“Maintain absolute soft steps as we approach,” I repeated my instruction for the tenth time.

  Up until now, the Silent Step rune had helped a lot. We were able to successfully ambush two beasts, but this beast was one that even the scouts were not able to confirm details on before being attacked.

  They confirmed that it was a mammoth-like beast with Earth affinity, its entire body covered in rock. One of the attacks they had experienced was called Seismic Strike, an attack that sent a disturbance through the earth and created tremors. That was one of the reasons I was so cautious and afraid. My nervousness only increased because all the reports on this beast suggested that it possessed high sensing capabilities.

  Peter and the Lieutenant provided some additional information about the beast. According to them, its only weak point was its underbelly, the sole area not covered by rock. That was why I was hoping that if we could ambush the beast from behind and catch it off guard, we might injure it before the fight even started.

  We were assembled in two columns with me in the center. In normal conditions, I would not have taken the center position, especially facing a Tier-3 beast. My stats were nowhere near enough to hold a frontal collision with a Tier-3 beast, but finally, after ten days of training with my new shield, I was confident in using it effectively.

  My new spear was easy. All I needed to do was keep feeding it mana, and it would shape my mana into a sharp spear tip, making my attacks more lethal. The shield, however, required practice. I had to not only keep feeding it mana, but it also required precise mana manipulation to expand its size and control how much the size should increase.

  My hopes were that with the new shield and spear, I might be able to absorb a lot more force from the beast while dealing it mana damage. Even then, next to me were Kael and Garran, both of whom had high Strength. Their main job was defense, while on the extreme right and left were Varric and Barry, who were instructed to focus on attack.

  Behind me were Corvin and Silas. I had asked them to look for opportunities to injure the beast’s eyes. To Silas’s right was Brakk, and to Corvin’s left was Oren. Oren and Brakk’s job was to protect Corvin and Silas. The two brothers, Rokan and Daren formed the rear damage group, ready to support Varric and Barry.

  Behind the two columns stood Peter, whose job was to coordinate between us and analyze the fight.

  We all took formation in the clearing that the army uses as a midpoint to Fort Dunvale. There was even a small tower placed in the center of the clearing. This place was selected as a midpoint because one hundred meters from the tower was a small hill which was surrounded by tall trees, making it a perfect spot to hide in case of attack.

  The design choice of this location was not to defend against beasts but humans. After all, this place was close to the Frosthallow Kingdom.

  And now, the hill and tall trees that helped the Royal Army defend against enemies were the den of a Tier-3 beast.

  I nodded to Kael and Garran and activated my spear and shield, giving both their edges a white glow. Then, in a practiced way, I linked all our boots, and we started our way toward the hill at a slow pace, maintaining the formation while keeping sounds and vibrations to a minimum.

  After we had walked barely thirty meters, a shrill sound brought all of us to a halt, followed by a loud BOOM, signaling that our ambush plan had failed.

  Within seconds, my skill [Perceptive Instinct (UC)] sensed a massive mana pulse rushing toward us.

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  “BRACE!” I shouted as shockwaves of the earth hit us.

  Thankfully, because the beast was far away, the shockwaves were small none of us lost our footing.

  But just as the shockwaves passed, a massive seventeen-foot-tall beast emerged from the tall trees.

  I gulped nervously and tightened my grip on the shield while increasing the mana flow into it.

  It was a grotesque fusion of mammoth and reptile. Its massive face resembled a mammoth’s, complete with long, curved tusks, before tapering into a thick, reptilian body and tail nearly as thick as my torso. Its entire form was coated in stone.

  “GET READY FOR IMPACT!” I said, expanding my shield to its full size while channeling [Mana Reinforcement (UC)] into my legs to lock myself in place.

  As the beast hit our shields with full force, Kael, Garran, and I used all our strength to stop it in its tracks, creating dents in the earth behind our feet.

  “AAHHHH!”

  As it stopped, I used my spear, trying to injure the beast. My spear hit its jaw head-on, but the only effect was chipping away a few rocks from its jaw.

  At the same time, Varric and Barry advanced from the flanks. The beast lashed out with its tail. Varric managed to block it with his shield, but the force stopped him dead in his tracks. Barry struck from the side, yet his attack also only shattered stone.

  The beast took a few steps back, then once more created a shrill sound as it stood up on its hind legs.

  Seeing an opening, Varric and Barry surged forward toward its exposed underbelly.

  Too soon.

  The beast slammed its legs down.

  Seismic Strike.

  Shockwaves tore through the ground. Barry and Varric dropped to one knee to keep from falling.

  The beast once more stood up, lifting its legs to send another shockwave.

  “Hold your position, do not commit!” I shouted. If Varric or Barry were a little closer last time, they might have gotten smashed under the weight of the beast.

  Even after the second shockwave, Kael, Garran, and I remained standing. Those behind us struggled to keep their footing. The beast seemed to take that as a challenge and charged again.

  “Sergeant, try to tire it out. The more Seismic Strikes it uses, the lower its mana gets. It has already consumed twenty-five percent of its mana,” Peter said.

  We absorbed the charge once more.

  This time, I struck with greater force.

  Blood seeped from the beast’s jaw.

  MP: 1200 / 1847

  I checked my mana and grimaced. I had already burned through more than thirty-five percent. With how thick its hide was, trying to outlast it was not an option.

  If we did not change tactics and allowed this beast to keep attacking us, the whole squad would be wiped out before it tired itself.

  But the beast did not give us a chance to think of a new strategy. It once more took a few steps back, but this time it stopped just after creating a little distance.

  “It is going to attack again!” Peter and I shouted at the same time.

  As the beast used its huge tail in a full three-hundred-sixty-degree sweep. Barry took the impact with his shield, but it still knocked him down.

  Then the beast used a different type of attack. As it charged toward us, it released shockwaves into the ground, making the earth shake with each step and undermining the stability beneath our feet. It felt like death itself walking toward us, each step threatening to throw us off balance.

  This time, when it impacted us, Kael, Garran, and I were all thrown. As my feet left the ground, my heart spiked. I knew that once I fell to the ground, I would most likely be dead.

  As my body landed on the ground, I lost all hope.

  “Protect the Sergeant!” I heard Peter yell.

  As soon as I hit the ground, I saw Oren and Brakk leap over me and plant themselves in front of me, their legs spread wide so they would not crush mine. Through my [Perceptive Instinct (UC)], I sensed Varric, Peter, Rokan, and Daren attacking from the side, while Kael and Garran struggled to get back on their feet to reinforce the defense. Silas knelt beside me, shield raised, ready to protect me from the beast’s attack.

  Then I sensed Corvin move. At first, I thought he was going to attack the beast, but instead he smashed his boot into my face and stabbed Oren in the back as Oren stood above my right leg, trying to stop the beast.

  As pain coursed through my face, I sensed him running toward the hill and could already guess his thinking. Once I was dead, the chance of anyone using the oath would be minimal, and the hill would provide safety if anyone from the squad tried to take revenge or if the beast turned on him after finishing us.

  Fury flooded me. I forced myself into a sitting position and locked onto Corvin’s retreating back. If I was going to be smashed by the beast, I would make sure Corvin died writhing in pain under my oath badge.