Rhian continued cutting down the monsters beside Nia, moving with sharp focus and instinct. They fought without needing to say anything.
Nia fought like a wall that couldn't be pushed back, every punch crashing into the Spine Crawlers with bone-breaking force. Rhian stayed quick on his feet, his twin blades tearing through anything that got past her.
As he cut down another that leapt at him, he felt something stir inside his body.
A pulse, faint. It was small, barely noticeable, but Rhian knew exactly what it meant.
He had reached 1%.
'Finally.'
He grinned despite the situation. It had taken a lot of effort to reach that point, splitting his focus between fighting and hoping for that tiny progress.
But it worked. The Ragnarok Physique had pushed him forward, slowly adapting his body to the constant pressure of real combat.
This trip was going to be worth it.
Their group pushed forward, cutting through the last wave. Iris moved like a blur, weaving through monsters and striking with precision. Her speed was impressive, never giving them a chance to react.
Ash, however, was on another level entirely.
Rhian only fully registered it now.
Ash wasn't even trying hard.
He was laughing as he stomped through the Spine Crawlers like they were made of thin wood, crushing them without effort. There wasn't any real technique. It was just raw, overwhelming physical power.
Rhian's eyes stayed on him longer than he realized.
That kind of strength... was ridiculous.
Especially for a Mystical... 'How strong is he?'
He felt like he was stronger than all of them.
Then his attention shifted to Aras.
Not a single drop of blood stained him. Aras never directly touched a monster. Everything that got near him was pinned mid-air or crushed into the ground by gravity before it even got close.
Compared to them, Rhian was drenched in green blood. Same for Nia, who didn't seem to care at all, casually shaking the blood off her arms.
And that was when a thought settled clearly in Rhian's mind.
While it wounded his pride a little, it didn't piss him off. If anything, it fueled him.
Maybe right now, he really was the weakest in this group.
But that wasn't going to last forever.
When everyone felt they were done, a collective sigh spread through the group.
Rhian stood there, catching his breath, before glancing at Nia. She was already looking at him. Their eyes met, both tired, but satisfied.
"Great job," Rhian said, smiling.
Nia gave him a small grin back. "You too."
Rhian looked around at the scattered corpses of the Spine Crawlers, dozens of dog-sized bodies littered the ground. His eyes narrowed slightly. 'Where are the cores?' he wondered inwardly.
Unable to hold the thought back, he asked out loud, "Where are the cores?"
Aras, crouched by another corpse, answered plainly. "Inside their bodies. Different monsters differ, though. Some have them in their heads, some in their body."
Rhian nodded, crouching next to one of the bodies at his feet. Gripping one of his large short blades in both hands, he stabbed it down firmly near the chest.
The blade split the outer shell with a wet crack, oozing green, slimy blood as it cut down.
He pushed his hand in without hesitation, grimacing at the warm, sticky feeling of whatever was inside.
"Mmmh... oh... I feel something," Rhian muttered, his fingers brushing against something solid.
"So small?"
He gripped it tight and pulled it out.
A small, round, green crystal sat in his hand, covered in thick, slimy blood. About the size of a marble, rough but polished enough to catch some light.
Rhian stared at it.
Then, slowly looked around at all the other bodies still untouched.
He sighed quietly. "So much work..."
Everyone got to work quickly. There were so many corpses that Rhian started to wonder if they'd already done enough to win.
But he shook the thought off. It wasn't just about quantity, wellbit was, but still.
If another group managed to bring back fewer but stronger cores, especially D-rank, they'd still take the lead. They had to go deeper. Hunt bigger and riskier monsters.
Each of them carried a school-issued core bag, reinforced with layers that made it practically indestructible in a fight. It was one of the few safety measures the academy didn't cheap out on.
As they worked, Iris glanced down at her wrist. Her watch glowed faintly yellow. "Uhm… guys?" she called.
Everyone paused and looked at her, then down at their own watches.
They were all glowing yellow.
Rhian's eyes narrowed. He looked up and around, and that's when he felt it, something subtle in the ground. Barely a vibration.
Not enough to shake the dirt, but enough for something in him to react. 'Predator Instincts?' he thought. His fingers twitched.
He looked around at the others. "Do you guys feel that?"
They exchanged glances. Most of them shook their heads. Only Iris gave a slight nod.
Rhian didn't wait for more. "Move!" he shouted.
The group scattered just in time. A violent rumble tore through the ground beneath them.
Dirt exploded upward as thick slabs of stone and root were flung into the air.
A massive burst cracked the surface, and out came something Rhian couldn't believe.
A colossal Spine Crawler, ten times the size of the ones they had just fought. Its slick, armored body glistened with green fluids, its mandibles clicking violently as it coiled through the air.
The creature let out a soundless scream, so high-pitched it couldn't be heard, only felt in the chest.
It didn't linger.
It dove back into the earth like a serpent made of steel, breaking through the ground and disappearing. Silence returned, but the gaping tunnel it left behind was a clear message.
It was coming back.
This gave them a chance, but it needed to be used properly.
The monster wasn't like the others. It wasn't dog-sized. It was massive, easily towering over the previous ones they fought.
Its body alone looked capable of crushing anyone in its path. This was an E-Rank beast, and one that clearly had experience surviving here.
They couldn't approach this like the earlier fight. That formation worked because the threat was manageable. This wasn't.
They were a new team. Fightinh chemistry was forming, but it wasn't perfect. Still, it didn't matter. They had no choice now.
Rhian looked at everyone. No one was panicking. Ash stood ready, the usual grin still there. Aras had a calm look, already thinking ahead.
Iris was crouched, focused on the shifting ground. Nia stood steady, sword in hand, sharp eyes locked on the crater.
Rhian raised his blades, breathing steady.
"We need a plan. Now."