For the next few miles, the forest grew progressively more dangerous as they ventured deeper into the World Tree’s territory. The ambient mana concentration had reached levels that could sustain creatures of significantly higher rank than those they had encountered previously.
Their first master-rank encounter came without warning. A massive two-headed hound emerged from the dense undergrowth, each head growling with independent aggression as it sized up the intruders. The beast stood nearly six feet tall at the shoulder, its muscular frame covered in dark, majestic fur. Both sets of eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence that marked it as far more dangerous than the crimson panther had been.
Lola’s response was immediate but surprisingly brutal. Rather than dispatching the creature with her usual clean efficiency, she conjured a massive fireball that engulfed the hound completely. But the flames were calibrated to burn slowly rather than kill instantly, creating a prolonged execution rather than a quick death.
The beast writhed in its place, both heads shrieking in agony as the magical fire consumed it gradually. The terrible sounds filled the forest for nearly a minute before the hound finally collapsed into a charred corpse, its suffering ended at last.
Noah looked at Lola with raised eyebrows, surprised by the unusual way of killing. So far, she had one shot at all the beasts, killing them almost instantly. "Why didn’t you kill it outright? That seemed unnecessarily painful."
Lola’s expression darkened with old memories, her usual playful demeanour temporarily replaced by something colder. "I have a very personal vendetta against dog hounds specifically. When I was still at master rank myself, one of the stronger variants ambushed me during an expedition. It dealt me a terrible injury that nearly killed me and left me recovering for months."
She gestured toward the charred remains with obvious distaste. "The species is known for its cunning and cruel tactics. They’re intelligent enough to set traps and coordinate ambushes, but they lack any honour or mercy when they have an advantage. I’ve hated them ever since that encounter, and I wanted to relieve some of that lingering resentment."
Noah couldn’t help but laugh at the vindictive admission, finding humor in seeing this powerful archmage hold such a specific grudge. "That poor hound probably had nothing to do with the one that attacked you years ago. You just condemned some random dog to painful death because of family resemblance." Follow current novels on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"Probably," Lola admitted with a slight smile returning to her features. "But it made me feel better, and isn’t that what matters? I was going to kill it anyway."
"Remind me never to wrong you in any way," Noah joked as they continued walking. "If you hold grudges this long against an entire species, I’d hate to see what you’d do to someone who actually deserved your anger."
"You’re safe, I could never stay angry at my handsome boss, no matter what you did," Lola assured him with obvious affection and a soft wink.
They encountered several more master-level beasts over the next hour as they pressed deeper into the dangerous territory. A serpent that could turn its scales to rock-hard armour fell to Lola’s attacks, and various other species. Each threat was eliminated with the casual gesture that demonstrated the vast gulf between master rank and peak archmage capabilities.
Noah watched these encounters with growing appreciation for just how powerful Lola had become after her recent breakthrough. Master-rank beasts that would challenge most experienced practitioners were nothing more than minor obstacles to her current abilities.
Then they encountered something that made Noah pause with genuine interest. A massive tiger emerged from the forest depths. The creature’s aura marked it as a middle-stage master rank. The tiger was intelligent; that much was obvious from the fact that it didn’t attack right away but simply was ready in position.
Thankfully, Lola was hiding her aura. So, the tiger was unable to figure out her real rank; otherwise, it would’ve fled immediately.
Unlike the previous beasts that had attacked immediately, this tiger maintained a cautious distance while evaluating the threats before it. The creature had clearly survived to its current rank by knowing when to fight and when to retreat.
Noah stepped forward before Lola could launch an attack, his hand raised to signal his intention. "Wait. I want to handle this one myself."
Lola turned to look at him with surprise and concern. "Noah, that’s a middle-stage master-rank beast. It’s significantly more dangerous than the crimson panther you fought earlier. The power gap between middle adept and middle-master is enormous."
"I know," Noah replied calmly, his eyes never leaving the circling tiger. "But I need to understand my actual limits against stronger opponents. The panther didn’t push me at all. This should provide a better test of what I’m actually capable of."
The tiger seemed to sense the shift in dynamics, its flickering form becoming more solid as it prepared for combat. The beast’s instincts were warning that this particular prey might be dangerous, but its pride kept it from immediate retreat without knowing the risks.
"You really do have a talent for finding the most dangerous opponents to test yourself against," Lola observed with obvious worry. "At least promise me you’ll take this seriously and not treat it like a training exercise."
"I promise to be careful," Noah assured her, though his slight smile suggested he was actually looking forward to the challenge. "But I think my attributes might surprise you when matched against something this powerful."
Lola crossed her arms and positioned herself where she could intervene instantly if needed. "Fine, but I’m ending this immediately if you’re in genuine danger. Your survival is more important than testing your limits."
Noah drew his blade and settled into a ready stance, his body language projecting calm confidence despite facing an opponent that should theoretically outclass him by multiple ranks. The tiger’s eyes narrowed as it recognized the universal signs of someone preparing for serious combat.
The confrontation was about to begin, providing Noah with the opportunity to test whether his abnormally high attributes and balanced skill development could allow him to punch above his official weight class against master-rank opposition.