Chương 72: Predators on Thin Ice

Sieghart reacted immediately. He raised one hand, gathered cold mana above his palm, and created six Ice Shurikens in a circle around his body. The frozen blades spun once before launching toward the nearest monster. They crossed the distance with enough speed to leave pale trails through the humid forest air. The monster lowered its body and abruptly changed direction. Every shuriken passed over its back, slicing through branches and embedding themselves deeply inside the surrounding trees.

Sieghart's eyebrows rose slightly. The creatures were larger than wolves, so he had assumed that striking them would be relatively easy. Their speed and perception were clearly much greater than their bulky bodies suggested. A second monster rushed him from the left. Sieghart created another group of shurikens and fired them in a wider formation, attempting to block every possible direction it could choose.

The creature twisted between two projectiles, leaped over a third, and allowed the remaining blades to pass beneath its body. It landed without losing speed and continued charging toward him.

"That is slightly annoying." Ronan stepped in front of Sieghart and intercepted the monster before it reached him. One of his curved knives flashed upward, forcing the creature to retreat before its face was cut open.

"They have good eyes, and they move well," Ronan said.

"Obvious attacks won't work."

"They are frozen blades moving faster than arrows."

"Which doesn't matter if you announce exactly where they're going." Sieghart narrowed his eyes. His projectiles were fast, but he had summoned them in plain sight and fired them directly toward his targets. The creatures had recognized the threat before the shurikens even started moving. Increasing their speed might eventually solve that problem, but relying only on overwhelming force would defeat the purpose of leaving the basement to gain practical experience.

Ronan lowered his stance while the corrupted beasts spread around them. His relaxed expression remained unchanged, but every muscle in his body appeared ready to move.

"Watch carefully, kid." The nearest monster lunged. Ronan waited until its claws were almost close enough to reach him before stepping sideways with a sudden burst of speed. He moved across the creature's vision rather than retreating from it, forcing its eyes and head to turn while the rest of its body continued forward. Ronan's knife flashed downward and opened a shallow cut across the monster's front paw. The wound drew blood, but it was nowhere near deep enough to disable the limb.

The monster snarled and spun toward him. Ronan had already moved away, placing himself several meters to its right before it could counterattack. Another creature tried to intercept him from behind. Ronan ducked beneath its claws, slid past its body, and cut one of its hind paws with the tip of his second knife. Once again, the injury was painful enough to anger the creature without being serious enough to prevent it from moving.

Ronan seemed to be deliberately avoiding any attack that might finish the fight quickly.

"He is making them angry," Sieghart muttered. Ronan continued moving from one side of the clearing to the other, never traveling in a straight line for more than two steps. His sudden changes in direction kept the monsters turning, lunging, and colliding with one another. Every time one creature nearly reached him, another shallow wound appeared across its paws. Within seconds, all four monsters had forgotten about Sieghart and were pursuing Ronan exclusively.

Their formation collapsed along with their earlier coordination. The corrupted beasts no longer attempted to surround their prey, instead chasing the irritating human who continued cutting them without granting them a chance to retaliate. Ronan jumped backward and narrowly avoided another set of claws. He glanced at Sieghart while the monsters gathered around him.

"Are you planning to help?"

"I was studying your movements."

"That sounds like an excuse for missing every attack."

"It isn't my fault that you keep standing near my targets."

"I'm beginning to understand why Mira kept you underground." Sieghart ignored him and placed both hands against the ground. He spread water-attuned mana across the soil before mixing it with concentrated wind magic. Cold air erupted around his palms. Frost expanded across the clearing, covering damp soil, exposed roots, and fallen leaves beneath a smooth layer of ice. The temperature dropped sharply enough to make every breath visible.

Ronan immediately sensed what was happening and jumped before the frozen surface reached his boots. The monsters were not as fortunate. Their paws lost all traction, and their charging bodies continued moving even after their legs slipped in different directions. The first creature struck the ground on its side and slid into a tree. The second crashed into another monster, while the remaining two desperately clawed at the ice without finding anything solid enough to hold.

Ronan landed on one foot and immediately began sliding. He windmilled his arms with far less dignity than Sieghart expected from someone who had spent the previous minute lecturing him about combat.

"How am I supposed to move now?"

"You said obvious attacks wouldn't work."

"That wasn't permission to freeze the entire area!" Sieghart spread his earth-attuned mana through the ground beneath the ice. He could not control hardened stone from a distance yet, but the soil contained enough sand and loose earth for his purpose. Several small platforms rose above the frozen surface. Each one was only wide enough to hold a single foot, but Sieghart positioned them in a path crossing the clearing. Ronan steadied himself and looked at the improvised stepping-stones.

A slow smirk replaced his earlier irritation as he understood what Sieghart intended.

"Not bad." Ronan jumped onto the first platform. The raised sand compressed beneath his boot but remained stable long enough for him to launch himself toward the next one. He crossed the frozen clearing without touching the ice, moving from platform to platform while the corrupted beasts continued struggling beneath him. The first monster attempted to stand, spreading its legs and digging its claws through the frozen layer. Ronan landed beside it and drove one curved knife through the back of its neck.

The blade slipped between two black growths and penetrated deeply. The creature convulsed, but Ronan twisted his wrist and severed something vital before it could recover. Another monster turned toward him and opened its jaws. Smoke poured from its throat as dark-red light gathered behind its teeth.

"Behind you," Sieghart said.

"I noticed." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ronan jumped onto the next platform moments before a wave of corrupted flames swept across his previous position. The attack melted a section of ice and scorched the ground beneath it. Sieghart created four Ice Shurikens beside his head and aimed them at the monster. This time, he did not release the projectiles immediately. The creature watched the frozen blades while attempting to regain its balance.

Its muscles tensed whenever the shurikens moved, proving that it was tracking their direction before they were launched. Sieghart shifted the shurikens slightly toward its body. The monster reacted by leaning to the opposite side, preparing to dodge before the attack even began.

"I see." Instead of firing, Sieghart made the blades spread apart. Two remained in front of the creature while the others moved slowly toward its flanks. The additional movement placed some strain on his concentration, but his increased Mentality allowed him to maintain complete control over all four constructs. The monster glanced between the shurikens, uncertain which direction offered the safest escape. That brief hesitation was exactly what Sieghart had been waiting for.

He launched the first two blades directly toward its chest. The monster jumped sideways as expected, moving into the path of the other shurikens. One frozen blade pierced its cheek while the second entered through its eye. The shuriken continued until nearly half its length disappeared inside the creature's skull. The monster collapsed on the ice and remained motionless. A familiar notification appeared in the corner of Sieghart's vision before expanding in front of him. You have slain a Corrupted Ridge Prowler.

Black Magic gained 20 experience points. Sieghart blinked once before dismissing the message. Twenty points was twice the experience he had received whenever his magic merely assisted in killing the Firians. Directly finishing an enemy appeared to provide a larger reward, although he still did not know whether the amount depended on the creature's strength or his contribution to the battle. He did not have time to study the system.

One of the remaining prowlers had recovered its footing after reaching the melted section of ground. The creature ignored Ronan and charged toward Sieghart again. It had apparently realized that the small human controlling the terrain was the more dangerous target. Sieghart raised the rope Ronan had given him. His mana coating still covered most of its surface, although casting Frozen Floor and controlling the sand platforms had weakened several sections.

He attempted to swing the rope toward the monster's front legs. The movement traveled unevenly through the fibers, causing the weighted end to strike the ground nearly a meter short.

"That was embarrassing," Ronan called.

"It was an experiment." The prowler leaped over the failed attack and extended its claws toward Sieghart. He used Breeze through both hands, launching himself backward before the creature could reach him. Sieghart landed on a sand platform and nearly slipped when its loose surface shifted beneath his feet. A group of Ice Shurikens appeared around the monster, but Sieghart did not aim them toward its body. He launched the blades at the ice surrounding its paws instead.

The impacts shattered the frozen surface and sent countless fragments into the air. Startled by the sudden movement, the creature raised one paw to protect its eyes. Sieghart used Sand Control beneath the broken ice. A thick mass of loose earth rose around the prowler's remaining paws and hardened just enough to keep them trapped. The monster pulled violently against the restraints, breaking the first layer almost immediately. However, the delay gave Ronan enough time to cross the nearby platforms.

Ronan landed on the creature's back and drove both knives downward. One entered through the base of its skull while the second pierced the side of its neck. The prowler collapsed beneath him. Since Ronan had killed that creature without Sieghart's direct assistance causing meaningful damage, no notification appeared. Sieghart did not feel disappointed. The battle was offering something more valuable than experience by exposing weaknesses he had never noticed during his isolated training.

His attacks were powerful for someone his age, but they were predictable. He had practiced striking stationary targets and enemies trapped in straightforward battles, never opponents capable of reading his intentions. The final prowler abandoned its attempt to stand and unleashed another burst of corrupted fire across the frozen clearing. The flames melted a wide path, creating enough exposed ground for its claws to regain traction.

Ronan jumped away from the attack, but the sudden loss of one sand platform forced him to land farther from the creature than intended. The prowler immediately turned toward Sieghart. Its remaining eye fixed upon him as black veins pulsed beneath its hide, spreading toward its legs and making its muscles swell.

"That one is strengthening itself," Ronan warned.

"End it quickly." Sieghart summoned eight Ice Shurikens and arranged them around his body. The monster watched each projectile carefully, preparing to dodge the moment they moved. He launched all eight blades at once. The prowler jumped sideways, escaping the entire formation exactly as it had avoided his first attack. However, none of those shurikens had been intended to hit. They struck the ice around the monster and embedded themselves upright in a rough circle.

Sieghart immediately released more cold mana through the constructs. Frost spread between the shurikens, creating thin frozen lines that connected them. The surrounding temperature plunged, and the moisture clinging to the prowler's legs turned into heavy layers of ice. The monster broke through the first layer, but the delay disrupted its balance. Its front paws slipped, sending its head toward the ground. Sieghart created another Ice Shuriken directly above his open palm.

Instead of firing it immediately, he compressed more mana into the blade and increased its rotation. The shuriken screamed through the air. The prowler attempted to lift its head, but the projectile struck beneath its jaw and penetrated through the roof of its mouth. The creature's body slammed against the frozen ground. It twitched twice before the corruption dimmed within its veins and its muscles became still. You have slain a Corrupted Ridge Prowler. Black Magic gained 20 experience points.

Sieghart dismissed the notification and surveyed the battlefield. Four corrupted monsters lay dead across the clearing, while the ice beneath them was stained with blood and black fluid. He had delivered the killing strikes to two of them, earning forty experience points in total. It was useful progress, but the difference between direct kills and assistance bothered him. During the war, his water attacks had created openings that allowed the defenders to kill numerous Firians.

The system had usually awarded ten experience points for each confirmed contribution. Killing these monsters himself had doubled that reward. Apparently, the system cared not only about participation but also about who completed the act.

"That is a somewhat bloodthirsty progression method." Ronan cleaned his knives against the fur of one corpse before returning them to their sheaths. His breathing remained calm despite having spent most of the fight attracting every monster's attention. He approached the creature Sieghart had killed last and used one knife to examine the black growths around its shoulders. Dark fluid emerged from the cut, producing an unpleasant hiss when it touched the ice.

"These were corrupted recently," Ronan said.

"Several weeks ago at most."

"How can you tell?"

"The growths haven't hardened completely, and their organs still resemble those of ordinary ridge prowlers. Whoever changed them didn't leave them behind years ago." Sieghart looked toward the deeper forest. The creatures had coordinated their ambush and targeted the most dangerous opponent after observing the battle.

"Could a tamer still be controlling them?"

"Possibly. They were too organized for newly corrupted beasts, but I didn't sense a controlling mark when we fought them."

"Perhaps the tamer was directing them from farther away."

"Perhaps." Ronan stood and examined the surrounding trees. His earlier humor disappeared as he studied the silent forest and the trails left by the corrupted creatures. The four prowlers had approached from different directions, yet every set of tracks originated deeper inside the woods. If someone had intentionally released them near the farm, the immediate threat might not have ended with their deaths.

Sieghart lowered the rope and noticed that his mana coating had survived across nearly half its length throughout the fight. It was far from complete control, but maintaining even that much while casting several spells represented progress. Ronan noticed his attention and smirked.

"You still failed to hit anything with it."

"I maintained the connection while using three different elemental spells."

"And then you slapped the ground."

"That part requires improvement."

"An incredible discovery." Sieghart ignored him and gathered the rope into a loose coil. The exercise had already proven useful, even if the tracker appeared determined to make every lesson as irritating as possible. A distant howl rolled through the forest before either of them could continue arguing. Another answered from farther south, followed by several more voices spreading across the trees. The sound was too deep to belong to ordinary ridge prowlers.

Even the corpses at their feet appeared small compared with whatever had produced that first howl. Ronan turned toward the darkness beneath the trees and rested both hands upon his knives.

"It seems these were only the young ones." Sieghart created another circle of Ice Shurikens while allowing mana to spread through the rope once again. A faint smile appeared on his face as the forest began moving around them.

"Good. I need more practice."