At the side, the hussar warrior sneered, "See, Dex? I told you he's doomed. There's no way an amateur can beat an Alpha Eyndeer."
But Dex didn't respond. His body tensed, eyes narrowing. High Mage Seraphina also frowned, clicking her tongue in annoyance. 'Tch. So he really is the one Wild Card took in…'
Fratley, high in the air, felt the world slow down. He could see the sharp, crystalline horn coming straight at his head. Helpless and frustrated, he tried to twist his body to avoid a vital hit, but it was futile.
The sharpened horn sliced through his shoulder, piercing bone like butter. He felt it stab into his lung, creeping toward his heart.
Then… BOOM!!!
A rocket exploded mid-air, right at the Alpha's head. The blast knocked Fratley away, sending him spiraling through the air before he crashed into a tree with a sickening thud.
From the treeline, Randy emerged, a smoking rocket launcher slung over his shoulder. Beside him, Jack raised a sniper rifle and took aim.
BANG!
A clean shot. Then another. The Alpha stumbled, skull splitting open under the fire.
Randy looked toward Seraphina. "Letting a newbie solo an Alpha? Still got terrible taste, you crazy witch."
Seraphina's lip twitched. "Big words from someone who just shot a rocket at the newbie. You sure he's still alive?"
Randy smirked. "Hmm… A broken lung? Well, he has two. He'll survive. We've got plenty of spare organs anyway. No worries, Fratley! I've seen worse."
Hearing this, Fratley didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was great Randy came back to help, if he hadn't, and that horn had cut just a bit deeper, he'd be meat paste with a two-piece heart.
Randy turned his gaze toward the apprentice mages still struggling against the berserk herd. After Jack dropped the Alpha, the rest of the Eyndeer lost their minds, ignoring wounds and charging like mad.
Randy had already spotted a few corpses. "How about them? You sure you'll be alright if all your students die?"
Seraphina frowned. "Ugh, I'll probably get lectured... So annoying." She lifted a finger.
The ground rumbled, turning to sludge beneath the battlefield, sucking in both Eyndeer and apprentices alike. "They can't move now. If you still can't kill them, that's your grave."
Hearing Seraphina's cold ultimatum, the surviving mages panicked into action. Floating spells flung them out of the mud, and they began hurling a full barrage of destructive magic.
Randy shook his head. "Barbaric… Just how much money are we burning right now?"
He winced as fur burned, shattered, or got flash-frozen, ruining any hope of resale.
Charred hide? Worthless, no one will buy it. Frostbit horn? Scrap pile, except he found some weird collector. In th end only bones and unbroken horn had any value left.
"You settlers really only care about money, huh? Don't tell me you want the mage corpses too."
"Of course. Will you leave them for me?" Randy replied flatly, like he'd just asked for a cup of tea.
"Hell no! They'll lecture me to death if I let you take the bodies."
"Wait, what if I told them what happened? Isn't it your fault for not interfering? Those students of yours may fear you, but I don't."
Seraphina's gaze narrowed, the air around her crackling with pressure. "Don't cross the line, you bastard. Do you think you can blackmail a High Mage?"
"Hahaha." Randy laughed, "Don't you know what they call me? The Wild Card.
Other settlers might hesitate, but I won't think twice. I already pissed off the Empire, you think I'm scared of adding a mage guild to the list?"
Seraphina and Randy locked eyes. After a moment, she let out a sigh. "And this is why so many prefer becoming settlers like you."
Settler were people like Randy. They chose to abandon established society, building their own communities in the wilderness. It was dangerous, filled with endless threats, but it came with one thing others envied: freedom.
They could do whatever they wanted. No rules, no oversight. Not like Seraphina.
She belonged to a guild. Her actions reflected back on them, she couldn't move freely without consequences.
"So, you remember your guild made a deal with his mother."
"She should have joined us. This was her choice."
"Hah… The old geezers in your guild are the ones who told her to find me. They wanted the benefits without paying a damn thing. Bunch of spineless, greedy motherfuckers."
Seraphina smirked. "On that, I agree with you. Just wait, I'll change the guild soon enough."
"I'll be waiting for it, then," Randy replied with a chuckle, then added, "How about this? I take half the corpses. You can say the Eyndeer ate the rest."
"Fine. But I'm taking all the Eyndeer, including the Alpha. I need them."
Truth was, this was Seraphina's main reason for bringing the apprentices here for their final exam. She needed Eyndeer horns for her research. In her mind, this field trip killed two birds with one spell, free materials, and a dose of harsh reality for her students. She felt like a genius.
Meanwhile, off to the side, the apprentices stood in shock and frustration. They had just survived a horrifying ordeal, some barely alive, some grieving, yet here their master was, casually negotiating over their friends' corpses like bartering for vegetables.
One of the students couldn't take it anymore. Eyes wet with anger, she stepped forward and pointed her staff at Randy. "I won't let you take my friend's body. Over my dead body."
Randy glanced at her, then let out a low chuckle. "Fine by me. One more fresh corpse to bring home."
Feeling the weight of Randy's gaze, the girl shivered. She could tell, he wasn't bluffing. He'd kill her without a second thought.
"Spare it, Yuna. Just get moving. Collect the Eyndeer horns," Seraphina said coldly.
"But Master…"
Seraphina's gaze turned cold. A wave of pressure crashed down on Yuna, forcing her to her knees as her limbs trembled.
Randy barked out a laugh at the sight. "Look lady… To harvest fresh organs, I've got a 24-hour window. After that, they're rotted junk. And this is not counting risk of infection."
His tone darkened. "That includes the Eyndeer, and your friend. So unless you want their death to be really for nothing, shut up and follow orders."