The party headed deeper into the woods. With Liken as their guide, they trekked through an endless amount of thick trees and twisting paths, but the end was nowhere in sight. He ensured the party that they were near, but two of them had their doubts, and Rana was sure he was lying.

When Liken claimed the Quest, he was eager to share its details. He told his party that it was indeed a fiend who was responsible for the carnage at the settlement, along with a horde of monsters under their command. The fiend was violent, cruel, and they used the bodies of their victims to construct their summons. It was despicable to defile the bodies of the departed, but his faux outrage was not the reason Liken wanted to hunt down the fiend. It was simply greed, yet his ego would not even allow him to admit such. How base.

Kent was growing more impatient with every passing minute, and Emery’s dissatisfaction was apparent on his face. Liken told them that they would soon see the fiend’s hideout, but since he was the only one possessing knowledge of the Quest details, neither of the other two could be sure. It would not be long before they object with their suspicion.

That was when howls pierced the silence.

“See! We’re near,” exclaimed Liken. “Come on, lasses. It is time for battle!”

Rana was stunned for a moment. It was not that because Liken told the truth, it was because he seemed to genuinely believe that encountering monsters in the ashen woods somehow aided his ruse. She breathed a silent sigh and prepared for the incoming monsters.

Their party had two melee attackers and two ranged attackers. They had a brief discussion about their Status, but none of them were willing to share anything but the barest of details. The only thing she managed to deduce, was that all four of them were offensive specialists. Her sister once told her that team composition was a puzzle, and solving them was something that she could enjoy. Her sister was mistaken. Battle was not a puzzle. It was a set of rules realized by the conditions present. If a person follows the rules, it lead them to victory. If a person failed to follow the rules, death awaited. There was nothing interesting about forgone conclusions.

Their enemy was around a dozen monsters, and every one of them posed a threat to the inexperienced. Ash Hounds were one of the most common monsters in the Boundary Forest, but their size and strength varied depending on their manes. These ones had manes that glowed like cinder, which meant they were in the process of reaching the next maturation stage. They were at their strongest.

Ash Hounds had an attack pattern that stumped many marked ones, but due to their stronger variants not as common near the edges of the forest, rookies could experience them before having to fight the truly vicious ones.

When there were three or more Ash Hounds present, they divided into two groups. The first group darted from side to side and charged the marked one when they saw an opening. The second group stalked on the edge of their aggro range, spitting ash that blinded and burned the enemy.

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When their number was down to two, the surviving two would tag-team the marked one in melee combat, their fur hardening as it consumed the essence of their fallen brethren. When only one hound remained, it burst into flames and every one of its attacks gained range and the fire element. The standard way to hunt them was to whittle down their health until the last two could be struck down at once. When the Ash Hounds were lit ablaze by their fire, their ferocity was difficult to match.

There was no frontline for this battle, but it was not something to be concerned about. Mana began forming around her, the other party members were already beginning to channel mana. The first to release their mana core was Liken. The power that surged outward was aggressive and its blood lust could not be mistaken. He was slow but each step shook the ground. Claws and teeth aimed at his jugular, but with a shift in his stance, their edges scratched harmlessly at his armor. With a mighty swing, the hound that leaped too close was cleaved in half by his mighty ax. He just didn’t care about the party. He only fought for himself.

Kent stayed close to the two mage-classes, but his position was still a bit too forward. He was conscious of the party formation, but he still fought as if he was part of his Guild. The hounds charged at him. He unleashed his mana core and with the extra burst of energy, he swung his blade. The momentum helped him dodge the incoming attack and carried his body behind his foes. The swung blade continued with its trajectory and went through the flesh of the hounds.

Six hounds broke through their frontline. It was expected. Three charged at Emery and the remaining three circled Rana. Liken and Kent were still tangling with their respective foes and she knew the two would not risk exposing their backs by rushing to the aid of their backline. Hubris was the privilege of the arrogant, and also their downfall. Liken and Kent were definitely not marked ones that participated in the frontlines of the war. When party formation fell, death usually followed. Still, it didn’t seem to be the case of this fight.

Emery was doing well, using his mace rather than Spells for attacking. It was not a bad idea. Until the hounds numbered two or fewer, they were not hard to fight in close range as long as they paid attention to the spitting ash. Rana did the same with her staff, but unlike Emery, she had no reason to preserve her mana. Her condition made it so her mana was always topped up, and not using Spells wasted mana generation.

Soon enough, the monsters fighting Rana fell. She looked to where Emery was. The monsters he was fighting were battered and bloodied. The mage-class expertly managed their remaining health, and it was time for the finishing blows. He slammed his mace and crushed the skull of one, and blasted two Fireballs to finish off the remaining two before they began their new assault pattern.

“Look out!” yelled Liken as two hounds managed to run past him towards Emery. It was no coincidence. It was all too obvious what his plan was, but it was put into motion with perfect timing as the victim just used up his mana.

Emery braced himself. He ducked as two hounds attempted to bite off his neck, but before he was able to regain his footing, Liken launched himself in the air and brought the giant ax down towards his face.

Liken was looking to split Emery in half.

Rana readied her mana, but she had no intention of saving Emery. There was no reason to.

“I’d knew you do that,” said Emery as his body disappeared into a wooden caste. Liken’s grin fell as the supposed victim now appeared behind the assailant. “Now, may I kindly ask you to die?”