"Buzz!"
Just as Kierra was momentarily distracted, a Venomous Vine slithered toward Victor, preparing to strike from behind.
Her sharp eyes caught the movement just in time.
"Not so fast!"
[ Fire Arrows ]
She activated her spell silently, and—
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh!
With her command, instantly a barrage of Fire Arrows shot through the air.
Several arrows pierced through the vine, burning through its body and leaving scorching holes in its wake.
Within seconds, the vine was incinerated.
Despite her curiosity about Victor's strange ability, Kierra stayed focused.
They were both covering each other.
Victor was handling the Fire-Spitting Cactuses, ensuring they didn't attack her.
Meanwhile, she was eliminating the Venomous Vines that could have ambushed him.
Thanks to their flawless teamwork, the battle was progressing smoothly, and they had taken minimal damage.
Ignoring his minor wounds, Victor rushed toward the remaining Cactuses, determined to finish the fight.
[ EXP: 1345/3000 ]
Meanwhile, Kierra placed the Monkey Cubs on a sturdy tree branch, ensuring their safety.
Then, she dashed into the heart of the enemies.
Her dagger gleamed under the sunlight as she moved with blinding speed.
The Venomous Vines reacted, sensing her presence, but they couldn't track her movements. Because she was too fast.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Within seconds, one of the vines was sliced apart, its body lifeless on the ground.
Her level 8 Mage stats, combined with her Swift Boots, made her far more agile than before.
She moved even faster than when the monkeys had been chasing her earlier.
Her fluid movements and precise attacks made one thing clear: Kierra wasn't just a ordinary fast player.
She must have been well-trained from a young age.
Their battle reached its peak, and the shivering Monkey Cubs watched fearfully, expecting their kin to come and save them.
But no one arrived, even after waiting.
So, they took the chance and jumped down from the tree branch onto a small patch of grass.
They still felt pain, but they slowly made their way back.
Their small jumps were sluggish, but the predators weren't. If any nearby beast spotted them, they would be eaten instantly.
Their little lives were in great danger.
Meanwhile, Kierra and Victor, both still newcomers to this world, didn't notice the cubs' struggle.
Their full attention was on clearing the way forward.
And after an intense battle, they finally succeeded.
Each of them had slain nearly five dozen monsters.
As teammates, they naturally had to share experience points.
Within a certain range, 40% of the EXP gained would be split between them.
They could disable this function with just a thought, but—They didn't.
As a result, both had gained a significant amount of EXP.
[ EXP: 2330/3000 ]
Victor glanced at his EXP bar and muttered, "Just 700 more to level up…"
Kierra, standing beside him, checked her own progress. "You only need 700?" She clicked her tongue. "I need 1500 more."
But she wasn't too concerned.
Instead, her sharp eyes caught something on the ground.
She stepped closer, and text flashed before her eyes.
[ Root of Venomous Vines - 4x ]
→ Essential material used for Health Potions.
[ Raw Flesh of Fire-Spitting Cactuses - 6x ]
→ Eating them can rapidly recover stamina.
Kierra smirked, picking up the loot.
"Not bad," she murmured. "We got some useful materials."
Victor and Kierra's stamina were both drained, and the perfect food was right at their doorstep at just the right moment.
Without hesitation, they divided the loot equally. 2 pieces of roots, and 3 pieces of Cactus flesh.
As Victor chomped down on of the juicy flesh of the Fire-Spitting Cactus, his gaze brushed passed Kierra's and instinctively felt something was off.
His gaze naturally drifted toward Kierra's shoulder, where the Monkey Cubs should have been.
He paused as he realised something was indeed wrong.
"Kierra, where are the Cubs?" His eyes darted around the area. "Where did you put them?"
Kierra paused just as she was about to take a bite like he did.
"Oh, them? Don't worry, they're in the right—"
Her words cut off, and her eyes widened in panic.
"Oh, shoot… They're not here."
She spun around, scanning the area, but the tree where she had placed them for safety was empty.
Victor let out exhausted sigh as he instantly understood the situation.
A smirk played on his lips.
"Looks like you're not fit to be a mother, Kierra," he teased, mocking lightly. "They must have gone to find their home."
Kierra's face turned red in an instant.
Victor might not have outright said 'How careless can you be?'—but she could feel those words stinging her skin.
Her sharp glare locked onto him.
"Stop spouting nonsense!" she snapped. "Let's go find them before some monsters eat them!"
Victor raised his hands in a mock surrender.
"Alright, alright. No need to blame yourself," he said, his tone still playfully smug.
Then, without another word, he dashed toward the path they had come from.
"Hateful bastard!" Kierra huffed, quickly following behind.
Victor and Kierra ran side by side, maintaining a certain distance as they carefully searched their surroundings.
The Cubs were small and could be hiding anywhere.
They had to find them before it was too late.
"There they are!"
After running for a few minutes, Victor and Kierra finally spotted the two cubs.
But they were in extreme danger.
Perched atop the small bark of a tree, the cubs were cornered by a pack of wild, dog-like monsters.
[ Wild Dog – Level 4 ]
[ HP: 110 ]
[ Threat Level: Low ]
"Flash!"
"How dare you threaten my Lulu!"
Kierra seethed as she charged forward in a blur, her sharp dagger gleaming.
Her attacks were precise and ruthless, fueled by the lingering frustration from earlier.
The wild dogs barely had time to react before she sliced through them in a few swift, decisive strikes.
Meanwhile, as Kierra handled the enemies, Victor moved ahead and gently scooped the trembling cubs into his hands.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he looked down at them.
"See what happens when you leave your owners?" he said, softly patting their heads. "From now on, be good, okay?"
The shivering cubs snuggled closer to his warmth, their fear fading.
Then, almost as if they understood his words, they nodded cutely.
Victor smiled, finding their frightened obedient expression was really cute.
Just then—
"Whoosh!"
Kierra approached with a huff, before instantly snatching Lulu from Victor's arms.
"Thank god you're fine, Lulu." she said, looking at those small eyes rare gentleness.
Next she placed the tiny monkey back onto her shoulder, stroking its fur.
"Now, let's continue our journey, shall we?" she said with mischievous smirk.