In the forest, a group of 10 people mounted on advanced at a constant pace. They weren't quick, but there was no moment of rest, making their advance constant and swift.

One of the commented. "Squad Captain, why are we advancing so cautiously in a Sub-Level-10 area? It's not as if we are visiting the depths of the at the south."

The Squad Captain, a human female, spoke solemnly. "We need to be cautious either way. We were told to capture that red-haired Sylvan, and if we alert her of our presence, she might try to flee."

A man in the group grinned when he heard her sour tone. "Are you envious, captain? Hahaha. Your fun nights with Sir Eldric might get cut if she joins, right?"

The woman snarled. "Shut up! I am not doing anything like that!"

Another man of the squad snorted. "Sure. We also are unaware that the reason you are the captain in the first place is because of a few 'favors' you've 'bought,' right?"

The female turned to look at him with a glare, but they couldn't really see her eyes because of the helmet. All of them were armored from head to toe with brown-colored metal armor. A sword hanging on their waists made soft, muffled sounds when hitting the armored waist.

The rhythm of the below them was pretty bouncy. Although they were strong mounts, they weren't perfect for riding like other types. Still, they were quick and resilient, which made them proper and popular battle mounts. Their shapes were similar to an ostrich but with thicker legs and larger bodies and wings.

Flight would be impossible with their body's shape if it weren't for the incredible strength the creatures gained at Level 10 and above. So, they were considered flightless birds until Level 10. After that, because of their powerful physique, they could be used for short flights, although the agility they displayed was severely lacking. Yet, just the ability to fly for a short time made them ten times more dangerous than any land mount of a similar level.

The ancestor who managed to tame this bird is the main reason for the success of the Stormrider family.

While advancing through the forest, one of them frowned and commented. "Wait, I feel like we've been observed."

Another person rolled his eyes inside the helmet, but his tone alone was enough to explain his mood. "We are in a forest full of wild beasts, and it is normal for us to be observed."

"Wrong. I mean that a relatively powerful one looked at us."

The captain ordered. "Explain yourself, and don't talk in riddles!"

"Captain. You know that one of my skills gives me an increased perception. I think that a first-cycle creature was observing us."

The captain frowned and asked. "Has this creature completed the Level 20 sub-cycle?"

"Probably not, captain. That kind of creature gives me stronger sensations."

The captain asked with a snort. "Then, what's the problem? We've fought Level 20 beasts in the past. Are you scared of a sub-Level-20 one now?"

"Captain, we should not get arrogant!"

She argued back. "We shouldn't become cowardly either! We are Sir Eldric's personal guard! Do you want to stain his honor by being afraid of some Level 10 creatures!? Now, continue moving forward as planned!"

A few of the nine soldiers frowned, but all of them followed her words. What the other soldiers had said in the past was not completely incorrect. The captain was a woman with decent beauty and body. Hence, Eldric, being someone who did as he pleased, naturally had a "taste" of her, which rewarded the captain with a few benefits.

In truth, the man who spotted the danger was the real captain appointed by Eldric's father. He was an upright figure with a noble character and cautious mind.

He understood why he got demoted, but having his intentions so cleanly disregarded because of some petty grudge was upsetting. 'Sigh. Sir Eldric is too young. He is a bit too arrogant, and while he has shown to have high intelligence, his debauched way of living is becoming a burden. I don't even know if he is in his father's good books anymore.'

As he thought of that, his body suddenly burst into chills, and a message popped into his eyes.

[ has activated! Your instincts shout to you to turn around!]

"Captain! We should retreat! We are not facing normal creatures! My has activated!"

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The captain snorted. "If you want to go, go alone! I wonder what Sir Eldric will think of you when we return with the woman."

The man's brows furrowed, and he sighed. "Captain, no. Rosabella, please listen to me this time. I know you feel a grudge because Sir Eldric's father chose me as a captain first, but-."

"Shut it!" The woman shouted with a shrill, not caring about where they were. "I have never felt envious of you! You lost your position because you didn't do your job properly, and I could do what you could not!"

He wanted to say something else, but before that, he instinctively hit the belly of his mount with his heel, forcing it to cast a defensive skill while he himself used a skill called . "DEFEND!"

Still, he was the only one who reacted, even with his warning. Right after he cast the skill, a barrage of wind and fire attacks rained on all of them.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

In his eye, numbers small enough to be ignored appeared one after another. However, the same could not be said for the rest. Knowing that the rest wouldn't listen to him, he shouted. "CAPTAIN! ORDERS!"

Furious and agitated, the woman's voice echoed from the dust cloud. "YOU SAVAGE BEASTS OF THE FOREST! HOW DARE YOU SNEAK ATTACK US!?"

The former captain cursed in his mind. 'Why are the higher-ups admitting such losers in our army!? Since when did the start accepting people like her!?'

All the people who joined the had similar stats and skills. This was an indisputable fact. They were an army of selected people, with as their primary stat and several defensive skills.

Still, they were a group of people who also needed extreme discipline because of the way they fought.

While they lacked offensive strategies, with the help of their mount, it was not that difficult to cause large amounts of damage. The riders protected the mount and themselves while they combined with their mount to attack. It was a simple yet effective tactic for an elite group.

That was also why they were so fearsome when fighting in groups. Breaking through their combined defense was a hurdle.

Even as the first volley of attacks took them by surprise, the Phoer Body Shards of all nine that didn't defend the attack didn't drop more than 10%.

The armor they wore had a passive damage reduction ability, which further complemented their defensive setup. So, losing around 2300 Phoer Body Shards from their combined 30,000 when they didn't even defend was honestly very little.

As the woman shouted about her being upset at being surprise attacked, another volley of attacks came their way. This time, there were some very strong spells involved, which made even the captain's eyes squint. "!"

The woman shouted, and the other nine, including the former captain, followed her leadership.

A transparent shield surrounded them and the mount just before the barrage of attacks fell on them.

BOOM!

The combined attacks created a loud explosive sound, but they didn't lose more than 400 Phoer Body Shards each.

In the distance, Flor shouted. "Fall back! They are going to counterattack soon!"

All the creatures that had used the forest to sneak attack them fled in different directions, making the group of 10 gain frowns. "Ambushes are not that uncommon among social monsters. However, retreating is really rare. What's going on?"

The captain spoke in an angered tone. "They are taking us as stupid. We should hunt them down if possible."

The former captain commented. "We should focus on continuing the traces before they disappear. We are trying to find Cinderielle, not exterminate the creatures here. Moreover, if you've noticed, there were heavy hitters between the barrage of attacks."

Another man agreed. "Captain. While most attacks were typical of Level 8 and Level 9 creatures, I could feel two of them landing on me that would compare with a Level 15 monster. Even while defending, those two attacks shaved off around 300 points each.

The woman looked around while listening and spoke. "Continue to advance and search for the Sylvan. We'll see if she is alive or not. After all, such creatures could probably overwhelm a transformed Level 9 Sylvan."

Seeing that the agitated woman had returned to her senses somewhat, most of them breathed a sigh of relief. However, the former captain was doubtful. 'We'll be clear of her intentions the next time we see the monsters appearing.'

Meanwhile, Cinderielle commented on Flor's side. "It's quite impressive. Their defense is really robust. Even after receiving Ignatia's and Flor's combined attack, that human lost around seven hundred Phoer Body Shards."

Ignatia suddenly asked. "What if they decide to retreat after discovering Liu Shu? Can we even stop them?"

They all stopped and got thoughtful. Flor said worriedly. "We probably can't. We need to continue this ambushing tactic and guide them around the grove. Liu Shu thankfully left a thick layer of trees at the border, so it will be impossible to detect her walls until they are around 100 or 200 meters away."

Tempestria commented. "How about we lure them into Liu Shu's town?"

Verdantia looked at her with a frown. "How and why?"

Tempestria commented. "We've chosen this method to attack because we want to tire them out gradually. Then, give them a final blow. However, their speed with those is relatively high. Worse case, they can ask their birds to fly away."

Flor commented. "Rose Fairies can follow their tracks. We are more agile than them. Even a Level 9 can probably follow the bird closely."

Tempestria agreed. "You are right, but when they land back down, they won't be surrounded anymore, and they can escape. One of them at least will. This will blow our cover."

Verdantia said. "Let's continue ambushing them. Places can change swiftly. With the beast tide incident suddenly disappearing and the new higher-level creatures, the Golden Sap Forest will be labeled as a more dangerous hunting location. Monster tribes attacking people that come is not that strange."

Cinderielle nodded. "They are moving closer to Liu Shu's town. We need to do another ambush."

They all moved silently through the forest, and the lower-level creatures followed behind. Each high-level was guiding a group, and with their innate abilities to move stealthily, they managed to approach within 100 meters of the enemies without being detected.

Then, Flor and the rest moved forward quickly and prepared to attack.

This time, the ten mounted people reacted swiftly and defended themselves. Then, without a shred of doubt, they charged in one direction using their top speed.

This direction was Amapola's group's direction, and taking into account their speed, Flor noticed that they were in danger. 'Tsk. Who charges into the unknown when they are ambushed?'

"ATTACK!"

With a mighty shout, Flor's orders spread around.