Soon, they were already inside the forest, beginning to prepare a small campsite for themselves.

After roughly an hour, with two relatively big white tents standing near them and an animal they caught, they watched as the meat of the white almiraj released juices onto the incandescent coals beneath.

Turning the body of the butchered rabbit around, Conall heard Silvana speak up while inspecting her new cloak.

“What’s the plan? How do you want to get the dragonheart to begin with?”

Sitting down on the cut up tree log, he looked at the two of them and began to explain.

“Do you have an idea what differentiates normal dragons from the ones with a dragonheart?”

“They’re super strong.”

“It allows their bodies to almost assimilate with mana, thus granting them an ability to cast complex spells more swiftly compared to others.”

Hearing those two answers simultaneously, he shook his head despite agreeing.

“That’s true, however, there are still genius dragons that can achieve such results. Unlike any monster in Hestrea, dragonhearts can learn skills.”

He said with a smile on his face, shocking Juliette while making Silvana doubtful.

“That’s not possible. In exchange for their ridiculous strength compared to humanoid races, they can’t learn skills. Even the free stat points they gain from leveling are distributed on their own.”

Hearing the witch’s explanation, his smile deepened.

“The liquid mana that flows through their veins acts exactly like our cores, going all the way to their brains.”

He didn’t need to continue, the two of them easily understanding what he was talking about. With mana gathering at the beast’s brain, it must have allowed the dragonheart to gain something similar to self-awareness, though maybe a bit unrefined. Still, getting access to the soul allowed one to also learn skills.

“I see now. We just have to look out for a dragon that we suspect uses skills. If we can lure out a Grade B dragonheart, it might be possible.”

It seemed like the girls were catching on, he thought. What he said was true, but there was an even easier way of knowing if a dragonheart was near. He had countless hours in the game, so he knew precisely that there was a Grade B dragonheart in the mountains.

Because that very dragon would be used next year in an attack orchestrated by the Heavenly Order.

If he wanted to get rid of Juliette’s devourer, he couldn’t waste the opportunity. The rough chances of a dragon becoming a dragonheart was around one in ten thousand and he had no time to wait years for another one nor resources to buy one from an auction.

“Oh, the meat is ready.”

Juliette said with a salivating mouth, so Conall got to cutting up the body before distributing the meat. Most of it went to Juliette since her body needed more food to be sustained while he got the smallest piece of all three.

Hours passed casually with midnight arriving soon. The knight girl had already gone to sleep, leaving only the knight and the witch beside the smoldering campfire.

For a few minutes, there was only an awkward silence, disrupted from time to time by the crackling, hot coals. Even though Silvana was seemingly tinkering and doing something with her magic circles, it really didn’t stop her fidgety look.

Cleaning his blade that reflected a demonic, red light, he acted as though he saw nothing, but still started the conversation.

“Ask away.”

Her emotionless eyes gazed at him for a moment, only to go back where they were seconds prior. Thoughts that lingered in her head soon came to light.

“Why did you want his heart?”

She didn’t say to be harsh on him, or any of the sort for that matter. Curiosity radiated from her blue eyes that reflected the magic circles around her hands.

“Initialy, I came to him to seek a trial for my curse. I wanted to treat it by getting a heart from the giants, who have great regenerative powers. The thing affected mainly my blood.”

“You were cursed?”

“Yes, but I’m cured now.”

Visible shock overcame her at his reveal, but he simply replied with stationary eyes, as though it was of no deal to him.

“Don’t think about it. It’s not the humanly curses, but something a bit deeper.”

Yet, that only stoked her bewilderment. It was so high her face wasn’t able to show it. Well, if it could to begin with. Still, he didn’t care. Because he himself wanted to be cursed from the beginning.

“Alright. I won’t ask about that. What did you mean earlier?”

Finally, he stopped cleaning the blade, sheathing it back up.

“As I said, I wanted a heart from a giant, not the God of Giants. It just happened that I met his expectations. Instead of the usual one, I was sent into his real trial, where I gained his heart as a reward.”

“Was it hard?”

He chuckled slightly at her question.

“What?”

She asked again, not understanding his reactions.

“The trial I was meant to undertake was about defeating a monster that was a gate above you. The real one was to survive through the waves of demons the Calamity of Faith released.”

Silvana’s eyes wavered as she heard the reply. There was nothing coming out of her. She just didn’t know what to say, to which he laughed once more.

“Actually I think he made it easier on purpose. The only real threat I dealt with was a Grade B demon, but it was weaker than a monster one gate above me. Maybe he thought the actual trial was going to be harder.”

“Actual? Didn’t you already say the second trial was the real one?”

He shook his head before pointing at her.

“To have his daughter meet him. That was his last wish, as well as a final trial.”

Her mouth opened slightly, once again not knowing how to respond, however, she had to act quickly. Unwanted guests arrived.

“I see. Thank you, Garret.”

“Ahh, don't mention it. It’s late already, I will replace you in a few hours.”

He said while standing up and stretching, hiding his hand behind his thigh and showing signs with it.

‘One ‘A’, two ‘B’’

Easily catching the signals, her mind became more attentive than usual, preparing the mana inside her to flow at any moment.

“Alright, goodnight.”

Adding firewood to the campfire, she replied while Conall went to the already occupied tent.

However, as soon as he entered it, he saw that it was empty, only a disheveled cloth lying on the floor, as though someone had left it in a hurry.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

At the very instant, he heard a clash of swords behind him.

“So you were awake, huh? Well, that’s just amazing, then!”

The man in light armor exclaimed joyfully, his furry ears squirming in delight. Exerting more power onto his black blade, he watched the girl to see her reaction.

Yet, as he put more strength into his muscles, it didn’t budge, his smirky look plummetting as Juliette enforced her own slash, sending the Grade A wolfkin flying towards the trees, his back hitting the hot coals of the campfire.

Nonetheless, having an agile body, the man quickly collected himself, almost clawing himself to the ground. Skidding through the dirt and grass, the man finally stopped and poured aura onto his blade in anticipation.

Swiftly getting up, he saw as a flash sped across the forest, closing the short distance in a matter of an eye blink.

As the battle of auras ensued, he shouted to his crew.

“Kifir, Bova, go get the other two!”

“You didn’t need to say anything, boss!”

Two wolfkins with dark green hair, each at the B Grade, were already next to Silvana and Conall, the boy who had left the tent a second ago.

Splitting their targets, the girl aimed for the witch, while the male wolfkin aimed for the boy, though he was slightly bummed that he got such a weak opponent.

On the side, Conall only looked at Silvana, but even that was unnecessary. Though she may not have looked like one, she was an experienced warrior.

Having already prepared the circle in her veins, she let the mana flow out and target Conall. Rapidly, a blue, translucent coating began to cover all of his skin and robe, similar to the trees around them, though much stronger.

And unlike a spell, the wolfkin would have to destroy the circle that regenerated the barrier, or kill him in one shot.

“Tsk. This is why I hate mages.”

The tall man clicked his tongue in frustration before the fingernails on his bare hands sharpened and grew out. A thin layer of blue energy coated his arms, rapidly enlarging.

Made out of mana, a werewolf’s arms overlapped his own.

‘An avatar skill? They must be relatively popular in the black market.’

Conall mused as he saw the man’s legs twitch and dent the dirt beneath him. With less than two steps, he already closed the distance to the red-haired knight, who only had a robe on himself with a sword in his hand.

Even before they blatantly attacked, he measured their strength. Judging by their presence, their boss was an experienced A Grade, while the other two were in the middle of Grade B, the male wolfkin’s sister being somewhat stronger than her brother.

There was no way he could defeat him. Conall had to do nothing but wait until Juliette or Silvana killed their opponents.

Though, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a good sparring session. Because of the barrier that completely stopped the transfer of energy, he wouldn’t die in the first second of their fight.

Seeing as Kifir sped through their camp towards him, he jumped to the side at the last second, barely dodging the oncoming threat, yet, it was as though speed had never influenced the wolfkin.

Stepping on the ground, he nimbly changed his direction. Already facing the human, he slashed at him with the blue claws.

Glowing stronger than usual, each claw released their energy, creating five sharp slashes in the air that only added to the attack against the barrier.

Yet, what it did was nothing, but make the boy fly backwards with just a few scratches that were already being regenerated by the magic circle. Before his back even touched the ground, his shield had been renewed.

Rolling on the ground a few times, Conall stopped right after hitting a tree. Moving his head to the side by instinct, he heard it crack and start to fall.

Kifir kicked the tree away before turning back to him. Having already stood up with an unsheathed sword, he awaited the opponent who was looking at him with ridicule.

“Don’t disappoint me, I hate when bones crumble.”

“Didn’t think you would be willing to fight a Grade C. Tell me, what level are you?”

Conall stared him down, replying. He had the upper hand here since the only thing he needed to do was wait and waste time.

With a relaxed stance, Kifir smirked and replied.

“Why do you want to know? Let me just tell you, I don’t fall for such taunts, nor do I care for your low level. I’m a proud level forty.”

‘Except for the spirit, his stats must be somewhere around forty as well, dexterity even higher.’

With calm eyes, Conall concluded. Once again, he reaffirmed himself. There was no way he could do anything against him.

As the short exchange ended, Kifir’s speed exploded as he went after him, his right arm ready to rip that red-haired head apart.

He was about to grab it, but just as his claws were grasping him, he disappeared like a slippery fish. Annoyed internally that he couldn’t catch a meager Grade C, his gaze quickly followed Conall, who stood on the forest floor, unimpressed by Kifir’s performance.

Nonetheless, his body followed the knight instantly. Tightening his hand into a fist and swinging so strong he dragged wind along with the attack, he aimed at Conall, who once again somehow evaded the attack. However, before he could rejoice, Kifir’s body instantly spun in place, as though he was without mass.

A foot was falling onto Conall’s shoulder while he was just an inch short of being able to evade. He couldn’t even raise his sword in time.

The tough boot of the wolfkin quickly fell upon him and he felt his body be stomped to the ground. If not for the mana shield Silvana cast, his whole upper body would have come apart.

A few cracks appeared, spreading from his shoulder. Using the mana from the air as fuel, the barrier started regenerating. However, before it could fully heal itself, Conall prepared himself as another attack was coming.

The claws gathered energy before being released, point blank to the enemy. Yet, the wolfkin was surprised to see the that shield was unscathed, the human having evaded the attack, to his bafflement.

Lunging towards the boy, he kicked his chest, or at least tried to. Twisting his body, Conall played with Kifir, making his leg just graze the barrier. Then, he ducked down, dodging the leg that meant to swing to the side before it could even begin its motion.

The wolfking grit his teeth in frustration.

The moment Conall started ducking down, he jumped up slightly and spun in the air, gaining tremendous speed. Ready to shatter the earth with a kick down.

Just as he was about to slam his leg down with mana imbued inside it, he saw something in the corner of his eyes move. In front of him, Conall was no more, long gone.

Suddenly stopping his action with his skill, he stabilised himself on the ground, only for a surprise to immediately await him. Feeling ever so slightest threat nagging at the back of his head, he decided to trust his beastly instincts.

Tightening his muscles while imbuing mana inside them, he strengthened his ribs. The wolfkin felt something stab through his tough leather armor, going right past his skin, only to be stopped by the enhanced muscle tissue.

He looked down and saw the human thrust his sword that was filled with aura.

‘What was that!?’

He screamed in his head as he felt the spiritual energy of his enemy. Jumping back subconsciously, he looked at the boy’s relaxed face.

“I think I forgot to tell you, but I’m level twenty six.”

Once again, Kifir grit his teeth in frustration, almost slapping himself on the face for the sudden feeling a second ago. Collecting his thoughts, he lowered his body before the ground beneath him broke off in large chunks.

Stretching out his two arms and spreading out the claws, he would make sure to rip him to shreds.

While Kifir was frustrated, being unable to catch the little mouse, Silvana faced her own opponent.

With a thought and a will, mana flowed through every crevice of the witch’s body. The arduous task of filling every part of one’s body with mana was like clapping hands for her.

The wolfkin girl took on her stance, lowering her body slightly while holding up daggers in her hands. She, too, filled her body with mana, but only the arms.

Bringing the daggers closer to her, something manifested around Bova. Above and below her arms, the fangs of an wolf appeared in the air, as if to intimidate the opponent.

However, as always, Silvana stared at her opponent with emotionless eyes. Having already created a mana shield for herself, her gaze calmly calculated the enemy.

While she herself was at the peak of Grade B, the female wolfkin seemed not that much weaker than her. Judging that the rogue girl was definitely above the middle point of the B Grade, she put her magic circles to work, twisting them around inside her mana veins before they could even see the world beyond.

Almost instantly, a completed magic circle appeared on top of her hand. The circle flew straight at the girl that ran foward her with twin daggers.

Bova looked at the spell before scoffing. Jumping up, she easily evaded before jumping in the air once again, going directly at the witch who didn’t even face her.

Suddenly, her vision changed. Accelerating backwards, the wolf girl saw the dark sky above her filled with branches and leaves before coughing up. Breath left her as she was pounded to the ground.

The blue hand that gripped her waist started to disperse, having done its work. Bova’s world spun around in her eyes as she tried to understand what had just happened. Still, her body autonomously stood up before wiping off the blood that gathered at her lips’ hems.

The fangs around her were already long gone since she couldn’t keep the skill up. Looking at the new magic circle that was being formed around Silvana, Bova was just about to run away from the place, not caring for her two companions.

What stopped her in doing so was a simple reason. The magic circle that Silvana controlled started to melt away into the air, becoming completely useless.

“Damn it.”

Almost inaudibly, the witch muttered under her breath before another circle began to be formed around her hand, but after a second, it also turned out to be a dud. Her mana control was running amok, and she couldn’t do anything about.

Smiling maniacally, the beast girl activated her skill once again before charging at the witch. Even faster than what her brother showed, she appeared in front of Silvana in a single step, thrusting both of her daggers, one at the heart, and the other at the neck.

Still, Silvana stared at everything happening calmly. The daggers hit, but the shield protecting her was working properly since it had been created before her control took a hit.

Feeling and seeing cracks appear on the shield, Bova pushed further, making the fangs bite onto Silvana, creating even more surface area for attacks. Nonetheless, that didn’t alleviate a certain thing. Looking above, she saw the cold eyes piercing right through her, which almost made her back away.