Fatal strike

The arrow struck the Wolfbeast on Borne's left with pinpoint precision, driving deep into its neck with immense force, instantly halting its movements.

The Wolfbeast on the right, witnessing this, quickly retreated a step.

The large beast seemed slightly unsettled, but it remained in a vigilant stance, its eyes fixed intently on Borne.

Then, another swift arrow flew through the air.

The Wolfbeast reacted quickly, leaping aside to dodge the first arrow, but the follow-up shot caught it by surprise.

This time, it couldn't evade in time, and the arrow drove deep into its abdomen.

The Wolfbeast began to lose its balance, and Borne seized the opportunity.

He lifted his hammer with a powerful swing, aiming directly at the Wolfbeast's head.

Learning from his previous experience, Borne struck with all his strength.

Within moments, the massive Wolfbeast collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The archer who had fired from the woods revealed himself.

"You okay?"

Following the voice, Borne saw a familiar face—it was his childhood friend, Dillon.

Relief washed over Borne, and his tense heart finally eased.

Dillon, riding a black warhorse, approached Borne, putting away his bow and taking a quick glance around the battlefield.

"Looks like I arrived a bit late."

Borne said nothing but dismounted and walked over to the two fallen Wolfbeasts.

His hand reached for his left hip, pulling out his small knife to finish off the smaller Wolfbeast.

He extracted a small gray Beast Core, about the size of a fingernail, from its body.

The young Wolfbeast's face remained fierce, its mouth wide open in a bloody snarl, its glowing green eyes still gleaming.

But there was no longer any breath or heartbeat.

Then, Borne continued by finishing off the larger Wolfbeast.

He used his dagger to cut open the Wolfbeast's abdomen and extracted a gray Beast Core, about the size of an egg.

The death of the massive Wolfbeast was particularly gruesome.

After taking a direct hammer blow to the head, its entire skull was bursting with blood.

Even with the rain washing over it, broken white bones were visible within.

Without hesitation, Borne slashed the Wolfbeast's head several more times.

Blood splattered onto Borne's face.

"Come take a look at this," Dillon called, motioning for Borne to join him beside the torn-apart corpse.

"Looks like someone from the Second Battalion."

Borne examined the clothing and scattered weapons of the body, noting, "The Second Battalion's scouts recently upgraded their weapons."

"Poor fellow," Dillon murmured, beginning to gather the shattered remains of the scout, offering the deceased their final respect.

Borne dragged the two Wolfbeast corpses into the woods. The scent of blood spread through the air, sharp and pungent.

Yet neither of them seemed to mind; it was as if they had grown accustomed to it.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the two resumed their descent, continuing their search for the Thunder Tiger's trail.

Boom!

Another thunderstorm erupted, and the rain poured down even harder.

The two found a naturally formed earthen embankment along the path.

They decided to take a short break.

In the brief flash of lightning, Dillon noticed the cuts on Borne and his warhorse.

Dillon tore off a piece of his shirt and handed it to Borne.

"Hold still; let me bandage that for you."

Borne's wounds weren't very deep, but with the rainwater soaking them, there was already a risk of infection.

He initially wanted to wave Dillon off, but the pain in his wounds made him relent and move closer.

Dillon skillfully wrapped the wound with a makeshift bandage and tied a knot.

"Radish, over here."

Radish turned its head towards Borne, its brown fur also slashed in a similar, painful-looking manner by the branches.

Dillon quickly tended to the warhorse's wounds.

Just as Borne was about to check his gear again, a thunderous roar erupted from the west.

They instantly grew alert, and Dillon craned his neck to double-check.

"Quick!"

Both swiftly mounted their warhorses, tightening the reins. The horses let out a deep neigh, their hooves sinking into the slippery mud.

They raced toward the west without pause.

The gale whipped raindrops into their faces, blurring their vision in the storm, but they kept their eyes locked firmly ahead.

The terrain was rough, with rocks and branches blocking their path.

The two maneuvered their horses skillfully, weaving through the treacherous ground.

A massive bolt of lightning tore across the sky, briefly illuminating the distant location of the Thunder Tiger.

Borne and Dillon instinctively quickened their pace, their breathing heavy amid the wind and rain, accompanied only by the sound of hooves.

Soon, they arrived at a wide field.

The rain was still pouring down, weighing the rice stalks so heavily they couldn't stand upright.

At the far end of the field stood the Thunder Tiger.

Borne dismounted and signaled for Dillon to stay alert and hold his position. He then slipped into the field.

Dillon wanted to join him, but he knew that having too many people might draw the Thunder Tiger's attention.

So he quickly readied his bow, keeping a close watch on the Thunder Tiger's direction.

Borne crept through the field, keeping low.

His vision was nearly pitch-black, so he relied on the scent of electricity in the air from the lightning element and the sharp, pungent smell of the magical beast.

The rice stalks in the field felt like tiny whips, lashing against Borne's face.

Before long, he reached the back of the Thunder Tiger.

Borne's eyes focused, and he confirmed it was the same one from the cliff.

Around the Thunder Tiger, many clusters of lightning had gathered, resembling spheres of pure lightning element.

Borne mentally noted this significant discovery.

Just then, he felt a wave of dizziness and a persistent ringing in his ears.

With a soft "thud," Borne staggered backward and fell to the ground.

The clusters of lightning around the Thunder Tiger quickly dissipated, and sensing something unusual, the beast turned its head.

Boom!

A clap of thunder roared, illuminating the Thunder Tiger and Borne's line of sight, just as it had been by the cliffside.

Once again, Borne found himself staring up at the Thunder Tiger's menacing face.

But this time, the expression on the Thunder Tiger's face was different. It held an air of superiority.

Suddenly!

The Thunder Tiger launched an attack, thrusting its left paw, marked with a lightning imprint, toward Borne.

Borne was momentarily stunned, but his body quickly reacted.

He scrambled backward, using both his hands and feet, on the slippery mud.

From behind, Dillon saw the situation and quickly fired an arrow, but it was deflected by some kind of invisible barrier.

The Thunder Tiger's first strike hit the ground, splattering mud everywhere.

But the second strike came rapidly after, its right paw swinging horizontally from outside in, aiming straight at Borne.

Borne knew this move was nearly impossible to dodge, but he desperately thought of a plan.

As the claw came crashing down, Borne tried to continue retreating, but the ground was too slick.

He slipped and fell, mud covering his entire body.

The paw swiped right in front of him, and in that moment, Borne's heart felt as if it had stopped.

His blue eyes filled with despair as he watched the Tiger's claw closing in on him.

In the next instant, he felt as though a chunk of his hair had been sliced off, accompanied by the sharp smell of something burning.

"Borne!"

The shout snapped him back to reality.

Dillon rode up on his horse, stopping beside Borne.

Borne blinked and realized that the Thunder Tiger, which had been right in front of him, had suddenly vanished.

Dillon dismounted and helped Borne to his feet, both of them staring in confusion at the now-empty field.