That was a Damn Monster Right There!

Just a day's walk from Kifestein, I was taking a slight break a little away from the path when a loud boom thundered from some distance away. Startled, I moved towards the source to check it out. With each step, the crashing sounds in the air grew louder and louder.

I pushed away from the cover of the tall grass and a raging battlefield revealed itself in front of me. A few meters ahead was a deep crater in the ground. I immediately started a trial run.

--

A tall beast ravaged the crater with its sharp fangs and sharper claws. Its brownish-white fur swerved in the air with each swing of its claw. This Grade 5 beast, the Dolon, terrorized the land, changing the whole terrain with its earth magic. A terrifying beast that hundreds would cover from, this very Dolon was being slapped around, ridden with wounds, against one girl!

The injured Dolon hurled its claws towards the girl. She rolled backward to dodge. Just as she moved, multiple pillars rose from the earth! The girl looked at the ground with the corner of her eye and waved a hand around. The earth turned into spikes and rammed into the pillars, destroying them to bits.

With oddly sluggish movements, the girl used her wind magic and dashed to the left. I leaned in but couldn't see any injuries on her. She raised her hand high, and a wave of black flames rushed towards her, taking the shape of a sword in her palms.

The girl timed her steps and jumped towards the beast. With a strong swing, she tried to cut the Dolon, but her lagging movements gave it an opening. Spears of earth cut through the air and hit her point-blank.

The girl flew away. Her left hand and sides were in pretty terrible shape. One would think it was pretty bad for her, but I knew better.

The Dolon stepped back when a sudden discharge of electricity hit it. She had already prepared a spell before attacking the beast. I could only smile at her amazing prowess.

Stunned by the lightning, the Dolon was helpless against the girl who skimped her way towards it. She smirked at the Dolon and pulled her sword back. In one simple swing, the giant beast's head separated from its body.

The Dolon was gone so she would totally notice me next. "If she is a quester, then I am done for," I mumbled under my breath. Just as I moved to stand up, I noticed that the girl had disappeared.

A dark shadow pressed down on me as I slowly tilted my head up. A beautiful girl met my eyes head-on. For the battle she had just shown, the girl was oddly slim. Her lustrous, light pink hair seemed to fade in her flushed face. With ragged breaths, she placed her blazing sword on my neck.

"I am sorry, but I come prepared,"

"Wh—"

--

Click~

The Dolon was not dead anymore; the girl was not wounded anymore, but I was surely still fucked. The girl had noticed me before I could even see the battlefield. For now, it was important to make her drop her guard. Running away didn't seem to be an option.

The battle proceeded in the same way as last time. Right when the girl was about to be hit by the Dolon, I pulled out the magically enchanted pistol stolen from Scalmourne and shot the Dolon's claw. The bullet tore through the air and hit the Dolon with all its force. It couldn't pierce through the Grade 5 Beast but managed to throw it back.

The girl shot a fleeting glance towards me before looking ahead again. She rushed towards the Dolon, waving both her hands around. She stopped in front of the Dolon, and both her hands shot up in the air.

Within a second, the bright sky went dark and a sea of wind moved towards her. The wind circled the Dolon like a storm! Before I could blink, a spark burst ahead, and the storm of wind got covered with dark flames! A mixture of wind, dark, and fire-type magic, easily a grade 5 magic. Did I call her a girl, by any chance? That was a damn monster right there.

The fire died down after a few seconds, leaving a charred beast in its wake. I tiptoed came out of the bushes with worried. "A.. are you alright?" I asked.

I shifted my gaze down and saw exactly what I wanted to avoid! On the first finger of her right hand, there it was, the dreadful 'quester's ring'.

Questers didn't go out to find your dogs or collect some grass. They were a cult of highly capable that banded together to make light of impossible tasks.

The grades of magic are formed rather oddly. Second-grade magic spells have twice the output and difficulty of first-grade magic spells. Third-grade spells, though, have thrice the output and difficulty of second-grade spells. They also measured beasts and items on the same scale. On this stupid scale, the lower limit for being a quester requires you to single-handedly defeat a grade 4 beast.

I can't stay around this person for too long. She will figure out that I have no magic.

"Who are you?" The girl said. Even though she was injured, her voice was very soothing. Many people in my position would've already started a cult around her, not me, though. I know for a fact that I look better.

"I was on a journey, and I saw you fighting so..."

The girl moved closer to me; her face still flushed. She looked into my eyes and let out a low growl. "I asked, Who. Are. You?"

"Ah, I-Ivan, just Ivan," I answered

"...I see" Leaving those words behind, the beautiful girl collapsed on me.

Fuck.