Arcane Land & Crimson-Fanged Beast

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Leaves glistened under the intense rays of the Sun. The forest was peaceful, filled with spaced-out trees on the firm brown-yellow ground. Dust whirled with the gentle wind as a tear appeared in the air before two bodies appeared.

"Wha-what!" Quhiyn was dazed and a little dizzy. He had only seen a blinding flash and now he was on an open ground with trees meters away.

"Ah!" Liyin clutched her head and tried to stabilize by holding onto his shoulder. Quhiyn didn't move.

"Are you okay?" He got her attention as her eyes focused on him.

"Quhiyn," She called out, still feeling dizzy.

"I am here. Sit down under the shadow and take some rest." Quhiyn pointed toward a tree. He was vigilant while leading her to the nearest tree.

He kept eye on their surroundings while she closed her eyes to adjust and firmly held onto his shoulder. Meanwhile, Quhiyn's mind raced with thoughts. 'Are we near the sect? The Sun, trees, grass don't look that different.'

'This is a forest so there should be strong beasts lurking around.' Quhiyn gulped, watching around with much more intensity. A minute later, Liyin opened clear eyes and looked at his back.

"Sorry and thank you. I am feeling fine now." She moved her hand.

Quhiyn turned to her with a smile. "No need to be sorry. We will be relying on each other a lot."

She nodded with a faint smile and looked around.

"I was thinking we are in a hidden land near the sect." Quhiyn said.

"It could be." Liyin tightened her robe and said, "The stone door for returning doesn't seem to be anywhere here. Maybe it's in a different place."

"Mm. I think so too. What do you want to do right now? I wanted to find a place to live since we will be staying here for three months and having a temporary residence will help us in the long term." Quhiyn's eyes darted around.

"Yes, let's do that. We can also look out for herbs or anything that catches our eyes while doing that. We can go on a hunt after that." Liyin said.

"Also, this seemingly peaceful forest could be entirely different at night. We need to hurry."

"Mm. Let's go. " Quhiyn said and they carefully advanced. They made the least noise with their steps and often looked behind. After few minutes of walking, Liyin's eyes landed on a glowing flower some meters away from them.

"Quhiyn, that could be a rare herb." She whispered to him. He narrowed his eyes at the flower on the grass, nearest tree a meter away.

"Mm. There could be a beast nearby guarding it too." He said, inspecting the bushes meters behind the herb.

"Let's try going around it."

Quhiyn nodded and they slowly walked through the trees and bushes. They looked with intensity to find any sign of a beast lurking. Through the gap of some leaves, he noticed a unique detail and stopped. Liyin halted too.

"Look. It's a sleeping 4 Star Crimson-Fanged Beast." Quhiyn said. Liyin looked through the gap with raised eyebrows. Beasts were naturally a lot stronger, hence defeating this beast wouldn't be easy.

"Do you want to fight it?" He asked. He was interested in fighting it, gain some experience and precious items.

"Yes!" Liyin gave a vigorous nod.

"I want to too. Let's go. I will get its attention and you attack it from behind." Quhiyn said.

"Mm." Liyin's eyes brightened up. Quhiyn stayed in front and slowly walked toward the sleeping beast.

"I will rush toward it when we are just a few meters away." Quhiyn said. If they got too close, the beast might wake up.

"I will rush in after your attack." Quhiyn nodded and they stopped after some walking.

He didn't say anything and sprint toward the beast with a firm expression. He tightly held his sword and lunged forward with resolute eyes.

The beast opened its eyes with a growl before jumping to his side and clawing at him. Its black eyes glared. The claws were blood-red, its fur had a lighter tone.

He swung his sword from high up and struck against its sharp claws. Pain flowed through his arms but he gritted through and swung again. If he wasn't at the 5th Stage, he would have been thrown back.

The beast let out a fierce growl while its claw bleed. Its long crimson fangs glistened under the rays as it opened its mouth and lunged toward him.

Quhiyn took a step and swung at its rushing claw. He let the force push him back more, dodging its mouth. His heart raced as his eyes became more fierce and his smile filled with disdain.

The beast let out a loud growl and repeatedly swung its claws. Quhiyn continued stepping back and deflecting or dodging.

Suddenly, he rushed in, his speed exploded together with the sweeping sword. It grabbed all of the beast's attention as it was too sudden and the sword came for its head. Dodging now could result in a major injury. Hence, the beast retaliated back with both claws.

Liyin rushed from behind with firm steps. She was determined and the grasp was tight on her sword. She gripped the sword with both of her hands and plunged it into the beast's side, easily piercing through its dense fur.

GROWL!

The beast turned its head toward her with a bloody gaze, filled with hatred and the desire to tear the human apart.

Quhiyn saw the chance, gripped the hilt, and pushed his sword through the beast's head. Blood burst out as its eyes dimmed in front of Liyin.

She didn't wait for it fall before digging the sword once again, this time directly through in between its eyes. The beast's body fell with a thud.

"haaah! We really did it?!" Liyin gasped while her heart was exhilarated. She didn't pay attention to the pain coursing through her arms and looked at Quhiyn, relieved to see no injuries on his body.

"Yes. We did it." He let out deep breaths. His hands were a little shaky. It had been a while since he fought any 3 Star Beast, let alone a 4 Star.

"You did a great job, Liyin." He gazed at her with a bright smile. Her smooth cheeks warmed up as her eyes softened.

"You took the brunt of the attack. You should take one of the pills." She neared him with a faint smile.

"I am fine. This little pain will be gone in just a few moments. Let's go check the flower first and then deal with the beast's body." Quhiyn shook his arms as she nodded. They walked toward the flower.