Chapter 316 - 316- Festival 47- Monster Hunt 6

Words : 1734 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

The Hunt commenced once again, as it had been a few moments ago. Raph charged in, Sophie, Darrell and Javier following close by while Cricken and the others stood apart from them. The three males were nearly fed up at this point, their emotions a step away from revealing their ugly nature in their expressions. Though, one of them wasn't one to suppress. Cricken was a young man of many traits, silent and observant as Dina and maybe even more so. He had ventured into the Academy in the pretence of protecting the princess while hiding his true abilities from his peers. His true goal and purpose, though, was known to only him, or at least should be. He glanced at the two males, his lips curled downwards. "Is this a Hunt composed by the Academy or by our enemies who want us dead?" He muttered, his bound dripping with sarcasm. Dina shrugged while Rizzo replied with a wry smile on his face. "Either way, we're useless to them. They can take care of things here....we should focus on what we have been doing all this while..." Just then, a loud roar shook the air, and an earthquake spread through the earth. They turned towards the source in unison; their expressions alerted when the scene eased their worries. Far away, yet not too far, a large creature known as the Oni Rhino fell to its knees while drawing its last breath. These were monsters, capable of levelling hills and drying up ponds, and the four attackers were making work of them, though more difficult than the last. There were a total of twenty giants: five 5th-tier Oni Rhinos, seven 1st-tier Lesser Fire Jotunns, seven 2nd-tier Greater Drakes and a 3rd-tier Flame Man. The Rhino was the first to fall, and many more would come to its company. Cricken watched in dreadful silence, his gaze narrowing ever so slightly. 'The prince would not like this....the Great families are seemingly working together nicely and the class is getting stronger with time. How will he take control when the Princess's allies are reaching strength far beyond their age.' Strength was oftentimes not tied to one age especially when they had reached an age of growth. Raph and his cohort were in that age, an age of spontaneous growth and development. It was frightening to think of what they could achieve when they reached adulthood. 'And yet...I am here to watch and only act when told to.' He felt a nudge on his shoulder, causing him to snap from his thoughts as he glanced behind. "What is it?" "We shouldn't be left behind for too long. One of those deadly creatures could come for us." Dina replied though it seemed like her statement might have reached one of the beasts. At the corner of her eyes, two giant wings flapped about as they penetrated through Sophie's rigorous chain bondage. "Watch out!" It screeched in the air, its throat vibrating with the sensation of its speech as it charged at the three males. It was as large as a double-decker bus, its wings spamming the entire length of its body and a sturdy tail dripped with spines. The spines spread across its back like a canvas, reaching its skull and forming two spiny horns. Its dark-filled eyes had a glint of crimson that glowed ferociously as its fangs stretched apart. "Shit, you just had to jinx it." Rizzo muttered as he spun his Mage staff to his front, pointing the tip at it. "Let's defeat it together." Cricken charged forward without waiting for a response, his axes forming a deadly arc through the air. He slammed against the creature's maw, using his leg to pivot himself over the creature as it stopped its charge abruptly. At the same time, four Fireballs ignited around the tip of Rizzo's staff. "3rd tire spell; Flame Arrows!" The Fireballs warped, moulding into straight lines before protecting forward at a sudden speed. It blasted against the Drake's face, its hollow screams reaching the clouds in protest as its wings flapped once and sent its body into the air. Dina blinked once and suddenly charged forward, a gust of wind trailing her action as she spun into the air. Her staff stretched forward towards the Drake as a ball of flame ignited within its maw, its dull gaze fixed on Rizzo. "Advanced Skill; Wind wheels!" The atmosphere around her reverberated like a rotating car wheel, gusts of wind rushing together to form a ball. It surged forward with lightning speed, slamming against the rugged structure of the Drake's face. An explosion of wind occurred on impact and the ball of flames exploded in its maw, a pained shriek escaping its lips. At that moment, its gaze whipped to its side, fury dancing in the depths of its eyes as it glared at Dina. She gulped, landing with as much precision as she had flown and running away from the Drake's sight. It growled and flapped its wings, a surge of earth levitating from the force of the wind as it attempted to charge after her. But that was put on hold as something tugged tightly to its tail, cutting its momentum and pulling it to the ground with a sudden loud thud. It smashed onto the earthen floor, its fury palpable as it attempted to wiggle its tail free from the human, but that, too, had proven futile. It whipped its head to its back, a subtle glare fixed on Cricken who grabbed onto its tail with the brute of his strength. His legs were tugged deeply into the ground as he pulled the Drake forward, pulling it into the air as a powered groan escaped his lips. "Aaaahhhh!!" He cried out, the Drake screaming in protest as it was pulled into the air and slammed against the floor at the other end, a powerful quake of earth and wind occurring on impact. BOOM! Cricken released its tail, the Drake seemingly unmoving on the ground. He panted heavily, Rizzo and Dina making their way to his side in the process. "Did that work?" Rizzo asked, his gaze flicking between the Drake and Cricken. "I would like to know as well..." Cricken replied in between deep breaths. The silence was unsettling and the Drake's sudden pause in movement made them even more wary. A few seconds passed, and their unease slowly dissipated, replaced by a sense of fulfilment. "Did....Did we just defeat a Royal?" Dina muttered, her expression laced with mixed emotions as she stared at the body. She wasn't the only one surprised, Cricken as well had found their situation shocking. 'In a normal sense, two Level 20s and a Level 34 can't defeat a Royal, especially a Greater Drake.' He thought as they turned towards an explosion drowned by the cries of a dying beast. His expression darkened, and his unease slowly returned. 'They're having so much difficulty in taking even one of them down....to the point that just three have been defeated so far, so, how?' Something rattled at the corner of his eyes, and a shadow crept over their heads. Dina realized it first, then Cricken who notified Rizzo. Their bodies froze, their chest-beating loudly as a subtle koo escaped the beast's throat. 'Shit....how can I have been this stupid? Of course, the three of us can't defeat even one of these Royals! They're royals for a reason! All their strength is equivalent to a level 70 to a 100....' It was amusing as Royal Beasts were actually the third strongest from the weakest and the third weakest from the strongest. In a heartbeat, the Drake screamed, its maw descending towards one of their heads when a sudden surge of energy caught it by surprise. "Everything is Ice!" The earth shook as ice shards stretched throughout the landscape, slamming against the Drake and cutting it off in the blink of an eye. Cricken didn't need to think twice as he grabbed Rizzo and Dina and charged away from the beast, a sudden outburst of flames escaping the drake's maw as it screamed in pain. The ice spread thoroughly and increasingly, forming numerous thin pillars that lifted the beast into the air, the crippling sensation of cold exuding from its surface. It curved through the air and slammed it against the earthen floor, the crippling cold spreading through the skin of the Drake until it became a block of ice. The silence resumed, Cricken slowly shifting his gaze to the side as the others stood up. Their attention was now on Raph as he approached them, his sword resting neatly on his shoulder with a smile on his face. "Are you alright?" "Alright? We almost got killed! Forget collecting their tags, we have to survive first!" A wry smile formed on Raph's face as he tilted his head slightly. "You're right, and you might be endangered once more." They glanced at each other, their surprise palpable as Cricken turned towards him. "What do you propose we do then? We can't help in this fight, and it'll be dangerous to go after their tags, either. Not until you guys have taken most of them." Raph nodded slowly, casting a glance at the scene behind him before turning towards them. "What else can be done? You have to stick close to me as I stick close to you. Neither harm nor failure will come our way." Cricken's gaze narrowed at his statement, his thoughts reeling in. 'Wouldn't one prefer if we were out of the way? How does he expect to fight and protect us at the same time.' Though, it wasn't like it was an impossible task. A strong individual has both the power to fight and protect at the same time, but Cricken doesn't know Raph's current prowess. So he was half certain that Raph didn't realize the weight of what he had just said. At a far yet not so far distance, two Oni Rhinos rushed towards them, their massive build sending pulses down the earth. They turned around in unison, Crickens gaze slowly hardening. 'I guess we'll just have to find out.'

Chapter 316 - 316- Festival 47- Monster Hunt 6

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