The biting cold of winter could be felt even through the thick cloaks. Snow blanketed the forest in a white shroud, interrupted only by the bare trees standing tall. Kael's breath formed dense clouds in the freezing air as he gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, his knuckles pale from the cold.
In front of him, an elite gnoll roared with fury. Towering two heads taller than Kael, the beastly humanoid was covered in black and gray mottled fur. In one hand, it wielded a crude double-headed axe, and in the other, a jagged shield. Its yellow eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
Kael dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding a crushing blow that shattered the tree trunk behind him as if it were made of butter. Snow burst into the air. Despite all his training and the many monsters he had hunted, this was the first time he faced one with such raw strength.
"No wonder it's an Elite monster," he thought, lowering his center of gravity.
He focused mana into his leg muscles, activating Fiery Steps. In a flash, he closed the distance between him and the gnoll, positioning himself at its right flank. His first strike was fast, aimed at the monster's supporting leg, but the gnoll reacted with surprising speed, blocking with its shield and countering with a headbutt. Kael leaned back just in time to dodge it.
Balancing on one foot, he retaliated with a spinning slash. The blade grazed the creature's side, drawing a growl and a trail of blood, but it was only a scratch.
The gnoll answered with a flurry of heavy blows. Kael was forced to block with his sword, his arm trembling with each impact. One strike slipped through his guard, slashing his left shoulder and tearing part of his cloak.
He rolled back into the snow and rose with a sliding motion. His breath was ragged, his left arm aching, but his gaze remained sharp.
Drawing in a lungful of cold air, he launched another assault. With a burst of energy, mana surged into his arms like a wave, greatly enhancing the force of his swing.
The monster blocked with its shield, which cracked under the impact, exactly what Kael had aimed for.
Not giving the gnoll a moment to react, Kael continued his onslaught. Finally, he shattered the monster's shield, but at that exact moment, the gnoll counterattacked.
The sudden move forced Kael to bring up his sword defensively. Though he managed to block, the impact hurled him backward, sending him sliding across the ground.
The collision knocked the wind out of him, but he couldn't afford to rest, the monster was already upon him, axe raised.
"!"
He rolled aside just in time as the axe embedded itself deeply into the earth.
Seizing the opportunity, Kael kicked hard at the monster's elbow.
Crack!
With the sickening sound of bones breaking, the monster howled in pain. Kael managed to create some distance again while the gnoll yanked its axe from the ground, now able to wield it with only one arm.
Kael panted as he took his stance once more. Snowflakes continued to fall softly, but the battlefield was already stained around him, marked by claw prints, sword slashes, and blood. His shoulder throbbed painfully, but he still had enough mana left, and he could tell the monster had taken serious damage.
The gnoll, now wounded and enraged, growled with foam at its mouth, staggering slightly. Its injured arm hung limp at its side, but it still raised the axe with the other, unwilling to give up the hunt.
After a brief standoff, both charged at the same time.
The gnoll swung its axe down in a powerful arc, but Kael slipped under the raised arm at the last second. This time, his sword carved a deep gash into the creature's side, spraying black blood.
The monster let out another groan but attacked again regardless.
Kael ducked quickly, feeling the sharp wind graze his hair, and with a circular motion, he drove the pommel of his sword directly into the fresh wound with all his strength.
What he didn't expect, however, was that at the very same moment, the monster bit into his shoulder.
A grunt escaped his lips as his eyes squinted in pain. He clenched his teeth in frustration and tried to slash the monster's face with his sword.
The gnoll attempted to pull back but couldn't fully dodge the strike. The blade left a deep gash running from the corner of its mouth up to its left eye.
The gnoll let out a furious roar, stumbling backward. Dark blood mixed with drool dripped from the wound on its face. Its claws tore at the snowy ground as it twisted in pain and rage. Kael, with his right shoulder bleeding and every muscle tense like a drawn bowstring, stepped back, panting.
"You're damn tough..." Kael muttered through gritted teeth.
Blinded and driven wild by the pain, the gnoll charged blindly with a deafening roar, swinging its axe like a rabid beast.
Kael sidestepped, then did it again, evading the frenzied strikes. Unlike the monster, his mind remained calm. The gnoll had fallen into a frenzy. While that made its attacks stronger, it also made them predictable. And with its wounds, the creature would soon tire out.
As he had anticipated, the gnoll began to slow, gasping for air.
"Time to end this."
As he dodged yet another strike, Kael countered swiftly. His blade flashed, slicing through most of the monster's arm, the one holding the weapon, which fell heavily to the ground.
Howling in agony, unable to use its arms, the gnoll lunged in a last desperate attempt to bite him. But how could such a reckless move possibly land?
Kael's sword pierced the creature's chest. With a flick of his wrist, he twisted the blade, widening the wound before pulling it out, leaving a deep hole in its torso.
The gnoll tried to take another step forward, but its legs buckled after a few unsteady movements. Its body collapsed with a dull thud onto the snow, which slowly turned black around the gaping wound in its chest.
Kael dropped to one knee, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
"D-Damn… that hurts like hell…"
A moment later, heavy footsteps crunched through the snow, accompanied by the dull thuds of boots pushing through the surface.
"Let me see the wound."
Kael looked up and nodded, recognizing Ronald's voice. With a grimace, he slowly lifted the cloth covering his shoulder. The winter air stung his skin, but it wasn't unbearable, his body temperature naturally ran high.
Ronald examined the wound carefully, brow slightly furrowed, as his experienced hands began to press the cloth against the bleeding with practiced precision.
"It's deep, but luckily the bone doesn't seem to be damaged. Still, we need to head back and disinfect it properly. I'm not risking an infection."
"Fine by me…" Kael muttered with a tired sigh, trying to ease the tension. "I didn't think there'd be such a big difference between a regular monster and an elite one."
Ronald glanced at the gnoll's corpse, now motionless in the snow.
"Mana density might look similar on paper, but an elite is still an evolved version. Its body becomes stronger, and its mind more cunning. In terms of raw strength, you just fought your first enemy on your level."
"So... does this mean I can officially call myself a true Higher-Rank Novice now?"
Ronald gave him a sidelong glance and half-smiled.
"You already were for a few months. And now that you've managed to defeat a one-and-a-half-star monster, there's no reason to doubt it anymore. In fact, I'd say you're one step away from becoming an Expert. All you need is to break through the barrier that allows you to convert mana into aura."
"Hah!– Kuhum…"
Kael cleared his throat, trying to suppress a burst of euphoric laughter with a forced calm tone. But Ronald knew him far too well to be fooled. The way Kael's lips kept curling up said more than any words.
And who could blame him?
It had been a year and a half since he received that book, the one that changed the course of his life. Ever since then, his days had been filled with training and regular battles against monsters near the territory's borders.
Now, if anyone found out that someone had nearly reached Expert rank before even turning seventeen, it would sound absurd. But Kael had done it.
"Still, I have to admit… you're lucky."
"?"
Confused, Kael looked at Ronald, who approached the gnoll's corpse. Without hesitation, he plunged his hand deep into the wound on the monster's chest. He rummaged around for a moment, then slowly pulled something out, gripping it in his bloody hand.
A small, iridescent crystal.
"That's… a mana stone?" Kael asked, fascinated. It was the first time he had ever seen one.
"Exactly. Even in elite monsters, it's rare to find one. Yet you managed to get one on your first try. If that's not luck, I don't know what is." Ronald turned to him with an amused expression. "And do you know what you could do with this?"
Kael lit up. "Sell it and get super rich?"
SMACK!
The slap echoed through the snowy trees like a whip crack.