After a restless sleep, I woke up and headed to the common bathhouse to freshen up. Then came breakfast—another 5 bronze coins gone. Now I was left with just 70. At this rate, I could barely last two or three more days in the city without earning anything.
With whatever little enthusiasm I could muster, I went searching for Lilla. I asked about her at the reception, and the person at the desk told me to wait for five minutes—she was currently meeting her teammates. Just as promised, five minutes later, I saw her walking toward me with four others.
All of them were clad in armor. Lilla too had her gear on. She introduced me to her group with a warm smile.
The first was a short girl with a shield larger than her own body. Her name was Jasmin. Then came Leon, a muscular guy wielding a huge sword—clearly the brute force of the team.
Next was Pepper, another muscular girl, but she carried two axes and had a fire in her eyes that matched their edge. Finally, there was Kaven—a robed figure, smaller in stature than me but not short. He was a blood magician, a healer and attacker rolled into one.
"Hello everyone, this is Adam," Lilla said. "He's new here and a human body cultivator. I promised him he could join us today for the hunt."
I greeted them with a nod and handshake.
As we started walking, I stayed beside Lilla and asked where we were going and how far it was. She told me that this city lies on the border of the Lands of Beasts. Apparently, most vampires, werewolves, and human territories share boundaries with the beasts—except for the Union.
After some time, we reached another city gate, different from the one I had entered through. This had to be the east exit. As we walked further, the scenery changed—greenery crept in, trees lined the path, and nature slowly took over. After more than three kilometers, Lilla informed me that another two kilometers ahead, we'd be entering A-rank beast territory.
While walking, she also explained the power levels of her teammates. All were D-rank except her—she was a C-rank. She also pointed out something that had been bothering me: "It's weird, Adam. A D-rank body cultivator like you, but no visible Aura?"
I realized I had to figure this Aura thing out. Without it, I stood out—and not in a good way.
I also noticed Kaven had been watching me for a while. I didn't know why, but it made me uneasy. He was a blood magician after all. I had no experience dealing with magic users who combined both physical and magical prowess.
We finally reached the forest, and Lilla warned us to stay alert. An ambush could come from any side.
I didn't need the warning though. I had a skill that gave me an edge—an innate sense inherited from elephants. Their wild instincts were sharp, and their hearing unmatched. I could feel things long before others did.
Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, eyes scanning every movement. All of them were vampires—strong bodies, rapid regeneration. But still, they were cautious. That alone told me hunting here wasn't to be taken lightly.
A sudden chill hit me. My instincts screamed—something was coming. And it wasn't just one.
"I think the beasts are coming," I muttered.
Everyone turned to look at me. Kaven narrowed his eyes. "How do you know?"
"It's an instinct," I replied simply.
I steadied myself. I don't use weapons, so I had to rely solely on my body and strength.
Moments later, twenty dire wolves emerged from the brush, howling in unison. Among them stood a larger, more menacing one.
"That's the alpha," Lilla said. "A C-grade beast. Three of those are D-rank. Kaven will handle them. The rest are E-grade wolves—leave those to the team."
Lilla charged straight at the alpha. I turned my attention to the E-grade wolves, which were nothing for me. As one lunged at me, I ducked and delivered a punch to its stomach. My fist went straight through. One punch, one kill. Another came, same result. Four wolves—four punches. Done.
While catching my breath, I glanced over at Kaven. He was standing at a distance, launching blood arrows from his fingertips. The arrows shot through the air with deadly accuracy, burying themselves deep into his targets. After three direct hits, one of the wolves collapsed.
I was shocked. He made it look so easy—killing from a distance. I envied that kind of power.
But that was just an E-grade. The alpha was something else.
Lilla's battle with it wasn't going well. Despite her agility and skill, she was forced to defend repeatedly, taking injuries along the way. The beast wasn't going down easily either.
Eventually, as if realizing we had finished our fights, Lilla stopped holding back. Her body began to glow with a crimson hue, her sword turning blood-red.
With a burst of energy, she struck.
The alpha didn't even have time to react. Her blade sliced through its body in one clean motion. The beast dropped to the ground—dead.