Chapter 40: Silent Caster
The peaceful crackle of the campfire was violently drowned out by a chorus of bloodcurdling shrieks echoing from the dense dark foliage.
Leon used his perfect Night Vision to pierce the treacherous gloom and immediately spotted dozens of glowing yellow eyes rapidly advancing toward their vulnerable position.
A pack of Nightstalker Panthers highly aggressive lower tier corrupted beasts had surrounded their camp.
These monsters were the size of small horses possessing jagged obsidian claws and thick shadow infused fur that made them nearly invisible to ordinary travelers.
Seraphina did not display a single ounce of fear. The suffocating crimson aura of her magical core erupted violently into the night air casting a terrifying bloody glow over the nearby trees. She thrived in the chaotic heart of battle and her predatory smirk returned in full force.
"Stay near the fire attendant," Seraphina ordered sharply while gripping her heavy steel broadsword with both hands.
"These creatures are highly venomous. If they scratch you I will not waste my healing supplies saving your life."
A massive panther leaped from the high branches of a dead oak tree aiming a lethal plunging strike directly at her exposed neck.
Seraphina blurred into motion moving faster than the human eye could track.
She swung her broadsword in a devastating upward arc and cleaved the massive beast entirely in half before its paws ever touched the dirt.
Corrupted black blood rained down upon the grass as she fluidly pivoted to intercept three more monsters charging from the western brush.
Stormfang was equally terrifying in combat.
The giant armored wolf became a streak of crackling silver lightning tearing through the panther pack with brutal efficiency. Jaws snapped bones and heavy paws crushed skulls as the noble mount defended the perimeter alongside its master.
Leon stood near the fire pit and observed the chaotic slaughter with calm magnetic detachment.
He knew Seraphina was a martial prodigy but watching her effortlessly dismantle a horde of magical beasts was a truly breathtaking experience.
She danced through the blood and shadows with elegant lethal grace.
However the panthers were pack hunters utilizing highly coordinated flanking tactics.
While the Silver Goddess and her wolf were occupied eradicating the main assault force two particularly large beasts quietly circled around the dense brush and locked their glowing yellow eyes directly onto Leon.
They clearly identified the unarmored servant standing near the flames as weak vulnerable prey.
The two monsters lunged from the shadows simultaneously aiming their jagged claws right at his chest.
Seraphina caught the flanking maneuver out of her peripheral vision and her heart experienced a highly uncharacteristic skip.
She was too far away to intercept the attack and she fully expected to see her mysterious handsome attendant ripped to shreds.
Leon however, was without panic.
He smoothly tapped into his highly expanded magical core and activated his Silent Casting skill.
He did not utter a single incantation nor did he manifest any visible aura to alert the Silver Goddess to his true capabilities. He simply raised his right hand and utilized a heavily concentrated burst of Kinetic Repulsion.
An invisible wall of raw kinetic force violently slammed into the airborne panthers with the stopping power of a charging rhinoceros.
The two massive beasts halted mid leap and were brutally blasted backward through the air.
The sheer invisible pressure crushed their ribs and shattered their spines before they violently collided against the thick trunk of a nearby tree.
The impact sounded like a detonating explosive leaving nothing but broken twisted carcasses sliding down the bark.
Leon smoothly lowered his hand and casually adjusted the collar of his tailored tunic as if he had just swatted away a pair of annoying flies.
Seraphina finished decapitating the last remaining panther in her sector and spun around with her broadsword raised expecting to see Leon bleeding out on the grass.
Instead she found him standing perfectly unharmed next to the campfire while two massively mutilated beast corpses lay crumpled near the tree line.
Her passive Lie Detector aura wildly flared with intense blinding shock and deep overwhelming fascination.
She had not sensed a single drop of magical energy from his direction.
Her mind rapidly concluded that he had somehow managed to instantly kill two corrupted beasts using nothing but sheer raw physical force and terrifying martial precision.
She walked slowly toward him her boots crunching over the bloody grass. Her dark leather combat suit was splattered with thick black beast blood and her beautiful face carried a faint streak of gore across her cheek.
The crystal bell violently chimed in his skull bathing the bloody aftermath in a neon pink glow.
[Quest Issued: The Fearless Caretaker]
[Context: The Silver Goddess just witnessed you effortlessly survive a lethal ambush without breaking a sweat. Her martial pride is deeply intrigued. Show her that you view her not as a terrifying predator but as a beautiful woman who requires tending.]
[Objective: Pull a clean cloth from your pocket, step directly into her bloody personal space, and gently wipe the gore from her cheek while maintaining intense eye contact.]
[Reward: +15 Strength, System Shop Item ’Aura Concealment Ring (Master)’, 200 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: The Host will suffer a violent uncontrollable sneezing fit directly into her face completely ruining the highly charged romantic tension.]
Leon retrieved a pristine white linen cloth from his leather satchel and boldly stepped forward.
He completely ignored the heavy glowing broadsword she was still gripping tightly in her right hand and effortlessly glided right into her personal strike zone.
Seraphina stiffened as his tall handsome frame suddenly loomed over her. The adrenaline of the battle was still violently pumping through her veins making her highly sensitive to his dominant proximity.
"You fight beautifully Lady Seraphina," Leon whispered in a deep resonant voice while gently raising his hand.
He pressed the soft linen cloth against her cheek and slowly meticulously wiped the dark beast blood away from her flawless pale skin.
"But you truly need to learn how to dodge the splatter."
Seraphina completely froze exactly where she stood.
Her violet eyes widened as she stared up into his dark magnetic gaze.
The sheer astronomical audacity of a servant casually wiping blood off the face of a master Aura Knight holding a live weapon was simply unheard of.
The suffocating crimson aura surrounding her body rapidly dissolved into the night air replaced entirely by a highly confusing surge of deep submissive heat.
"How did you kill those beasts Leon?" she demanded in a soft breathy whisper that completely lacked her usual aristocratic authority.
"I hit them very hard," Leon lied effortlessly while offering her a charming wicked smirk.
Before Seraphina could press him further for the actual truth a deafening earth shattering roar violently echoed from the deepest darkest section of the Whisper Woods.
The concussive force of the sound caused the surrounding trees to violently shake and sent a massive flock of night birds scattering into the sky.
Stormfang let out a highly distressed whimper and backed away toward the campfire.
Leon narrowed his Night Vision toward the tree line and his blood ran slightly cold.
The panthers had merely been the scouting party.
The true rogue beast they had been sent to hunt had finally arrived and it was massively radiating a magical signature that rivaled the Silver Goddess herself.
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