Chương 26: [BL] 26. Next Hunt.

"Well? Have you lost your mouth? On with it then!" Drey snapped.

"T—They're kidnapped!" This shouldn't have happened, all of this nightmare. Drey just wanted a better life. He had travelled through the grand desert of Robi, through the green grassland of Emalyn, and almost his entire life he always sought where the tournaments were held until finally he won, and was granted a mere Legionary-class stone, but he served faithfully and even grew his class to third tier by his thirties.

Now, as a [Champion], he granted his own unit until his lord, the foolish young master, decided he could not keep his duty over his infatuation with the princess. How unlucky he was! Still, he served faithfully.

"Ten men kidnapped, sir! All tier one," his soldier reported. Drey sheathed his gladiatorial blade, slick with Kobolds' blood. The creatures were weak, but they were sure annoying to kill. Their constant harassment had forced them to sneak the princess's carriage out, and Drey had to lead a detachment to hunt these nimble creatures. For the past hour, the Kobold no longer harassed them, and he could guess what was happening. One of the Legion must have found their rift and cleared it.

Still, the Apocalypse continued. Bloody Cycles. Why can't my mam born me when the Cycles are far away?

"Lich, you say?"

"Yes, sir! There's a tier two monster at the very least, primarily using their cold chain. I swear they move it like a third hand!" He sighed, the clean air of the night now mixed with the blood of Kobolds, Griffins, and Blight Goats; even some Treants were here. Four different monsters were invading the surface. Four! Worse was that all four of their rifts had just spawned, perhaps not five days ago. Now they had to deal with some Lich?

"Look, Drey," the sound of his dear comrade—Leynah came like a bell. Seeing her in her [Champion] outfit helped Drey regain his composure. A fine woman. The dark chain-mail showcased her feminine figure, wrapped with a fastened belt across her stomach—unlike his outfit, which draped him shoulder down and hid beneath a cape. Leynah raised her claymore toward a faraway purple portal that reached skyward and shone with iridescent violet, brimming with a small star-like haze around it.

"A tier-4 portal? Well fuck me," Drey laughed mirthlessly.

"You think we have to close that?" Leynah asked.

"The Legion is too busy closing three portals, and this damn village also kept a dark portal, I heard, so the order probably will be to enter their rift farm."

"A village keeping a tier three portal?" Leynah raised her eyebrow.

"So we're going there then?" Drey had a special talent for guessing what his love-struck lord's command would be, so he drew a vast sigh and exhaled.

"Depends if the girl had given birth or not." Despite all his complaints, deep down Drey was looking forward to finally settling in a village, away from the capital, where he could finally settle down. Sure, he had to fight, but what else is new? After this, I'm done.

"What are you doing—" A large claymore impaled his chest, and the shock came first before the pain did. Drey coughed blood down toward the black blade, and horror mixed with disbelief as he glanced back to see Leynah with eyes of pure white gripping her sword handle and pulling it out. W—What? Before he downed—the soldier beside him screamed, and his head was taken off in one swift swing by Leynah. A tier-one could rarely stand against a tier-three…

"Sir!" His men called out, and through many drills they had been through, they formed a circle, pointing their spears down at Leynah.

"Mind-control…" Drey croaked as he drove his sword down and leaned against it to stand with the help of two legionaries who did not hesitate to step toward him. Damn it all, even thirty to one, they could not stand a chance against Leynah… All of his troops were Tier-one. Only Maxim was close to Tier-two, even if he ascends, it still wouldn't be enough. Leynah looked around, her claymore still slick with blood, and she took a step, causing the legionaries to tense up.

"Spread! Spread out! Don't surround her, you fool! Go find—" His eyes locked onto something. A pale, thin figure that hovered between trees. Due to the forest glowing blue, he almost missed it… [Ritual Lich—Level 18] With a weak hand, he pointed.

"Kill it! Lich! I will hold her!" Drey pushed off his soldier and stumbled forward, unsheathing his gladiator sword and grabbing his axe strapped to his belt. Even dying and stumbling, he would stand a better chance than these tier ones.

"Go!" Drey screamed. Name: Willow [Guard] Class: [Guard—Level 10] Outfit: [Sheran Village Guard's Uniform] Rune: [Fireflies 0/5] Attribute: [6 Strength, 6 Dexterity, 3 Vitality, 2 Constitution, 2 Sense, 7 Arcanic] [+5% All Attributes] [5 Fireflies Rune] Spell: [Sword of Light II] [2] +3 Dexterity +3 Arcanic. [Beacon II] [3] +2 Arcanic +1 Strength. [Light Draw] [2] Enhancer: [Guard Honour] [Strong Strike] [Fire Light] [Halo] [Halo]—The Fireflies' light will endure the strongest as it fades.

Fireflies Runes will form into a Halo of Light above the Guard when the Rune count falls below the fifth percent, signifying desire like an unyielding ember, summoning motes of ember orbs to fight alongside the Guard and doubling the Guard's attributes. Grant +1 Strength, +2 Fireflies Runes. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Name: Willow [Wind Mage] Class: [Wind Mage—Level 16] Outfit: [Wind Mage Outfit] Rune: [Dark Wind 0/12] [+ 100%] Attribute: [1 Strength, 2 Dexterity, 2 Vitality, 4 Constitution, 7 Sense, 33 Arcanic] [12 Dark Wind Rune] Spell: [-50%] [Sever II] [2] [Dissection II] [4] [Ravenous Spear] [4] [Predator Step] [4] Enhancer: [Ravenous Wind] [Devour] [Ravenous Eyes] [Severance II] [Dark Doctor II] [Dark Anatomist II]—When Dissection is cast by the Wind mage by chant, a dark Anatomist shall appear to oversee the dissection of the Wind mage's target.

Rune cost will be doubled for Dissection. The Anatomist shall not be cheated—no rune reduction cost can apply to Dark Anatomist. Grant+5 Dark Wind Runes +10 Arcanic.

Name: Willow [Hunter] Class: [Hunter—Level 1] Outfit: [Huntress Garb] Rune: [Bright 5/5] Attribute: [3 Strength, 5 Dexterity, 2 Vitality, 3 Constitution, 4 Sense, 2 Arcanic] [5 Bright Runes] Spell: [Mana Bow] [3] [Mana Arrow] [1] Enhancer: [Grand Hunt] [Archer's Instinct] ————————————————————————————————————————————————————-------"So it's Beacon's fault," Willow muttered as she sat by loose rocks from the fallen tower.

It was a skill that allowed her to use the Fireflies to emit a warm glow that would heal her and her allies, but she could also take it in to monopolise the healing. That was the reason she lost all her runes.

"Light Draw… So an ultra-fast sword draw…" It was a spell that let her slice with a fast strike after she sheathed her sword with her left hand and drew it with her right. She would get heat resistance by doing it. The upgraded sword of light allowed her to extend it and bend it, but that would cost Rune, and considering her small pool of Fireflies, it would not be wise, especially since this halo enhancement would give her a huge boost as long as she did not lose her runes.

So what I've got to keep in mind is it's fine to get to half runes, but make sure not to commit more runes after Halo triggered, she concluded. For Dark Wind, aside from Ravenous Step, she got an upgrade of Dismember called Dissection. Also… she grinned.

"What's this?" Willow smiled widely. Dark Anatomist. This sure sounded exciting. Unfortunately, there was no way to try it until she recovered her runes. Willow waited. And she tried to be as respectful as she could because right in the middle of the village, five corpses lay to rest. Shera was visibly crying, with Josha beside her, giving her his shoulder to lean on. Three men and two women died, and they lay bare with a sword in their grips.

Apparently, it was a tradition for corpses to be rested inside a rift if possible. The mood turned sour despite the victory, especially after Habel announced they could not take much crystal out, and that pissed a lot of people. They were even arguing right inside the half-dragon hut.

"Here you go," Josha dropped a sack, and it rustled beside her when it hit the ground. Willow tilted her head and opened it to see red scales with a bit of skin still attached to them.

"The Kobold half-dragon skin?" Willow guessed.

"Yep, and we secured its body to a horse. Willow… that Kobold has a Class Stone inside it. We already peeked at its heart and left it there just in case you want its body to be made into armor instead."

"What class is it?" She asked, and she was genuinely curious.

"Dragooner—A grade in three different Attributes, with the lowest being B."

"Huh," she mumbled.

"It's a big deal," he clarified.

"Yes, I'd thought so, Josha," Willow stared at him.

"It's just… well, I'm not sure what to do with it. It's not like I could absorb it, and besides, the outside is full of monsters. Why did Habel even give it to me?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Shera said after she wiped her tears and sat beside a random rock to Willow's right.

"He wanted to make sure you joined their side. I can bet my life that the Imperial soldiers did not keep the Class Stones they got. So, maybe he tried to show you that an exception can be made for you." After she finished explaining, her hand then found Willow's, and it seemed like she was seeking an answer to an uncomfortable question.

"If you're worried about me switching sides, then don't, please. Besides, there's no side; it's human against monster," Willow said. She huffed and stood, stretching her back and feeling the satisfying crack.

"Still, Willow—" Willow reached for her [Hunter] class. Immediately, something was different. The light did not just shine as usual when she reached for her other class; instead, it brimmed with brilliant yellow and her entire being bathed in overwhelming light for a moment. Josha and Shera let out a cry, and when everything faded, she found herself garbed in her huntress garb. A green mantle draped over her shoulder and clasped with a brooch of a golden arrow.

A dark leather cuirass cinched around her stomach and up her chest, down to her hips. Underneath the cuirass was a forest-green tunic that extended to an overskirt hanging over her hips. A strap cinched around her thigh with a slot where she could secure daggers or pouches.

[Huntress Garb] [+100% Dexterity] Name: Willow [Hunter] Class: [Hunter—Level 1] Outfit: [Huntress Garb] Rune: [Bright 5/5] Attribute: [3 Strength, 5 Dexterity, 2 Vitality, 3 Constitution, 4 Sense, 2 Arcanic] [5 Bright Runes] [+100% Dexterity] Spell: [Mana Bow] [3] [Mana Arrow] [1] Enhancer: [Grand Hunt] [Archer's Instinct]"Huh, I feel light," Willow said, fluttering the mantle around, and moved her hands, which fanned up and down like a blur. That startled Willow, and she froze.

Even her [Guard] class, now at level ten, had only six Dexterity. Now? She got a whopping ten. She had gotten so used to fighting with only two Dexterity with her [Wind Mage] class that now she felt like she could outrun a cheetah.

"I expect more after you almost blinded us," Shera grumbled.

"This is the Bright Class you people worship so highly; now feel free to bow down." Shera rolled her eyes, and Willow just chuckled, then looked at Josha, who shrugged.

"I'm still not used to seeing someone actually have not two, but three classes. Now, a question I've been meaning to ask… Why didn't you just use this class to kill the half-dragon? It's a torture watching you forcing swordplay rather than just shooting it dead."

"Maybe because I never used a bow before?" Willow's mouth twitched.

"You know, you two could have ignored Habel's order and helped me."

"He made an argument about this for the good of the world," Shera said sheepishly.

"I will go if you're in danger, Willow. But I figure you still have another class and that you will be safe. Besides, look at your levels. That's eight levels! Eight in a single fight." Right, speaking of levels. [Rider—Level 10] [Frost Witch—Level 7] At first glance, Josha might seem like he got more levels than her, but in truth, her levels were split between [Wind Mage] and [Guard] classes.

"Both of you have also levelled a lot," Willow mumbled. Both of them had been at Level One at the start.

"I levelled up when you killed the half-dragon even though I did nothing," Shera said.

"Same here," Josha grunted as he bent down over his saddlebags and picked something—a bow and quiver, which he handed to Willow.

"Now, you will need this. Shera and I already scoured through these Kobolds' crappy bows, and this is the best one they got." Bow, huh? Strange. It felt natural in her hand. She pulled an arrow and nocked it in, slowly raising the bow and drawing. When she released, the arrow flew smoothly, but it flew past the dead Kobold she targeted; instead, it hit the cave ground far to its right.

"You need practice," Shera said.

"Look at the bright side, you know how to shoot without having to be taught."

"Anyone can teach me? Where's Habel?" Willow looked around to see— [The Grand Hunt has been called!] [Hunt Target] [Ritual Lich—Level 18-23] She froze, and slowly a smile crept to her lips.

"Want to get some revenge?"