The roar of the Wandering Hunter broke the silence of the forest like thunder.
The beast moved first.
Its muscular body propelled itself forward with a speed unfitting for its size, leaving deep furrows in the damp earth. Its eyes shone with a wild hue, fixed on the nearest target.
Thiriel.
"Watch out!" shouted Kael.
The Wandering Hunter lunged with jaws open, claws extended. Thiriel reacted on pure instinct. He activated the flow of magic in his body and leaped sideways just an instant before the beast impacted the ground where he had been.
The claw passed centimeters from his chest.
The impact kicked up dirt, leaves, and fragments of bark. Thiriel's heart beat wildly, but he wasted no time.
He extended his hand and channeled his most concentrated magic, the kind he had practiced for weeks. Not a wide discharge, but a compact projectile, compressed to the limit of his control.
'Now!' Thiriel thought.
The sphere of pure magic shot out and struck the Wandering Hunter's side, piercing the dark skin and tearing out a furious growl. The flesh split open and a stream of hot blood splashed the ground.
It wasn't enough.
The beast retreated barely a step and then roared with renewed violence.
Its eyes fixed on Thiriel with pure madness for a second, but something changed in its savage expression.
It turned its head.
Its attention shifted toward the next closest target.
Drowen.
"Back!" shouted Thiriel.
Too late.
The Wandering Hunter lunged with brutal speed. Drowen barely managed to raise an incomplete magic shield. The claw tore through the defense as if it were paper and hit him squarely in the torso.
The impact was devastating.
Drowen was thrown several meters, crashing against a tree with a dry thud. His body fell to the ground. A choked moan escaped his throat as blood welled from the open wound in his chest.
"Drowen!" screamed Kael, pale.
The beast didn't stop.
Lorian fired a hasty magic projectile that impacted the Wandering Hunter's shoulder, diverting its trajectory slightly.
"Formation!" shouted Lorian. "Like we were taught!"
Thiriel grit his teeth. There was no time to hesitate.
"Kael, stay back," he ordered. "Reinforcement and support. Lorian, distract him."
Kael nodded with trembling hands, channeling magic into his body to stand firm. Lorian began launching fast, small attacks, seeking to draw the beast's attention without spending too much energy.
The Wandering Hunter roared again and spun around, launching a charge that forced Lorian to retreat in a disorderly fashion.
Thiriel advanced.
He activated the Magic Warrior Aura.
The flow ran through his body with controlled intensity. It wasn't an explosion of power, but it gave him the necessary speed and stability.
He ran diagonally, dodging another claw by a hair, and landed a magic-reinforced blow directly against one of the beast's rear legs.
The impact resonated.
The leg gave way slightly and the Wandering Hunter lost its balance for an instant. That instant was enough.
"Now!" shouted Thiriel.
Lorian launched two consecutive projectiles at the beast's neck. Kael, face tense, channeled magic and launched his own attack, weaker, but precise.
The creature shrieked in pain, shaking its head violently.
But even wounded, it remained dangerous.
Meanwhile, a few meters away, the situation was worsening.
Two new roars emerged from the forest.
"Damn it," muttered Thiriel upon seeing them.
Two more Wandering Hunters emerged from the trees, attracted by the combat. Before they could react, the senior apprentices swung into action.
"Don't come close!" shouted Loren. "These are ours!"
Eiran and Loren separated, each facing a different beast. Their movements were much more confident, their spells more solid. Even so, the ferocity of the Wandering Hunters forced them to focus completely.
They couldn't help the junior apprentices.
"We are alone," Kael said with a trembling voice.
"Then don't fall," Thiriel replied without taking his eyes off the beast in front of them.
The Wandering Hunter charged again.
This time, it aimed straight for Kael.
Thiriel interposed himself.
He felt the impact crash through his magic defense, pain shooting up his arm when he partially blocked the charge. He stumbled back several steps, digging his feet into the ground to keep from falling.
The beast opened its jaws, trying to bite his neck.
Thiriel reacted on reflex.
He channeled all the magic he could afford into a single attack and released it at point-blank range, straight into the Wandering Hunter's mouth.
The explosion was contained, but devastating.
The beast shrieked with a high-pitched sound and staggered back. Dark blood fell to the ground, mixing with thick saliva.
"Don't give up!" shouted Thiriel, breathing with difficulty and feeling dizzy. "It's already wounded!"
Lorian, face covered in sweat, fired his last projectile with everything he had left. The attack struck the beast's left eye.
The Wandering Hunter fell and thrashed, kicking up stones and tree roots while roaring in pain.
Kael, trembling, gathered the courage he had left and launched a direct discharge at the exposed heart.
The beast shuddered one last time and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Silence.
The four apprentices remained motionless for several seconds, panting, covered in wounds and blood.
Drowen was still on the ground, breathing with difficulty, but conscious.
"…is he still alive?" muttered Kael.
"Yes," Thiriel replied, approaching. "But don't move him."
His magic reserves were almost empty. His muscles burned. Kael was pale, leaning against a tree to keep from falling.
There was no time to rest.
A final roar resonated in the distance… and then another.
The senior apprentices, after a brutal fight, managed to take down the other two Wandering Hunters. Loren finished one by piercing its neck with a concentrated wind blade. The other fell under a sustained elemental discharge from the senior apprentice.
Both rushed toward the junior apprentices.
"Are you alive?" Loren asked upon seeing the group's state.
"Barely," Thiriel replied. "Drowen is hurt."
Without wasting time, they helped stabilize him. Then, despite extreme exhaustion, they processed the three beasts as they had been taught. They cut the useful meat, separated the skin, the bones… and finally, the hearts.
One of them contained a small opaque magic crystal, still pulsating.
"You were lucky," said Eiran. "Very little, to be honest."
The return to the tower was slow and silent.
That night, the servants prepared a feast with the beasts' meat. The aroma filled the dining hall. For the apprentices, it was a meal very different from any they had tasted before.
When the time came to consume the heart, the difference was clear.
The flavor was intense. The energy ran through their bodies like a warm current. Thiriel felt his fatigue diminish, his body absorbing the residual magic with ease.
"So this is the difference," he murmured.
Drowen was less pale after being treated by Vexar.
Later, back in his room, Thiriel sat in silence.
He observed himself with the inner visualization technique.
His body was no longer broken.
The extreme weaknesses from when he had reincarnated had disappeared completely. The muscles were denser. The bones firmer. The energy flow was stable.
All thanks to not having abandoned physical training and recovery for a single night.
He closed his eyes.
He had survived his first real fight in this world.