Chapter 298: Double the Surprise

“Target found.”

In the dark, deep forest, Ariel lowered her body and crouched like a cheetah, using the dense shrubs to conceal her form.

She reined in her breath, sharp eyes locked on the spot not far ahead.

Beneath a large tree up ahead, a massive tiger-shaped magic beast covered in pitch-black markings had half its body tucked into a hollow, the other half exposed under starlight. Its huge head rested on its crossed forepaws, and it let out thunderous snores from time to time, seemingly in deep sleep.

“Roughly equivalent to an ordinary-class beast at early Third Rank. In this area it should be at the very top of the food chain, right? Not only the core—its claws, fangs, and hide should all fetch money.”

Her teacher’s voice sounded by Ariel’s ear.

“Well? Confident?”

“Feels a little troublesome.”

Ariel carefully took the beast’s measure and, by reflex, narrowed her eyes.

The grading for magic beasts is fairly crude, because these things don’t have cultivation realms in the first place. So people only split them into an ordinary class equivalent to warrior First–Third Rank, an Overlord-class equivalent to Fourth Rank, and a Dominion-class equivalent to Fifth Rank—

And above all beasts, with only four extant across the entire continent, bearing the title “Source of Destruction”... the Cataclysm-class.

When the Silent Moon attacked Belrand’s shadow, the sea demon Leviathan that appeared was one of those Cataclysms.

And at the time, even to briefly suppress Leviathan required several Crowned ones to join forces. Even so, with the moon’s projection falling as the final outcome of that battle, the sea demon Leviathan still retreated intact and to this day is who-knows-where stirring up the waves.

From this you can see that, at the same tier, beasts hold an overwhelming advantage against humans.

“Still manageable.”

Ariel curled her lip and muttered to herself:

“As long as it’s not Overlord-class, it still can’t really threaten me.”

“Then make it quick.”

“Mm.”

Ariel answered softly. The strength she’d been gathering snapped like an arrow off the string, and her thin body shot from the brush without resistance in an electric blur.

She hadn’t been hiding to ambush.

Because this beast was cautious—even asleep, it kept what looked like most of its vulnerable body tucked in the hollow.

No blind spot.

So she needed to accumulate power, break through from the front, and then...

Kill in one strike!

In an instant—

A violent gale threaded the woods. Countless evergreen leaves whirled down from the branches, forming a chaotic rain.

Then the rain was torn open. Ariel gripped a greatsword taller than she was, its blade swaddled in bandages, and with the force of a mountainside collapsing, she suddenly—smashed down!

“Roar!”

The beast jolted awake and reared up. Its cold tiger eyes reflected Ariel’s indifferent face. It fixed its gaze on the ant that dared intrude and burst with inexpressible fury.

It let out a deafening bellow. Beneath hair like steel needles, its corded muscles swelled in an instant. Limbs bent, ground cracked, and the black markings across its body began to blaze with a dazzling ghostly light.

Mana and a rank stench gathered together, enough to «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» tear almost anything apart.

But in the next moment...

The fury in the beast’s eyes turned to terror.

A length of the bandage faintly inscribed with runes slipped from Ariel’s greatsword, revealing a pitch-black edge.

It saw sparks leap to life—

Blazing fire.

Scalding fire.

Behind the greatsword, a long tail of flame streamed out, lighting the forest up like daytime.

This wasn’t a landslide—this was... a meteor fall!

The air in the woods let out a riven wail. Obviously a blunt sword with no sharpened edge, yet at this moment it displayed a keenness no less than a divine weapon.

Air was cut. Mana was cut. Markings were cut. Hide was cut...

And then flesh, bone, viscera...

Everything... was cut.

When Ariel gently let out a turbid breath and flicked the greatsword with casual flourish, the savage magic beast behind her... had already been neatly cleaved in two.

Blood rained down, nourishing the earth.

Having just put on a show, Ariel immediately pulled a bitter face and shook her head, whipping the blood off her hair.

“Stinks.”

“Who told you to keep showing off? There’s no one else here.”

“Hmph-hmph, being cool is an attitude, you know?”

Ariel set her hands on her hips.

“Master, you don’t get it. Places like this are prime for triggering a ‘hero saves the beauty in the wilds’ event. If my moves aren’t cool enough, how am I supposed to capture a maiden’s heart?”

“...Worry about getting your childhood sweetheart first,” Ariel’s master deadpanned.

“Heh-heh, that’s practically in the bag.”

Muttering with confidence, Ariel drew the small knife at her waist and began harvesting parts from the beast’s corpse.

She worked meticulously—claws, fangs, hide, core. If not for beast meat being inedible due to too many impurities, she’d probably haul the whole carcass back.

That way she wouldn’t have to keep eating black bread.

Unfortunately...

“But the hard days are about to end.”

Ariel pinched up the core, lifted it to the starlight for a careful look, and couldn’t help the excited smile on her face.

“I thought picking up that valuable pure core for free last night was just a lucky break, but I didn’t expect tonight’s haul to beat last night’s.”

“Added up bit by bit, this should come to two hundred thousand Aemiel.”

“With this two hundred thousand, I’ll buy materials in Ailierze, make magic scrolls, and resell them—two hundred thousand will double in no time!”

“That’ll be a full four hundred thousand!”

“By then, Liya is definitely going to be shocked by me!”

Ariel happily packed the materials away, and her eyes by chance skimmed the brilliant river of stars above.

“The southern night sky is prettier than Belrand’s, huh...”

She sighed, then as if thinking of something, her eyes sparkled.

“Ah, right—when there’s time, invite Liya to look at the stars together!”

“Pretty girls all like romantic stars. This is prime time to boost favorability!”

After indulging for a bit in the picture of herself and Liya, under that stunning galaxy, bodies and hearts drawing closer, Ariel felt a pleasant tingle run through her. The fatigue from a night of fighting vanished and strength flooded back in.

“Keep going?”

“Of course. There’s still a while till dawn—earn what I can.”

“As you like.”

Ariel’s master didn’t stop her.

Because this kind of all-night live combat is hugely beneficial for Ariel too.

“It’s just a pity there aren’t any really valuable beasts around here.”

Ariel moved on, sensing as she went and keeping alert, one hand behind her head as she sighed:

“Saving up bit by bit like this is really a grind.”

“Don’t relax too much. The more valuable the beast, the more dangerous it is.”

“Mm-mm, I know. I’m just griping.”

Ariel curled her lip. “But even that ridiculous Pink Bear said there weren’t any...”

The words cut off.

Her steps cut off.

In the forest, aside from the night wind and the whisper of leaves, everything suddenly went quiet.

A different atmosphere spread out.

“Ariel.” There was a thread of gravity in her master’s voice.

“I know.”

Ariel stared fixedly ahead, reached back, and gripped her hilt hard.

“I see it.”

Right up ahead.

Not far at all.

There, on a large rock laid bare under the faint starlight, starkly visible—

Sat... a fox.

Small of frame, ordinary of appearance.

Aside from the strange markings on its body, it looked like the most normal fox imaginable.

But...

“A magic beast.”

Her master’s voice sounded by her ear:

“Overlord-class.”

Ariel went on full alert.

“Weird. Didn’t that quirky, pervy bear say there weren’t beasts this strong? Did he lie to me?”

“No. I think... this has to do with that extremely pure core you dug out of that weak little beast last night.”

“In other words...”

“This is probably that little beast’s parent or something.”

Ariel’s master sighed.

“The purity of a magic beast’s core is influenced not only by the beast’s strength, but by its bloodline.”

“No wonder...”

Finally catching the bone-deep hatred in the fox-beast’s eyes as well, Ariel bared her teeth. “So am I lucky or unlucky?”

“Depends on your choice.”

Her master asked, “Well? Do you run?”

“Run...”

Ariel narrowed her eyes.

That really was the best option. With that Pink Bear around, as long as she ran back to camp, a mere Overlord-class beast wouldn’t be able to kick up any waves.

But...

For some reason, at that moment, an annoying face suddenly rang out in Ariel’s mind.

As much as she hated to admit it, that guy seemed like the type to push himself to the limit. If he were facing this, what would he choose?

“Master.”

“Mm?”

“What are my odds?”

“Forty percent.”

A pause.

“On paper.”

“On paper... huh?”

Staring at the beast’s aura growing ever more dangerous, the corner of Ariel’s mouth slowly hooked up—the signature, carefree, unruly smile that hadn’t appeared there in a long time surfaced once more.

“Master just said: the more valuable the beast, the more dangerous. The reverse should also hold, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s nothing to hesitate about.”

Ariel raised the Heavenfire Greatsword in her hand, pointed its tip at the beast, and grinned:

“Wait for me, Liya. This time, the surprise is going to be double!”

...

...

“Huh? H-how did I fall asleep?”

Fish-belly white crept up the horizon.

Liya opened her eyes from sleep. After a moment’s blankness, panic set in.

She remembered—last night, she’d accepted Muen’s invitation to look at the stars together.

Which meant...

Liya slowly turned her head.

On the grass, stirred by a soft breeze, the faint scent of green kept drifting into her nose, making her feel inexplicably drowsy.

And at the center of her vision, that blond man had one hand on his abdomen and the other under his head, eyes lightly closed, expression serene, as if in a sweet dream—his lips unconsciously traced a smile that made hearts sway.

“N-not a dream?”

Liya’s cheeks flushed at once. Seeing how close she and Muen had somehow ended up, she hugged her knees, ignored the grass bits on her freshly changed clothes, and hurriedly rolled several times.

A little farther away, with her back to Muen, her mood slowly steadied.

But her cheeks still burned.

“S-so weird... why did I agree to that kind of invitation?”

She’d clearly meant to refuse.

But somehow, she still went to look at the stars with him.

“Did I get hit by some strange magic?”

“But I have the Goddess’s Holy Light protection—most negative-effect spells shouldn’t work on me.”

“Even Ariel’s sleep spell doesn’t work.”

“Uu... so strange.”

There were still a few dim stars winking in the sky. The pure-hearted girl curled up, sinking into a rare confusion in her life.