“Captain, you can’t go!”
Seeing her about to leave, the scarred man was the first to step forward, attempting to dissuade Bruul.
“They’re all only Tier Two, just trainee Braves. Forget about a Tier Three magical beast; I’d say we’d struggle even against a Tier Two!”
“That’s right, Captain. Let’s wait for a new support team to arrive.”
Bruul pondered for a moment, then, disregarding his teammates’ pleas, he began to move.
“Follow them.”
“Captain!” the scarred man shouted.
However, Bruul didn’t hesitate for a second. With no other choice, the scarred man could only cast a resentful glance at Celia’s retreating back before following them.
Along the way, they were constantly on edge, their hearts pounding with apprehension. Even the birds flitting through the forest were occasionally mistaken for terrifying magical beasts, and every patch of grass underfoot seemed to conceal venomous weeds.
Paradoxically, with Celia’s team joining them, their fear only intensified.
Finally, after traveling for almost half a day, Bruul suddenly glanced behind him. A powerful sense of danger made his hair stand on end.
“Watch out!”
Through the gloom of the jungle, he glimpsed a pair of eerie, reptilian eyes.
Shortly after his warning, a giant snake, approximately twenty meters long, slithered out from the dense foliage, looking down on all of them.
Its head was larger than an adult human’s, and its eyes, covered as if by a layer of scales, were unsettlingly bizarre. A vivid red tongue flicked in and out, openly revealing its predatory desire.
“A Tier Three, it’s a Tier Three magical beast! A Scale-eyed Snake!”
The scarred man raised the knife in his hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Even if their team were completely unscathed, subduing this snake would be no easy feat, let alone in their current state.
Whether they could even escape was now a serious question.
“Prepare for battle!”
Bruul, not forgetting his duty as captain, rubbed his right arm, which he couldn’t lift, then turned to look at Celia.
“Captain Celia, when we engage it, you and your team should take the opportunity to circle around and escape. I’ve already requested another support team from the guild, and I’m sure they’ll arrive soon.”
Upon hearing his words, his two remaining teammates gripped their weapons tighter, their gazes toward Celia’s team growing even more displeased.
“No need.”
However, to Bruul’s surprise, Celia drew her slender longsword and, step by step, walked past him, heading directly toward the giant snake.
“Miss Celia, don’t be rash!”
“Captain, if she won’t listen, let her go! She’ll naturally beg for our help when the time comes.” Seeing Bruul about to intervene, the scarred man firmly held him back.
A Tier Two Brave team challenging a Tier Three magical beast? He was eager to see just what abilities Celia possessed!
The giant snake watched the golden-haired girl approach with an air of calm. A flicker of human-like doubt crossed its vertical pupils, but upon sensing her strength, this doubt transformed into a sneer of contempt.
It hissed, and its massive body, coiled around the ancient tree, suddenly uncoiled and moved with terrifying speed, lunging at Celia with its maw gaping wide!
“Don’t ignore me!”
The next second, the voice of a delicate girl rang out from above its head. A pink figure struck its skull with the force of a falling boulder, smashing its head directly into the ground.
Having landed her blow, Isha didn’t linger. Instead, she retreated a safe distance, evading the giant snake’s counterattack.
Raising its head once more, its target was now locked onto Isha.
The girl’s previous attack, though not high in damage, had been profoundly insulting. Thoroughly enraged, the snake puffed out its cheeks and spewed a torrent of green venomous breath towards Isha.
Meanwhile, Celia was already prepared.
Her silver-white blade was imbued with a powerful surge of wind energy. With a single flick of her sword towards the giant snake, a fierce gale erupted in the forest, blowing the venomous breath aimed at Isha past the snake and behind it.
The giant snake shot an enraged glance at Celia. Before it could react, a delicate shout echoed from directly above its head once more.
“Over here!”
‘Trying that trick again?’
The giant snake’s cold, vertical pupils burned with fury. It ignored Celia, instead raising its upper body and opening its gaping maw, ready to swallow the pink-haired girl whole!
It was at this moment that Celia suddenly called out, “Now! Aurora!”
Bruul and his teammates’ astonished gazes immediately swung backward. There, the girl, previously overlooked by everyone, had fully drawn her bowstring, her pale golden eyes filled with an extraordinary calmness.
The golden arrow, charged with a vast amount of magical power, radiated a dazzling halo. A gentle breeze lifted her skirt and hair, making Aurora appear like a goddess from legend—noble, aloof, and utterly untouchable.
Her slender fingers released the string with a slight tremble. The golden arrow, transforming into a point of light in Aurora’s eyes, shot forth, and the instantaneous gust of wind pressure made the leaves around her rustle.
*Whoosh—*
The arrow became a streak of golden light, striking the giant snake with pinpoint accuracy at its vital seven-inch mark, directly at its heart. The snake let out a pained shriek, its upright body collapsing back to the ground, its thick form writhing grotesquely in agony.
A faint scent of blood began to spread through the forest. That single arrow had pierced directly through its protective magic, tore through flesh, and plunged deep into its heart.
Sensing an overwhelming life-or-death crisis, the giant snake forcibly thrashed its body, desperate to escape. However, the pink-haired girl, seizing the opportunity, stomped on its head once more.
*Thud—*
The snake’s head slammed heavily onto the ground. Blood gushed from the wound in its heart, staining the earth crimson.
“…W-we won just like that?”
Bruul rubbed his eyes, staring incredulously at the dead giant snake. Behind him, his other teammates stood frozen, unable to believe what they had witnessed.
A Tier Three magical beast, killed so simply?
Had it even been three minutes since their encounter?
Even if they had been unharmed, defeating this giant snake would likely have come at a cost. Killing it in three minutes was simply a fantasy to them…
‘Were they truly just a trainee Brave team?!’
Bruul’s mind reeled with countless questions. Celia, however, merely sheathed her longsword and, with an indifferent air, brushed past him.
“Let’s move. The scent of blood will only attract more magical beasts.”
“R-right, right.”
He nodded blankly, and as he slowly recovered his senses, he finally let out a complete sigh of relief.
With such power, as long as they didn’t encounter a Tier Four magical beast, exiting the forest would undoubtedly be simple.
‘But they’d only been training as Braves for two months, hadn’t they?’
Bruul suddenly felt an inexplicable weariness wash over him. For a fleeting moment, the thought of retirement crossed his mind.
Behind him, the scarred man who had spoken so insolently earlier seemed to feel particularly disgraced. He quietly shrank behind his other teammates, continuously trying to diminish his presence.
With Celia and her two companions leading the way, every magical beast they encountered along the path was slain. Bruul and his teammates’ expressions, as they watched, gradually shifted from shock to indifference, and finally to numbness.