Orion and Amelia were on a path leading north-west, in the direction of Eogis.


    The weather was great, the sun was shining between patches of clouds, and birds singing playfully could be heard all around them.


    "You forgot to bring a map?! I can''t believe you."


    Amelia stopped in her tracks while glaring at Orion.


    "Well, I forgot, alright? It was only necessary to avoid mistakenly entering a human city. I know the continent''s map pretty well, just not where the cities are."


    "The most important matter we need to watch out for is the one you don''t know?! You''re joking? Please tell me it''s a joke."


    "Calm down, will you? We aren''t lost."


    "There''s not much we can do beside trying to find a beastman village who sells a map. You get angry often these days, what''s happening to you?"


    "Don''t concern yourself with that..."


    Amelia walked ahead of Orion.


    "It''s the first time we''ve left Auro, so maybe you''re anxious?"


    "How can you guess so easily what I''m feeling? Are you reading my mind?"


    "No, but it''s not particularly difficult to guess."


    Orion caught up to Amelia, before they walked side by side again.


    "If you get tired, tell me. We''ll take a break as soon as you need it."


    Her wellbeing remained a top priority for Orion. If she wasn''t in shape, who knows what could happen in times of need.


    "Don''t worry, I had time improving my stamina during those three years. I''m not that weak anymore."


    "You sure were weak when you began training. You couldn''t even run five minutes without being winded. Now you can run for an hour without feeling tired. You''re a monster, just like me."


    With a smirk, he mocked Amelia.


    "It won''t work this time, I''ve learned about you and your taunts by now. Still, it''s true that I never imagined having to work out this much. You made me train so hard, my muscles grew naturally."


    She wasn''t particularly muscular, but she had a really toned body, bringing the best out of her curves.


    Orion got used to it, so it didn''t affect him that much, but he tried to avoid standing behind her. This was his greatest weakness.


    "Don''t throw the blame at me, you did all the work. I just instructed you on what to do."


    Recalling how Amelia was before their training made him smile.


    ''She was so slim before, it scared me. Now, look at her. Her style is perfect.''


    Amelia glanced at him while pointing at his body.


    "Well, you''re right. But what about you? That body of yours is unfair. Have you seen those arms, those abs, and those legs? Your form when you draw your crossbow is incredible, too. I can''t believe three years shaped you so perfectly."


    His body didn''t stay the same either. He trained harder to support the new skills he needed to attain his goal.


    Orion trained his legs in hopes of reducing the pain of the ''Marked'' ability, his arms to improve the crossbow''s drawing speed and aim, and his whole body to draw more energy from his core.


    After such intense training, no physical changes would instead be worrisome.


    "Of course, I had a lot of time to work on my form. I learned through many hunting sessions that a good posture helped to aim more precisely. I suffered a lot from ripping my back muscles back then."


    A smile mixed with pain formed on his face from recalling his beginnings.


    "And now you have an obsidian body that can withstand the recoil of the most powerful shots? Are you bragging now?"


    "Of course I am. Who wouldn''t brag about their hard work being rewarded?"


    Orion was proud of how his body changed. He never dreamed about this many developments.


    "I can understand your point, I do like how my body turned out too. Am I more attractive?"


    Perplexed, Orion looked away. His mind worked four times faster to think of an answer that wouldn''t hurt her, but not too affectionate either.


    But, he stopped thinking and gave his honest opinion. This was too troublesome, while lying was out of the question.


    "Well... it''s... yeah, you look great..."


    A beaming smile appeared on her face.


    ''I''m glad he still compliments me. It''s getting harder to have him be honest recently.''


    It made her feel hopeful for the future, even if she knew Orion wouldn''t bend easily to her charm.


    "Alright, enough of that. What time is it right now? I feel like we''re still far from noon."


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    A faint blush formed under his eyes, which Amelia didn''t miss. Yet, she remained quiet to avoid embarrassing him further.


    "We''ve been walking for almost two hours. Do you want to rest for a bit?"


    "No, I''m fine. I''m getting thirsty though."


    Orion took out a water bottle out of his bag, and drank a third of it.


    Suddenly, a flock of birds flew away from the grove they were moving towards. A loud roar echoed from there as a tree fell deep within.


    "Amelia."


    "I know. This is not my first time."


    The roar indicated that a large beast had been moving inside the grove. A creature that could break a tree this easily could only be one type:


    A mutated beast.


    Orion and Amelia hunted down every single mutated beasts that came close to the village during their time training. While their number kept growing for an unknown reason over time, they kept using them as targets.


    "Let''s see what our team can do. This will be an easy hunt, but stay alert. And don''t show yourself if there''s someone being attacked."


    "Don''t worry, I remember."


    They cloaked themselves with their leather cape, and entered the grove while hiding in the shadows of the trees.


    Orion preferred having a good view from a high vantage point, while Amelia stayed on ground to receive Orion''s signals.


    They equipped their weapons using magic. Orion decided to begin with Taygeta, since he needed to analyze the opponent. Sealing its actions was his first thought.


    Amelia created two daggers that she named to imitate Orion. Her water dagger was named Dana, and her wind dagger Aura.


    The two of them moved carefully while getting closer to the sound the beast was making.


    At some point, Orion saw something between the leaves. He moved a bit further, signaling Amelia to wait.


    ''Something is different. It''s not just one mutated beast. There''s two of them fighting.''


    He looked around the place with ''Eagle Eye'', and noticed the corpses of humans soldiers laying on the ground.


    ''I see, both beasts were fighting for a meal. Sadly, they''ve attracted us.''


    One of the beasts appeared to be a mutated boar, while the other one a mutated wolf. Both shared the main trait of mutated species, their ash gray colored fur.


    The boar exhibited slight differences from its normal counterpart. Its size and a pair of long horns instead of its usual fangs.


    In front of it, the wolf displayed a bizarre behavior, similar to a feline. It was unusual to see such an agile wolf. It appeared far smaller than the boar.


    He looked behind him before giving the signal with his hands.


    (Amelia, come here. Watch your steps.)


    She replied with a nod.


    Arrived at the tree Orion was perched at, he gave her the full report.


    (Two beasts. Fighting for food.)


    ''I see, that''s why it was so loud. We''ve often seen them fight over territory and food.''


    Amelia thought that it was normal for mutated beasts to behave like such.


    Pulling out her daggers, she looked intently at Orion, while patiently waiting for the signal.


    ''Move only when he fires an arrow. Always listen for the click of the crossbow, and move fast out of a shot.''


    Orion focused on both beasts, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.


    When the wolf moved behind the boar to launch its next attack, Orion aimed at it.


    The wolf jumped on the boar''s back, biting a chunk of flesh from its back. With the boar being less of a threat than the wolf to him, he prioritized killing the wolf first.


    (Not the boar.)


    He signaled Amelia that he was shooting the wolf first. Which she responded with a nod again.


    ''The wolf first, then. Let''s finish this quickly, I don''t want blood on my clothes.''


    Orion readied Taygeta, and aimed at the wolf. A dark arrow notched itself into the crossbow as his eyes locked on the wolf.


    The moment the wolf jumped from the boar''s back and landed a few meters away, the arrow flew straight into the wolf''s hind leg, reducing its agility.


    Amelia came out of the shadows, and ran towards the wolf while watching for any attacks from the boar.


    In pain, the wolf growled. It noticed Amelia running in its direction, and tried to move away, unsuccessfully. The slowing type arrow was wonderful against fast-moving creatures.


    The arrow itself was made of magic, which lasted a few minutes at most. Once the arrow entered the flesh, it spread the effect, incapacitating the victim until its time ran out.


    Orion monitored carefully as Amelia ran toward the wolf, reloading Taygeta before she could attack. He then locked his sight on the boar, and shot it to slow it, too, just in case.


    Barely five seconds went by between the two shots. Once he fired with Taygeta, he exchanged the dark element crossbow to Alcyone immediately, and prepared a swift arrow.


    At that point, Amelia was beginning her attacks on the wolf.


    ''It''s a wolf, so the neck is its weak point. I need to prove myself in this fight!''


    Orion decided to stay his hand, instead of stealing the kill. He intended to observe Amelia, and wouldn''t interfere unless she struggled against it.


    Amelia started by swinging Dana upward, in an attempt to cut its head off.


    The wolf moved its head out of the way, while trying to counter by slashing at her with its front paw.


    Using the wind boots, Amelia side-stepped out of the way. With her focus completely locked on the wolf, she was ready for its next attack.


    Its whole body dropped close to the ground, signaling that it was about to lunge at her. The instant the wolf jumped forward, Amelia ran and slid under it with her water magic.


    She slashed at the wolf''s neck using Aura, and its stomach with Dana, but the wounds were too shallow to matter.


    At that point, Orion was ready to shoot at any time. He kept an eye on the boar, but it was in a terrible shape to begin with, and didn''t seem to be inclined to move.


    ''One mistake, and I''ll shoot it. Stay focused Amelia.''


    She stood up behind the wolf, watching small drops of blood dripping from the wolf''s cuts.


    ''I hurt it, but that not enough.''


    She readied her daggers with the stance she learned.


    Left knee slightly bent forward, back arched forward, arms crossed, and gaze locked on the target.


    The wolf growled while glaring at Amelia. The first to move was the wolf, it ran towards her, and tried to bite her chest.


    She jumped over the wolf by using her wind boots, and slashed its nape with both daggers, leaving a deep cut.


    The wolf slid lifeless on the ground, before its head dropped to the ground, detached from the rest of its body.


    ''She didn''t need my help in the end. You''re skilled enough to be a hunter too.''


    Orion praised her in his mind.


    ''I made it. Wait, I need to make sure I finished it.''


    Amelia approached the wolf carefully. Noticing the puddle of dark red blood on the dirt, she confirmed that it died during her last attack.


    The looked toward Orion, and prepared to attack the boar next, but Orion moved faster.


    ''You might not be an immediate threat, but we still have to dispose of you. The least I can do is alleviate your current suffering.''


    He aimed at the boar as it was standing still. At the last moment, it seemed to realize it was going to die, as it tried to run back into the forest.


    ''I''m not letting you!''


    Orion shot the boar with a swift arrow in the spot the wolf tore its flesh, stopping its movement with one shot.


    He jumped to another tree, reloaded Alcyone, and shot another arrow in its head. Though, he knew that boars had a very thick skull.


    Despite this, the swift arrow ended up being more powerful. It broke through the boar''s head, pierced the jaws, and lodged itself in the ground.


    ''Wow, this is definitely powerful. I can''t wait to use Amelia''s elemental arrows.''


    Orion felt excited about his future hunts.


    "We''re done, Amelia."


    "Phew, what a first fight that was. I can''t believe how fast you are at shooting your targets. Those piercing arrows are really something."


    "You''re not bad yourself, that last cut was clean. It was clearly deep enough to kill it without causing suffering."


    They''ve hunted a number of times before, but this was their first time acting as a team since leaving Auro.


    "Let''s destroy the black organs, and then we''ll continue our journey west."


    "Can you do it? I don''t want blood on my clothes."


    Orion sighed. He knew Amelia wanted to stay away from the disgusting work.


    After successfully destroying the black organs inside the beasts, they moved outside the forest, leaving behind the soldiers'' corpses and two beasts that were going to be someone else''s problem.