“When Miss Sumire said our days will be filled with battles, I didn’t expect it to be like this!” Hiroshi made an offhand remark as he arranged the apprentice’s battle tempo from an elevated ground. The area is covered by ice walls, it was shaped like a bowl or a deep crater, trapping twenty apprentices with a medium-size beast. The ice wall was erected by Katyusha, but it wasn’t as cold as they’d thought it would be. However, it is as durable as metal plates so even if the beast focused on breaking through, it’ll take some time to achieve that.
Next to him, Mordred was shooting his revolver, incessantly dealing damage to the reptilian beast, but his bullets are constantly bouncing off of its durable scales. Nevertheless, he continues to shoot in a bad spot, not allowing the beast to do as it pleases.
The creature is barely as tall as a human, but longer than four meters, having grayish-brown plate-like scales, thick but short talons, and a pair of leathery arms which have lost its ability to take flight. The beast was a variant of wyvern categorized as Brute Wyvern, which made Mordred feel more connection to the creature due to his mortal shell being a Wyverian.
Brute Wyvern is a classification of wyvern species that usually rely on their strong physical body. Despite being famous for being a group of flightless wyverns, some of them could actually fly through some methods, but this species of Brute Wyvern is well known for its characteristics which is its ability to produce extremely destructive sound breath in close range.
‘Am I so lucky that we found a sound-path wyvern, or was the route that we chose was one of Sumire's schemes?’ Mordred couldn’t help but wonder. That woman’s arrangements are rather deep. Although he didn’t know why she chose the next rendezvous location with other teams being close to a brute wyvern barrow, he knew that she wouldn’t make the decision without a strong purpose.
This infantile wyvern is separated from its kin, Mordred could even hear the sound of intense battle from the exterior of the bowl-like icy walls that does not allow echo, but he focused on the task at hand.
After accumulating damage from the apprentices, the brute wyvern took a deep breath as its torso inflated by over twenty percent. From the experience of suffering from the wyvern’s previous sonic attack, all the apprentices sent to deal with this sole wyvern quickly took cover. The deep grayish with brown spots colored scales on the wyvern’s body seemed to shift a few millimeters each, undulating like waves to take the optimal structure for producing a directional sound breath attack. Or rather, this was a method to protect itself from its own attack.
Everyone knew that even if this rank 0 brute wyvern is an infant-equivalent to a human, the sound breath would pulverize human body into mashed blood and gore if they get too close. The destructive vibration would vaporize water molecules in the air, it is even capable of rendering their corpses into mush, impossible to discern. It is in their best interest not to get hit by the sound breath and get as far away as possible unless they wanted their eardrums ruptured. Even if the icy walls are structurally designed to suppress soundwaves, it is still lethal for them to be too close from the point of attack.
However, Mordred didn’t show any fear. Not only is he rather far away from the brute wyvern, out of the lethal range of the sound breath, he could also use his bloodline ability to conceal the fact that he is quite resistant to sonic attack.
Aiming for the moment where the wyvern’s mouth opened, he encroached upon the beast with rapid strides. Unlike his fellow apprentices, he faced the fear of death head on, and thanks to that, he quickly reached the lethal range of the sound breath .
Before the wyvern unleashed its breath, Mordred had already fired his revolver, but the timing was well calculated so that when the wyvern opened up its mouth, the bullet went through its throat moments before the sound breath was unleashed. Since sound was his primary path, he is a certified expert in the biology of sound-path lifeforms, despite never dissecting this species of Brute Wyvern before. His bullet is secretly imbued with a minor sound-suppressing soul art, it shocked the wyvern’s vocal cord and disrupted the activation sequence of the sound breath. Instead of being unleashed to the apprentices as intended, the vibration subsided as if the buildup was a lie.
From the perspective of others, it looks like Mordred shot the wyvern’s mouth and the shock momentarily took the sound away from its mouth.
“I’ve canceled the sound breath. Hiroshi, orders everyone to continue their attack, but don’t kill it.” Mordred said as he continued shooting the wyvern in a bad spot so that it is forced to defend itself.
Hiroshi connected the dots of why Mordred asked a special rope to Sakuya before the battle began. ‘Satoru, you’ve got balls.’ His thoughts were distracted for a brief second before ordering the other youths to follow up his lead. ‘I want to see how you handle the backlash from everyone else.’
Without the sound breath, this Brute Wyvern is less threatening. Unlike Claw Wyvern whose talons are either extremely sharp or poisonous, Brute Wyvern solely relies on their physical strength. Yes, this wyvern is strong, but so what? It is still in its infancy, the correct muscles have yet to grow as intended and its experience in combat is still limited, it is a relatively weak beast. Furthermore, the apprentices are fighting 20 to 1, so as long as nobody fucks around and followed the tempo of the commander, it should be safe.
The only problem with this brute is its scales.
Sound-path lifeforms are inherently durable, more so than any other of the same rank. The plate-like scales could shift a few centimeters each, oscillating as if it was a reactive bioarmor. Although it hasn’t gained the ability to produce soundfield, the reactive scales allowed it to shave off over 80% kinetic force that it receives by oscillating or undulating, thus shrugging off most of the apprentice’s attacks.
Moreover, the weapons in the hands of the apprentices are made out of low-grade rank 0 material, they couldn’t really damage the beast with high physical resistance.
If not for the ice wall that trapped the wyvern with the apprentices, the beast would’ve already run away in fear.
Nevertheless, the apprentices have no problem in fighting a beast with this size. The wyvern’s most lethal move is its sound breath, and with it constantly being disrupted by Mordred, the hunt turned into a war of attrition.
Eventually, the apprentices exhausted the beast, allowing them to capture it by binding it with the special rope given by Twin Helix under Mordred’s request. The Wyverian wanted to experiment more on wyvern bloodline, and he was able to get the justification without raising suspicion.
“Claiming the hunting result of the group for yourself, aren’t you too overbearing with your demands?” A youth leading a group of six expressed his dissatisfaction when he saw Mordred sitting on top of the wyvern’s head who already thinks that the wyvern is all his.
Mordred glance at the youth, it was Haru, the youth who bullied his mortal shell during his time in Mira village. After the fact that Mordred’s grade-A spirit talent is known, he started to make less noises in proximity to Mordred. Additionally, Mordred’s closeness to Twin Helix’s Sakuya made his status higher than others. The boy obviously doesn't want to make an enemy out of Mordred. However, that does not mean he had relented. Having grade-C martial talent himself, he had secretly gathered allies that he could trust, therefore forming his own ‘faction’ amongst the apprentices.
Unlike Mordred who decided to act alone or get close to Sakuya, other youths were actually grouping up with people that they could trust. Even Remaki villagers which were under the jurisdiction of Radiant Desolation followed this trend. There was no complicated reason for this, really. The world is simply that dangerous, so grouping up with people that one can trust is good for morale. At the very least, you can put your back on them and they will cover it.
In total, the twenty-or-so apprentices in this isolated location are split into three factions.
The first is the Haru faction. He had talent with a bow and his contribution in the battle is quite exceptional, so he was able to easily form a group under his lead. Adding to his original status in Mira village as the bully, some people have already followed him. His faction has seven people with various strengths and unique qualities.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
The second is the Hiroshi faction. The man typically acted as the commander in battles, and his defensive leading style focuses on safety over others. He is also generally more likable and easier to approach. He is the most popular boy amongst the apprentice, second only to Mordred but in a good way. Thus, he had twelve people under his lead.
And the last, Mordred himself.
It’s not like Mordred himself is acting haughty or condescending. Rather, he had revealed a changed personality from a reclusive person into one that possessed an unwavering conviction that idle interactions were but feeble distractions, undeserving of his precious time. He had blatantly showcased the attitude of an expert who will stop at nothing, and used every ounce of free time to cultivate so that he could pursue his dream. Unless he is forced by Twin Helix to mingle with other apprentices, he is always alone during free time.
This ‘Satoru’ is a persona carefully crafted by Mordred as a genius that was given a large amount of tangible benefit by Sakuya to suit his agenda better, but it's not like he is abusing his privilege to stand above others. Despite having an amicable relationship with everyone, he does not plan to nurture them too deeply. Thus, when Haru pointed out that he was claiming the result of the battle for himself, it made everyone, even the apprentices from the Hiroshi faction, glare at him in disapproval.
The tacit understanding between the apprentices were as follows: the defeated beast would have its body parts be split depending on the apprentices’ contributions. Then, the parts can be ‘sold’ to Twin Helix, which will be compensated with the market price. Even if the apprentices cannot use crystal coins personally to cultivate, money is something that everyone is always glad to have. They could ask Twin Helix or other official hunter team, in this case, Radiant Desolation, for some specialized or general service, such as buying a new weapon or spell catalyst that could be used to improve their chance of survival, to receive healing, et cetera.
This little economy between the groups is a greater solution than having the official teams babysit them without something of equivalent in value being exchanged. Nobody likes working for free, especially if they are required to use their personal resources to do so. Even if apprentices couldn’t ask the official Hunters for services, they could barter with each other. It's a win-win solution for everyone since the benefit from hunting beasts motivates the youths to strive further.
This change was implemented after Twin Helix had rendezvous with Radiant Desolation. As the closed environment has been injected with more variables, the things that they could do and their responsibilities have changed from solely protecting Mira villagers into protecting all of the apprentices. Therefore, this change is being used by the team to stimulate the economy of cultivators for the apprentices to learn from.
So when Mordred claimed the captured wyvern for himself, he basically demanded everyone to hand over their benefit to him in exchange for nothing. Although there’s no anger yet in their eyes, the youths have begun to glare at him in a disapproving gaze, waiting for his explanation.
Mordred scanned everyone's faces before eventually landing his sight on Hiroshi. “Hiroshi, I will have to ask you to calculate everyone’s contribution. I will be paying back this favor with interest later.”
Hiroshi has a neutral stance. He didn’t agree with Mordred’s desire to take all the hunting results, but he also doesn’t want to make things harder for him. “As you wish.”
“I don’t accept this!” Haru expressed his extreme disagreement with his tone. “You’re hogging all the benefits from this hunt, so you’ll be having an easier time in the future, but what about us? Not all of us can whore ourselves to some bigshot and get benefit easily. Unlike you, we have to use all the resources that we can have to empower ourselves just to barely survive.”
The man then pointed at one of his faction members, a youth with a broken metal shield. “She used her shield to defend others, but now it's broken. If we cannot ask the official Hunters to heal her wounded arm and ruptured eardrum, she’ll be useless in the next hunt. This will lead to a spiral of doom where she wouldn't be able to get better until the Academy’s recruitment. How do you plan to take responsibility for that?”
The youths nodded in understanding. Haru’s logic was flawless, and it resonates with others as well. Some of their weapons have been chipped due to the brute wyvern’s reactive bioarmor. Even if Mordred will pay them later with interest, they need that ‘money’ as soon as possible to buy new equipment or heal themselves so that they could participate in the next battle. Looking at them right now, not even 40% of them would be in a combat-ready state after a night's rest.
If they allow Mordred to take the wyvern for his own, then the next hunt will be as Haru described. Mordred seemed to have a desire to make the wyvern his mount, so he’ll be able to contribute more than other apprentices with his new mount. The cycle will continue until eventually his contribution cannot be contested and he’ll be peerless while the others are lagging behind.
“Are you implying that the compensation is not fair?” Mordred revealed an eerie smile.
“Satoru, what are you thinking!?” Hiroshi’s neutral attitude started to swing into the opposite when he saw Mordred reaching out for his revolver. He has always been wary about Mordred’s marksmanship.
“My revolver might not be able to deal lethal damage to beasts due to their thick skin, scales, or powerful muscles, but that’s not true for humans.” Mordred uttered in a cold, almost mechanical voice. “You can even say that small arms like this are a perfect anti-human weapon. Of course, we are not allowed to kill each other, but if you get hit in a bad spot, being instantly killed is a preferable alternative. Anyone want to try?”
Everyone acknowledged his advanced marksmanship. The battle where he incessantly killed goblins and gretchens with every shot are still fresh in their memory. Nobody dared to make the first move, but weapons are already drawn as an instinctive reaction to Mordred’s threatening action.
“Satoru, stand down!” Hiroshi wanted to salvage the situation. He doesn’t want to isolate Mordred, but at the same time, he couldn’t cave in to his request. “Let’s put down our weapons first and have a proper talk. I’m sure there’s a way out of this.”
The official hunters are still subjugating the wyvern burrow, the noises they made can still be heard outside of the wall. Sakuya is currently occupied with her responsibilities, and even Kumo, the girl who’s disguised as a kobold responsible for babysitting the apprentices, decided to take a wait-and-see attitude from on top of the ice wall. She doesn’t want to and has no obligation to meddle in affairs between apprentices unless they start killing each other.
“Sure!” Mordred put the gun on its holster. Only then, the apprentices disarmed themselves. “What do all of you expect me to do? I have already offered to compensate your contributions with interest in exchange for this captured wyvern. Yet, some of you decided to insult me personally due to my lineage and trying to make things unnecessarily hard for me. I have no time to waste in idle chatter, so unless our discussion is effective, I’m just going to let my fist do the talking. Was that wrong with that?”
“I was not making things hard for you!” Haru denied everything. “How can we trust you’ll fulfill your promise? We have no guarantee, so you have to understand our point of view!”
"So, it seems you find it perfectly reasonable that back then, I, who endured the squalor of Mira village and worked tirelessly surpassing your feeble efforts, was subjected to extortion, mistreatment, and isolation simply because of my lineage as a whore's son? How amusing!" Mordred's scoff carried a tinge of bitterness. "Pray tell, where was this concept of fairness when I needed it most? How dare you now feign concern for fairness when it suits your convenience? Spare me the charade of your self-righteousness. You make me sick."
Haru's expression hardened, attempting to maintain a façade of strength, yet the flicker of uneasiness betrayed his true emotions. He straightened his posture and met Mordred's gaze, his voice laced with a hint of defensiveness. "Look, Satoru, I get that things weren't easy for you. We all had our own struggles and battles to face. It wasn't just about you. Yeah, maybe I didn't fully understand what you were going through, but don't act like you're the only one who had it tough."
His words carried a touch of hesitation, as if unsure how to navigate the delicate balance between acknowledging Mordred's pain and defending his own actions. "I'm not saying it was right, but we were trying to figure things out. We made mistakes. I made mistakes. I can't change the past, but I'm willing to change for the better. Just... don't think you're the only one who suffered. We all did, in our own ways. Now, the situation has changed and it is related to our life-and-death situation, so everyone is on edge about their benefits. If we cannot recover the damage from this battle, we’ll be killed sooner or later!"
“That’s true.” Hirosi added. “Satoru, the route that the official Hunters have chosen, has slowly changed. Before our group met with Radiant Desolation, we were taking a lot of detours to evade dangers. But with more official Hunters present, they’ll have the power to break through dangerous areas while harvesting resources along the way. Their decision will affect us as a whole and if we cannot keep up, we’ll die for real. It is in our best interest to have more able-bodied personnel to share the burden.”
Bang! Mordred pulled up a quickshot, a skill he had never revealed before in front of the youths, ever. In simple terms, he took his gun, aimed, shot, and put the gun back to the holster, all in a timeframe of which was quite difficult for the apprentice to react to, but not impossible.
“ARGH!” one of Haru’s faction members grunted in pain as his left leg had been shot, the strength of the bullet allowed it to completely break the leg in a gruesome way. Unlike being cut by a blade or pierced by an arrow, the small explosive nature of his [Fireball] bullet demolished his leg finger bones and joints, it’ll be more difficult for a medic to completely heal his leg.
“SATORU!” Everyone raised their weapons while Hiroshi warned Mordred for almost being too far. If he killed the boy or permanently crippled him, he had gone too far. But fortunately, he didn’t shoot him in the kneecap but instead the toe.
“Oops. I’m sorry, it’s a misfire. I’m genuinely sorry for my mistake, can we let bygones be bygones now?” Mordred uttered in a blatantly fake apologetic tone. “See, does an apology fix a wounded leg?” Mordred shrugged.