"Huff… huff…"
Heavy, labored breaths escaped from a young man struggling to drag himself forward.
The leather armor on his body was torn to shreds, exposing fresh wounds across his frame.
Though none of the injuries were deep or fatal, the steady bleeding from each cut was slowly draining his strength.
Even so, using the spear in his hand as a makeshift staff, he continued to stagger onward without stopping. He could not afford to give up here, and resting was not an option in this wilderness teeming with lurking dangers.
And then, what he feared most came to pass.
Suddenly, rustling sounds echoed from not far away.
Terrified, the young man turned to see two Magical Beasts with ferocious appearances.
They stood nearly two meters tall, resembling some kind of ape or orangutan.
But unlike ordinary apes, both beasts had grotesque jaws lined with sharp teeth jutting outward from their mouths.
Their arms were long—nearly as tall as their bodies—and each fingertip bore unnaturally sharp claws, capable of tearing countless unlucky prey apart.
"Long Arms Monkey… and there are two of them."
The young man groaned in fear.
The Long Arms Monkey was a Magical Beast ranked at D-level when alone.
If he were in good condition, the young man believed he might still have a chance to defeat them. But in his current state, it seemed impossible.
His name was Ned, a young soldier from a normal village.
He had left the village in haste on horseback, carrying an urgent mission to deliver news of an impending threat.
Yet the road had been fraught with hardship and peril.
Magical Beasts appeared often, savage and hungry, forcing him into battles he never wished for.
The horse he once rode had been gravely wounded in one such fight and eventually collapsed, unable to survive.
Now, it seemed his last bit of luck was running out.
Still, with the resilience and spirit of youth, Ned refused to surrender or fall before these vile Magical Beasts.
Ned: "If death is what you seek, then step forward, you filthy beasts!"
Gripping his spear tightly once more, Ned shouted, both to intimidate them and to steel his own resolve.
The two Magical Beasts hesitated slightly at his ferocity. But of course, they would not ignore such a battered prey standing right before them.
With a terrifying roar befitting their monstrous forms, both beasts lunged forward together.
. . .
Ned lay weakly collapsed on the ground, his eyes gazing up at the sky.
His abdomen had suffered a new wound, torn open by the beast's sharp claws.
Unlike the other injuries on his body, this one was deep, fatal if not treated in time.
In his hand, Ned still clutched the broken shaft of his shattered spear.
Its blade had already pierced through the body of one of the two Magical Beasts, ending its life.
Yet the other beast bore only a shallow wound on its arm, and now it glared down at him in fury.
Ned knew it would soon take his life, both to avenge its fallen companion and to make him its meal.
Too weak to move even a finger, all he could hope for was a swift death, without prolonged torment.
Thinking of regrets left unfinished, tears of sorrow welled in his eyes.
The beast raised its long arm, aiming at him. Seeing this, Ned clenched his teeth, bracing for what was to come.
But the blow never fell. Instead, the creature turned its gaze warily toward something else, even showing signs of fear.
Lying helpless on the ground, Ned could not turn to see what had caused such a reaction.
"Rin, go kill that monkey."
"Yes, Master."
Immediately, voices rang out one after another, like those of two small children.
Before losing consciousness, Ned faintly heard words that sounded half admiring, half mocking:
"Your guts are spilling out, and you're still alive. Are you related to a cockroach or something?"
* * * * * * * * * *
On the way back, Tris heard furious screams echoing from not far away.
Curious about what was happening, he quickly sent the 'Feathers' ahead to scout and observe.
What he saw was a young man, his body covered in wounds, being surrounded and attacked by two ferocious D‑rank Magical Beasts.
With a spear in hand and fighting desperately, the youth managed to kill one of his opponents, but at the cost of a fatal wound to his abdomen.
Riding on 'Black Horse', Tris and Rin swiftly soared through the air and arrived at the battlefield.
Faced with these sudden intruders descending from above, and the unusual presence of 'Black Horse', the remaining Magical Beast immediately grew cautious.
Knowing that a Long Arms Monkey was an opponent Rin could handle on her own, Tris gave a direct order:
"Rin, go kill that monkey."
"Yes, Master."
Without hesitation, Rin drew her weapon and charged at the terrifying foe before her.
Since her previous battle with the Gray Wolf, Rin had faced several other D‑rank Magical Beasts, gaining valuable experience and building confidence in her own abilities.
While Rin was occupied with her opponent, Tris turned his attention to the wounded young man lying on the ground.
Tris: "Your guts are spilling out, and you're still alive. Are you related to a cockroach or something?"
He muttered as he pulled out a healing potion from his spatial ring.
Having witnessed the earlier fight, Tris felt a measure of respect for the youth's determination to drag his enemy down with him even in the face of death.
And for those he found pleasing to the eye, Tris had never been stingy.
. . .
"Master, it's done."
Not long after, Rin returned, swinging her warpick to clean it.
Her opponent now lay face‑down on the ground, with one leg shattered and its skull crushed.
Blood and brain matter were splattered across the earth, forming a scene that would require heavy mosaic censoring to fully obscure.
But since the one who caused that gruesome sight was a child, Tris couldn't think of anyone who would actually need such censorship.
While musing over such useless thoughts, he offered praise.
Tris: "Well done."
Hearing this, Rin smiled brightly.
She then crouched down beside him and asked about the wounded young man.
"Master, how is he?"
Tris: "He won't die."
Despite his blood‑soaked, battered appearance, the only truly dangerous wound was at his abdomen.
Once that was treated, the rest would be easy to handle.
Tris: "Go get the magic crystals, then we can head back early for a meal."
Rin: "Alright, Master."
At once, Rin dashed off again to carry out the task.
'Can't believe I forgot to gather the loot,' Rin thought, scolding herself for the mistake.