Conclusion II

Orga couldn't understand the plan of those robed men. Their sudden appearance here was unexpected. The Hunter Association's branches in the nearby villages had also failed to notify them of any unusual events.

It means that either their town was the only target, or they truly wanted the life of those academy students.

Sigh~

"Anyway, I'm a Hunter… I'll just make a report to the village chief."

Orga gave up thinking as he tries to find some clues. Even if he just needed to make a report, he still has to show that he tried to investigate the cause of the sudden beast tide.

He couldn't just report that a lure was sent out as the scale was a bit too large.

In the end, he was still a 'beast' hunter. The job for determining the reason for this would still fall on the village chief's work and he only needed to help a little.

If in case that even the chief couldn't handle it, he can just pass the work to the viscount who owns this territory.

Grr!

Orga met some Wild Beasts like Armored Bear and Forest Wolves that was common in Wailing Forest but these beasts seem to feel the danger of facing the old man circling the forest.

'Oh, found it…'

The three-star hunter finally found an unexpected piece of evidence. It was broken pieces of vial that still has few traces of the Rare Apple Lure.

Based on the structure of the broken pieces, Orga realized that it was just a common safety bottle that can be found in almost every market.

However, since the vial previously contains the special liquid of the lure, the lingering scent of it would accompany it for more than a day. In short, it's not a good idea to bring it along during an escape as they will just be followed by the beasts.

Thud!

Orga knocked his cane on the ground which alerted the beasts that were circling the broken pieces of bottle.

Boom!

A deafening blast occurred which thrown off all the beasts!

Orga used this time to collect the pieces and run away.

He doesn't have the energy to fight against a dozen beasts as he still needed to run while covering the pieces of the bottle with his Spiritual Energy.

'Tsk… This bottle was big enough to lure even a high-grade beast…'

He realized that if the bottle was filled to the brim before it was emptied, the amount of Lure that was used may attract a very strong beast. It was only a small chance but it was still something to be worried about.

A high-grade beast may not evolve in eating a Rare Apple but it will surely satisfy him for a few days. After all, filling their stomach with high-quality food wouldn't be such a bad idea.

***

Indomitable Will!

Alexander used the same skill he showed when he was hunting together with his team. It affected the students around him as they used all their skills to kill the insects.

Unfortunately, it seems that it was still too much as some of the students were about to be drowned by the insects…

"N-no!"

"Help us here!"

"Teacher!"

As some students felt that they could no longer handle the situation, the teachers or the official Arcanists stepped in.

Stagnation!

The relentless assault of the scarabs suddenly halted after Jerax appeared behind the students.

The students were confused by the sudden stop of the scarabs but a few of them realized what was happening.

"It's Stagnation!"

"Oh! That's right! Amazing!"

"So this is teacher's Unique Arcana, it's truly magical…"

"You said it… With his help, we can easily finish them off."

"Don't rely on him for too much. He must be testing us."

"Ah! You're right…"

Stagnation could halt the movement of any targeted area for a small amount of time. It came from Grace Armband, a Unique-Rank Arcana owned by Jerax…

The lowest rank was Common, followed by Rare, Unique, Epic, Legendary, and Mythical as the highest rank. If there was above that rank, no one ever knows. After all, nothing has ever been recorded since the history of mankind.

Although the skill that came from the Unique Arcana can only last for a moment and only effective to those weaker than the user, it was still more than enough to buy some time to deal a decisive blow against the anchor scarabs.

Luckily, there were no longer any threatening beasts that came after the first wave of beasts.

The beasts that followed were just low-grades and they came in small numbers. They can be easily dealt with and even if a mid-grade appeared, they can easily be outnumbered…

Diether had only left his post for a moment as he just wants to ensure that everything was fine in the central area. After ensuring his sister's safety, he quickly returned to his group and guarded the area.

"Mhmm… I received a report from Sir Orga that the lure's scent has been dealt with…"

Trance announced after several hours. Although everyone felt happy that they can already return, some were curious as to the lure's scent, especially for a Rare Apple should last for even longer.

The leader seems to have noticed their doubts and answered.

"Do not worry. Sir Orga has a pet that could help in this type of issue…"

The hunters suddenly felt assured after hearing about the involvement of Orga's pet.

'Hmm? A pet?'

Diether remembers that Orga keeps a young Crimson Eagle in his place. He saw it once after getting his license. However, he was unsure if there are other beasts he was taking care of…

Anyway, it wasn't important right now as he returned to the village together with the other hunters.

It was the same with the students so Diether made sure to avoid his sister's sight.

The village's surroundings seem to have encountered an attack…

"These footprints… Ghost Rabbits?"

There were still splattered blood and patches of furs that can be seen even after clearing them up. Ghost Rabbit's meat was delicious so it was normal that their bodies were quickly collected.

"Mhmm… There's surely a number of casualties in this battle. However, the number of materials and cores collected should be more than enough to last us for half a year."

A hunter behind Diether softly said as he observed the surroundings. It was indeed correct… The cores and the bodies of the beasts they collected were a lot. Once they sold it to the city merchants, they are bound to earn a huge profit out of this.

As Diether was about to continue his walk and return to the inn, he suddenly felt something on his waist…

'Master?'

Diether realized that something has happened to the shinai, so he immediately tried calling for Reiji. However, it remained silent as if his master was sleeping or was lost in thought.