A few hours later, Aris and her friends were waiting for their mentor in their room. They were already prepared for the hunt, equipped with light armor and weapons.
They were chatting among themselves when the door creaked open and a middle-aged man with a stern face and a long sword at his waist walked in. He was Balen, their mentor.
"Are all of you prepared for the hunt?"
Balen asked while looking over their attire to make sure they were ready.
"Yes, Mentor!"
Aris and her friends said together. They looked at their mentor with confident smiles on their faces.
Balen nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Then we'll leave now."
He turned and walked toward the door. Aris and the others quickly followed behind him.
After half an hour of walking, they finally reached the Green Forest.
Aris and her friends looked toward the greenish forest before them. The Green Forest was a natural habitat for powerful monster beasts because the trees in this forest were thick and tall. Their leaves were so large that they did not allow sunlight to enter the forest.
Because of this, many areas were dark, making it a natural habitat for monster beasts. There was another reason why this forest was so favorable for monster beasts: it was filled with mana.
Like humans, monster beasts also needed mana and resources to advance in their cultivation. Because the Green Forest was full of mana, many natural treasures were born there. Monster beasts consumed these treasures to cultivate.
Humans also came here to hunt these natural treasures for themselves, and sometimes conflicts broke out with monster beasts to obtain them.
Balen brought Aris and her friends to collect some low-grade herbs and let them train with Tier 1 Common Beasts.
Balen looked at Aris and her friends and took out a piece of paper from his armor. He said,
"Today, our mission is to collect RoseBerry Flowers from the forest. Collecting them will not be easy. These flowers are guarded by Tier 1 Common Beasts.
So, you have to fight those Common Beasts and collect the RoseBerry Flowers. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mentor!"
Aris and her friends said together. They thought that with their combined strength, killing some Common Beasts would be no problem. This mission would be a piece of cake for them.
Seeing Aris and her friends wearing smug looks, Balen reminded them.
"Don't underestimate these Common Beasts. Even if they have no mana, they can still cause you serious injuries. So fight them seriously.
In the forest, you must be careful. Even small insects can kill. I hope you understand what I want to say. Take everything seriously when you are facing monster beasts."
Aris and her friends nodded after hearing him. It was clear they understood the seriousness of their mentor's words.
"Okay, let's go. It's time to hunt some monster beasts."
"Yes!"
After that, Balen started walking into the forest, and Aris and her friends followed him.
While walking, Balen was reading the paper he had taken out a few minutes ago. This paper contained information about the RoseBerry Flower and its location. He had bought this information from an explorer the previous day.
According to the information written on the paper, they had to walk for twenty minutes to reach the place where the RoseBerry Flowers were located. He put the paper back into his armor pocket and continued walking toward the location.
After half an hour of walking, they finally reached the place mentioned on the paper.
They found many RoseBerry Flowers growing there, their red petals standing out among the grass. Strangely, they did not see a single Tier 1 Common Beast guarding them.
Relieved, Aris and her friends quickly began collecting the flowers.
Just as they were working, a low roar suddenly came from the bushes nearby.
"Grrr…"
Everyone froze.
Balen's expression changed instantly.
"Stop collecting. Prepare for battle," he said in a low voice.
The bushes shook violently, and heavy footsteps thudded across the forest floor.
Then several large figures burst from the undergrowth.
Balen's eyes widened.
"These aren't Tier 1 Common Beasts…"
Before them were massive wild boars covered in thick, stone-like armor. Their backs looked as if made of rock, and their tusks were sharp and curved like blades.
They were Tier 2 Uncommon Beasts — Stoneback Razorhogs. [Img]
Known for their violent nature and terrifying defense, their bodies were extremely tough. Ordinary weapons could barely injure them.
"They're Stoneback Razorhogs… a whole group of them," Balen said grimly.
Aris and her friends felt their hearts sink. This was far beyond what they had prepared for.
Balen immediately drew his sword.
"Run," he ordered. "All of you, escape now. I'll hold them back."
"But, Mentor..." someone shouted.
"There's no time!" Balen roared. "I'm a Tier 3 Adept. I can stall them for a while. You must leave immediately!"
The Stoneback Razorhogs lowered their heads, pawing at the ground. Their eyes glowed with savage light as they prepared to charge.
Balen stepped forward, placing himself between the beasts and his students.
Even as a Tier 3 Adept Awakener, facing a group of Stoneback Razorhogs, creatures with terrifying strength and near-impenetrable defenses... was extremely dangerous.
Yet he did not retreat.
He tightened his grip on his sword and took a deep breath.
"Come," he muttered. "Let me see how strong you really are."
The ground trembled as the Razorhogs charged.
They barreled forward like boulders rolling downhill, smashing through bushes and small trees, leaving broken branches in their wake.
"Run!" Balen shouted again.
Aris and her friends finally snapped out of their shock and fled.
Balen stepped forward alone. Faint light gathered around his blade.
"First form — Cleaving Slash!"
He swung in a wide arc. A sharp wave of force cut through the air and struck the leading Razorhog.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking stone rang out. The Razorhog was pushed back several steps, but its thick hide only bore a shallow scratch.
Balen's pupils shrank.
"So hard…"
Before he could react, another Razorhog slammed into him from the side.
Boom!
He was thrown backward, crashing into a tree. The trunk cracked under the impact.
"Mentor!" Aris cried, running.
"Don't stop!" Balen shouted back. "Keep going!"
The Razorhogs snorted angrily and split into two groups. Some chased Aris and the others, while the rest surrounded Balen. Their tusks scraped against the ground, sparks flying as they charged again.
Balen forced himself up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Damn beasts…"
He stabbed forward at one Razorhog's eye. The blade pierced through, and the beast let out a painful roar before collapsing. But two more rushed in immediately.
Balen blocked with his sword, but the impact numbed his arms.
Crack!
His feet slid across the dirt, leaving deep marks behind him.
Meanwhile, Aris and her friends ran desperately through the forest.
Branches scratched their faces, and roots tripped their steps.
"Why are Tier 2 beasts here?!" one of the girls cried.
"This mission was supposed to be safe!" another shouted.
Aris clutched Snow Pup tightly as she ran. Her heart pounded wildly.
Mentor is fighting alone… what if he can't hold them?
***
It's the month of Ramadan, so I don't have much time to write chapters, but I will try my best.
And I'm not satisfied with the writing in this chapter. I will rewrite it in the future.