Aris clutched Snow Pup tightly as she ran. Her heart pounded wildly.
Mentor is fighting alone… what if he can't hold them?
Suddenly, "ROOOAR!"
A Razorhog burst from the bushes ahead, blocking their path. Its massive body filled the narrow trail, its stone-covered back glinting in the dim light.
Another Razorhog appeared behind them, cutting off their retreat. They were trapped.
Aris felt her legs go weak.
Snow Pup raised its head and growled softly.
"Grr…"
Its icy-blue eyes glowed faintly.
Aris looked down in shock.
"Snow Pup…?"
The little creature leapt from her arms and landed on the ground. Cold air started to gather around it, and frost crystals formed on the grass beneath its paws.
"Yip…"
A weak but determined sound came from its mouth.
The Razorhog in front charged. Aris's eyes widened.
"Snow Pup, come back!"
But Snow Pup did not retreat.
It opened its mouth, and a stream of pale-blue frost shot forward.
Hiss!
Ice spread across the Razorhog's face and tusks. Its charge slowed as frost crept over its stone hide. The beast roared in pain and anger.
"IT… it used an attack?" one of the girls whispered.
"You… you can actually fight…?"
Snow Pup staggered back, breathing heavily. Aris rushed forward and scooped it up.
She remembered what the store owner had said the previous day. This little cutie had strength to rival a Fierce Beast, Tier 3. At that time, she did not believe it, but now, seeing Snow Pup, a flicker of hope rose in her heart.
The Razorhog shook off the ice and prepared to charge again.
Aris clenched her teeth and drew her weapon with her free hand.
"Everyone, get behind me!"
Her heart raced, but her eyes were firm. Snow Pup growled again, cold air swirling around it.
Aris stood in front of her friends, her grip tight on her weapon.
The Razorhog snorted and charged again, its hooves pounding the ground.
"Snow Pup, attack together with me!" Aris shouted.
Snow Pup let out a small cry.
"Yip!"
Cold air burst from its body. Frost spread across the ground in front of the charging Razorhog, turning the earth slick and white.
The Razorhog's steps faltered.
Its heavy body slid forward, losing balance for a brief moment.
"Now!" Aris shouted.
She rushed forward and slashed at its exposed neck.
Clang!
Her blade struck its stone-like hide and bounced off, sending pain up her arm.
"It's too hard!" one of the girls cried.
The Razorhog roared and swung its head violently.
Aris barely rolled aside. The tusk scraped past her shoulder, tearing through her sleeve.
"Aris!" her friends shouted.
Seeing her master hurt, Snow Pup growled and spat another stream of frost. Ice wrapped around the Razorhog's front legs.
Crack… crack…
The frozen ground gave way beneath its weight. The beast stumbled and fell to one knee.
Aris did not hesitate.
She stabbed with all her strength, aiming for its eye.
This time, the blade pierced through.
The Razorhog let out a shrill scream and collapsed, its massive body shaking before going still.
[A/N: Eyes are one of the critical weaknesses of Razorhogs.]
Everyone stared in shock.
"We… we killed it?"
Their breathing was heavy.
But before they could relax, the second Razorhog behind them roared and charged.
Aris's face turned pale.
"We can't fight another one like this…"
Snow Pup swayed on its feet, clearly exhausted.
At that moment, BOOM!
A loud crash echoed from the forest behind them.
The ground shook.
The Razorhog froze and turned its head.
A familiar voice rang out.
"Get away from my students!"
Balen burst through the trees, blood on his armor and his sword chipped, but his eyes were sharp.
Behind him lay two fallen Razorhogs.
Only one remained, the one facing Aris and the others.
The last Razorhog roared and charged at Balen.
Balen stepped forward.
"Second form, Heavy Break!"
He swung his sword downward with all his strength.
The blade glowed brightly and struck the Razorhog's head.
Crack!
This time, the stone-like armor shattered.
The Razorhog collapsed with a heavy thud, lifeless.
Silence returned to the forest.
Balen stood there, breathing heavily.
Aris ran toward him.
"Mentor!"
Balen sheathed his sword and looked at her, relief in his eyes.
"You're safe… good."
Then his gaze fell on Snow Pup in her arms.
"Was that little thing the one that froze the beast?"
Aris nodded, still shaken.
"Yes… it attacked on its own."
Balen looked at Snow Pup carefully.
"That wasn't a normal monster cub. We will talk about this later."
Snow Pup blinked its icy-blue eyes.
"Yip."
Balen exhaled slowly.
"This mission was a total disaster. We're going back to the city. Now."
No one argued.
They all knew how close they had come to dying. A normal herb gathering and Common Beast hunt had turned into a near-death experience.
Balen's face was calm on the surface to reassure Aris and her friends, but beneath that calm was anger and hatred. Someone had dared to harm them by giving him false information.
Who dared to plot against him and his students? I must report this to the Guild Leader. Those were Balen's thoughts.
❝Today was the first test of Aris and her friends, who were destined to fail it, but an unnatural factor changed their destiny.❞
❝Because of this small miscalculation, a huge tree will fall, but we must wait to reach that moment.❞
***
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