When Nazel shared his goal, the muscular guy immediately burst into laughter. His three friends laughed too.
"How delusional are you?" he said between laughs. "It's impossible. Impossible!"
Mar was annoyed by their reaction, while Leol seemed confused and in awe. Alexey, on the other hand, looked more in disbelief. He didn't react as disrespectfully as the muscular group, but it was clear he thought Nazel was crazy too.
Nazel himself didn't seem to care that they ridiculed his goal.
"I don't care if you guys think it's impossible," he said. "It's a childish goal, but I'm still going to do it."
"Sure, sure, good luck with that, dreamer boy!" the muscular guy said, still laughing.
The conversation ended there because the muscular guy wouldn't stop mocking Nazel. They continued their journey, and soon, night fell.
Alexey once again showed his skill as a Guide. He easily made a smokeless fire, keeping them warm and safe without alerting anyone.
Meanwhile, Leol was the most prepared of all. His huge backpack wasn't just for show. It seemed like he brought everything needed for survival.
He quickly set up camp, prepared food and drinks, and even had something like bug repellent, though it wouldn't be much use against monster-type or magical insects.
As they sat near the fire, Nazel pulled out another book from behind his coat. It was thinner than the one he had read earlier but still too big to fit in a coat pocket.
When Mar saw it, she assumed he was using magic to store his books somewhere—maybe through a portal or something. She knew magic like that existed, but she couldn't do it herself.
As the night grew darker and they discussed who would take night watch duty, a loud roar echoed from the forest, not far from their camp.
They immediately stood up in alert. From the darkness, something approached.
"Damn," Alexey muttered. "How unlucky can we be? It's a Six-Legged Tiger."
Just as he said, a massive tiger-like monster watched them from the shadows. But unlike a normal tiger, it was much larger and, as its name suggested, had six legs.
It looked bizarre, almost like a cross between a tiger and a spider.
"Hah! So it's just a tiger?" the muscular man scoffed. "That's easy! We hunt them all the time back home! Guys, get ready!"
"Sure!" one of his friends said.
"On it!" another added.
"Let's go! Finally, something exciting to do!" the last one said.
Without hesitation, they charged at the massive feline.
"Wait! Don't be reckless!" Leol shouted. "I heard about these before! Some mages captured them and sold them to a circus, but it ended in disaster!"
"That's to be expected," Alexey said. "Their extra legs can nullify magic. Encountering them alone is the worst-case scenario."
Alexey stared at the muscular group as they engaged the beast. "Group attacks are good, but their skin is tougher than rock. Those guys are melee fighters... I wonder if they can manage?"
"Well, we don't really need to fight it, right?" Nazel said.
"I disagree," Leol said, looking concerned. "During that circus disaster, after the tiger killed the staff, even with the cage door open, it didn't move an inch. Do you know why? It was waiting for someone to enter. It wasn't satisfied. That thing enjoys killing."
"Yeah," Alexey agreed. "They have animal-like intelligence, but they don't hunt for food. They have a weird urge to kill humans for fun. If they target you, they won't stop after just a few hours. They'll hunt you for days, even weeks."
"That's a nasty creature," Mar said, gulped. "What should we do then?"
"Running is more dangerous. We have the numbers. Let's help them!" Leol suggested.
He dropped his backpack and drew his sword.
Mar agreed. She rummaged through her sling bag and pulled out a strange, boxy-looking gun.
Both of them rushed in to help the muscular group, leaving Alexey and Nazel behind.
While Mar and Leol fought the Six-Legged Tiger, Alexey and Nazel simply watched.
Using her gun, Mar carefully fired several fireballs. Her aim was precise, so she didn't hit any of the muscular guys.
But the tiger's nullification ability activated, canceling most of her attacks.
Meanwhile, Leol failed to dodge one of the tiger's strikes and was knocked back. But he quickly stood up, chugged a potion, and rushed in with his sword.
Despite its sharpness, his blade barely made deep wounds on the beast.
"That's an interesting weapon," Nazel commented, glancing at Mar's gun. "So, her clothes aren't the only thing that stands out. I wonder where she's from?"
"I'm more interested in that blue-haired guy," Alexey said, watching Leol. "He doesn't hesitate to use healing potions. The deeper you go across the line, the more common and cheaper they are, but around here, they're a luxury. I wonder if he's from a rich family or something?"
Nazel glanced at Leol. "My guess is he comes from a merchant family," he said. "But that's not important right now. So, you're really not going to help them fight?"
Alexey smiled bitterly. "How do you think I survived this long as a Guide?" he said. "A Guide who gets too attached to their clients dies on the job. When things look bad, I run. That's my specialty."
"I see," Nazel said. "Fair enough, I guess."
Alexey was slightly surprised that Nazel didn't judge him. Even after admitting he would abandon them if things got dangerous, Nazel didn't seem to care.
Alexey looked at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
"Anyway, what about you?" Alexey asked. "You're not going to help?"
"I will if they need me," Nazel replied. "But they seem fine."
As he said that, Mar, Leol, and the muscular group finally managed to take down the Six-Legged Tiger.
It wasn't an easy fight. They were all exhausted, especially the muscular guys.
"Stay still," Mar said, pointing her gun at one of them who had an injured leg.
Instead of bullets, the gun fired healing magic, instantly closing the wound.
"Thanks," he said, a little embarrassed.
It seemed like he was self-aware enough to feel embarrassed about being helped by someone he and his group had made fun of.
"Damn, that was one insane tiger!" the muscular guy said. "I've never gotten this tired hunting them before!"
"That's to be expected," Leol said. "They're not normal tigers. You guys were too reckless! Things could've gone bad fast. Here, catch."
He handed out stamina-recovery drinks. Once again, his huge backpack proved its worth.
After the fight, the group relaxed and started joking around. The muscular guys, having fought alongside Mar and Leol, warmed up to them and acted friendlier.
But their peace didn't last long.
The relaxed mood shattered when another Six-Legged Tiger emerged from behind a massive tree.
This one was much larger—nearly twice the size of the previous one.
The tiger roared, making the ground tremble, sending fear through them.
"No way, no way, no way!" Leol said, immediately standing up and grabbing his sword. "Another one?!"
Mar did the same, gripping her gun tightly.
The muscular guy jumped to the front, while his friends stood frozen in fear.
They could tell, this tiger was far, far stronger than the last one.
"We're going to die here!"
Just as that thought entered their minds, one person walked forward calmly.
His coat fluttered as he stepped ahead, a black-covered book still in his hand.
"Seems like it's my turn," he said.
As he spoke, the book in his hand slowly turned to dust.
Leol gulped, staring at him in disbelief. "Nazel…? What are you doing?! Get back—"
Before he could finish, the Six-Legged Tiger lunged at Nazel, jaws wide open, ready to tear him apart.
It seemed like the end for him.
But before the tiger's fangs could touch him, Nazel suddenly punched the beast in the face with unbelievable speed.
A powerful sonic boom blasted through the air, pushing everyone back.
The tiger's head exploded into pieces.
It died instantly.
Everyone's jaws dropped.
"Hmm? Did I use too much power?" Nazel muttered, looking at his bloody hand. "I guess I lost my touch. Two years really is a long time, huh?"
***