CHAPTER 62
Pfff—!
Pfff—!
The rhythmic, sharp sound of gas spraying into the humid air echoed as a hundred Aspirants could be seen leaping with practiced agility from tree to tree.
Their specialized boots launched them forward with the powerful assistance of compressed gas, propelling them through the canopy.
Anxiety and raw excitement bubbled within their beings as they vaulted off the massive trunks, moving with a synchronized grace almost akin to monkeys in their natural habitat.
Finally, they exited the dense treeline and all landed on the soft ground with smooth, muffled thuds.
Gazing forward, a massive collection of beasts could be seen gathered together, preoccupied with some unknown task about five metres away.
Peering closer through the gloom, the creatures looked strangely akin to goats, though far more predatory.
Two powerful hooves allowed them to stand upright, with thick brown fur hugging their muscular bodies and two wickedly curling horns protruding from their skulls.
Standing at a formidable 1.5 metres tall, their upper limbs ended in sharp, deadly claws that glinted in the dim light.
The monsters all glared up to witness the new intruders, their furry faces contorting in immense rage while they scowled at the humans with predatory hunger.
Quickly scanning through the ranks of the monsters, Ray counted approximately a hundred of them.
The boss, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Honestly, he preferred it this way.
The other time when he had scanned the forest, the boss had also not been in the direction Berg headed toward; consequently, it was now a desperate race against time to see who could track down and reach the alpha first.
The moment the beasts laid eyes on the humans, they wasted no time in lunging forward with feral, guttural growls.
Their hooves clicked against the earth in a rapid, rhythmic unison, creating a sensation akin to a cavalry of horses trodding heavily on the ground.
"Time for battle!" Kai's voice turned deadly serious in a split second.
'It amazes me how fast he switches his mood,' Ray thought, impressed by the transition.
"Split in two now! Trisha, lead the second team. Let's enclose the beasts and not give them a single chance to escape." Kai didn't have to shout to be heard; his voice carried clearly into every Aspirant's ears through their synchronized communication devices.
Wasting no time, he bolted forward with his own team following directly behind him like a storm.
Trisha didn't offer any speech, simply veering off to the left with her own squad, ready to cause absolute havoc.
Ray didn't move along with either of the squads.
Instead, he stood rooted in the same spot with Van.
Turning to face his visibly shaky best friend, he let out a quiet sigh.
"I will be going forward. Just kindly stay here and observe the beasts. Between you and I, your brain is the sharpest and most active in this group." He paused as the chaotic sounds of battle began to erupt ahead of them.
"That is likely the reason the instructor selected you for this mission. So just stay back, watch for any patterns or openings, and then relay that information to me. Okay?"
Van stared at him for a few silent seconds, his eyes searching Ray's.
"Okay?" Ray prompted again.
"Un." Van nodded finally, taking a cautious step back toward the safety of the trees.
"Great."
"Just… be careful out there."
"Yeah, sure."
Without wasting another second, Ray channeled a surge of lightning to the soles of his feet.
With a loud bang, he darted forward like a loose arrow, cutting through the air with effortless speed.
He wasted no time in diving into the thick of the battle alongside the others.
A beast sighted him and charged at him with immense velocity, nearly catching him off guard with its sudden ferocity.
Its claws lashed out towards his chest in a deadly arc.
But his VMS gear activated just in time, allowing him to vault backwards through the air, narrowly dodging the razor-sharp claw.
The moment his feet touched the ground, a dark smirk played across his lips.
'Time to test this baby out.'
[Rending activated]
[-2 energy]
Swinging his hand through the air, a thin, jagged line of obsidian energy shot out at great speed.
It smashed directly into the face of the charging beast, drawing a thin line of black, viscous blood.
Swinging his hands like a crazed monster, more and more lines of dark energy erupted from his fingertips, tearing through the beast's hide until it dropped down dead.
The entire time, the creature had been unable to even get near him.
[First beast killed]
[You have killed a Goatee beast]
[+50 EXP]
He beamed at the glowing message that flashed in front of his face, his blood beginning to pump with the thrill of the hunt.
'Time to farm exps.'
***
Meanwhile, Kai was positioned in the epicentre of about five beasts himself.
Yet, he didn't appear frightened in the slightest as he reached up and slipped his bandana down over his eyes, completely blinding himself.
The darkness didn't hinder him; if anything, it seemed to sharpen his focus.
The moment he did so, a beast lunged forward at blistering speed.
Its claws slashed through the air in a lethal arc, ready to decimate him in two.
But with a subtle shift of his foot on the gravel, a jagged pole of purple crystal erupted from the earth faster than the creature could even think of reacting.
It plunged straight into its torso—ripping through the fur and bone as if the monster were made of nothing but wet paper.
With a casual, rhythmic leap backwards, Kai dodged another set of claws that had come within inches of his throat.
His ears visibly twitched at the sound of displaced air, and he quickly ducked his head, avoiding another beast that had decided it was wise to leap towards him in an attempt to pierce his skull with its horns.
'Damn, these awakened beasts are truly crazy.'
Twirling around fluidly, translucent crystal began forming around his right hand, rapidly expanding until it shaped into a full-on gauntlet of reinforced purple crystal.
He lifted the heavy weapon just in time to block a ferocious claw slash from a third attacker.
The claws struck the crystalline surface with a dull thud, failing to pierce through the magical armor.
The strike didn't even manage to leave a superficial scratch, and instead—
Crack—!
The beast's own claws shattered against the density of the gauntlet.
The creature let out a high-pitched, pained shriek, which was abruptly quietened the very next second as the human smashed a jagged crystal shard directly into its head.
Kicking off the ground using the powerful thrust of his VMS gear, Kai avoided a coordinated ambush with ease, soaring into the air.
Then, pointing both hands downwards toward the fray, ten thick crystal shards shot forth like ballistic missiles.
They tore through his own targets and even struck the beasts harrying other Aspirants who were currently struggling to keep up.
He landed back on the ground with a soft huff, calmly brushing off imaginary dust from his tactical attire.
…..
In another section of the battlefield, Trisha could be seen dancing through the ranks of the beasts as if the carnage were nothing more than a choreographed performance.
Her eyes remained icy and detached as she leaned backwards, slipping perfectly under the swinging claw of a goatee.
Then, swinging her leg upward from below, a razor-sharp ice shard erupted from the sole of her boot, tearing through the creature's abdomen.
With fluid, predatory grace, she spun to the side to dodge a potentially fatal hit from a secondary attacker.
Her eyes shot up just in time to catch one of her squad mates about to be sliced open like a cheap piece of meat by a flanking monster.
Swinging her hand forward with a sharp snapping motion, an ice shard rocketed through the air.
It impaled the beast squarely in its forehead, the force of the impact sending the carcass crashing down to the gravel with a heavy thud.
But that moment of selflessness was about to cost her immensely.
A goatee had taken cunning advantage of her distraction, sneaking up directly behind her with its head lowered, prepared to impale her spine with its wicked, curling horns.