Chapter 7: First Battle
A lush green forest stretched as far as the eye could see. The trees, grass, and vegetation exuded an aura of abundance and peace, a stark contrast to the reality that this border forest was home to a multitude of devil beasts. These ranged from ordinary devil beasts that could be defeated by a few strong Newborns to devil beasts capable of wiping out the Silalai town from the Grand continent in a matter of moments.
Weak devil beasts and wild animals were a reliable food source for a whole town. such as the three-tusked boar that Kiita liked. Unlike them, most devil beasts posed a threat to humans, especially the Learner level devil beasts.
Learner level devil beasts are categorized from 1-word to 5-word, just like humans.
1 or 2-word Learner level devil beasts can be dealt with by two or three skilled Red Gem adventurers or a highly experienced Emerald adventurer.
Red Gem adventurers typically consist of those 1 or 2-word Learner. However, the physical differences of devil beasts, such as thick, durable hides capable of withstanding sharp swords or even fangs as strong as steel, make them incredibly formidable opponents for humans of the same level.
But humans also possess superior qualities. As one of the Intelligent races, their spiritual comprehension far surpasses that of devil beasts. This deeper spirituality results in a completely different level of ability to discover and comprehend Word of Power.
Emerald adventurers are those 3 to 5-word Learner. Although the criteria are broad, in reality, over 99 percent are those who are 3-word Learner. Discovering 4 words before performing the Engraving Ceremony signifies top genius. As for the 5-word Learner, whether such an individual exists in this era is unknown.
Those individuals are only myth and legend. Even someone who is blessed by the Goddess of Fortune, Lakiz, might not be able to discover all 5 words before performing the Engraving Ceremony.
Beyond the Emerald is the Topaz, comprised of Engravers, such as First word and Second word Engravers. Chief Singh should possess abilities at this level, but Nitaan didn't know whether he had even applied to be an adventurer.
Nitaan is unfamiliar with higher levels but certain they exist, as the next level is in the realm of Enlightened. During the Great Extermination, many Enlightened level devil beasts appeared, and the Adventurers' Guild was one of the main forces in that Great Extermination.
Many Enlightened level devil beasts were killed and driven out of human territory into the Warped Ravine. Warped Ravine thus became both a paradise and a prison for many devil beasts from that era.
High level devil beasts possess the ability to transform the landscape into a hell uninhabitable by humans. The border between that hell and the Firegan Kingdom, where hundreds of millions of humans live, is this border forest.
Since most Enlightened level devil beasts were forced to retreat to the Warped Ravine, most of the devil beasts residing in this forest are only at the Learner level. Deeper in the forest, there might be some at the Engraver level, but there were no absolutes. If Lakiz hates you, you might just encounter an Enlightened level devil beast searching for food in this area.
A single Enlightened level monster can easily destroy a town. There's no need to mention the few unfortunate humans.
Due to its location on the border of the Warped Ravine, teeming with dangerous devil beasts, this forest has earned the nickname "The Forest in Tiran's Claw," implying that if Tiran were to grow weary and clench his fist, those unlucky within would have no chance of survival, facing only a cruel death.
Nitaan's group traveled in a basic combat formation. Prai and Fah led the way, prepared for any sudden appearances.
Injan and Elder Grai were in the second line, followed by Ratri and Arun in third. At this distance, Ratri could utilize her full potential while simultaneously protecting the support, Arun.
At the rear of the formation were Nitaan and Kiita. Kiita's keen sense of detection made him ideal for monitoring for ambushes from the rear and observing the surrounding environment.
After traveling more than 3 kilometers into the forest, Kiita sniffed before turning to Nitaan. Nitaan listened briefly and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Everyone,Kiita found footprints of a fire-breathing deer 300 meters ahead. Judging from the size of the footprints, I think it's not yet fully grown. probably just a Newborn devil beast."
"About 200 meters to the northeast, there are claw marks and broken branches. It should be a pack of thorny-tail wolves. From the footprints, it seems like a pack of 5-8, but there's a faint scent of a Learner thorny-tail wolf around them. It's likely the Alpha."
After hearing Nitaan's accurate information, everyone turned to look at Injan. In this mission, he was the leader. All decision-making rested with him.
Injan lowered his head in thought. After making a decision, he spoke.
"With the abilities of our group members, fighting a pack of wolves shouldn't be difficult. But since this is our first battle, I want to see our teamwork first. We'll practice with a Newborn devil beast, a fire-breathing deer."
Prai and Fah nodded before setting off along the path Nitaan had indicated. After a few minutes, everyone saw fist-sized hoof prints on the ground. Nitaan stepped forward, taking Kiita to sniff the hoof prints. Kiita took a deep breath and turned to the right, his gaze fixed on the forest for a moment before looking up at Nitaan.
"Kiita has found the target. Just 100 meters to the east of us, but there's a slight problem," Nitaan frowned.
"It seems the thorny-tail wolves are thinking the same thing as us. Fifty meters away from the fire-Breathing Deer, there's a pack of wolves lying in ambush."
Injan frowned as well, considering various possibilities, then turned to Ratri.
"Ratri, from a distance of 20 meters, could your arrow kill a thorny-tail wolf in a single shot?"
“Yes, but it has to be a regular, adult thorny-tail wolf. If it’s a suspected Alpha at the Learner level, at most it will only pierce slightly. If it’s too far away, a devil beast of that level might even be able to react.” Ratri explained.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Injan nodded with satisfaction.
“Arun, can your Word of Power defend against both the left and right sides simultaneously?”
“Yes, but like Ratri, it’s limited to Newborn devil beasts. If it’s a Learner level beast, two or three attacks will break my defense.”
“Alright, we will launch an attack on this group of beasts.” Injan’s eyes lit up.
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The fire-Breathing Deer is a devil beast capable enough to fight most Newborn devil beasts and is also difficult to hunt even for Learner due to its ability to breathe fire, as its name suggests.
The temperature of the fire it spits is extremely dangerous for Newborns and devil beasts. However, the main reason why hunting it is even more difficult is its other ability: the ability to absorb flames back into its body. When it swallows fire, the flames nourish its body, significantly increasing its speed.
While it can breathe fire, this doesn't mean it's a Learner devil beast. It's simply a species trait, like dragons breathing fire or lightning eagles releasing lightning from their feathers.
Learner fire-breathing deer are far stronger, due to species traits, over 80 percent of them always discover the word ‘Fire.’ Many from the Empire jokingly say that the Queen's hotness affects not only the kingdom's people but also the deer.
The fire-breathing deer, currently the target of the two hunting groups, was enjoying the black-headed grass growing on the ground.
Whoosh!
Four thorny-tail wolves darted out from the bushes, two spreading out to the left and right, surrounding the fire-breathing deer's escape route.
The fire-breathing deer's pupils constricted, and a red light crept up its neck before stopping at its mouth.
Fwoosh!
The fire-breathing deer spewed fire onto the ground while spinning, creating a wall of flames to block four thorny-tailed wolves.
The fire-breathing deer turned its back towards an area without the thorny-tail wolves, inhaling deeply to absorb the fire from the ground back into its body. All four of its legs turned bright red. Its nose exhaled scorching hot breath, and then it ran off at a speed far superior to the thorny-tail wolves.
As its body emerged from the flames, four more thorny-tail wolves darted out from the bushes behind it. The fire-breathing deer was terrified. It tried to steer its body in a different direction, but it was unable to. Having inhaled the fire back into its body, its speed was unusually fast. but it's also extremely hard to do a delicate control.
The first four thorny tail wolves were just bait, forcing it to flee in this direction, where four more wolves were lying in ambush. This was a trap!
The two closest wolves were within striking distance. Their long fangs were only seconds away from its neck. The fire-breathing deer's eyes began to glaze over, accepting its fate.
Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, something pierced through the bodies of the wolves. Big wounds suddenly appeared on the necks and bodies of the two thorny-tailed wolves. They froze in midair before their bodies plummeted to the ground, twitching briefly before dying.
“Attack!” Injan shouted.
That shout signaled Prai and Fah to lead the way towards the other two wolves, while Ratri fired two more arrows at the two fallen wolves, confirming the kill.
Prai pulled out two large shields from his back. His arms enlarged and lengthened, his bulging muscles strike one of the thorny-tailed wolves, sending it flying.
Fah, following behind, grabbed a short spear, channeling spiritual energy into it. She hurled the spear at the remaining thorny-tailed wolf.
The spear whistled through the air, accurately piercing the wolf's belly. It trembled violently before spitting up blood and collapsing.
"Two on the left and two on the right, they're coming!" Nitaan's voice rang out from behind.
Four more thorny-tailed wolves leaped out from the bushes after running around the wall of fire. They attacked strategically, like seasoned soldiers, flanking Nitaan's group.
During their leaps, they violently collided with something in midair. Some of their fangs and claws broke, blood staining the corners of their mouths.
Fah drew her large spear and charged towards the two thorny-tailed wolves on the left. Prai straightened his arm even more, engaging the two thorny-tailed wolves on the right.
Ratri had just fired an arrow, killing a thorny-tailed wolf that had been thrown back by Prai's shield. Ratri drew her bowstring again, preparing to support Prai and Fah. Just then, Nitaan's voice rang out again.
"Ratri! Aim behind Prai first!"
The seasoned Emerald adventurer didn't hesitate even a moment, immediately changing her target as instructed by her teammate.
Ratri saw a gigantic figure appear from nowhere, just a few meters away from completely unaware Prai.
Ratri released her bow, a whistling sound cutting through the air, accurately striking that figure. Its eyes gleamed as it noticed something unusual. Instinct told it to dodge to the side.
Now its body was revealed. It was another thorny-tailed wolf, much larger than the others. Standing almost two meters tall, it had long, sharp fangs and black spikes on its tail, unlike the other thorny-tailed wolves, which were gray.
The Alpha! A Learner thorny-tailed wolf!
The Alpha, having abruptly dodged, its feet clattered on the ground from its weight, yet not a single sound was heard. A gust of wind swirled around its four legs, as if supporting its movement and suppressing all the sound.
Word of Power 'Wind'? Using wind to mask the sound of its feet for silent movement? Clever. Nitaan assesses the enemy before it.
While everyone's attention was fixed on the Alpha, Injan lunged forward, wielding two swords. Injan's body emitted a faint light, and his speed increased. Swiftly joins in the fight between Fah and two thorny-tail wolves. Injan seizes the opportunity when they dodge Fah's massive spear to stab its vital spot.
Both swords pierced the necks of the two thorny-tailed wolves, instantly killing them. Injan shouted,
“Fah and Prai, go fight the Alpha! Arun, supports Fah and Prai. Leave the other two thorny-tailed wolves to me and Ratri!”
Hearing this, Ratri was still the fastest to react. She turned to shoot at a thorny-tailed wolf that had just been knocked back by Prai's shield. The hastily fired arrow struck the wolf in the head, killing it instantly.
Prai turned back, shortening his arms and increasing the muscle mass in both arms instead of extending them, heading in to engage the Alpha.
Fah immediately received the order, grabbing another small short spear and hurling it with all her might at the Alpha to support his comrade.
Elder Grai smiled, feeling proud of how Injan handled the unexpected situation flawlessly. The faintly glowing hand slowly faded, along with the powerful heat surrounding it.
'Fire', not surprising. Nitaan thought, observing everything from the side with his arms crossed.
The last thorny Tailed Wolf could no longer withstand the attacks from both Injan and Ratri. When it was distracted, an arrow pierced its head.
The Alpha, seeing its last member die, its black eyes bloodshot. It looked up at the sky and roared.
"Watch out! It's gone berserk!"
It raised its tail which was covered in sharp black thorns, and slammed it to the ground with all its might. Its tail transformed, the thorns retracted into its body before beginning to sprout again. Sharp black thorns now sprouted densely across its back, becoming both armor and weapon.
"Prai and Arun, focus on defense! Ratri and Fah will be the attackers. It's a 2-word Learner!"
As Injan shouts. The wolf's body was enveloped in a gust of wind, then lunged towards Prai with incredible speed.
Prai, at this moment, was unfazed. His outstretched arms retracted to their original size. Instead of extending them, his arms swelled with power.
Prai's legs glowed, and roots extended from them, embedding themselves in the ground to form strong supports.
Prai focuses his breath, raising his shield in front of him to block the attack of the Alpha thorny-tailed wolf. Arun's eyes glowed as he looked between Prai and the Alpha, the air in the area seemed to freeze.
Boom!
A deafening impact resounded as the colossal body of the Alpha thorny-tailed wolf, amplified by immense speed, clashed with an air shield. Air shields collapse instantly, but Alpha's speed is now reduced to half.
Boom!
Another deafening impact echoed.
Prai gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the impact, his arm muscles tensed. Prai's face turned green from clenching his teeth in extreme tension. His legs were held firmly on the ground by roots. After a brief struggle, the Alpha thorny-tailed wolf’s momentum finally slowed down, stopping in front of the shield.
A formless arrow, one that Ratri had held back for a long time, shot out in an instant, aimed directly at the Alpha thorny-tailed wolf’s face. Its pupils constricted, swiftly dodging, but the arrow exploded into a blinding light, dazzling it.
The ground beneath its body turned into liquid. Fah emerged from beneath, her spear imbued with power piercing the undefended Alpha thorny-tailed wolf's abdomen. Arun raised both hands, reaching towards the wolf, his hands glowing faintly as he made a grasping motion. The Alpha thorny-tailed wolf froze in mid-air, as if it were held firmly by a giant hand.
Fah's spear, following closely behind, brutally pierced the Alpha thorny-tailed wolf’s body. Its body, which should have been flung away by the impact, remained suspended in mid-air, allowing the massive spear of the sky to pierce even deeper.
Its body trembled violently. Vibrations erupted inside its body. Its eyes widened, blood gushing from all seven orifices.
Just as it was about to roar in anger, it saw another formless arrow pierce through the air.
The arrow struck its eye, piercing its brain. Everything went dark. There was no more breathing or movement. The thorns on its body and the wind that enveloped it gradually faded away.
