"Do I really have to come along?" Sergeant Dallas asked, looking annoyed and frustrated as she stared out the carriage window at the dense forest.
As the member of her team who had uncovered this lead, she felt obligated to join them. While Cassandra and Cassian were eager for different reasons, Dallas had plenty of reasons to want to stay behind.
"It's just for a couple of days, and the department is covering all our expenses. Think of it as a mini vacation," Cassandra replied, glancing at Cassian, who was also looking out the window. But unlike Dallas, who was clearly bored, Cassian seemed excited.
"That's fine with me, but why do we have to stop for him? To let him, fight these monsters!" she said, sounding angry as she glared at Cassian, whose excited smile faded.
"Hey, let him have this moment. We were young once too. Wouldn't you have wanted to fight these monsters when you were just a normal human?" Cassandra replied, and Dallas could only look away in frustration.
Cassandra raised her voice slightly and added, "Daniel, stop the carriage if you see a one-star monster along the way!"
"Aye, Detective..." The carriage driver was the same person who had informed them about the village. Cassandra, knowing his experience on these routes, offered him the job, and he readily accepted since they were paying him in full.
The journey would take about four days—three full days would be spent traveling to the village and back, while the remaining day would be dedicated to investigating the person who had helped the family relocate to the city.
As the carriage rolled along, the atmosphere was tense due to Dallas's annoyance, leaving everyone silent and the journey rather dull. But when the carriage suddenly came to a stop, Dallas, still irritated, snapped, "Why did you stop the carriage?"
"There's a one-star monster ahead..." Daniel replied, and Cassian perked up at the mention. He eagerly leaned out the window to get a better look, asking, "Where?"
This was the first time he would see one of these so-called mana beasts, creatures that had evolved by infusing mana into their bodies, making them stronger than regular animals.
With a grin, Daniel pointed toward some bushes where Cassian spotted a group of boars, each slightly larger than the average size, their black hides glistening as they grazed on the grass. There were about six of them in total, and while they looked a bit menacing, Cassian felt a surge of excitement at the thought of fighting one. He wasn't sure he could take on more than that, but luckily, he had three circle warriors with him, one of whom was a sixth-circle warrior on the verge of becoming a legend if she advanced by just one more rank.
"Oh, mutated wild boars…" Cassandra exclaimed with a hint of surprise as she stepped out from the other side of the carriage, her smile widening. "They're tough opponents for a one-star monster, but not impossible. Go on, Cassian—take a swing at one! I can handle the rest…"
Excited, Cassian brandished the new weapon he had purchased before their journey. It was a simple long sword with a slightly broad edge—not quite a great sword, but wider than a typical blade. The sword's tapering design ended in a sharp point, making it perfect for Cassian's needs. As Julius had suggested, the broader blade allowed him to parry and deflect more easily than a standard sword, which was a crucial aspect of his fighting style.
As he stepped out of the carriage, Cassian watched in awe as Cassandra dashed forward, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as she swiftly dispatched the boars. In less than a heartbeat, all five of the creatures lay lifeless on the ground, their bodies hitting the earth with a series of dull thuds. The remaining boar was oblivious to what had just transpired, only aware of the eerie silence that followed the sound of its friends' bodies thudding to the ground, each one marked by a single hole in the center of their skulls.
Cassian's eyes widened in shock, mirroring the astonishment on the faces of the other two. Witnessing a sixth-circle warrior in action was a rare privilege, one that left an indelible impression. There were only a handful of occasions when one had the chance to see high-circle warriors fighting with their full might. When that happened, the very landscape changed—the forests were flattened, mountains reshaped, and rivers scorched as if they had never existed.
Such catastrophic battles were rare, as few high-circle warriors dared to clash with each other. However, each of them harbored a desire to do so, knowing that only through such fierce confrontations could they hope to ascend the ranks.
Everyone aspired to be like them, and as Cassandra finished her task and approached the carriage with a radiant smile, not a single strand of her hair was out of place. She turned to Cassian and said, "All you..."
Daniel and Dallas exchanged admiring glances, both understanding the immense effort it took to rise to such high ranks as circle warriors. Cassian wanted to admire her as well, but he felt unqualified to do so.
The leftover mutated boar glared at him with fury, convinced he was responsible for the deaths of its companions. It wasn't afraid of him; it was enraged. Its large nostrils flared as it inhaled deeply, stirring up dust from the ground with each powerful breath. As it fixed its furious gaze on Cassian, he readied his sword, brandishing it with determination.
In a flash, the boar charged forward, its hooves striking the ground with such force that it cracked beneath its weight. Aiming its head directly at Cassian, it intended to break his bones before crushing his skull under its massive hooves.
Cassian considered dodging; it was something he could easily do, but he knew that merely avoiding the attack wouldn't improve his skills. Dodging alone didn't qualify as real fighting. Having just witnessed Cassandra take down five of these creatures in mere seconds, he felt a surge of determination. He wanted to face the boar head-on.
As the enraged beast charged at him with its glowing red eyes, Cassian loosened his grip on the sword, ready to embrace the challenge.