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* **Trial – Final Day**

The forest was restless since the morning on that last day of the trial.

I spent the morning, as usual, practicing forms. Today, I tried putting a little Mana into my sword…

But unlike channeling Chi, this was unexpectedly difficult.

If I didn’t focus carefully while swinging, the Mana would just flow out on its own. Still, maybe this was perfect training for controlling the flow of Mana. I would probably add this to my daily regimen after I returned to the village.

Before I knew it, the morning passed uneventfully… While I was training, I noticed Aria leave camp.

(Looks like she already had lunch.)

I continued training for a while longer, then had a light meal myself. Afterward, I carefully stretched, loosened up my body, and checked my gear.

I tied my hair back with a string. During this trial, I’d sealed away my usual twin-tails, keeping it simple with just a short ponytail. After securing my hair, I sheathed my twin silver swords into the scabbards at my sides, then checked the throwing knives hanging from the knife sheaths at my waist. I also pulled out and resheathed the knife strapped to my leg, making sure it slid in smoothly. Without putting on my cloak, I stepped outside the camp.

I wasn’t planning to hunt here anymore. The trial would end tomorrow. I already had more than enough food. The leftovers I’d take back home as souvenirs. The Jackalope pelts and crawler silk were more than enough spoils for a week of hunting.

So now, I wasn’t heading out for hunting. I was going on a Demonic Beast subjugation.

Descending from the small hill I’d made camp on, I reached the lowlands in the valley to the east—and there they were. Well, I knew they’d be here. That’s why I came.

**Green Frog.**
* Threat Level: 0.8
* A large frog-type Demonic Beast.

They were about 80 centimeters long, roughly the size of a medium-sized dog. They were also omnivores. The frogs considered anything that moved food. Normally, they didn’t gather in groups, yet there were about ten of them, croaking away in this narrow valley.

As soon as I stepped into the valley, the nearest frog shot out its long tongue at me.

(They really lash out their tongues the moment they see something move! Yeah, no thanks. The last thing I need is to get wrapped up in that slimy thing! I refuse to get stuck in some slimy tentacle-play situation! Those scenes are only for one’s imagination! …Oh, um, forget I said anything… Ugh, whatever. Too annoying. I’ll end this quickly!)

I sliced off the mucous-covered tongue with my right sword, closed in, and cleaved the frog’s body clean in two from the head down. Another frog was right beside it, so I drew my left sword and cut it into slices from above.

The rest I cut down in quick succession—slicing vertically, horizontally, and diagonally.

Their hides were supposedly worth a decent penny, but I wasn’t wasting time collecting them.

I left them where they fell and moved further in, toward the next wave of Demonic Beasts.

**Little Killer Bees.**
* Threat Level: 0.6
* Bee-type monster.

They were about the size of a fist, so I didn’t know exactly which part of that was little. Over twenty of them were heading straight toward me.

They were highly aggressive. Normally, if kids ran into a swarm like this, they’d have to run for their lives. But me? Running wasn’t an option. I charged right into the swarm, swatting them all down.

Once they were gone, I turned my attention to the yellow stains clinging to the ground, tree trunks, and branches.

**Yellow Ooze**
* Threat Level: 0.2
* Slime-like Demonic Beast.

Each was about the size of a floor cushion, with over twenty of them here. These yellow oozes were more like slime molds than classic slimes. They were also quite low on the ooze hierarchy, and they moved by gradually expanding. But even so, these seemed oddly fast.

If they caught you, they’d stick like glue and not let go. In addition, they would try to digest you while clinging on. They couldn’t melt human skin easily, but clothes weren’t safe. A real nuisance. Worse, if multiple merged, they became a larger, tougher opponent—blades alone wouldn’t be enough to deal with it.

Still, it was not too difficult to deal with.

Going back to the topic at hand, I used Dry, the spell I’d used before on firewood. In an instant, the oozes shriveled, dried out, crumbled into dust, and scattered.

(Rust Hurricane! Hehe…)¹　

Demonic Beasts gathering like this had to be tied to the forest’s unrest.

And then—there they were. The cause of the unrest.

(Are Millie and the others aware? I doubt it.)

These beasts were good at hiding their presence. And, besides, Millie’s attention was on me, not on searching. So they were unintentionally slipping right through her.

These Demonic Beasts were the culprits that had stilled the forest since this morning, coming towards us. They’d climbed up in packs from the mid-layer, some seven or eight kilometers deeper

**Red Pongos**

Over 180 centimeters tall, ape-like Demonic Beasts.

Their build was like mountain gorillas, but with long, rust-red fur reminiscent of orangutans. Their dark skin contrasted with their glowing crimson eyes. They hunted in large packs, attacking prey with savage ferocity. Their Threat Level was 16.

Not a beast that should appear in the Shallow Layer. Having said that, Millie could win one-on-one for sure.

But if the Demonic Beasts struck first… it could go badly. Ilta and Katy were with her, so they’d hold—but without Aria, holding the line would be tough.

Still, there was no way I would let Millie get hurt.

I hurled a throwing knife at the Pongo closest to her as it was preparing to leap. Millie was only five meters away from it—one jump for a Red Pongo.

From forty meters away, I let the knife fly with a full-force underhand throw. The knife spun upward, slicing the air, carving through the cliff face as it rose and flew at its target. In the blink of an eye, it ripped through the Red Pongo’s torso and sent its head flying.

The exploding Red Pongo caught Millie’s attention, and she and the others finally realized the situation. Ilta immediately cast a defensive spell, and Katy began to cast buffs.

I pulled out the rest of my throwing knives, two between each of my fingers, six in each hand. That made twelve in total. I’d already used one, so there were eleven left. As I dashed up the valley slope, I threw them one after another.

The spinning blades tore through rock, grass, and trees—and split eleven more Red Pongos in half.

All twelve knives spent. Twelve enemies down. By now, Millie and the others had set up their formation.

As I ran past Millie, I met her eyes briefly, then pressed forward into the heart of the enemy swarm.

About five more Red Pongos were close by, but I left those to her and the others while diving in deeper to take care of the rest.

The pack numbered a total of 53 Red Pongos. I’d already killed 12. With 5 more left behind, that left 36 for me.

If Aria were here, the four of them could have crushed 53 easily. But now that she was gone, that wall of defense was no more. But even without her, Millie’s strength alone neared Higher Rank level. The three of them could easily handle five Red Pongos.

I, on the other hand, charged straight into the swarm. They’d probably intended to use the first seventeen as the vanguard to attack Millie and the others, hiding the rest to send in waves later. But I’d known about them since this morning.

Still… why had they climbed up from the Middle Layer in a pack like this? This pattern was a first.

Sure, sometimes Demonic Beasts wandered up from lower layers—like the Red Death Stalkers. But usually just four or five.

Well… okay, there were exceptions. Like last year, when Papa Howard faced the Two-Headed Boas and the Gray Wolves… But those were freak accidents! Not something that happened often! Right? It wouldn’t, right?!!

Either way, if left unchecked, this pack would reach the village. They were already spreading east and west. I had no intention of letting them pass.

Sure, I could just unleash Impact Blaster and wipe them all out easily—but with Millie and the rest watching, there was no way I could use something that flashy.

So, I decided to just cut them down one by one!

They were spread out, hiding in trees and bushes, but there were only 36. Those were rookie numbers compared to the thousands I’d fought before.

Each time I swung my sword, a body was split in two. I repeated that thirty-six times… and in less than a minute, it was over.