Daniel met the stallion’s charge head on. Considering the difference in mass and momentum, it would have normally been a terrible idea, but the Tank’s skills and build were oriented to absorb powerful impacts, so he did just that.

The horse’s obsidian hooves smashed against Daniel’s shield, producing a loud, cracking sound. Unfortunately for the creature, however hard its minerals might have been, the D-rank equipment did not budge.

At the same time, seeing that the major threat was occupied, the others jumped into the fray. Maria’s fireballs scattered the rest of the herd, allowing Ezekiel to nail them with AGI debuffs which let James and Lauren get in close.

The horses had an unsurprisingly tough hide, which resisted well against both blunt force and piercing attacks, and even confused and weakened, they fought hard, using their mineral growths as weapons and even conjuring some wholesale. Dangerous shards flew through the battlefield, having descended into chaos in a few short seconds.

Feeling the willpower of his target coalesce into a specific direction, James lunged, his gloved fists clashing with the crystalline spires that emerged from the ground, summoned by one of the horses.

Sparks flew with each parry, the structures resonating with eerie, musical chimes upon impact. But, while the minerals were sturdy, they weren't unbreakable. James' quick reflexes and Lauren’s well-timed strikes worked in tandem, chipping away at the natural barricades.

Lauren, twirling her dual daggers, wove through the herd with a dance-like grace, every move precise, every slash calculated. She made use of the ambient fog, disappearing and reappearing in a different location, scoring large gashes on the horses, making them neigh in pain and causing even more confusion.

Maria’s fire magic added another layer to their attack. It wasn't just about direct damage. She manipulated the flames to herd and funnel the horses, controlling their movements and ensuring they stayed in check. The one time one filly seemed to be making a break for it, she made the ground explode with a well-timed fireball, sending the monster rolling back in James’ range.

He took advantage of the opportunity, charged fist crashing into its head, sending it into oblivion.

Ezekiel’s role was quintessential. His hands radiated a soft white aura as he cast spells, aiming to maintain the team’s vigor while hindering the herd. Every now and then, a horse slowed its charge or misstepped, clearly affected by the debuffs he cast, giving James and Lauren the openings they needed.

Through it all, Daniel kept the stallion’s attention to himself, charging it down the moment it appeared to want to come to its herd’s rescue and holding strong against its increasingly desperate attacks.

The battle raged with intensity despite how little time had passed since its inception. Flames licked the air, mineral shards glittered as they broke, and the rhythmic beats of hooves against the ground mixed with the chorus of clashing weapons and spells going off.

Lauren would divert a horse’s attention, leading it into James' path, allowing him to deal a significant blow before she would gracefully end its life, circle back and move on to the next target. Once James scored a hit, his blows broke bone with debilitating strength and either directly ended a horse's life or sent them on a collision course with Lauren’s sharp knives, which she would bury in their skulls.

Standing atop a slight incline, Maria had a panoramic view of the battlefield. The heat waves rising from her spells gave her an ethereal glow, like a guardian deity presiding over the battle below. She noticed a group of the horses attempting to regroup, and with a snap of her fingers, a wall of flames rose, partitioning the battlefield and cutting off their escape.

Ezekiel remained in the background, but his presence was undeniably significant. Whenever one of his comrades suffered a cut or bruise, his magic was there to heal it. He also bolstered their VIT, making them feel invigorated even as the battle wore on.

And Daniel, the steadfast bastion of defense, never faltered. Every time the stallion tried to breach the frontline or head for the others, he was there, an immovable object in its path. The two of them, Tank and stallion, were locked in their own private duel, a test of endurance and determination. If the beast dared run for it without paying due attention to its opponent, it would pay dearly, which made it frustrated and wary.

As the battle continued, the herd began to diminish. One by one, they were killed, decreasing their collective ability and giving James and Lauren a much easier time getting in close, now that the crystalline growths didn’t threaten to skewer them at every step.

But with the herd thinning, the stallion's desperation grew. Each time it attempted to counter or rally its dwindling forces, Daniel was there to thwart it, glowing shield raised, feet firmly planted.

There was a fire in the stallion's eyes, a mixture of anger and desperation, as it witnessed its herd being defeated.

Sensing the opportunity to end the confrontation as its willpower started to falter, James signaled to the team and they began to tighten their circle around the stallion. Maria's flames became walls, guiding and limiting the beast's paths. Ezekiel’s debuffs concentrated on it, slowing it down considerably and diminishing its strength.

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Lauren disappeared in the fog, the echo of her gleeful laughter as she prepared to give the final blow the only indication the stallion had of her presence.

The beast reared, whinnying loudly, its obsidian hooves sparkling against the backdrop of flames. As it landed, Daniel charged it down, his entire body empowered by a skill, and knocked it off balance.

Maria hurled a controlled fireball, targeting the mineral growths around it, breaking its defenses and allowing the others to close in.

The heat was intense, the air thick with the smell of melting minerals, the musk and the blood of the dying horses.

In the final moments, as the stallion lay weakened, its breathing labored, James couldn’t help the surge of respect he felt towards it. This was a proud creature that had battled with vigor and skill against Daniel and had to witness the end of its herd, unable to do anything to stop it.

He knew it would be just another stepping stone in his and his friends’ growth, but he had a feeling he would remember it.

With three quick steps, James was next to it, his fist glowing with the amount of mana it was infused with. He released it all in one blow, breaking the horse’s ribs and sending it skidding backward, directly in Lauren’s path.

The girl wasted no time ending the majestic creature’s suffering. It let out one last mournful neigh, and then it was over, as two sharp knives buried themselves in its skull.

Silence descended upon the field, interrupted only by the distant crackling of Maria’s flames and the heavy breathing of the team.

With a sigh, the redhead waved a hand, lowering the fires until they were extinguished, revealing the scene of a massacre.

“Somehow, horse monsters seem much worse to kill.” Lauren commented as she pulled her knives out of the stallion “It might just be me, but I didn’t mind killing the spiders, even the eggs. Horses make me sad now that the high of the battle is over.”

“It’s definitely not the same thing.” Ezekiel agreed “I know these things wouldn’t hesitate to kill a human, just like any other monster, but I’m so used to thinking of horses as noble creatures that it still sucks.”

Daniel, on the other hand, seemed quite glad that they had killed them all, dropping on the ground in exhaustion “Easy for you guys to say, you didn’t have to avoid that murderous bastard for the whole time.”

They all had a chuckle at that. It was true, after all, that the Tank had the worst role in the fight.

“Let’s see exactly how much these guys give.” James finally said, curious about how much EXP they had earned. Miss Walker had lobbied hard to send them to the Saratoga Dungeon, after all, and she had made it understood that it would allow them to reach their goal much quicker than simply going on their scheduled weekly dives.

“Jesus!” James yelled, seeing the flood of notifications he had been subjected to.

Status!

STATUS

WINDOW

NAME

James Summers

AGE

19

AWAKENING

1st

TALENT

Thakinesis

TITLE

LEVEL

36

MP

65/180

STR

23

VIT

15

AGI

15

SENSE

23

MIND

15

STAT POINTS

4

The entire battle couldn’t have lasted more than ten minutes, which, while longer than most normal swarm-style fights, was not nearly enough to justify two whole levels.

“Yeah, I think I get why Miss Walker was so insistent we come to Saratoga.” Lauren replied dazedly as she watched her own status window.

“It’s not as much as the spider eggs gave us, but it’s a lot more than any monster group has earned us before.” Ezekiel agreed.

They had all known there was something peculiar about this dungeon since so many G and E rankers were here, even though they didn’t seem particularly interested in grinding levels.

I just thought they had spent some time as part of other guilds before coming here as a form of retirement, but it might be that they just always worked here and gained so many levels just from killing the horses.

“If we can hunt down a couple herds per day, we might get to our goal within two weeks.” Maria murmured, still surprised at the sheer amount of EXP they had gotten.

James hummed, sitting down next to Lauren “These horses were definitely stronger than most monsters we fought, both individually and acting together, but it feels like a bit too much. Where is the rest of the EXP coming from?”

“The stallion probably gave the majority of it.” Daniel commented “It’s a mini-boss, like the giant crab we fought in Montauk. Only, there is one per herd. That, coupled with this many strong monsters… It’s no wonder they sent us here to farm levels.”

That makes sense. If every herd is led by a mini-boss, it’s basically like fighting half a normal dungeon all together. Yeah, I can see it now.

“And we couldn’t come here earlier because the horses fight pretty well together. We are good enough to disrupt their flow, now, but we would have gotten mowed down a few weeks ago.” Ezekiel added, thoughtfully looking at the dead monsters “They are big and sturdy and they all can use some magic. To be honest, I would consider this dungeon on the border to G-rank. Especially with just how vast it is. I think it would take us weeks of concerted effort to clear it all.”

“Makes sense why the guy at the local AA wasn’t that worried about us overhunting the beasts. I think I’ll be good to go in another half an hour, but Ez will probably need more to replenish his mana after he’s done healing us, and it’d be a pity to waste potions here.” James wondered, shaking Ezekiel out of his daze. The curly-haired boy went around the group, taking care of all the scrapes and bruises the battle had given them.

Despite how overwhelming their victory had been, everyone showed signs of having been hit at one point, from small nicks on Maria’s face from when her fireballs had connected with one of the crystalline weapons, to James’ bruising all over his body, having been forced to roll around the rough terrain.

His suit protected him from the worst of it, but he’d been through the thick of it, fighting against the frenzied horses and taking several blows to get close enough.

Still, no matter how battered he was, James found himself smiling broadly. Not only had he found a good place to gain power quickly, but he was closer than ever to getting justice.