Chapter 97

It was the second day of the year, January 2nd, in the year 3013 of the Tria calendar.

Yesterday, on January 1st, Beatrice started living with us, and we helped her move in.

Although she was basically a resident adventurer, she didn't have much luggage. However, since she had stayed at the same inn for over ten years, there was more than enough for her to carry alone.

The three of us helped, and by the afternoon of New Year's Day, all the luggage was moved in.

We still needed to buy some personal tableware, but for the time being, we planned to use the guest set.

One of the good things about living together was that we could easily decide when to enter the forest. The inn where Beatrice stayed was close to the Adventurer's Guild, over a kilometer away from our house. On days with uncertain weather, when it looked like it might rain, we had to go to the inn to communicate. Now, we could make adjustments over breakfast, which was much more convenient.

We planned to enter the forest early this morning.

Although it was January, the weather had been clear for the past few days, and there was no snow. Compared to Rasmoor Village, the cold here was milder, and according to Beatrice, who had lived here for about fifteen years, the snow only accumulated from mid-January to mid-February, which didn't significantly hinder entering the forest. However, the situation changed when we crossed the forest and reached the Saewum Mountains. The strong cold winds from the mountains mixed with snow, requiring very strict cold-weather gear.

Today's target was the black panther.

This time, we accepted an emergency extermination request from the guild.

Although it shares the same name as the black panther on Earth, it is a completely different creature.

The black fur and agile body are similar, but the size and attack power are entirely different.

The black panther here has a body length of about three meters, excluding the tail, and is about twice the size of a tiger on Earth. Its sharp, long claws are powerful enough to tear through metal armor, and it is skilled at concealing its presence. Despite its massive size, it is adept at ambushes from trees and grass, and a party of five or six can easily be wiped out if they let their guard down. For this reason, it is classified as a level four monster.

The guild issued an emergency request because the black panther, which usually stays in the mountains, appeared near the city. On New Year's Day, it entered the northern district, and although no one was killed, two residents were seriously injured.

As an emergency request, all adventurers of level six and above who showed up at the guild were dispatched. Since it was the second day of the new year, not many level six and above adventurers were available, so the request was also sent to level three and above adventurers in the city. Our party, which included Beatrice, was also called upon.

This time, in addition to our party, six other parties participated, with over thirty adventurers working together.

The overall command was to be handled by Gerald, a level two adventurer, and his party was to be the main force. However, since the black panther is skilled at concealing its presence, the plan was for each party to disperse and search, with the main force, Gerald and his team, rushing to the scene.

Gerald is a veteran swordsman in his forties who uses the same bastard sword as I do.

His well-tanned face bears a large scar, giving him a menacing aura, but when he talks, he shows a charming and likable smile. He is not particularly well-built, but according to Beatrice, he is a well-balanced swordsman in terms of speed and power. In terms of type, he might be similar to my grandfather, Gowen Rockheart.

His party consists of four other level three adventurers: a swordsman, a spearman, an archer (who is also a healer), and a magician, making a well-balanced team of five.

I had never spoken to Gerald directly, but I was quite looking forward to working with him on this request.

When Gerald spotted Beatrice, he came over to us.

"Beatrice's party, come with us. Since you have three magicians, we're counting on you for long-range support."

He didn't say anything special when he saw me and Sharon, treating us as adults.

Surprised, I asked, "Is it okay to have kids like us along?"

"You're level six, right? Then you're full-fledged adventurers. Besides, your magic skills are certified by the academy. Show us the strength that got you to level six in a month, 'Dark Mage of True Darkness.'"

When called by that nickname, I made a visibly unpleasant face, and Gerald burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Sorry, I didn't expect you to react so strongly. Anyway, nice to meet you, 'Rider of the Tigress.' Hehehe..."

I was taken aback by that vulgar nickname.

I thought it was out of jealousy from those who had a crush on Beatrice, but I couldn't help but comment in my mind.

(...Hey, what's with the 'rider' thing? We haven't even ridden or been ridden yet...)

Gerald seemed to have no malice and had a straightforward personality, so I didn't feel any ill will from being teased. However, Beatrice reacted strongly to the nickname.

"What do you mean by that, Gerald? Depending on the situation, I can't just laugh it off."

Beatrice glared at Gerald with a murderous intent and pointed her spear at his throat. Gerald raised his hands in surrender, laughing.

"I'm just showing respect to the hero who 'tamed' you. Consider it the envy of an unpopular man."

Beatrice was about to say something, so I spoke up first.

"I don't mind what's said about me, but I can't let insults against Beatrice go. Apologize to her."

As I said this, I began to gather elemental power. The magician from Gerald's party, who was standing behind him, quickly intervened.

"Kid, don't try to cast a spell here... Gerald, this kid is serious. You always say too much. Apologize quickly... Kid, stop gathering magic power!"

I ignored the magician and continued to chant the spell.

"O god of fire, ruler of flames, with your mighty servants, the spirits of fire..."

Gerald said, "Alright, alright. Sorry. I apologize," and bowed his head.

I stopped chanting and released the gathered elemental power.

"Still, you're a lot more serious than you look. I didn't expect you to try to cast a spell here. If Rufus hadn't noticed, you might have been charred black."

Rufus, the magician, continued to nag, "You really do say too much. This kid is a genius with all attributes. Think before you act..."

I bowed my head and said, "I'm sorry. I got carried away."

Of course, I wasn't really angry or planning to cast a spell. I just took the initiative because Beatrice was genuinely upset. Beatrice, following my plan, lowered her spear with a deflated look.

Gerald scratched his head and said,

"Well, I said too much. Sorry, Beatrice. I got a bit carried away."

Beatrice turned away, saying, "As long as you understand," but her face was slightly red, as if she was blushing.

"Still, kid, or rather, Zack, you're not as naive as you look. You took the initiative before Beatrice exploded, didn't you?"

"No, I was serious. Whether it would work against a level two like Gerald or not, I was planning to cast a Hellfire Spear."

I said this with a serious expression and then laughed.

"I don't want to start off on the wrong foot since we're working together on this request."

Gerald's eyes widened for a moment when he heard about the Hellfire Spear, but he laughed along with me.

He patted my shoulder and said,

"You're an interesting guy. I finally understand why Beatrice wanted to form a party with you."

He smiled at Beatrice, and the atmosphere relaxed. I felt relieved that we could work well with Gerald's party.

Around 9:00 AM, we set out from the Adventurer's Guild and headed towards the northern district.

Based on eyewitness accounts, we estimated where the black panther might be hiding and entered the forest.

Gerald's party led the way, followed by me, Sharon, Ridi, and Beatrice. Despite being a winter forest, the dense shrubs and thick trees made visibility poor. However, the leaves of the deciduous trees had fallen, allowing more sunlight to penetrate, making it brighter than in summer or autumn.

We walked through the forest, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings.

The other five parties were also nearby, but their progress varied depending on the forest conditions, so we didn't know exactly where they were. Ideally, our party, the main force, should be at the center of the search grid.

Each party was equipped with a whistle for communication. The party that spotted the black panther would blow the whistle to signal and buy time, while the other parties would rush to the sound of the whistle.

The cold wind blew through the forest, but after an hour of walking, we started to sweat. We took a short break to confirm the search area and check the rough map.

Gerald said, "No tracks. We're near the estimated position, but what should we do?" Just then, a high-pitched whistle sounded from the southwest.

The direction was clear, and it didn't seem too far away.

Gerald sharply commanded, "Let's go!" and we immediately followed him.

The whistle sounded intermittently, but it was hard to pinpoint the direction due to the echoes in the forest. The veterans, like me, stopped multiple times to confirm the direction.

After about ten minutes of running, the whistle suddenly stopped.

We continued running in the direction it had been coming from.

Sharon and I, who lacked stamina, were out of breath, but we pushed ourselves to reach the scene as quickly as possible.

We arrived at the scene a few minutes later.

All that remained were the gruesome bodies of five adventurers.

The five bodies were torn apart, their leather armor shredded, and all had their carotid arteries severed. The air was filled with the iron-like smell of blood.

"Damn! Even these guys couldn't handle it... They were level six, but they were pretty capable..."

Gerald muttered, "Be on guard! It's probably still nearby!" and ordered us to be vigilant.

I looked at the five victims.

(They're in their mid-twenties. Two swordsmen, two archers, and one spearman... They were completely ambushed. The archers' bows are broken, so they didn't even have time to draw their swords... The claws are incredibly sharp, cutting through leather armor like paper...)

We slowly moved forward in a formation with the vanguard surrounding the rearguard, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings.

I tried to sense any presence but felt nothing.

Ridi, Beatrice, and Gerald were also searching but couldn't sense anything either.

"It's probably moved away. We'll leave the bodies for later and wait for the other parties to arrive."

I was concerned about the dispersed forces.

When I asked Beatrice about it, she said,

"Indeed, it's not a good situation. The others will probably gather here and discuss the next steps."

The other parties should be arriving soon, having heard the whistle. Just as I thought, the whistle sounded again, this time from the northwest and quite close.

Gerald's "Let's go!" signaled everyone to head in that direction. As I ran, I thought about the black panther's movements.

(Clearly, we're on the back foot. More than that, the enemy's movements don't seem like a monster's. It looks like it's killing for the sake of killing. Or maybe it planned to come back and eat later?)

After about five minutes of running, screams mixed with the whistle.

We crossed a small hill and saw a massive black feline beast trying to slash a swordsman with its claws.

The swordsman tried to block with his sword, but the agile and powerful black panther blew him away.

Two swordsmen and one archer were already down, and the only remaining archer was nocking an arrow, looking for a chance to shoot.

Sharon, Ridi, and I started casting spells.

We all chose wind magic, with Sharon and I casting Swallow's Blade and Ridi casting Wind Blade.

Ridi's Wind Blade approached the black panther silently from behind. Just as I thought it would hit, the black panther jumped about two meters into the air, avoiding the spell without even looking back.

I heard Ridi exclaim, "No way!" but Sharon's and my Swallow's Blades were heading straight for the black panther. I cast another Swallow's Blade just in case.

My first spell hit near the black panther's hind legs, and Sharon's Swallow's Blade hit in the same area.

I mentally cheered, "Yes!" but was shocked to see that the black panther was completely unharmed.

Swallow's Blade is a spell that prioritizes speed and maneuverability, and while it doesn't have high attack power, it should be able to pierce even a bear's thick hide when it hits directly.

Yet, it did no damage to this black panther.

As I was shocked, the second magical swallow approached the black panther.

The black panther, already on the ground and on guard, turned to face us.

It tried to dodge my Swallow's Blade at the last moment, but my spell, with its tracking function, hit its face perfectly.

The black panther leaped up with a screech, clearly not expecting the spell to change direction. It growled loudly, having been caught off guard. It licked its nose with its red tongue and glared at me with a fierce, angry look.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

However, Gerald and Beatrice were already attacking the black panther.

The black panther, instinctively recognizing them as skilled opponents, didn't try to fight and instead tried to jump sideways into the forest.

At that moment, an arrow from the archer in Gerald's party pierced the black panther's right side. Even a level three adventurer's powerful bow couldn't be deflected.

Despite the shallow wound, the black panther's movement didn't change much as it fled into the forest. I cast a Fire Cannon to stop it.

The black panther noticed the spell but, judging that it wouldn't hit, didn't try to avoid it.

That was my plan.

The Fire Cannon hit a large rock in front of the black panther, exploding with a loud "Boom." The shock and flying flames made the black panther hesitate, and it stopped.

Ridi and Sharon didn't miss this opportunity.

Ridi, thinking that arrows would be more effective than magic, fired an arrow. Sharon, understanding my intention, cast an Air Hammer just as the black panther stopped.

Ridi's arrow hit the right hind leg, and Sharon's Air Hammer blew the black panther away.

The black panther twisted its body in mid-air and landed without falling.

However, this moment was fatal.

An ice spear from Rufus, the magician in Gerald's party, pierced the black panther's left shoulder.

The black panther still tried to flee into the forest. However, Beatrice, Gerald, and two members of his party had it in their attack range.

The injured black panther, having lost its agility, glared at Beatrice and the others with a hateful look before attacking.

It showed incredible burst speed, despite its injuries, and lunged at Beatrice.

Beatrice calmly stepped to the left to avoid it and struck with her spear as they passed each other. As it landed, Gerald and the others attacked, and the black panther fell, spitting blood.

In the end, I only cast spells and didn