Max looked at his watch. The group was almost an hour late and it was because of one person.

He sighed, pacing around quietly.

They all could have gone on their own but if the Alliance administration found out, they could have his head for failing to meet up to the requirements.

And also he could lose some points from his rank.

Heavy footsteps resounded behind him until they came to a stop.

Without turning around, Max recognized the person.

"Matchet, please be a bit more patient. The kid said he is on his way." Max spoke.

After a while, the heavy footsteps came again but this time, they were receding.

Max's ears moved and he raised his gaze. There was someone running towards the group.

When he recognized the person, he rose to his feet.

"Everyone, get ready. We move now." Max informed the team, and then he went to converse with the security at the gate.

Reith skidded to a stop behind the group and he donned his hoodie, blending into the crowd.

It was a good thing he had previously packed his backpack. Most of the contents were food and spare clothes.

The group began moving, and they passed through the gates.

Reith fed his eyes on the surrounding. This was the first time he had gone outside of the city, and there was a slight excitement in his body.

He could not wait to start his practice. Control of the lightning whip strike's power was needed so he would not kill a person by mistake.

Some men were already chatting by the side and making friends.

In front of the group and leading were Max and Cassia. Matchet and Tia stayed behind the group.

Reith looked around and wondered where the fifth guy could be.

The group walked between tall trees on a trampled path. The path was formed because countless people had passed through it.

Reith caught something move on the trees. It looked like an afterimage, and the next moment it was gone.

Not wanting to draw any attention to himself, he ignored it and kept moving.

The group was a lot larger than it was at the Alliance but no one seemed to notice it.

They kept moving and those that could not talk anymore remained quiet.

This would be a long walk so they needed to reserve their strength.

Someone was watching Reith, and he felt it deep in his bones.

Such attention made his skin crawl but he knew no one would do anything in such a group.

The sun came out soon enough and Max's voice reached the rest of them.

"The outskirts is open to a lot of monsters. Any one you kill, feel free to claim the resources alone."

At his words, the eyes of many instantly sparkled.

This was the part they were waiting for.

Reith thought about it. "I didn't bring any bag to gather resources," he said with a hint of regret.

If he could find something good, maybe Howard would be willing to buy it from him.

"I have a spare bag." Someone close to him whispered.

Reith raised his brow when he looked at the person. It was a short girl but the surprising part was that his voice had been low when he spoke.

"Uhm… thank you but it's fine. I don't think I'd be involved in killing beasts." He politely declined.

The girl did not say anything and merely looked ahead.

The sun was scorching, and the roars of various monsters echoed from different parts of the forest.

The reason why most of the group members were afraid of this part of the forest was because of the dangerous monsters that had grown accustomed to the dense mana in this place.

Beasts found it easier to cultivate with hana energy than humans, and it made most of them stronger than their human counterparts. Unlike humans that needed cultivation paths and emblems to assist them with harnessing and collecting hana, a beast could do that through the pores of its skin.

A beast could harness hana energy to the extent of evolving into intelligent beasts.

Intelligent beasts were sought by summon cultivators. Summon cultivators were people who had chosen not to use techniques but had given up their cultivation just to raise monsters.

Reith chuckled to himself when he remembered there was one organization who propagated the fact that humans should never harm the beasts.

"Extremists." The word left his mouth before he could stop it.

He could not remember their name but he had heard this story from his grandfather.

These people wanted to take over regions and pass out bad rules.

Some factions of this organization even worshiped the beasts.

Did they know that a majority of these beasts fed on human flesh?

"A lot of people can be extremists in their own way." The short girl came again.

Reith looked at her. Did she want to get in a conversation so bad?

He would engage her then.

"A problem with most extremists is that they tend to harm the lives of others," Reith said, taking a side glance at her.

He waited for a while but she remained quiet, causing a vein to pop in his head.

If you wanted to give me a silent treatment, why speak in the first place?

He wanted to say something else but Max's yell came from the front.

"Hold your weapons! We are under attack."

Right after, Matchet and Tia instantly moved.

"Form two circles. Those with weapons should form the first circle. All healers and supporters form the inner circle."

At the sound of Max's commands, everyone followed instantly.

Reith inserted himself in the space of the first circle, holding his staff.

He clenched his trembling fingers. There was no time to practice using the weapons yesterday, but despite it, he would still fight.

The short girl made her way behind him and she got ready also.

The leaves and bushes around the group rustled aggressively.

It was a benefit that the path was quite wide so the men had enough space to fight.

Reith moved his gaze and realized that the eye-patched man was also among the people who were in the inner circle.

"Is he part of the support too? But why does he have a sword by his waist?" Reith muttered but there was no time to think about it.

A number of beasts leapt out of the forest.

"We have terrible luck!" Someone yelled in the group.

"Why did it have to be Wolfurns?" Another person cried out.

Despite the cries and the fears that seemed to pass through their very bones, the men still held their ground.

Wolfurns.

Flesh-eating wolf-like beasts that had claws the size of a human's fist. They had a tail that split into two, three, and sometimes even more depending on their level. The ones with tails had reached a certain level of growth, and as they evolved, their tails grew.

The Wolfurns never hunted alone. One Wolfurn was very dangerous for an average human.

Now under this bright sunlight, these Wolfurns numbered around twelve.

Reith's eyes darted around, counting each of them. Most of them had no tails which meant they could be handled easily.

But a Wolfurn pack numbered thirty and above. The fact that there were only twelve present was not something to be taken lightly.

What mattered was not their strength, but the speed at which they could subdue this pack.

"Maintain your positions." Max barked and he unsheathed his sword. "Supporters, buff the men before you, and healers be at alert. We don't have to waste time here. This is just the first wave of beasts. I'm sure there are more incoming."

Max was saying the truth.

The only reason these people had met only twelve Wolfurns meant that these beasts would definitely be the fodder of the pack.

It was obvious because some of them even lacked tails.

Cassia looked up by Max's side. "The big Wolfurn has a flame element… This isn't normal. We have to hurry up, Max. Minx just informed me that the disruption has caused the movement of stronger beasts."

Max nodded. There was no way he would let all this affect his rank increase.

"I and Cassia will take the leader. Just ensure you move forward and charge at the lesser ones. Matchet and Tia will deliver final blows. I'm sorry but we will not wait to share resources. The goal here is to survive."

The men gripped their swords and the first circle charged forth.

A howl resounded in the air, and the Wolfurns charged forward with brutality and speed.

They could sense the dense hana erupting from the humans in front of them. It was just what they needed to breakthrough.

So they moved with wild hunger.

A Wolfurn darted forward, faster than an arrow, its jaws snapping as it lunged for one of the fighters.

But the man was quick enough to move. Slamming his sword into the leg of the Wolfurn, the man injured it.

"Leave it to me." Matchet bellowed from the side. He leapt to the sky and brought down his three hundred kilogram hammer on the head of the Wolfurn.

Bam!

The head exploded into bits.

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