As the green glow of the forest surrounded them, the breeze of mana-rich air brushing past their faces, Cynthia adjusted her gloves and turned to the group.
"We should start heading deeper into the forest," she said, eyes sharp. "That's where the higher-ranking mana beasts roam and where we'll find rare mana-rich fruits. If we want to be number one, we can't play it safe."
Kael stretched casually and rolled his shoulders, his long white hair shimmering in the filtered sunlight through the canopy.
"Fine by me," he said with a light yawn.
The others nodded, though a little uneasily. Max was the first to speak. "More points means more danger. You sure we'll be okay?"
Cynthia smirked. "With me and Kael here, we'll be more than fine."
They moved quietly through the brush, each footfall precise, guided by Kael's perception and Cynthia's awareness of the terrain. Jace's beast core heightened his senses, and Chloe's water core helped her feel mana pulses in nearby plants and streams.
They hadn't gone far when a low growl echoed through the trees. Six pairs of glowing red eyes emerged from the bushes, circling them mana wolves. Large, fast, and coordinated.
Jace stepped back slightly. "Guys, we should."
But before he could finish, the wolves lunged with unnatural speed, aiming for Chloe first.
Then.
"Shadow Arts… Form Two," Kael said calmly, his hand already on his blade.
"Crescent Fold."
A flash of black light arced through the air.
The wolves never even reached their target.
Their heads flew clean off their bodies in a curved slash that looked like a crescent moon. Blood barely had time to hit the ground before the wolves' bodies collapsed.
The group's watches blinked to life.
+6 points earned.
Kael yawned again, turning his back to the corpses.
"Let's keep moving," he said, as if swatting flies had taken more effort.
Max, Jace, and Chloe stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
"He just… killed all of them," Jace murmured. "In one move."
"I didn't even see him draw his sword," Max added, stunned.
Chloe looked between Kael and Cynthia, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are we even… useful in this group?"
Cynthia glanced over her shoulder, casually tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear.
"What? That?" she said nonchalantly. "Stop wasting time it's pretty easy to do."
She kept walking like it was just another stroll through the forest.
The others silently fell in line behind them, their confidence shaken not in fear, but in awe.
It was starting to dawn on them.
They weren't walking through the Elowen Forest with classmates.
They were walking beside monsters in human skin.