Aris clutched Snow Pup tightly as she ran. Her heart pounded wildly.
Mentor is fighting alone... What if he can't hold them back?
Suddenly, "ROOOAR!"
A Razorhog burst out of the bushes ahead, blocking their path. Its massive body filled the narrow trail, and its stone-covered back glinted in the dim light.
Another Razorhog appeared behind them, cutting off their retreat.
They were trapped.
Aris felt her legs go weak.
Snow Pup raised its head and growled softly.
"Grr..."
Its icy-blue eyes glowed faintly.
Aris looked down in shock.
"Snow Pup...?"
The little creature suddenly leapt from her arms and landed on the ground.
Cold air began gathering around its body, and tiny frost crystals formed on the grass beneath its paws.
"Yip..."
A weak but determined sound came from its mouth.
The Razorhog in front of them lowered its head and charged.
Aris's eyes widened.
"Snow Pup, come back!"
But Snow Pup didn't retreat.
It opened its mouth, and a stream of pale-blue frost shot forward.
Hiss!
Ice spread across the Razorhog's face and tusks. Its charge slowed as frost began creeping over its stone-like hide.
The beast roared in pain and anger.
"IT... It used an attack?" one of the girls whispered.
"You... You can actually fight?"
Snow Pup staggered backward, breathing heavily.
Aris immediately rushed forward and scooped it up.
At that moment, she remembered what the store owner had told her the previous day.
This little cutie has the strength to rival a Tier 3 Fierce Beast.
At that time, she hadn't believed him.
But now, after seeing Snow Pup attack the Razorhog with her own eyes, a flicker of hope rose in her heart.
The Razorhog shook off the ice and prepared to charge again.
Aris clenched her teeth and drew her weapon with her free hand.
"Everyone, get behind me!"
Her heart was racing, but her eyes were firm.
Snow Pup growled again, cold air swirling around its small body.
Aris stood in front of her friends, gripping her weapon tightly.
The Razorhog snorted and charged again, its hooves pounding against the ground.
"Snow Pup, attack together with me!" Aris shouted.
"Yip!"
Snow Pup let out a small cry.
Cold air burst from its body.
Frost quickly spread across the ground in front of the charging Razorhog, turning the earth slick and white.
The Razorhog's steps faltered.
Its heavy body slid forward, causing it to lose balance for a brief moment.
"Now!"
Aris rushed forward and slashed at its exposed neck.
Clang!
Her blade struck its stone-like hide and bounced off, sending pain through her arm.
"It's too hard!" one of the girls cried.
The Razorhog roared and violently swung its head.
Aris barely managed to roll to the side.
The Razorhog's tusk scraped past her shoulder, tearing through her sleeve.
"Aris!"
Her friends shouted in panic.
Seeing her master get hurt, Snow Pup growled and spat another stream of frost.
Ice wrapped around the Razorhog's front legs.
Crack... crack...
The frozen ground gave way beneath its weight.
The beast stumbled and fell onto one knee.
Aris didn't hesitate.
She rushed forward and stabbed with all her strength, aiming directly for its eye.
This time, the blade pierced through.
The Razorhog let out a shrill scream and collapsed. Its massive body shook for a few seconds before finally becoming still.
[A/N: The eyes are one of the critical weaknesses of Razorhogs.]
Everyone stared at the fallen beast in shock.
"We... we killed it?"
Their breathing was heavy, and none of them could believe they had actually managed to kill a Tier 2 Uncommon Beast.
But before they could relax, the second Razorhog behind them roared and charged.
Aris's face turned pale.
"We can't fight another one like this..."
Snow Pup swayed on its feet, clearly exhausted from using its abilities.
At that moment, *BOOM!*
A loud crash echoed from the forest behind them.
The ground shook beneath their feet.
The Razorhog froze and turned its head.
Then a familiar voice rang out.
"Get away from my students!"
Balen burst through the trees.
Blood covered parts of his armor, and his sword was chipped from the battle. Despite that, his eyes remained sharp.
Behind him lay two fallen Razorhogs.
Only one remained, the one facing Aris and the others.
The last Razorhog roared and charged toward Balen.
Balen stepped forward.
"Second Form—Heavy Break!"
He swung his sword downward with all his strength.
The blade glowed brightly as it struck the Razorhog's head.
Crack!
This time, the stone-like armor shattered under the force of the attack.
The Razorhog collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
It was lifeless.
Silence returned to the forest.
Balen stood there, breathing heavily.
Aris immediately ran toward him.
"Mentor!"
Balen sheathed his sword and looked at her. Relief flashed across his face.
"You're safe... Good."
Then his gaze fell on Snow Pup in her arms.
"Was that little thing the one that froze the beast?"
Aris nodded, still shaken by what had happened.
"Yes... It attacked on its own."
Balen looked at Snow Pup carefully.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the little creature.
"That wasn't a normal monster cub. We will talk about this later."
Snow Pup blinked its icy-blue eyes.
"Yip."
Balen slowly exhaled.
"This mission was a total disaster. We're going back to the city. Now."
No one argued.
They all knew how close they had come to dying.
What was supposed to be a simple herb-gathering mission and a hunt against Common Beasts had turned into a near-death experience.
Balen's face remained calm on the surface, mainly to reassure Aris and her friends.
But deep inside, he was filled with anger. Someone had given him false information. Someone had deliberately sent them into danger.
Who dared to plot against me and my students? I must report this to the Guild Leader.
Those were the thoughts running through Balen's mind.
❝Today was supposed to be the first real test for Aris and her friends.
A test they were destined to fail.
But an unexpected factor had changed their fate. Because of this small miscalculation, a huge tree would eventually fall.
But they would have to wait until that moment came.❞
***
If you're enjoying the story, please consider adding it to your collection and leaving a Power Stone.