Sunlight flickered through the canopy, dappling the undergrowth in gold and green. Faint sounds of passing mercenaries faded as the group pressed deeper into Whisperveil Hollow, where silence reigned.
Lydia led at a brisk pace, eyes scanning the moss-covered path ahead. The others followed behind her in loose formation. All their bags—filled with medical supplies, camp gear, and emergency rations—had been dumped on Lucien. He bore them in silence.
They were planning to finish the mission today, no rest, no camp. A clean operation.
At least, that was the plan.
Marcus cleared his throat, adjusting the sword at his hip as he stepped over a root. "Alright. Our target's a pack of Mirehowlers. Deep Beast rank. That puts them just about on par with a Peak Mortal."
Alex furrowed his brow. "Wait. I thought Deep Beasts were more like Upper Mortal level? Isn't Peak a bit of an overstatement?"
Lucien suppressed a sigh. Of course this idiot would ask that. Just an hour ago, Alex had been laughing at his boots. And now here he was, asking textbook questions on his first real hunt.
Disowned by his family for 'lack of talent'... looks like they had a point.
Mira giggled, shaking her head. "Abyssal creatures don't work like humans, Alex. They're born from raw abyssal energy. Same rank or not, they hit harder and last longer. If you want a fair fight, you need to be one rank above—or come in swinging with a team."
Kai grinned, slapping the flat of his greataxe over his shoulder. "You talk like someone who's seen them up close. I thought you just sat behind a desk pushing papers."
Mira smiled, a little sheepish. "I do both. I'm trying to qualify for the Royal Academy's mage program, but the entrance trials are brutal. I've been training, studying... now I need real field merit."
"Beauty and brains, huh?" Kai laughed. "Must be tough being a mage. Gotta pay for scrolls just to learn spells—what, a gold coin for one of the basics? No wonder you're stuck filing mission slips for rookies."
He gave a mock sigh. "Me, I just swing a big stick to feed my wife. Easy life."
From up front, Lydia's voice drifted back with dry amusement. "You absolute dog. You've got a wife and you're out here flirting?"
Kai chuckled, unbothered. "It's not flirting if everyone's laughing, is it?"
"Still shameless," Lydia called, shaking her head.
The group broke into light laughter. Even Mira grinned, cheeks a little pink.
Lucien, however, remained silent. He scanned the trees, eyes narrowed. Every chuckle grated on his nerves. They weren't alert. They weren't watching the perimeter.
And they clearly didn't have much real experience!
He adjusted the straps of the bags on his back, listening for movement that didn't belong.
These people aren't ready, he thought. If anything hits us from the trees, half of them won't even know what killed them.
Suddenly, Lydia raised her hand, halting the group.
"We're close."
The air shifted.
Conversations died.
Weapons slid from sheaths.
Lucien set the bags down without a sound and pulled his coat aside just enough to touch the grip of his "borrowed" sword. It wasn't worth more than three silver coins, but it was enough to slay low-tier abyssal creatures—those in the Beast rank.
Anything stronger, though, and plain steel wouldn't do. Once a creature's body started channeling abyssal energy, you'd need runes or higher-grade metal just to land a kill.
As for Elara's bullet? He wasn't using that—not yet. That was his trump card, his life insurance. And the last thing he needed was anyone seeing it.
They moved forward, quieter now, each footstep deliberate.
Then they saw them.
Up ahead, half-concealed in the treetops, lounged a pack of Mirehowlers. About ten in total. Gangly, monkey-like creatures with mottled green fur, arms twice the length of their legs, and long claws that glinted in the dappled light. Their eyes were wide and unblinking, like glass orbs filled with dark fluid.
One scratched its chest. Another hung lazily from a branch by its tail.
A shriek split the stillness.
One Mirehowler jerked its head up from the trees, jaw stretching unnaturally wide as it let out another piercing cry.
The rest stirred at once, some crawling across branches like grotesque monkeys, others crouching low, muscles tensed. Their eyes, black and glassy, locked onto the group.
Predators. Watching prey.
"Shit," Kai muttered, lifting his greataxe. "That one saw us. Woke up the whole damn pack."
"They hunt in groups," Mira said quietly, taking a cautious step back. Her hands were already glowing faintly with abyssal light. "They'll surround us if we stand still."
"Hold your ground," Marcus barked, stepping ahead of the group, sword raised. "Protect Alex and Mira. Lydia, Kai, flank and push. Don't wait for them to come down. Move!"
His voice trembled at the edges, though he tried to hide it behind command.
Lucien stood at the center, unmoving.
Calm. Watching.
He hadn't drawn his sword yet.
Alex noticed and scoffed. "Oh, for the love of... are you just going to stand there looking cool, or do you actually know how to use that thing?"
He struck a pose with his bow, trying to look battle-ready, but his fingers were stiff with nerves.
Lucien didn't reply.
His eyes were scanning the creatures, watching their movements with unsettling stillness.
Most were Deep Beast rank. Dangerous, but predictable. Two of them shimmered differently. He could feel it—thicker, darker, like oil floating on water.
Abyssal Beast rank. That wasn't normal. Something was off.
Why hadn't they attacked already?
"You deaf or something?" Alex snapped again, voice rising with frustration. "We're about to get swarmed and you're just—what, meditating?"
Lucien didn't blink. "They're waiting."
"What?"
"They should've rushed us the moment they spotted us. But they didn't."
Alex hesitated, caught between annoyance and sudden uncertainty. "So?"
"They have a leader."
Marcus turned slightly. "A what now?"
Lucien nodded toward a dark hollow between the roots of a massive tree.
"There."
The ground shifted.
A hulking form rose from the shadow, slow and deliberate. Mud sloughed off its thick fur in clumps as it unfurled its limbs. Its claws scraped along a nearby trunk, carving deep grooves into the bark. Its eyes glowed faintly green in the filtered light, locked on Marcus.
Mira took a step back. "That one... that's not normal."
"No," Kai said, voice low. "That's the big one."
Lucien narrowed his gaze. "Surface Tainted rank."
The alpha Mirehowler let out a roar. It was higher-pitched than expected, sharp and metallic, like something broken trying to scream.
The entire pack answered in unison.
Then they leapt.
"Incoming!" Marcus shouted.
And the battle began.
***
*POWER SYSTEM*
For humans:
Mortal(Rank 0) → Initiate → Adept → Master → Sage → Heavenly → Immortal → Divine(Rank 7)
Each tier divided into: Initial → Middle → Upper → Peak
For abyssal creatures:
Beast(Rank 0) → Tainted → Hollow → Fallen → Abomination → Eldritch → Unspeakable → Unfathomable(Rank 7)
Each stage split into: Surface → Shallow → Deep → Abyssal.