7 Chapter7-Hands-On Training
Only at this moment did everyone realize, astounded, that they hadn't actually witnessed Alec's moves.
It was as if the Forest Wolf had appeared only to be immediately incapacitated.
Such prowess not only inspired awe but also fostered a sense of security.
"Mirabelle, come here," Alec commanded, one foot firmly planted on the Forest Wolf's body, as he turned to address the group.
A girl of petite and delicate stature with a few freckles adorning her face stepped forward nervously from the line, coming to Alec's side.
"Alec, what... what should I do?" Clearly at the threshold of taking a life for the first time, Mirabelle was besieged by a tumult of nerves.
Alec handed over a shimmering silver dagger, his voice a calming deep resonance, "Don't be afraid. It's already knocked out. Use this dagger, piercing it through its eye socket, and you will end its life."
Turning back to the group, he continued his in-situ instruction, "Doing this has two benefits. First, it maintains the integrity of the wolf's pelt, which can fetch a higher price. Second, it minimizes the bloodshed. Within the Silent Forest, numerous formidable creatures roam. The scent of blood might lure them, putting us at a considerable disadvantage."
At Alec's words, a realization dawned upon the group.
Silently, they absorbed the wisdom imparted, recognizing these as valuable tips for wilderness survival.
"Wow! I earned experience, it feels so good," exclaimed Mirabelle, trembling as she held the dagger.
She aimed at the Forest Wolf's eye, tightly shutting her own, a grimace of fear overtaking her face as she thrust forward.
The Forest Wolf's body convulsed violently, its limbs flailing helplessly while Alec's foot remained firm, resulting only in two deep furrows dug into the earth, no other adverse effect ensued.
Once the creature lay lifeless, a beam of white light emanated from it, entering Mirabelle.
A warmth swept over her, bringing an immense feeling of comfort and delight, prompting an involuntary cry of joy.
Hearing this, the others looked at Alec, their faces filled with eager anticipation, hoping to have their turns soon.
"Don't worry, everyone will get a turn, one by one," Alec reassured.
At that moment, another Forest Wolf appeared within their sight.
Every eye was fixed intently on Alec as he sprung into action, launching forward with a lightning-quick thrust of his toe, leaving trails of afterimages in his wake.
The Forest Wolf could barely lift its head to release an excited pre-hunt howl before a streak of silver-white swiftly struck across its neck.
With a roll of its eyes, it swayed and collapsed unevenly onto the ground.
"Remember, in the jungle, end the battle swiftly if possible, to avoid being surrounded by monsters," Alec advised as he stepped on the Forest Wolf, anchoring it firmly beneath his boot, before calling out, "Colin, it's your turn..."
A lean young man stepped forward from the group, took the dagger, and skillfully stabbed it into the Forest Wolf's eye socket.
There was not a trace of fear in his eyes, only a flame burning fiercely, a flame named "desire to become stronger." That same flame ignited in the eyes of everyone present.
Howard was no exception. Watching the white light fly from the Forest Wolf's body into the young man, he couldn't help but think, "I can't waste time here."
"I have the Dragonfire spell and Mana Drainer, I can level up on my own, without standing in line here. I need to find an opportunity to leave the team..."
Elsewhere, Alec gestured, and the Forest Wolf's body disappeared into his spatial equipment.
He then kicked the ground twice, first creating a large pit where the blood-soaked earth had been, then covering it with a pile of dirt to completely mask the scent of blood.
His movements were fluid and professional, leaving the group mesmerized while making mental notes of Alec's actions.
These were professional skills they needed to acquire for solitary monster hunting.
Time ticked away, second by second.
Monsters appeared continuously, with Forest Wolves surprisingly not being the most frequent encounters.
The leveling team had discovered a small gnome encampment nearby, inhabited by around twenty level 6 gnomes and a level 11 gnome thrower.
Alec devised a plan and chose a student with a C-level 'Gale Phantom' talent to lure the gnomes.
This talent, when activated, could amplify movement speed by 50% and cast two phantom illusions to confuse the enemy.
Entrusting this task to him was the most sensible choice, especially with Alec guarding from a concealed position, ready to rescue him at any moment, ensuring his safety.
As an additional reward for his contribution, he would be granted extra kill credits.
This arrangement invoked envy in many, wishing they could be the ones to lure the enemies.
Unfortunately, due to insufficient agility attributes, Alec sternly rejected their requests.
Thus, one after another, the gnomes were lured away from the camp, brought down by Alec, and then slain by the students one by one, turning into nourishment for their advancing strengths.
Indeed, with Alec's prowess, he could completely obliterate the gnome encampment on his own, without putting in such strenuous efforts.
Yet, killing monsters and capturing them alive were two different matters, not on the same level of difficulty.
While Alec could single-handedly wipe out the camp, capturing so many gnomes alive would be a tall order.
Moreover, he had the goal of nurturing the students' ability to work as a team and imparting the experiences of surviving in the wild.
Therefore, he opted for this time and labor-intensive plan.
As gnome after gnome was lured out, the vast majority of the team members achieved their first kill.
At this juncture, the gnome thrower, which had been slumbering blissfully in the camp, finally sensed that something was amiss.
Its companions had gone out to chase prey but had never returned.
One missing was fine, two missing raised suspicions, and even a fool could tell that something was wrong now.
"Oh! Oh oh!"
The gnome thrower sent out consecutive rallying cries, only to discover fearfully that it was left alone in the now vast and empty encampment.
In a state of panic, it stumbled and rolled, fleeing from the rear of the camp, intending to distance itself from this cannibalistic ground.
Yet, in the bushes behind the camp, a tumult of footsteps echoed, clearly a large group of creatures was approaching.
Amidst them was a deep male voice instructing, "You see, these creatures are indeed intelligent, they aren't fools. They flee when they sense danger instead of engaging in a fight to the death with us. Remember this, and be careful not to be outsmarted by the monsters. Fleeing is a minor issue; at most we lose the opportunity to kill a beast and forfeit some experience points."
"But if we encounter cunning beasts, they might employ ambushes, traps, and surprise attacks against us. One misstep and we might suffer a great loss, even losing our lives..."
"Yes, Alec, we will remember..."
As this string of dialogues resounded, a robust man appeared in the gnome thrower's vision, followed by a group of youthful faces with eager, fervent gazes fixed on it.
They were eyes hungry to feast on the gnome...
Fear surged within the gnome thrower as it turned to flee in another direction.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Alec kicked the ground, sending a bowl-sized stone flying straight at its nape.
The gnome thrower's eyes rolled back, exposing bloodshot whites before it wobbled and collapsed to the ground.
The sight left the group of youngsters in awe, their hearts filled with admiration, captivated by the brilliance they had just witnessed.
Suddenly, Alec turned his head, his gaze settling on a young girl in the leveling team as he asked, "Oh! Who's next in line to claim a kill?"
The girl's name was Daphne Leland, the most talented member of the squad and the designated deputy leader acknowledged by Alec himself, responsible for the distribution of the spoils of war.
"Alec, the list is arranged in the order of joining the team. Now everyone has killed a beast once, except for Howard," Daphne lowered her head, pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket to reference before responding.
In an instant, all eyes turned to Howard, filled with a mix of envy and jealousy.
That was because the gnome thrower, a high-level LV11 monster, could offer more than twice the experience points of a regular gnome.
But the order on the list was determined by unanimous hand-raised voting; it wouldn't be right to go back on it now, would it?
"Lucky lad, go take what you deserve!" Alec urged, nodding his head towards the body, a hint of admiration in his voice.
He, of course, knew the order on the list and who was next; Howard.
Yet he chose to ask Daphne instead of naming him directly to avoid any accusations of favoritism, to silence any potential murmurs of partiality.
Truth be told, Alec found Howard somewhat troublesome.
The young boy was a source of unrest, having not only caused a rift between him and the Jeffers brothers, large and small but also offended the behind-the-scenes puppet master, Headmaster Jay. How could he feel cheerful about that?
Yet, against all odds, Howard had the devil's own luck. It was his turn now, landing the opportunity to kill the highest level gnome thrower.
"What a fortunate young fellow," Alec mused to himself.
