the frozen surface.

Thus, Grace had taken on a support role while Elaine led the attack.

‘Tch, we chose the wrong battlefield.’

But regrets now were meaningless.

Even if they had known the Silver Sabertooth’s strength, fighting it in its lair remained unavoidable.

Grace resolved to focus on one goal.

“You’ll have to endure a bit more. I’ll grant you another vacation once this is over.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Elaine assumed the unique stance of the Frostblade.

Unlike the destructive Lion Blade, the Frostblade emphasized speed and precision, making it ideal for this battlefield.

Normally, an escort captain’s duty included defending against monsters breaching the perimeter, but—

Thanks to Luke volunteering for that role, Elaine could focus entirely on the Silver Sabertooth.

Tap.

Grace made the first move, charging forward.

She deliberately used a technique that wouldn’t strain the ice to draw the Silver Sabertooth’s attention.

Lion Blade: Beast Charge.

Mana surged from both Grace’s sword and her entire body, forming the shape of a massive lion that lunged at the Silver Sabertooth.

“Grrk!”

The beast staggered under the collision of two massive forces but quickly regained its balance and counterattacked.

Its massive paws, now encased in ice armor, struck down violently, aiming to crush Grace like an insect.

“This confirms it can withstand this much.”

Lion Blade: Small Claw, Large Claw.

A powerful horizontal slash, followed by an even stronger vertical strike, shattered the ice encasing the beast’s forepaw.

“It’s not over yet.”

Lion Blade: Small Claw, Large Claw combination.

Lion Blade: Forepaw Strike.

Pwaang!

The devastating blow sent the Silver Sabertooth staggering.

Though it used mana to shield itself, it couldn’t withstand the impact and lost its balance.

Grace closed the gap, pressing the advantage.

Lion Blade: Small Claw twisted its neck.

Lion Blade: Large Claw forced its leg to buckle.

And the follow-up, Lion Blade: Forepaw Strike—

Kwaaang!

Ultimately, the Silver Sabertooth was sent flying by the heavy sword pressure and tumbled across the ice.

Still, as befitted a first-grade magical beast, it quickly regained its footing with its agile movements, showing little sign of injury.

“Phew, I’m done for now. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Swoosh.

Elaine wasn’t about to let the opportunity created by Grace go to waste.

She dashed forward, delivering the fastest thrust she could muster, and struck at the Silver Sabertooth.

Thunk!

The Seolhan Sword, First Snow, pierced into the beast’s chest.

However, the blade didn’t sink deeply due to the thick hide, and the Silver Sabertooth attempted to counterattack through the opening created by the embedded sword.

Slice. Slash. Swish.

Before the claws could reach her, Elaine swiftly withdrew her sword and unleashed a rapid three-strike combo, viciously slashing at the creature’s torso.

It was the kind of masterful swordsmanship that even a beast’s agility couldn’t counter.

‘Its hide is tough. With this thickness, it’ll be hard to kill it in one strike. I’ll have to keep pressing, creating wounds to wear it down.’

Elaine continued to dodge the beast’s fangs and claws while skillfully executing the techniques of the Seolhan Sword.

Although the monster’s hide and magical power prevented her from inflicting severe damage, she relentlessly added minor wounds.

The accumulated injuries would eventually exhaust the creature and bring it down.

Just as Elaine pressed her advantage and accelerated her attacks, something changed.

“32.”

The Silver Sabertooth’s gaze shifted.

Its eyes didn’t just grow sharper or more menacing—the pupils themselves turned blue.

“Graaaaahhh!”

An intense storm erupted around it, gathering an icy chill that seemed to freeze the surrounding space.

Sensing danger, Elaine tried to back away.

However—

“…”

The ferocious winds buffeted her, slowing her legs and preventing her from moving at full speed.

The snowstorm reduced her visibility significantly.

Her priority became clearing the frigid air enveloping her.

Seolhan Sword, Sleetstorm.

She slashed furiously in every direction, attempting to dispel the intense cold.

“7.”

Elaine narrowed her eyes as she fought against the gale.

While the Seolhan Sword lacked the sheer destructive power of the Lion Sword, it boasted unmatched speed, capable of scattering even dense mist with ease.

Yet the icy winds showed no sign of dissipating. In fact, they seemed to grow denser over time.

Elaine quickly realized the reason.

The Silver Sabertooth’s form had changed, shrouded in frost, its body dissolving into a cloud of mist.

The beast had literally become the cold itself, rendering her attacks ineffective as they slashed through nothing but air.

[Growl…]

From within the mist, only its face materialized, floating eerily as the rest of its body remained submerged in the icy haze. Its glowing eyes and jagged fangs gave it a disturbingly monstrous appearance.

‘Ice magic.’

Elaine deduced that the creature had employed an advanced ice spell: Frost Assimilation.

By transforming its body into frost, it became impervious to physical attacks. However, such magic came at a steep cost—it drained the creature’s body heat, making it dangerous even for a magical beast to sustain.

The Silver Sabertooth had resorted to this desperate measure in its rage, determined to eliminate the humans before it.

[Graaaaaah!]

Its howl grew even more chilling despite its mist-like state.

‘Even if it’s transformed, this is still a spell cast by a living creature. There must be a core or a medium somewhere. All I have to do is find and destroy it.’

As the Northern Duke’s escort captain, Elaine analyzed the situation with calm precision.

Her assessment was accurate, and she had a strong hunch about the weak point.

Among its dispersed form, the beast’s only remaining physical feature was its face.

That had to be the core.

But the reason the Silver Sabertooth had chosen this form wasn’t just desperation.

“Hm?”

Elaine felt something amiss with her body.

Despite shielding herself with magical energy to resist the cold, her movements were becoming sluggish, her body responding half a beat slower than intended.

‘What’s going on? Since it turned into mist, its ice magic has grown even stronger.’

Elaine was familiar with the dense magical energy of this region.

Still, the power emanating from the beast felt unnaturally amplified.

Did it have another trick up its sleeve?

“1.”

There was no time for further thought.

Crash!

The mist transformed into a storm, hurtling toward Elaine with unrelenting speed.

She tried to dodge it by reading its trajectory from afar.

‘My body’s too heavy. Even with magic strengthening me, I can’t stop the drop in body temperature.’

The cold wasn’t the only issue.

Breathing became increasingly difficult as the icy wind invaded her nose and mouth, sapping her strength.

‘I can’t let this drag on.’

Dodging the relentless assaults of the freezing wind, Elaine focused her energy into her sword.

Observing closely, she noticed that despite its dispersed form, the creature’s beast-like instincts remained intact. It always led with its face during attacks.

This fight, despite the distance and speed, remained fundamentally close combat.

When it lunged at her next, she would have to strike its face preemptively to disrupt its magic.

Crash!

But the storm moved at an incredible pace.

Even the speed of the Seolhan Sword couldn’t overcome the chilling winds that robbed her of her agility.

The gale’s sheer power and the cold it carried were overwhelming.

Most troubling of all—

[Screech!]

Clang!

As Elaine parried with her sword against fangs emerging from the storm—

‘The blade is wearing down!’

Despite her repeated attempts to shatter the beast’s teeth, her sword had suffered more damage than its impossibly tough fangs.

What kind of material was this creature made of?

While evading another attack, Elaine stayed locked on the storm, waiting for the right moment to strike.

That’s when—

[Roar!]

“?!”

She flinched at a sound suddenly emanating from right beside her.

Turning her head instinctively, she found—

“What?”

Six smaller saber-toothed beasts, seemingly spawned from the mist, lunging at her with their sharp fangs aimed at her arms.

Reacting on instinct, Elaine executed the Seolhan Sword’s Sleetstorm, slashing rapidly.

Her precise strikes shredded the beasts before they could sink their teeth into her.

“A saber-tooth cub? Wait, it wasn’t just one? No, its body was made of ice. It’s not a living creature. In that case, Silver… magic!”

Ah.

Elaine quickly turned her head.

But in the brief moment of hesitation, the whirlwind had already closed the distance, reaching right in front of her.

She was completely caught off guard.

The time spent dealing with the newly appeared ice saber-tooth cubs had left her no time to evade.

As it stood, she was about to take a direct hit from the creature’s attack.

In that urgent situation, Elaine made a choice.

‘I won’t go down that easily!’

If she couldn’t dodge, then…

She would sacrifice her flesh to break its fangs.

She had already identified her target.

Those teeth, deliberately left intact despite transforming into mist.

They must be its most powerful weapon.

If she could destroy them, the rest should be manageable for His Grace to handle.

Although the extreme cold would cause some damage, she resolved to use her strongest technique to shatter those fangs.

Gripping her sword, she focused.

The ultimate technique of the Frost Sword Style: Snowfall.

Unlike the speed-focused techniques of the Frost Sword Style, Snowfall abandoned speed for sheer destructive power.

Its power, layered with compressed mana akin to an avalanche at its peak, could even shatter the Lion Blade of the Northern Duke in a head-on clash.

“Here I come.”

As the whirlwind solidified into the distinct shape of a saber-tooth’s face, its mouth opened menacingly. Elaine poured all her energy into her blade with determination.

Then—

“Whoa there, that’s not going to work!”

“?”

Through the roaring wind, she faintly heard a human voice.

And then—

“Move back! You’ll get bitten if you stay there! Oh, and keep your mana charged!”

Though puzzled, Elaine’s body moved instinctively at the words.

She maintained her mana as instructed and retreated.

Even after stepping back, she remained within the creature’s attack range.

Initially, she had chosen to counterattack because there was no way to avoid it.

Knowing this, she still found herself bewildered by her body’s involuntary retreat.

At that moment—

“Yaaahhhhh!”

The voice grew closer, and soon, someone appeared, letting out a spirited battle cry.

A man in a guardsman’s uniform with black hair and a sturdy build stepped into view.

“Luke?”

She had expected him to jump in if there was an opening, but his sudden appearance near the Silver Sabertooth felt reckless, given the danger.

However, when she saw what he held in his hand, her eyes widened.

In his grip was a familiar weapon—a dagger crafted from steel and obsidian.

But the dagger was glowing a fiery red, as if it had just been pulled from molten lava.

Luke held the dagger in a reverse grip.

“Take this!”

Thud!

The fiery dagger pierced deeply into the icy face of the Silver Sabertooth.

[Graaaahhhhhh!!!]

The dagger buried into its face caused the creature to twist in agony, abandoning its focus on Elaine and letting out a horrifying scream.

As Luke was thrown back by the force, he shouted to Elaine.

“Now!”

Understanding his intention, Elaine quickly adjusted her expression and nodded.

Whoosh.

Closing the gap in an instant, she unleashed her technique.

The Frost Sword’s ultimate move, Snowfall.

Crash!

With an upward slash, the concentrated mana on her blade erupted into a powerful sword aura, cleaving the whirlwind in half.

The strike didn’t end there. Like a blizzard blanketing the ground in white, her sword aura completely obliterated the whirlwind.

As the whirlwind dissipated, the fog of frost also scattered and faded.

Thud.

A saber-tooth cub collapsed to the ground, exhaling a final, rattling breath.

Its face was cleanly split in two.