—BOOOOOM!
The thought of bolting out of sheer embarrassment barely formed in my head when the rocky wall beside us exploded into a storm of debris. The sound rattled through the cavern and shards of stone whistled through the air like bullets. Before I could even raise my arms to shield my face, shimmering light flared around us as a translucent dome of mana snapping into place just in time.
The bodyguards stood there behind the barrier. Lucky for me, standing close enough to Miranda meant I was inside it too. The air hummed with faint mana, and through the thick smoke of the blast, I could see shifting shadows moving beyond the crater.
Whatever had attacked us wasn't human. That much I could tell instantly. The silhouettes were wrong. Too bulky. Too animalistic.
Miranda already had her bow drawn ready to strike. Her friends followed her lead, their rings flashing as they activated their 'Cladding'. A shimmer of light coated them head to toe, transforming plain travel clothes into gleaming armor.
If envy could kill, I'd be a corpse on the ground.
How I wish I had something like that...
If I'd stayed at the Falkrona mansion, I could've easily bought one.
I should've grabbed some money before storming off.
…What an idiot.
[
'I did turn his body into this athletic masterpiece. I deserve some form of compensation.'
[
'Thanks for the encouragement, useless goddess.'
Cursing under my breath, I gripped my short sword tighter. The metallic tang of mana residue in the air made every breath feel heavy. Everyone's attention locked onto the figures hidden in the smoke, waiting for the first move.
Then, there it was.
Movement.
"Scanner," I said, my voice overlapping with the others'.
A faint blue glow flickered over our eyes as the results appeared in our vision.
~~~
[Boxing-Kangaroo]
– Rank: ☆☆☆
– Hybrid Mana Beast
– Weak Point: Pouch
~~~
Damn it. This was bad.
Not for them, of course. For me.
Miranda could probably take one down with her eyes closed, but the problem was numbers ...five of them. And the one leading the pack...
~~~
[Boxing-Kangaroo]
–Rank: ☆☆☆☆
–Natural Mana Beast
–Weak Point: Pouch
~~~
Four stars. Great.
A natural mana beast meant it wasn't just violent by instinct, it knew how to fight. And under normal circumstances, that might've been fine… if it didn't have four muscle-headed hybrid buddies backing it up.
A sudden gust sliced past my shoulder, something fast and deadly flew forward.
Miranda.
She'd already moved, using mana acceleration to cross the space in a blur. Her arrow whistled straight for the leader's chest.
The beast responded instantly. With a blur of motion, it raised one massive fist and punched the air.
The resulting shockwave detonated the arrow midflight.
"…You've got to be kidding me," I muttered.
A boxing kangaroo. Literal interpretation, apparently.
Miranda's eyes narrowed. "Fight the other three. We'll handle the four-star."
"Lady Miranda, we can't—"
"That's an order."
Her tone was final. The guards exchanged grim looks but obeyed, breaking off toward the lesser beasts as Miranda and her group advanced on the leader.
That left me standing there, sword in hand, brain trying to process just how screwed I might be.
"Hey, kid."
"Y–Yeah?"
The voice came from the guy Miranda had brutally rejected earlier. A tall man in his mid-twenties, dressed sharp in a black suit and shades. Shades. In a dark cave. Because apparently, logic had taken the day off.
"You can fight?" He asked, pointing at me.
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"That your weapon?" He pointed at my short sword.
"Yeah."
He stared for a heartbeat longer, gave a slow exhale, then smirked. "If you ever find yourself in danger, scream. We'll save you, princess."
"..."
"Ahaaha, that was a good one, David!" One of them laughed.
"Yes, excellent joke, boss!" Another chimed in.
"As expected of boss!"
"Our leader!"
"My boss, for you!"
My grip on the sword tightened as my patience thinned. A vein pulsed in my forehead like it was preparing for war.
Were these guys seriously bodyguards?!
"It's coming!"
David's sharp shout snapped everyone out of their ridiculous laughter. The sound ricocheted around the cave, pulling us back into the moment. Every guard tensed instantly, scanning the darkness as the echoes of approaching footsteps rumbled closer.
"Remember," David shouted. "No elemental or large-scale attacks! We're underground. One wrong move and this whole ceiling'll come down on us!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
At least someone understood the basics of survival in a closed environment. As far as battlefields went, this wasn't ideal. The air was tight, heavy with moisture and mana residue, and the only way out was through a narrow tunnel behind us. No point running. We'd have to fight smart or die messy.
The bodyguards moved in sync, each picking their target. Except David who went straight for one of the beasts himself, blade flashing. The other four split off, their movements sharply coordinated, steel meeting claws. The clangs of metal mixed with the low snarls of the kangaroos, creating a raw, chaotic noise.
The creatures were terrifyingly fast. Each one towered over a man, their thick tails balancing them as they lunged and kicked. But the guards met their attacks head-on, unfazed. David, though made it look easy. His sword sang through the air, carving several clean cuts across his opponent's hide before the beast even realized it was losing.
He could've probably taken on the leader with Miranda.
High-pitched shrieks echoed across the cave being the wounded kangaroo's cries. David pressed the advantage, blade in hand, eyes gleaming in the glow of the guards' Cladding light. Around them, sparks of mana rippled like fireflies amidst the dust and smoke.
I turned my attention toward Miranda's group. They were holding up perfectly against the four-star beast. Every movement flowed fluidly: covering blind spots, intercepting blows, countering without words. It was obvious that this wasn't their first team battle.
For a moment, I thought the tide had turned. Everything looked under control.
Until it wasn't.
"YIPEEEEEEE!"
The shriek that followed nearly split my eardrums. The sound wasn't from Miranda's direction. It was behind me.
"What the—"
I turned just in time to see a massive shape lunging out of the shadows. The air pressure hit my face before my brain even caught up.
[
Cleenah's voice rang in my head just as I froze. Adrenaline shot through me, but my body hesitated a split second too long.
"Brat! What are you doing?!" David's voice came faintly through the chaos.
[
The kangaroo's claws were already in motion. I saw everything stretch into horrifying slow motion. The beast's muscled arm swinging down, claws gleaming with mana.
-Spurt!
"Ughh!"
The impact was brutal. The blow crushed into my stomach with enough force to hurl me across the cavern. The sound of my body hitting stone came a second later followed by pain so vivid I saw nothing but red.
"Aghh—!"
I tasted blood, felt it trickling from my lips, my nose, my ears, everywhere. The meaty scent of iron filled the air.
F-Fuck… that hurts…
Every nerve in my body screamed. Tears of pain blurred my sight as I trembled, struggling to breathe through the stupid mask glued to my face.
[
Cleenah's voice faded into static.
My body refused to move.
Great job, me… staring at a monster like it's that Game's cutscene. Should've brought a controller to finish the experience.
Through the haze, I laughed weakly to myself. I'd been through worse as the Death Pact had felt worse, anyway but that didn't make this any less unbearable.
My lungs burned. My eyelids grew heavy.
"Ah…"
The edges of my vision darkened. I couldn't even breathe properly; the damn mask felt like it was suffocating me.
"Hang on!"
A voice. Faint, urgent. Close.
"Ah…?"
"Drink!"
-Crack!
Cold air hit my mouth as something hard shattered my mask. Then, liquid poured down my throat. Reflexively, I swallowed.
Gulp.
Almost instantly, warmth spread through my body, flooding my chest and burning through the broken pain. The agony dimmed to a numb ache, like hot water soothing an old scar.
Whoever it was, they must have broken the mask deliberately to get me to drink the potion. Honestly, fair. I'd glued that stupid thing on just to avoid some cliché 'mask reveal' moment like every other novel out there. Guess life had other plans.
At least I could breathe now.
Still, I was exhausted. Every bone in my body screamed for rest.
Maybe they can hand me a sleeping pill next…
[
Ah, right. The useless goddess. Always knows what to say when I'm dying.
"...!"
A sudden spark ripped through my body like lightning, shocking my nerves back to life. My chest convulsed with a gasp.
"AHHH!"
I dragged in air violently, coughing, lungs screaming as they remembered how to work again.
"Hey! Are you alright?!"
That voice...
I forced my eyelids open, blinking through the blur. And there framed by the faint green glow of mana were a pair of bright tangerine eyes staring straight into mine.
Miranda.
Wait—what the hell was she doing?
"Hey! Can you see me?! Look at me!"
Though she demanded my attention, my gaze wasn't on her. It was fixed on what was behind her. A towering beast charging straight for her back.
Panic clawed through me. I didn't think. I reached out, arm trembling, and shoved at her shoulder with everything I had left.
"He—!?"
-BAM!
A massive tail sliced through the air where she had just been.
-Thud!
The impact slammed into the cavern floor, shaking dust down from the ceiling. My body, finally free from the wall, crumpled to my knees. Each breath sawed through my throat, raw and ragged, but I was alive. Barely.
-Yipe!!
The beast shrieked again!!
Fuck Kangaroos!
Its monstrous frame looming over me. Its claws flexed, leg coiling up for another strike.
[
Shit!
I tried to roll, but my body screamed in protest, muscles locking.
The attack was already coming—
-Whooosh!
-BOOOM!
The air erupted before the blow could land. A green arrow, sharp as lightning and carrying a hurricane behind it, slammed into the beast's torso. The shockwave sent both it and me tumbling apart.
My palms scraped harsh stone as I pushed myself upright again. My vision spun, but through the haze, I saw her.
Miranda.
Her dark-green hair whipped messily around her face, her bow half-drawn already. She stepped forward instead of retreating. Every breath, every angle of her stance radiated precision.
Watching her fight was mesmerising. No wonder Edward had once called her beautiful with a bow. He might have been an arrogant jerk—but even jerks could tell the truth once in a while.
She loosed another arrow. Then another. Each one struck the pouch, the kangaroo's weak point, pinpoint accuracy even while dodging close-range blows that could crush bone. Her movements were quick, fluid, full of grace.
Still, I could see the disadvantage. A long-range fighter pinned in close quarters, with no room to unleash her elemental attacks. The very thing that gave her an edge. She wasn't holding back because she couldn't win. She was holding back to keep everyone else alive.
And it was costing her ground. The beast was pressing in, claws scraping the dirt, eyes gleaming with animal fury.
I looked around desperately. Miranda's teammates were still tangled with the other four-star kangaroo, unable to break free. Two of the bodyguards—motionless near the wall. My gut twisted; that thing that hit me must've gone through them next.
The last three stood with David, swords flashing in the dim mana light as they barely held back the four three-star beasts. They kept glancing Miranda's way whenever they could, worried, distracted.
We were losing control of the battlefield.
[
"What?!" I snapped through clenched teeth, more out of anxiety than anger.
[
"Cleenah, this is not—"
[
Her voice cut through my protest leaving me at loss of words.
I gritted my teeth hard enough to taste blood. "The Goddess of Beauty," I groaned.
I wiped the blood from my lips with a shaking hand, forcing myself to stand despite the pain. My legs shook as I fixed my gaze on the battlefield.
"…and the Goddess-Queen reigning over Banshees."