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138. Engagement – Trial

“…It’s gone.”

“This is no joke. Monsters. We almost got into big trouble.”

As she lit a campfire, Lena let out a sigh of relief. Ran and Anne nodded in agreement.

The five of them recalled the formidable presence of the Spirit Reindeer, which had entered a combat stance.

At first, it hadn’t seemed so threatening, but up close, its size was massive.

With its long blue antlers, it looked even larger, almost two times the size of an ordinary reindeer.

That alone was intimidating, but when it stood firmly on the ground, fear set in.

“How are we supposed to catch it? Oh, speaking of which, Leo, you look fine?”

“…Yeah.”

[ Quest: Mage Slayer 10/10 – {Magic Resistance} level increases by one. ]

Leo had his suspicions but remained silent as he looked down at his still-frozen sword.

Not only was he not glued to the ground, but he also held the frozen sword that had touched the Spirit Reindeer’s antlers without any issues.

He only felt a slight chill.

The previous childhood friend scenario had ended horrifically, but they had gained a lot.

{Leadership}, {Nobility}, {Royal Blood}, and {Magic Resistance}… all abilities obtained from the achievements of killing people.

There was also the ‘Dualist’ quest that promised to raise his {Swordsmanship} level by one.

972/1000, he had killed so many knights that he was almost at full capacity.

Thanks to the royal knights of the Orun Kingdom, the noble knights, the two knight orders dispatched from the Conrad Kingdom, and the Church’s extermination squad whose lives he annihilated.

These quests had nothing to do with “sacrifice.” Unlike the count of his killing achievements, which decreased upon making sacrifices, these quest counts did not diminish.

“Interesting. I can hardly walk. Look at your shoes. Hmm? They’re the same as mine, but why are you…”

“More importantly, let’s discuss how to catch that thing. Everyone, gather around. I have a good idea.”

Leo quickly changed the subject. Having diverted Lena’s attention, he recalled the earlier situation and spoke.

“It’s weaker than it looks. We could easily trap it, but… Ah, I know we shouldn’t use traps. But using a few tools might be okay, right?”

Leo calmly explained his plan, and the others nodded along or countered as they discussed.

After that, they approached the Spirit Reindeer a few more times. Inciting the creature’s calm nature through some experiments, they challenged it again on a day with a gentle, light snowfall.

The footing of the five traversed the frozen stream was peculiar.

From the side, their shoes looked like ‘U’ shaped wooden clogs. Each had attached wooden pieces to their shoes, devised by Leo, to easily take off even on the icy ground.

If it were up to him, he would’ve liked to create a spear that could grip the antlers or a net.

But due to Ran and Anne’s fierce opposition, they settled with just adding slight conveniences to their shoes and gear.

“I found it. Over there.”

The Spirit Reindeer was grinding its antlers against the trees. As it shook the branches, it spotted the intruders and cried out.

– Ock! Oook!

Hearing the taunt of “You’re back again,” Leo stepped forward.

“Be careful. Leo.”

“Don’t worry. Everyone, get ready. Here we go.”

Leo charged ahead, striking the Spirit Reindeer’s antlers and shouted.

“Ran and Anne to the left! Lena and Urok, go to the right and aim for its legs!”

The Spirit Reindeer shook its head violently. Just like last time, as its long antlers swung around, an abnormal chill engulfed Leo.

“Stay still!”

Leo raised his sword.

With his thick-gloved hand gripping the blade, he pushed hard against the antlers, and it touched the folds of its neck.

– Oooook! Goooook!

It may be weaker than it looks, but it was still stronger than Leo. The creature staggered but then pressed forward, pushing Leo back.

Its hooves started glowing a bright blue. Urok Ainar shouted.

“Run!”

As it stepped forward, white ripples spread across the ground.

With four legs, it created multiple overlapping shock waves that radiated outward, forcing the other four, except Leo, to jump and plunge their weapons down.

Blood began to flow. As the hot blood hit the pristine white ground, steam began to rise. However, the wounds weren’t severe.

“The skin is too thick!”

“Keep aiming for the wounds! I’ll buy us some time!”

Being pushed back, Leo wedged his sword into the jutting antler and leapt up. With the sword held tight, he wrapped his legs around its neck.

The tuft of fur brushed against his cheek as drool dripped from the creature’s mouth onto Leo.

“Gah!”

Leo twisted the sword hard.

He intended to use the sword as leverage to break the antler, but it was an unrealistic thought.

The antler did not budge.

Twist.

Yet, hanging on its neck and head, he pulled the antler, causing the Spirit Reindeer to thrash around. Struggling to shake him off, it shook its head back and forth, but when that didn’t work…

It suddenly stopped.

Receiving the attacks from others head-on, it glared at Leo with intimidating eyes.

Its eyes were deep like an abyss, burning a bright blue, locking onto Leo’s gaze.

“This is…”

“Leo!”

– Gook! Guooook!

The Spirit Reindeer charged. As if assuring itself of its own hardness, it lifted its head and slammed into a tree.

It intended to crush the bothersome flies that had attached to it.

– Thud!

“Ugh!”

The heavy weight of its body caused the tree to creak and tilt.

Leo discarded his sword just before the collision and released his grip from the creature’s neck.

Kicked away, he landed far away, yet due to the speed of its charge, it was more like a crash landing than a roll.

Still, it was fortunate that it ended there. Leo, clutching his aching shoulder, tried to stand up but quickly rolled away. The Spirit Reindeer’s hind leg kicked at where his head had been.

Weaponless, Leo shouted.

“Urok!”

This time Urok blocked the Spirit Reindeer’s path. With a thick round shield, he deflected its antlers and line of sight.

The creature must not move as much as possible.

Thanks to the {Magic Resistance} ability, Leo was fine, but the others were stuck to the ground every time it took a step forward. Even though their shoes were modified to be more detachable, walking was still difficult.

While Urok held it at bay, Leo dashed over to retrieve the fallen sword from the ground. Just as he was about to switch places with Urok, he heard Urok shout.

“I can hold on for now! Hit it quickly!”

“…Ran! Anne! Help Urok!”

Urok’s shout stemmed from a mix of bravado and responsibility.

The shield he held against the antlers was freezing. Despite wearing fur on the handle and thick gloves, Urok’s lips were turning blue.

He was desperately trying to withstand the cold emanating from the antlers.

Though Leo felt an urge to switch places with him immediately, seeing the wounds dealt to the Spirit Reindeer by the four made him rethink.

They were too shallow. Though there was a bleeding wound, likely the result of Lena’s stab, it wasn’t fatal.

At this rate, there was no chance of victory.

Leo took a deep breath.

While Urok, Ran, and Anne held the Spirit Reindeer at bay, and Lena attacked from the opposite side, Leo clenched his sword firmly, recalling {Swordsmanship.3v: Bart’s style}.

When he watched Bart wield the sword with both hands in alternation, it seemed that the uniqueness of his style was all there was to his swordsmanship, but that wasn’t the whole truth.

It was about a perfect cut.

Paradoxically, Bart pursued a fencing style that didn’t lean to either side. How he ended up swinging the sword with one hand was a mystery.

Leo Dexter held the sword handle with his right hand raised.

For now, his right hand felt more comfortable.

“Haah!”

With a deep breath gathered into his lungs, Leo raised his sword high and stomped the ground with both feet. As he shouted his war cry, he unleashed his breath all at once.

Without a hint of slant, the sword struck down. Led by that swing, Leo did a full rotation in the air, and upon landing, blood spattered onto his face.

Beyond the back of the Spirit Reindeer, Lena had stopped her awkward slashing and stared at him in awe.

“Wow……”

So beautiful.

The sharp wind from the sword arrived late, tousling her hair.

As the small snowflakes lightly fell, they swirled in circles in tune with his spinning.

He had never seen such a vertical slash. Even if it were aimed at him from the front, he couldn’t help but admire its perfection.

“Lena! Get back! Right now!”

“Whoa!”

– Dong! Oook! Oook! Oook! Oook! Oook!

The Spirit Reindeer, with deep gashes on its side exposing its ribs, cried out urgently.

It swung its antlers, knocking away Ran and Anne’s axes, lifting its front legs, but this time its movements were different from before.

“Everyone, dodge!”

Its antlers grew tremendously.

It seemed to grow like a tree sprouting overhead, and a terrifying chill suffocated the five of them.

The Spirit Reindeer, stirring up a whirlwind, slammed down on the ground.

– Boom!

“Ahh!”

When its blue hooves stamped the ground, sharp icicles abruptly surged up to knee height. Urok, frozen in place, rolled around, clutching his legs.

“It’s going wild! This is the end! Lena, pull Urok out! Ran and Anne…”

“Hahaha! Yes! This is the trial!”

Ran proudly squared her shoulders, shouting loudly in front of the wildly thrashing Spirit Reindeer.

“Is this all you got? This level of cold is like summer on the ‘Ice Isle’ I lived on!”

Ran dropped her shield. Gripping her axe with both hands, she jumped up.

“Die!”

Her younger sister, Anne, leaped in alongside her.

Two heavy weapons struck the Spirit Reindeer’s antlers. As the area with the antlers tore, blood flowed down its head.

Leo seized the moment. He put weight behind his sword and aimed it for the creature’s heart.

– Oook! Oook! Goooook! Oook!

Though the sword plunged deep, the Spirit Reindeer did not fall. This creature, tenaciously surviving in extreme environments, refused to let go of its lifeline easily.

With streaks of blue light flashing from its eyes, it raised its front legs.

“Just like before! Step back! Now, we can slowly carve it up…”

“No!”

“What? Ugh!”

Ran dove in again.

Not just her, but Anne too threw themselves toward the Spirit Reindeer.

“We didn’t come to hunt!”

Recklessly, the two braved the fierce snowfall mixed with a howling wind. With a shout, they stabbed deeply into the wide-open chest of the beast.

Soon, the Spirit Reindeer’s hooves and body would collide with them, but Ran rolled left while Anne rolled right, narrowly escaping.

As they broke through the icicles, Leo watched in disbelief. Barbarian warriors…

“Ugh! Damn it, you could just fall back… And I told you, Anne! Don’t stay behind it! It’s dangerous there!”

Unable to just watch Ran and Anne fight, Leo joined the fray. Urok, who had tied up his legs to perform first aid, hobbled along, and Lena shouted “Waaah!” as she aimed for the creature’s throat.

Without a single trick, the five humans and one monster collided head-on, sweating and bleeding as they clashed. And in the dusk, amidst the storm of ice spikes in the forest, their achievements emerged.

[ Achievement: Monster Hunt – ‘3’, a faint mana begins to dwell in your body. ]

[ Achievement: Expert – Leo’s body becomes stronger. ]

“Gah… Gah… Did we… did it die? It has to be dead, right?”

Covered in sweat, Lena asked in disbelief.

The Spirit Reindeer, having spilled its innards and pierced through its heart multiple times, was still gasping for breath. Lena stuck her sword and poked it a few times.

It didn’t move at all.

“Waaaaaaa!”

“Waaaaaaa!”

Ran and Anne roared.

Raising their fists to the sky, they shouted loudly. They seemed primitive, yet something felt ‘liberated’ within them.

“Waaaaaaa! Waaaa!”

“Ugh, it’s noisy! Cut it out! You’re not animals…”

“Waaaa!”

“Lena! If you join in too… Oh, fine. Do as you like.”

Leo, who tried to stop Lena, eventually gave up when Urok began shouting as well.

Barbarians.

Born in Barnau and raised as so-called civilized people, Leo couldn’t understand them. No matter how little his past memories were, this was simply not in sync with his physiology.

Still, secretly finding their cries refreshing, Leo gathered firewood, and that night, the five of them sat around a roaring campfire, celebrating the achievements they had accomplished.