Finn has settled comfortably into his role as a follower, trusting Lucille’s guidance without hesitation. Before every clash, Lucille brings the team together, assigning roles and mapping out positions. When the dust settles, she calls everyone in for a debrief, sharpening their skills and keeping them safe. She is the anchor they all rely on.

  What began as clumsy attempts to face solitary monsters has blossomed into seamless teamwork.

  Now, they move in sync: strategic, efficient, and razor-sharp.

  With improved teamwork and camaraderie, they successfully take down numerous C-rank predators and even a few B-rank ones. The journey to the entrance of the third floor takes longer than expected, as the second floor is larger than the one above it, but smaller than the one below.

  That night, they find refuge in a safe room once more. Just like the night before, Finn takes out his meat stock and shares it generously. He cooks as much as possible before the storage stone fails to preserve the freshness, as it would be wasteful to throw any of it away.

  Luckily, his companions are big eaters. They manage to finish half of the meat during dinner and polish off the rest before the next morning.

  “Wow, did you guys wake up in the middle of the night to eat the meat?” Finn asks, raising an eyebrow.

  No one admits to it. Maybe no matter how gluttonous they might be, the thought of confessing such a thing is too embarrassing. Finn simply shrugs it off and takes out his canned food for breakfast.

  Finally, they arrive at the location where Lucille’s team previously encountered the tiger predator. They step into a vacant room to finalise their strategy: If the tiger is still in its transformation phase, they will strike while it is vulnerable. If it has already completed the transformation, they will assess its form before deciding whether to attack or retreat.

  “When we saw it a few days ago, it was on the verge of evolving into A-rank. Let’s pray it hasn’t advanced yet. Or better, that it’s still weak from the transformation,” Lucille recalls the battle scene vividly.

  Patrick is the first to spot the predator. “Looks like we’ve struck gold. It’s still weak from the transformation.”

  The tiger lies sluggishly in its den, its magic field chaotic and overwhelming it. Although it has grotesquely elongated fangs and claws, its sluggish behaviour makes it resemble a mere lion.

  Lucille murmurs, “We strike on the count of three.” It is a common signal among hunters trained by the Hunters' Guild.

  “One, two, three!”

  Finn summons twigs from beneath, binding the predator’s limbs. Esta hurls flames at its eyes while Lucille shoots wind arrows, and Patrick’s blade, engulfed in fire, slashes toward its head.

  The tiger breaks free from the twigs and barely evades Patrick’s fatal strike. Still, the scorching flames sear the side of its head, and Lucille’s arrows pierce its legs.

  Their attacks are getting on its nerves.

  “Roar!” It regains its stance and lunges at the weakest among them—Esta!

  “We saw that coming!”

  Esta steps back, shielding herself behind Alan. Alan, prepared, hurls a fireball at the advancing predator. At the same time, Lucille drives a dagger into its flank while Patrick strikes from the opposite side. Finn summons new twigs to restrict its movements.

  Their coordinated attack slows the beast. Seizing the opportunity, Patrick delivers the fatal strike—his blade piercing through its eye!

  Blood splatters across the wall as the predator crashes to the ground, whimpering and trembling. Its heavy breaths grow faint before finally ceasing.

  “We—we did it!” Esta shouts excitedly, throwing her arms around Alan.

  Lucille and Patrick take a moment to catch their breath, triumphant smiles tugging at their lips.

  Finn, however, remains still and lost in thought. “Both the tiger and the hyena went straight for our weakest member... Do they know how to spot that? They used to charge blindly, just acting on instinct. The Hunter’s Guide never mentioned anything like this. Has something changed recently, or was this just a fluke?”

  Before he can get too deep into it, Lucille’s voice cuts through his thoughts. “We’ve avenged Neo! Let’s dissect the tiger and move on to the next level.”

  They work fast, mindful of the scent of blood and the predators it might draw in.

  Esta steps forward, about to assist with the dissection, when suddenly—a cold blade presses against her neck from behind.

  “Esta!” Alan shouts, his body tensing.

  “Everyone, drop your weapons, magic stones, and vaults!” Patrick orders, his voice sharp and unwavering.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The group freezes, shocked by his sudden betrayal. When they hesitate, Patrick presses the blade closer, a thin line of blood appearing on Esta’s skin. “Don’t try anything! My sword is quicker than your spells and arrows!”

  Lucille grits her teeth and raises her hands. “Guys, we need to do as he says.”

  One by one, they comply, tossing their weapons and bags onto the ground.

  Patrick isn’t satisfied. “Empty your pockets too.”

  Left with no choice, they retrieve their magic tools and devices and place them among the rest of their belongings.

  “Now, step back—against the wall!” Patrick barks.

  The three retreat, distancing themselves from their weapons and magic tools.

  “We did what you asked. Let Esta go!” Alan demands.

  “Not until I ensure my safety!” Patrick retorts.

  “Patrick, we’ve known each other since we were kids! Why are you doing this?” Lucille asks, her voice shaking with disbelief.

  Patrick lets out a bitter laugh. “I have no choice. You all saw me injured Neo. I refuse to spend the rest of my life behind bars.” His eyes are bloodshot as he glares at Lucille.

  Finn thinks to himself, “Technically, I didn’t witness it firsthand. But now, all of us here have.”

  “You won’t spend your life in prison! If you confess, the knights will only sentence you to a few years!” Alan shouts.

  Patrick snickers. “A few years? And then what? I’ll be stripped of my chance to become a knight.”

  “Does it make a difference?” Finn interjects coldly. “You could kill us all, but Neo has already been transported to the Sanctuary. He’ll tell everyone what happened.”

  Patrick smirks. “That’s why I killed him before activating his transportation stone. The Sanctuary will only receive a corpse, and they will never know who is the culprit.”

  Lucille’s entire body trembles, her fists clenching. “You… You monster!”

  Alan pleads, “Take me instead! Just let my wife go!”

  “Alan…” Tears well up in Esta’s eyes.

  Patrick sneers. “How touching. Fine, bring me the unmarked transportation stone from Lucille’s bag, and I’ll consider a trade.”

  Alan hesitates, glancing between Lucille and Esta. He doesn’t know what to do.

  In this tense moment, Lucille sighs. “I’m sorry, Finn. You got dragged into this.” She turns to Patrick. “After we failed to take down the tiger predator last time, you and Neo argued. You stabbed him by accident, then offered to help him activate the transportation stone. But who would’ve guessed…?”

  “Then why didn’t you lot return with Neo together?” Finn asks.

  Lucille exhales heavily. “We are sorry for lying to you. We initially wanted to cover for Patrick and thought of hunting a little longer. Neo was a Disciple magician. We figured we could manage without him for the last few weeks.”

  Lucille makes her move. “You need me to retrieve the transportation stone from my storage stone, don’t you? Then take me instead!”

  Patrick rejects her offer without a second thought. “No! Only Alan steps forward to retrieve the storage stone!”

  Alan exchanges a look with Lucille, then he steps forward to reach for Lucille’s storage stone from her bag.

  Suddenly, Finn’s voice cuts the silence. “Hah! Afraid to face a proper combatant? You only pick on a magician who is stripped of his vault—what a coward.”

  “Shut up!” Patrick snaps, his grip tightening.

  But his attention wavers—just enough. Finn discreetly summons twigs crawl up Esta’s body from the front, then ensnare Patrick’s sword as soon as he finishes his words. Alan lunges forward and seizes Esta, pulling her away as more twigs erupt from the ground, binding Patrick’s legs.

  Alan throws the storage stone back at Lucille. Lucille grabs the stone and summons her bow, stringing an arrow aimed directly at Patrick’s heart.

  “Now then, what should we do with you?”

  Patrick tries to summon fire to burn off the twigs constricting him, but more appear, tightening their grip. Panic flashes across his face as he glares at Finn.

  “Your rank is higher than a Disciple!” he hisses.

  “That’s not important right now,” Finn replies with a smirk. “The real question is, what should we do with you now?”

  “Don’t kill me!” Patrick shouts frantically. The tables have turned: The predator has become the prey.

  Alan and Esta, regaining their composure, rush to Patrick’s side, swiftly stripping him of his magic stone and vault and binding him with ropes. Once it’s all done, the duo shifts to Finn and exclaims, “We cannot thank you enough, Finn!”

  Lucille glances at Finn, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “We owe you our lives. But how did you summon those twigs without a magic vault?”

  Finn shrugs. “You saved mine; I saved yours. Fair trade. As for the twigs…” He taps his sleeve. “I hide a small piece of magic vault here for emergencies.”

  Alan's eyes widen. “Never thought of that before. You’ll have to teach us how you do it next time.” Esta’s eyes sparkle as she nods her head. The skill of making magic aura undetectable is possessed by only experienced and skilled mages.

  Finn smiles. “I’m just glad you’re both safe. But let’s not forget our guest here. How do you plan to deal with him?”

  Lucille’s expression hardens. “We won’t stoop to his level. He will be transported back to Mistwood to face justice for his crimes.”

  Everyone agrees with Lucille’s decision.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Finn says. “As for me, I’ll be moving on to the next floor.”

  Lucille smiles warmly. “It might be dangerous for a mere ‘Disciple’ to venture deeper, but I doubt that applies to you. Stay safe, mate. Let’s grab a drink when you’re back in town.”

  Finn chuckles. “Looking forward to it. It was a pleasure meeting you all. Shame I never got to meet Neo, but I’m sure he’d be glad you made it out alive.” He extends a hand, shaking Lucille’s firmly.

  Hearing their fallen comrade’s name stirs something profound within them. After a moment of silence, they offer Finn the carcass of the tiger predator.

  “Take it,” Lucille insists. “Without you, we wouldn’t be standing here.”

  Finn accepts the gift without hesitation. “Well, isn’t this a turn of events? I lost a C-rank predator, and now I’ve got my hands on a B-rank one. What a haul!”

  Their shared laughter is cut short when Lucille glances at the spot where the carcass should be. Her expression shifts immediately.

  “Wait… where did it go?” she mutters. “Could it still be alive?”

  A distorted figure emerges from the shadows. A grotesque fusion of man and beast—a human head, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion. The tiger predator had evolved into a Manticore!