Mera snapped the reins of her horse, feeling a bit tense. Her hands gripped so tightly on the handle. She had only recently learned how to actually ride a horse, and now she was galloping through the dirt road. The speed was a bit too much for her, but that was the point. For her to get used to it. Right now, she was following Vernon, riding on his own horse ahead of her.

Mera wore metal plated armor, dark pants with metal platings, and dark boots. Her blue hair was tied in a ponytail. They were outside the capital, and heading to a particular forest not far from it. And it was only to be the two of them, they were here for a personal reason after all.

It was time for Mera to get into an actual fight. Or to be specific, against a monster. However, from what Vernon said, they would not be targeting something too powerful. Which was to Mera's great relief. In fact, she didn't know what to really expect. But she was feeling incredibly anxious, afraid. She had never done something such as fighting a monster, even more so killing one.

Mera looked around at the beautiful green landscape. It had a different feeling to it now she was riding on her own steed. Somehow, looking at the green grasses, the tiny flowers, and the tall beautiful trees, felt a bit more special. It was peaceful here. At least, for the time being.

The places beyond the capital region couldn't have the luxury of admiring the peace while under siege of the empire. There were also a few people passing by, either walking or by carriage. Furthermore, there was nothing to worry about the bandits anymore. The recent bandit purge basically wiped out the local bandits, and perhaps also drove away the others.

There had been way fewer records of people being robbed on the road. At least there was less problem to deal with, aside from the encroaching invasion.

Vernon turned into a more narrow path, and Mera quickly pulled the reins to the side to turn her steed. Their horses jogged through the forest. As Mera looked around, she saw some small animals on the ground and trees. But so far, there was no monster.

A moment later, Vernon pulled up to the side and got off his horse. Mera followed suit.

"This place is suitable," Vernon said.

They tied up the horses to the trees. Vernon double checked his combat gear to make sure they were secure.

"Be prepared for anything, Mera."

"Y-Yes."

"Don't be so nervous. The monsters here should be ones you can defeat."

Not exactly a comfort.

Facing a monster was the main cause of her nervousness rather than actually whether she could defeat one or not. Because at least, if things go wrong, Vernon would be there to help. The idea of just facing a monster was frightening enough. Mera took a deep breath, pushing away the fear. But that only slightly helped.

"Just remember that you'll have to kill whatever monster you may face. No hesitation."

"I understand."

"They're not animals. You can't pet them or anything."

Mera frowned. "I understand that, sir Vernon. It's not like I ever had pets."

Mera had heard that there were just monsters that looked adorable, or kind of normal. Ones that didn't look far from normal animals. People that were foolish might try to pet them, or hesitate to eliminate them. But Mera didn't think she was that type of person. She knew when an enemy was an enemy.

Vernon raised an eyebrow. "We will see."

She understood that Vernon wouldn't take her word for it. It was something that she needed to prove. She had already made the conviction to do whatever was necessary. Killing monsters was unlike killing people in the first place. Therefore, this was nothing compared to the real deal.

Vernon started walking into the forest, and Mera rushed to follow by his side. Mera looked around at the trees, sounds of insects and birds echoed throughout the area. The trees rustled amidst the passing of the cold breeze. The rays of the sun pierced through the gaps of the shades.

She saw lizards, there was even a deer. So far, only normal animals. Truth be told, she was a bit anxious just by looking around. Where she might suddenly see an ugly-looking creature looking at her from the shadows.

"What kind of monster do you intend we face, sir Vernon?"

"I don't have a pick. Just anything."

"Uh-huh." Mera warily looked around, looking out for any monster. She didn't want surprises right now. "How strong are the monsters here, exactly?" She just wanted to know what to expect.

"Adventurers are sent here instead of knights."

"Uh, what does that mean, exactly?" Mera was not really that familiar about adventurers. As far as she was aware, they were just people that were commissioned to do various work. But how strong they were, she was ignorant about it.

"Meaning the monsters aren't strong enough to warrant the presence of a knight. Average adventurers can take care of the monsters here just fine."

"Average adventurers are weaker than knights?" At least for knights she had a rough idea of their strengths.

"Yes. So you should do well enough. As you are an aristocrat, you are naturally stronger than average adventurers."

Indeed, but still, she lacked something important — experience. She knew how to fight after the training with Vernon. But even then, it was not like she was very skilled at it. She could not even give Vernon a proper fight yet. And furthermore, a spar was way different from any actual fight.

"You were an adventurer, right, sir Vernon? But you are very strong, on a par with our elite knights."

"It would appear so."

"How did you obtain such strength?"

"I trained hard when I was young." He lowered his head, thinking. "And, I guess some are better at certain things. Some have gifts, basically."

"Even commoners?"

"Even commoners. Maybe my growth is just different from others, just how you have a different growth for Physical Enhancement technique."

And she was not very good at spellcasting.

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"I see. Then could I defeat adventurers?"

"The newbies, I guess."

"Newbies? Huh…"

"Other adventurers have more experience than you. You might find it difficult to win. But if you have to compare, it is best to consider fighting an adventurer's party."

"Party?"

"As they are not as strong as nobles, especially newbies, they have to make up for their weakness or what they lack. Unless you're comparing yourself to a mid or high ranking adventurer, it would be unfair. So I was comparing you to newbies as a party."

"Is that so?"

Then I guess I should stop comparing.

But sometimes she was just curious. To measure how far she had reached.

As they walked further into the forest, Vernon suddenly stopped and held out his hand. He placed a finger on his lips, gesturing to be silent. Vernon quietly moved forward and crouched down behind a tree. Mera quietly followed and crouched behind him.

"Look there," he whispered as he pointed in a particular direction.

Mera saw a beast chowing down on a dead deer. It was a four-legged beast, dark brown fur, and pretty big overall, as tall as her. It had a long tail, with bones for blades at the tip. It had large, sharp claws on its legs. A fierce-looking creature overall.

"That is a snapjaw," Vernon said. "That will be the monster you will be fighting."

Mera observed the monster closely. "That tail looks scary."

"The tail is the least of your concern. Why do you think it's called a snapjaw?"

"Um, because it snaps its jaw?"

"Yes. It snaps and clenches its jaws so hard that you would not be able to get free."

Upon hearing that, Mera felt even more worried. Wasn't that quite deadly? She thought what she would be fighting wouldn't have that kind of ridiculous and scary ability.

"So… How do I get out of that if it does bite?"

"Just don't get bitten."

But that's easier said than done.

And not helpful.

Mera looked worriedly towards the monster. Now she felt hesitant. Velar said it as if she was ever bitten, it was certain death. Which was a bit imaginable. Still, very frightening.

"You are a bit at an advantage, you know," Vernon said.

"How?"

"The answer is obvious. Figure it out."

"I… I understand. Is there something else I should know about it?"

"It's fast as well."

Mera nodded. "Alright…" She took a deep breath, garnering the courage to face the monster. "I'm going." She restrained the mild trembling of her hands.

"Take care not to die instantaneously."

"Please don't scare me like that."

Vernon raised his eyebrow. "I wasn't."

Mera groaned before standing up. She slowly and quietly made her way to the monster. She decided to take the stealthy approach. Perhaps she could catch it off guard, and land a critical hit on it. It was busy eating, so that could be an advantage.

She felt it was going great, but when she was a few meters away, the monster's ears twitched. That was the moment that Mera realized that her initial plan had already failed. Mera paused as the monster slowly turned towards her with a faint, threatening growl.

It glared at her, its mouth was stained with blood. Its face looked like any normal animal, which was a relief. Mera was worried that it would look too terrifying. But then the monster slowly opened its mouth. And in an instant, its teeth suddenly snapped out of its mouth, all looked so sharp and menacing. One bite would certainly turn your flesh into mincemeat, and could certainly lock unto you.

Mera flinched upon seeing that sudden change.

She immediately raised her guard, filling her body with mana. Considering that it was her first time fighting a monster, and something really scary at that, she decided not to hold back.

The monster pounced at her, its head leaned forward.

"Ah!" Mera frantically jumped aside, and she almost tumbled.

It's fast!

She imagined how fast it could be, but actually experiencing it was something else entirely. More scary. She controlled her frantic breathing, calming herself down. The beast charged towards her, she dodged before quickly taking a step forward close to it. However, she noticed its tail moving.

She held out her arm, just as the tail swung at her like a whip. It hit the arm brace, flinging her arm backwards. Enduring the pain, she took a step back. She wrapped her arms around a tree snag and pulled it out of the ground, breaking it by the roots.

The monster ran towards her, and Mera swung the dead tree sideways with immense power. She hit the monster, shattering the wood into pieces, and causing the beast to fly away and crash against a tree. Feeling dizzy, the monster shook its head, and Mera quickly leaped at it, thrusting her fist. However, the snapjaw swiftly jumped aside, and she hit nothing but the tree.

The beast opened its mouth and lowered its body.

"Hah!" Mera's heart jumped, and she quickly shifted her body backwards.

The beast moved forward and attempted to bite, but it missed Mera's arm by an inch. Mera sensed the sheer force of its bite, from the sound of it snapping close and the speed, which made her feel a bit more scared. Her heart throbbed hard. If that bit her, it might have been over.

She grabbed a boulder and threw it at the monster, but the latter evaded it.

They charged at each other again. Mera grabbed a tree branch and swung it at the monster's mouth. It clenched its jaw at it as Mera stepped in from the side and thrust her fist. However, the monster once again swung its sharp tail.

Mera parried the tail with her arm brace. The beast suddenly extended its frontal claw forward to attack, scratching Mera's armor. They almost made a hole. Feeling pressured, Mera quickly backed away.

It moves too fast. I must find a way to slow it down.

She scrutinized the enemy before she stared at its legs.

I can try injuring its legs.

At least one or two of them.

Pouring mana into her legs, she charged at it with incredible speed. She threw her fist, but the monster evaded.

She kept on engaging. Whenever the monster counter attacked, she would do everything to evade it, and she was successful, to her great nervousness. She was being patient, luring the enemy, and waiting for a chance to have a clear window of attack.

But the longer she did, the more she felt overwhelmed. The beast just moved fast, and it strained her mentally just trying to keep up. She had to end this quickly. She leaned on a tree as she became frantic, and quickly moved aside as the monster attacked with its claws. But then, its claws became stuck to the tree.

Mera realized her luck. And she quickly kicked in the monster's frontal leg. It squealed before backing away with a limp. But Mera quickly moved in and slapped the monster's face before going by its side and wrapped her arms around its neck.

She poured all the mana she could into her body and tightened her grasp on the monster to choke it. The monster writhed and struggled. Mera had realized her advantage over the monster. It was her strength.

The monster was agile, and its strongest part of the body was its jaws, and that was mostly it. However, Mera could become stronger overall. If she ever gets a good hold of it, she could kill it.

She started slamming the beast to the ground. Hissing, the monster snapped its tail at her from behind. Mera grunted in pain as the tail's blades struck her upper back. The armor was protecting her, but a few centimeters of the blades reached her flesh, wounding her slightly. But her enhanced body stiffened her flesh, which should protect her plenty from anything fatal and prevent intense bleeding.

She kept slamming the monster to the ground as she tightened her grip around its throat. While the monster kept slapping her tail on her, Mera endured the pain. Gradually, the monster felt like it had weakened, its movements slowing down.

Once it got even more weak, Mera took the chance, and she tightened her grip further and eventually snapped its neck with an audible crack. The creature completely limped and stopped breathing. Mera slowly put down the beast and sat on the ground, leaning her hand on the soil.

"Haaaah…" She let out a long sigh of relief as sweat beaded her brow.

She closed her eyes.

I'm alive…!

She was filled with joy and satisfaction. It was awesome to succeed, but the experience was incredibly scary. She had never felt this kind of fear before, to be close to death. To be hurt. But still, she prevailed.

Vernon walked up to her. "Good work. You didn't die."

"Of course…" she said while panting.

"And you didn't hesitate."

"... This is nothing. It was a monster. Nothing was even adorable about it."

"Hm. Good. You're bleeding." Vernon crouched behind her and held out his hand. He started casting healing magic. It was weaker than normal, but it should be enough until they return to the city. "You took quite a risky approach, didn't you? You're lucky its tail strength isn't too great."

"Y-Yes… But that was the only way I thought of how to defeat it."

"... At least you did good. But there are signs of panic."

"I know…"

"We will have you fight more monsters. Get you used to danger. But for now, let's go back to the palace."

"I can still fight, can't I? My bleeding will stop."

"Don't get too greedy, Mera."

Mera lowered her head.

"I will not let you act so recklessly. Have a rest and reflect on your experience today. We'll push through your limits next time."

That may be an indirect way to say that she was not yet ready for such a task. She was feeling a bit disappointed, but if that was what her teacher wanted, then so be it.

"... Very well."

She glanced at the dead monster.

My first kill…

But this was only a monster. And not human. Could she even do it?

No… I will do it. I must. Or… Or I wouldn't be able to follow her…

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