Chapter 141: Hunting Practice (2)
Before anyone in the group could start introductions properly, Morgana’s voice rose above the general noise of the gathering students.
"Listen carefully. Your objective is simple– go into the forest and hunt mana beasts. Kill as many as you can. This is training, so push yourselves appropriately." She glanced toward the tree line and then back at the assembled groups.
"Hunting continues until five o’clock this evening. You will return here by that time without exception. Information on point values for each type of mana beast is loaded onto your bracelets, check it when you have a moment."
She clasped her hands behind her back.
"One additional note. Each class is entering the forest from a different side, so for the most part you will not encounter students from other classes. However, if two groups from the same class happen to cross paths, what you do is up to you." She paused for a moment and then continued.
"You may choose to cooperate or to compete, but understand this clearly. Points are awarded only to the unit that lands the kill. If two teams work together and one team makes the kill, only that team receives the points. Keep that in mind before deciding to share your hunting grounds with another group."
She looked across the rows of students one final time.
"Is that understood?"
"Yes!" The response came back in unison.
"Good." She turned toward the treeline. "Then move out."
The forest opened up ahead of them, vast and green and waiting.
Morgana directed each group into the forest one by one, pointing them in separate directions with brief, efficient instructions. No unnecessary words. Just a direction and a nod, and each group disappeared between the trees.
When Noah’s group was called, they moved in.
---
The forest swallowed them almost immediately.
The noise of the gathering outside faded within minutes, replaced by the quieter sounds of the woods, leaves shifting overhead, the occasional distant call of something unseen, the soft crunch of undergrowth beneath their feet.
The light that filtered through the canopy came in broken, shifting patches of green and gold.
They moved at a steady pace, not rushing. There was no point in burning energy before they even found anything worth fighting.
After about twenty minutes of moving through the trees, Noah raised his hand.
Everyone slowed to a stop.
He turned to face the group, keeping his voice low and practical.
"Before we go any further, let’s get our formation sorted out properly." He looked at each of them in turn.
"From what I know — Ryan, you’re a tanker. Shield and mace. You take the front." Ryan gave a short nod without argument. "Ophelia, you use a katana and you’re fast. You work the middle alongside Ken. Ken, you’re sword and mana focused, so you cover what Ophelia can’t reach from her side."
Ken glanced at him briefly and nodded once.
"Marina." Noah looked at the silver-haired elf.
"Wind, wood, and fire elements, and you’re a bow user. You and I will hang back and handle range. Forest terrain suits you well, so use it." Marina gave a small, composed smile and nodded.
"And Mary." He turned to the last member. "You are good at healing magic and buffers. You stay behind us and keep everyone on their feet. We keep you protected, don’t get pulled into the front."
Mary looked at him steadily from behind her glasses and nodded without a word.
"Does anyone have a problem with any of that?"
Nobody did.
"Good. Let’s move."
Noah reached into his storage ring and pulled out his bow, smooth and compact, followed by a quiver packed full with arrows which he slung over his shoulder.
Beside him, Marina drew a slender wand from her side, her blonde hair catching a fragment of light that broke through the canopy above.
Even the way she stood changed slightly once she had it in hand more settled, more at home, like the forest itself was straightening up around her.
Mary readied her own wand, quieter about it, stepping naturally toward the back of the group.
Ryan rolled his shoulder once and brought his shield up, mace gripped comfortably in his other hand.
His large frame made him look exactly like what he was, something that didn’t move unless it chose to, and hit hard when it did.
Ophelia drew her katana with a soft clean sound. She held it low at her side, her dark hair falling forward slightly as she settled into her natural stance. The faint crackle of lightning mana moved across the blade in thin, restless threads.
Ken said nothing, as seemed to be his custom, and simply drew his sword.
Noah was surprised to see Ophelia not talking back to him or showing displeasure.
They continued into the forest.
---
Another half hour passed before Noah held up his fist.
Everyone stopped.
Ahead, through a gap in the trees where the undergrowth thinned out around a cluster of wide, mossy boulders, something was moving.
Several somethings.
Noah crouched slightly and focused. They came into view one by one. Large, dark-furred creatures moving on two legs, hunched and powerful, with wide flat faces and arms that nearly dragged along the ground.
Somewhere between a bear and a great ape in shape. Thick necks. Heavy shoulders. Eight of them total, spread loosely across the open space between the boulders.
He checked his bracelet quickly.
[Stoneback Ape — E- Rank. 45 points per kill.]
He looked back at his group and held up eight fingers. Then pointed forward. Everyone gave a small nod of understanding.
They took their positions without needing to be told twice.
Ryan moved to the front, shield raised. Ophelia drifted wide to the left, low and quiet on her feet. Ken took the right side, sword ready at his hip.
Noah and Marina hung back at distance, arrows and magic at the ready. Mary positioned herself behind a wide tree trunk at the rear, wand raised, already beginning the quiet preliminary murmur of a buffer spell.
Noah nocked an arrow, drew, and released.
It was first battle.
