Beginnings (13)

"Sure… I'm Travis, this Madison, Hannah, and Isabella. And what is your name?" Travis said when he sat down across from me. Isabella, the girl that asked me when they came over, was sitting beside me, with Madison besides her. Madison was completely ignoring me and everyone else only looking at her phone reading something. As for Hannah she looked angry, who knows why.

"Dominque. So, what brings you guys here?"

"We are from the University of Martial and Arcane Arts. Every first year gets an assignment to gain experience. We just registered at the MCA, we will be going hunting tomorrow. What about you? Are you a professional? Or also a student?"

"No… I'm not a student. But I'm not a professional either. But I'm here to gain experience, train and well, gain some money. Is that going to be your first time hunting?"

"It is. We want to go after the Sky Panther. And what about you, do you have any plans for tomorrow, you can join us if you want."

"…" Are they stupid? Or like me overconfident. They are first years, so they became Artists five months ago. Jackson and his team were from some other university, but they graduated. Their strength was decent, but it proved that even after graduation the Artist journey only begins.

The chances that the Best University in the country would send their students to death are small, and that they are strong enough to actually hunt was even smaller.

"Is it just you guys? Or is there anyone else?"

"There is… How did you know?" Travis said.

"What year?"

"She is a fourth year. Why are you asking?"

"If I'm not wrong then you guys should give up on hunting a sky panther. You are awfully overestimating your strength." I said while looking at them. Travis and Isabella looked dumbfounded, Madison ignored me completely while Hannah… she looked furious.

"Who do you think you are?! Do you have any idea who are you talking too?! I'm the decedent of the Quinn family, and you dare to speak in that kind of tone in my presence!?"

She blew up with some words, but her shouts were so loud you could barely understand her. The other three looked at her, Travis and Isabella with embarrassed smiles started to apologize to people around us while holding Hannah back.

"I'm sorry about her. She likes to… overreact. But thank you for advice, but we have to hunt down the Sky Panther. It's the university assignment, it's like a competition. They gave us two days to hunt, starting tomorrow, assigned points to each monster and told us to get as many as possible. The winner will get an enhanced item."

"And sky panther is worth a lot?"

"Yes. But we are not overestimating our strength, we thought it through, and we should be able to kill a Sky Panther. We are the strongest of all first years in the end. And with Lydia protecting us in case of an emergency we will be fine."

Competition. They made them want to go after strong prey knowing that they will ultimately fail. The fourth year is here only to help them escape, they probably gave them an enhanced item that will help do so.

That would be the first day, then when they realize how wrong they were trying to kill big pray, then will they kill a few Goblins or Jackalopes. But with not a lot of time left they won't get many points.

It will be a hard lesson.

"Did you not have any classes about monsters? Sky Panther is fast, strong and hard track. It will kill the four of you before you realize it moved. I saw it once, I was in a team, and a few weeks back, it was my first time hunting, and on our way back it attacked us. It was as tall as me and fast like a car, if not for help from a veteran hunter, someone would've died."

Travis didn't look good, but I could still see the determination in his eyes. He still wanted to go after it.

"Travis. The competition is a lesson. You are overconfident, all of you are. Baited by the amazing prize, you would go after the strong monsters, then when you spectacularly fail the fourth year saves you. You would realize your real strength and go after goblins most likely. After killing one or two, you will realize how strong monsters really are and go back."

Goblins, though they are second weakest monsters, are still at the very least as strong as an adult man. And progression that Martial and Arcane artist make is slow. If Jackson and his team were only that strong after four years of training, then these four after five months won't be even close to them.

Jackson and his team slaughtered goblins in hundreds, that was the best way to make money, and with their power killing, a stronger monster like Crocotta wouldn't be a problem but inefficient. That's why they kept killing goblins.

"You know nothing, we are students of the best University in the country, some backwater kid like you wants to teach us? You are just weak. We can kill a Sky Panther and any other monster in this place." Hannah said while looking me in the eyes. As if I was a bug that she could squish at any moment, her eyes were filled with disgust.

"I'm just trying to help."

"Why don't you two fight then?"

The voice came from a shadow in a corner, there a dark figure emerged and took the shape of a woman in dark clothes.

"Lydia? What are you doing here?" Travis said.

"This kid here made some good points. Hannah why don't you fight him, if you win then he is just weak, and you were right if you lose then you guys will go hunt goblins."

"Sure!"

"What about you? Is that fine with you?"

"I don't mind."

"Good. There is an empty parking lot not too far away. Should we go?"

I finished my last dish and got up. Following Lydia, we got to a parking lot. There were only two cars in a corner and a street lamp. Why I was doing this? There was no real need for me to help them. But I felt like it. I was like them when I got to the hunting grounds for the first time, full confidence, choking on my new gained power.

But I was a lot stronger than them.

Just like Jackson helped me. I want to help them. It was the right thing to do.

Lydia took her phone and started recording, she asked both of if we agree to the fight and confirmed that there are observers. That was done to make sure everything was legal. Only like that, we wouldn't get in trouble, but if we destroy anything we need to pay ourselves.

"Are the two of you ready?"

""Yes.""

"Begin."

Hannah started to murmur to cast a spell. There was no need for me to hurry, but my training with master thought me otherwise. Manifesting the Soul Image, I dashed towards her garbed her hand and threw her over. She landed on her back and started to cough. The landing pushed all the air from her lungs.

The fight was over before she could do anything. Travis, Isabella, and Maddison were shocked. After all, they were the strongest of the first years.

"Travis, you guys take her back to the hotel. Go to sleep and rest for tomorrow."

"Yes, Lydia."

After they left Lydia stayed behind.

"Thanks for that. It will make my life a lot easier."

"I just wanted to help them."

"And you did. Especially Hannah, freshmen, are always arrogant. Fourth years always then need to save them."

"It wouldn't be a problem for you."

I don't know how, but I knew, she was strong, stronger than Jackson or me. She had this air around her, similar to the guy that killed the Sky Panther back then. This was the level of fourth years at the University of Martial and Arcane arts, the best university in the country. It's no surprise that they would send freshman out like this.

"Will you join us tomorrow? You look like you know what you're doing, and it would make my job easier."

"No. I'm fine."

"I will pay."

"… How much?"

"50."

"200."

"100."

"125. But I won't escort them back."

"No problem, tomorrow at 10 in front of MCA."

"See you tomorrow then."