Chapter 54: 1st Mission - 2

They didn't know that I am just his friend and still in the low-level private stage. They expected me to be in a higher stage since I was the only freelancer present there. Kamran finally introduced me to them as a scout and informed about my stage to them.

They all were surprised to hear that I am his brother and he would punish anyone who would bully me. They came to know that my pet is an eagle with wind affinity and is the best choice for scouting ahead to find out where the steel rhinos are available and their quantity so they can prepare accordingly.

We all practiced the entire afternoon in the places designated to us. There were 5 archers and the remaining 17 including myself and Kamran are close-range combatants. I practiced with my sword by using it with both my hands as I am already trained on how to use a one-handed sword since I have already used it.

I was getting more proficient in using a two-handed sword and by the end of the training, I was confident in using it without any issues. Since the monster we are going to hunt is good in defense and has greater strength than me, I opted to use the golden sword with both my hands as a two-handed sword which will increase my attack power.

I went to the tent allocated to me and Kamran and when I entered the ten, I was welcomed by Kamran's pet steel panda 'Gieger' who was stopped by Kamran just in time to save me from getting hit by the panda.

When looked at from the outside, it looked like a normal tent, but inside, it was split into 5 rooms. The 1st room at the entrance is a meeting room with a circular table in the middle. It also had a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The last room can be changed into anything that is required at the time. It has been changed into a bedroom for me to rest in at night.

I asked my pet sparrow 'Jack' to scout the surroundings of the temporary camp we have made to search for the steel rhinos so we can hunt them as quickly as we can. I also requested him to patrol the camp to make sure we are not attacked by any monsters in the middle of the night.

He sat on my shoulder for a few minutes to eat the sweets I gave to him and flew out of the tent to do what I requested him to do. He was happy to be in the forest as he will not be restricted and can fly where ever he wanted to.

I requested him to inform me about any monster he finds before going in for the attack. I am overprotective of him since I didn't want to lose another pet in my life. He understood that I am doing this to protect him, but he is a bit sad about me trying to keep him very safe.

The night went peacefully as no monsters attacked us and Jack returned to me at dawn with the information I requested for him to scout. He telepathically informed me that there are 4 crashes of steel rhinos near our camp. Each had about 3 to 7 roaming together.

I informed the same to Kamran and also marked the places where the rhinos are by the information provided to me by Jack. Geiger was eager to start the attack since it's been a month since it fought any monster.

We finished our breakfast and started to discuss our attack plan with the other warriors at the center of our camp. We decided to split into 2 groups with 10 warriors in 1st group and the rest 12 in the 2nd group.

I am in the 1st group with Kamran and another 6 close combatants and 2 archers. The 2nd group had the remaining 3 archers and 9 close combatants. If everything goes well, we will hunt 2 rhino crashes each and return to the camp before sunset. We planned our path to minimize the trekking time to reach the rhinos.

Kamran wanted to keep a close eye on me so he can ensure my safety in this mission. I was in the front of our group with Kamran since I am the scout and Jack is the one who is scouting ahead to make sure we do not run into any monsters which will consume our time.

We were able to reach the 1st crash of rhinos within 20 minutes of the camp. We saw about 5 rhinos moving together. I was able to detect 4 of them were in the low-level Seargent stage while 1 was in the peak-level private stage.

I unsheathed my sword and held it with both my hands ready to attack as soon as the order is given. Kamran split the group into 5 more so 2 warriors can attack one rhino each. He opted to attack one of the rhinos alone.

I and the 2 archers are tasked with attacking the peak-level private stage rhino since I am still in the low-level private stage and the archer's attack will not be effective against the Seargent-stage steel rhino's defense. We all agreed to the plan of the attack even though we don't like it as it is an order from our commanding officer.

I wanted to fight the low-level private-stage rhino alone. But I am grouped with the 2 archers whose arrows can hurt it more than my sword since my battle power is low.

We started our hunt for steel rhinos as Kamran gave us the command to. Kamran focused on the rhino that was closest to my target so he could come and defend me if the hunt goes south.

I was a bit sad as it will not allow me to bring out my full potential as my heart knows nothing will happen to me even if I am overpowered by the rhino I am about to fight.

We moved as a group first and split into the teams informed by Kamran to fight our designated targets.