2 minutes have passed since we finished the briefing. I hid behind one of the bushes as planned while the rest of the wolf kids hid somewhere in this small patch of the forest. After a while, we hear some footsteps coming closer to our direction. I wish I could peek through the bushes to see what our visitors were. But unfortunately, I haven't got most of my [Lycan] abilities yet. And since my party only consists of NPCs, I can't use the whisper chat to communicate with them.

"Hey." I quietly called out to Claw, who is currently hiding behind a boulder right next to me. "Did you see what they are?"

[Yeah,] The young [Lycan] nodded. [Looks like there are 2 [Wild Boars]. Must be the mushrooms we found earlier here.]

Then they should be first good opponents for this kind of hunt. "Alright. On my signal..."

If I recall from my previous encounters, [Wild Boars] have high [STR], but low [SPD] and [AGI] thanks to their stubby legs. If provoked, they will proceed to tackle their attackers with a charging tackle, which deals a large amount of damage to the unprepared players. However, this will be a different story from my previous encounters. So far, the boars are too preoccupied with the mushrooms. So we waited and waited until...

"NOW!"

Normally, I would cast a [Fire] spell once I give out the signal. Instead, I watched the [Lycan] siblings jump behind the boars and grab them with their clawed hands. The boars screech in pain as they try to shake off their attackers. But before they could run, I got out of my hiding spot and took out my dagger while charging towards one of them.

"[Backstab]!"

I thrust my blade at the boar's back. As expected, the boar starts to grow into a frenzy as it tries to shake me off. Of course, I'm not the type to let go after a [Backstab] attack. Thankfully, Claw is nearby and it didn't take long for him to lunge at it next.

[You're done, you crazy boar!]

Claw screamed before he scratched the boar's eyes with his...claws. Then he switched arms and stabbed its chest without hesitation. As for me, I continue stabbing it in the back while ignoring the boar's screeches. It only took a few stabs, but its [HP] quickly went down to zero and the boar stopped its frenzy before falling lifeless on the ground. Unlike other monsters I fought, its carcass didn't seem to disappear as I removed the blade from it.

[Look at that! We got one!] Claw cheered. [And we didn't need to chase it around the field as usual.]

"Don't celebrate just yet, Claw." I turn to the siblings next. By the looks of it, they managed to make a few cuts on the second boar's body. But it seems they can't handle its rampage as it starts charging towards Kai. I wish I could block it with a [Fire Wall]. But I recalled one condition from Fenrir before the hunt.

[If it's okay, then try to avoid using your attack spells. This is a test of your hunting skill and burned carcasses might lose some points.]

As much as I'm disappointed at this handicap, I understand what he's trying to say. Besides, it's not like I can fight without all of my magic.

“Spirits of life, hear my call. Give my ally the strength from your power.” I aim my arm at Kai. "[Gift of Strength]!"

A white light starts to envelop his body. His eyes then snap open and quickly grabs the boar by the tusks.

[I feel like my strength doubled from the light! This...is amazing!!!]

Kai screams before tossing the boar away from him.

[Christa, give me a paw here!] Claw called out.

[Got it!]

The two [Lycans] scream as they charge at the boar with their bare claws. The boar screeched as they delivered a few scratches on its body. Once that's done, I charge in next and jump behind it for another [Backstab]. With Kai's buffed strength along with the other [Lycans], we continued to attack it until it fell from 0 [HP]. Like the first boar, its carcass remains as we back away to observe the results of our hunt. We remain silent as I look around our surroundings.

"Anything else?"

Claw closes his eyes again for a few seconds. [I hear some fighting nearby. Looks like they're talking care the rest of the monsters. That's all of them on our end.]

I sigh in relief at that news. Christa collapses on her knees while Kai continues staring at the carcasses with his jaw-dropping.

[I-I can't believe it... W-We did it... We managed to hunt the boars in the crampiest patch of the forest and we did it...] Kai then raises his arms with a grin. [WE DID IT!]

Claw chuckles. [And all we have to do is to hide behind the bushes to catch them off-guard... You're amazing, Mr. Lowry!]

I feel like my face is turning red hearing that compliment. "It's nothing special. All I did was to figure out some weak points during the [Wild Boars'] feeding session and I had to go from there without using my [Fire] magic. You have to thank your Dad for letting us use this area."

[Huh? Why is that? We thought it was a tougher area than the ones we trained and hunted before.]

"Well, I can't say much without overwhelming you guys with too many details. But since we're part wolves, we can't rely too much on power and speed to get a job done. If you want to be a wolf, then you have to act like one. As in we have to stalk our prey carefully and strike when we have an opening. I think that's the true purpose of this area. To test our stealth and observation skills in a real battle."

[Really? I never thought of that before,] Kai hummed.

[But Dad should have told us about that before risking our lives! I was already frustrated when we tried to rush around trying to catch some birds during the last trip.]

I chuckle. I don't know who to blame exactly for the unnecessary challenge here. But Claw is right. Fenrir should have told them or a hint beforehand.

[Well, it doesn't matter now. We got the boars as requested. We should head back to the others with our prey,] Christa suggested.

[Good idea, sis. Let's... Huh?]

Kai turns around and before we ask about it, I gasp when I see a familiar face jumped down from above.

"Lawrence! What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to patrol around the forest."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"I wish I could catch up on your latest hunting trip, but no time!" I'm surprised when I hear his voice filled with panic instead of a jolly old man vibe. "A dangerous monster is heading in this direction. I already informed Fen beforehand. As we speak, he already evacuated the other groups back to the village and is currently gathering the guards to defend it."

We gasp once we hear of this news.

[But I double-checked the sounds beforehand! We only heard sounds of boars and wolves along with the other trainees fighting them!]

A surprise event already?! And with Claw's statement, there is no foreshadowing regarding its appearance this time. What the hell is going on here?!

"I have a few ideas what it is. But you guys are the only group left here. Now come on! We need to bail befor-"

[RAAAWWWRRRR!!!]

As if a poor timing, we turn around and see a large black lion looming over us. It has red glowing eyes glaring right at us and black claws on its paws. Not only that but instead of a tuft at the end of its tail, it has an axe-like blade. I saw this kind of monster in the forums as one of the rumors, but I never expected it to stand right in front of us with its black fangs bare.

[W-What is that?!] Kai exclaimed.

[I-It looks like a [Guardian Lion] from the books, but it doesn't have black fur compared to its orange,] Christa explained. [Oh, man! It doesn't make any sense!]

I understand the kids' frustrations. Because this monster can only appear two days after the new moon. It's a rare monster that is considered one of the "metal slimes" of [Isekai] for its rare appearances in both fields and dungeons, but it's infamous for its high level. While it is known to the players as an "EXP Shmuck Bait", it is also well-known by its official name.

The [Invisible Lion].

According to the rumors, they are also known for their ambushes. Many with the [Hunting Mastery] tried to avoid them. But even with their high [Mastery Level] wasn't enough to escape their claws. I guess that would explain their "faulty" scan, which I don't blame them for it. We were so preoccupied with our kills that we didn't scan it too early.

Dammit! This is bad! Not only I'm too low-leveled to face this monster, but Claw, Christa, and Kai might be a detriment if we continue to stay here for much longer. Unfortunately, I knew from the rumors that if the lion notices you, then it's your penalty. And we're already in it's eyesight...

"Lowry, get the kids as far away as you can from here. I'll hold down the fort and get your boars for you!"

I froze upon hearing his commands. "Are you sure you can handle it, sir?"

"Who are you talking here?" Lawrence grinned. "Although the best I can do is force this big guy to flee. I wish I could kill it right now but it has an annoying ability when it's in low health. The main priority is not only the kids' safety, but the whole village as well."

"The whole...village?"

Now that I think about it, what would happen if a strong monster invaded a town, village, or city? I know a town or city won't get damaged due to guards and adventurers nearby, but what about villages? What would happen...

"Lowry!"

My thoughts broke once I heard Lawrence calling out to me. When I looked at him, I saw that the lion already tried to pounce on us. But he quickly stops it by grabbing its paws and struggles to push it away from us.

"There's no time! Get the kids and run!"

Dammit! Looks like I have no choice.

"You heard him, guys! Let's bail before that lion breaks his grasp!" I shout to my partymates.

[B-But what about Mr. Lawrence?!]

I quickly grab Claw and Kai's wrists before they try to jump in front of the older player. "If we stay, then we're gonna make problems than helping him. Trust him."

[B-But...!]

I get their hesitance. I feel awful abandoning him like this. But it's either stay or penalized (or in the case of Claw and the other [Lycans], possibly death, I think).

"Trust me. Or better yet, trust him. He will get out alive."

I'm not sure about the "alive" part, but I know he won't die so easily to that beast if his claims are true.

[W-We will be back with Daddy and the other guards, Mr. Lawrence!]

[Yeah! We'll promise to save you soon!]

And with that, we took off, never looking back as we ran back to the village with a burst of adrenaline with a hint of guilt of abandoning him.

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As the sky gets darker and darker, I keep gasping for air as we continue running for our lives. Yet despite finding a faint light from the village, I hear some thuds behind me and I turn to see my NPC friends already collapsed on their knees catching their breath.

[T-That's my limit...] Christa gasped. [B-But we're almost at the village...]

[But do we really have to abandon Mr. Lawrence like that?! We should have done something to help him!] Claw shouted with a hint of venom, possibly at himself. [We're already at Half-Moon level, so why do we have to run like cowardly dogs?!]

[He's right. We should go back and help him!] Kai added. [Maybe...]

"DON'T BE SO STUPID, YOU THREE!!!"

It took a while for me to catch my own breath after calling out. It sounds harsh, but I have some responsibilities with them and I can't F it up one bit.

"I get you guys are frustrated at being useless. I got that a lot before I met him and Fenrir. I wish I could have done something like helping them fight on the frontlines or something that would turn things around. But I also learned that recklessness can be a double-edged sword. If we're not playing it right, then we're only making it worse for everyone else."

I can tell from the looks of despair in their eyes. It sounds harsh, but that's the reality not only in the game but also in real life.

[But we're only running away. That's not what true brave [Lycans] are!]

I sighed. "Running away isn't cowardly in a few situations. By running away, you only have to regroup and reflect on your opponent's weaknesses and your mistakes. That method exists even outside the village and it's called "strategic retreat". However, we can help even without fighting. Healing and strengthening others through magic and potions, planning our next attack from the backlines, and going back to defend the village. There is no such thing as "useless" in a fight. I learned that when I was struggling to make ends meet. While it was frustrating at first, I managed to get by through wits and improvisation alone. We can still win and protect the village by heading home."

God, that's the longest speech I ever made. Yet, I noticed all of them were staring at me, not with eyes filled with despair. But them widening from my words. I smile and pat their heads.

"Those things don't exist only in the outside world. If you guys want to be a real brave [Lycan], then you have to start by being smart with your decisions."

[Mr. Lowry...] Claw starts to bite his lip as he hangs his head. But then, he looks up at me and smiles. [You're right. I don't want to have that lion destroy our villages because of us!]

[Yeah! We're not strong, but it doesn't mean we can be one if we have other guards by our side!] Kai declared.

[I-I want to save Lawrence, too. But I don't want to put his sacrifice in vain!]

I nod. "Then it's decided. Let's hurry and meet up with everyone..."

[ROOOOOAAAAARRRR!!!]

I flinch once we hear a roar nearby. Wait, nearby?! I thought we already ran as far away as we could!

[I-It's coming this way!] Kai calls out.

"Then we need to hurry! Everyone else will be in d- GAH!!!"

When we turn around, my eyes widen. In front of us is a familiar black lion, the same red glowing eyes and black mane looming above us.

[N-No way! I thought Lawrence took care of it!] Claw shouted. [Don't tell me he...]

"No, that's not it," I interrupted. "I think Lawrence is still alive. But I have a feeling it's not alone."

[H-HUH?! Are you saying there's two of them?!]

I wish they didn't, but this lion is living proof. I looked closely at its body and in a few seconds, it made me conclude this fact.

That is because this lion doesn't have any scars or bruises around its body.

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[Lowry's Masteries]

[Dagger] Level 7

[Fire] Level 5

[Life] Level 6

[Magical Affinity] Level 5

[Alchemy] Level 8

[Scribe] Level 7

[Magecrafting] Level 1

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[5 days until the full moon...]