Chapter 89 - The Hunt

10 minutes had already passed, and the group had finally finished killing 7 mutated wolves. With great coordination and application of their abilities in the most timely way, they easily passed through the part of the forest with ease.

Despite there being a small grain of sweat on some of their foreheads, it wasn't a bad trade as it basically took them half an hour to defeat 7 mutated wolves singly.

"Let's take a rest. We're near 'The Masked Monster' right? " The acting leader asked the navigator in a ridiculed tone.

The navigator nodded and assured him. "Yup! And she's alone. I think there will be no problem in handling her."

All of them nodded and used the time to rest. After resting, they finally decided to continue and save a place to ambush her.

Trees are all over the place. As it started to get more populated, they had a hard time cutting the tall grasses and plants that hindered their pace. They cut the ferns and other plants, clearing a path to easily pass.

After exerting some effort, the navigator opened his palm in the air. As a navigator, he has embedded the habit of looking out at the environment, even in a normal stance. And the reason he paused his teammates was the peculiar aura filling the air. He also smelled a scent of metallic liquid.

"Hey... can't you smell it?" he asked.

They pondered and looked at him at the same time, with a dazed expression. "What's wrong?"

"The abnormal feeling... can't you feel it?" he asked again.

The scout looked at the area and also started to feel strange about it.

"Yes... There's wrong with the place." The scout followed his words.

The other two raised their eyebrows. As for the ranger, he already felt the ambiance changing as he had honed his senses for archery.

"What do you mean?" The acting leader asked.

"I don't know. Let's just carefully continue." The navigator tilted his head as he couldn't answer the question.

Looking at him, the acting leader just snorted it secretly. He thought of it as overacting or he's just agitated that he's starting to feel retreating. However, he couldn't ignore the remark as the scout followed his words.

He thought, 'There might be a problem with this place...'

They slowly continued walking and silently cutting the obstacles in the way. And after a few minutes, they took a halt when they stumbled onto a place filled with eerie air. Their eyes began gawking.

The place was covered with blood.

The reason why the navigator felt strange with the surroundings was that they were near a massacre area.

The petrifying scene sent a chill to their spine, ominous heartbeat as it was threatening their lives. They almost puked blood when they saw a pool of blood near a boulder.

"Is this really the place where The Masked Monster is?" One asked, looking at the navigator, hoping for him to say no. However, the navigator nods, making his heartbeat skip a beat.

"No way... That girl is really a monster?" The acting leader mumbled in secret.

"Oh... this is the last group? Hm... Four?" A sound of a female resounded as the echo sent eerie vibes.

They saw her eyes filled with bloodlust. Her body was covered in slimy liquid that was supposed to be blood that was gushed at her. It was sticky enough to be noticeable from afar.

'Four?' The acting leader pondered and looked at his group. He noticed that the ranger was missing.

'Did he position himself already?'

The voice continued to resound, sending other chills to their spines. For no reason, they feel scared of their supposed prey. With the impression she built, it's obvious that she already killed someone before them.

"You... You really believe that voice, huh? Are you stupid? Why did you even get the potential for silver-rank when you're that thickhead?" Full of mockery, the voice hurt their egos. They can only feel fury and slightly nervous, as their nervousness was already overwhelmed by the voice's jeer.

"Where are you?!" The acting leader exclaimed. This is supposed to be an ambush, but why are they cornered? It's a good thing that the ranger prepared to position himself for sniping.

The voice just laughed and immediately stopped in an inappropriate manner. It sent a ridiculed expression and became silent.

"Hahaha! Hahaha..."

"..."

"Do you think that I will let you catch me?" she asked and in an instant, a loud thundering sound resounded following a light of lightning that shot one of them, killing him in an instant.

They were all baffled. Even the ranger that watches from afar widens his eyes, gawking in surprise. One of them immediately died. And as for the reason, he burned into crisps and immediately vanished like being eaten by a cylinder light.

'Did she use magic?' They asked inwardly and looked at each other. Later on, a smile emerged from their faces, feeling victory.

"Use your navigation ability." The acting leader whispered to the navigator. He nodded and hid behind the acting leader.

'This is our chance. Now that she's still recovering her stamina, the cooldown must have backlashed her. That powerful attack, there's no way she didn't use the stamina needed to activate it. We can defeat her since she's a mage rune owner.' The acting leader smiled secretly and gazed at his teammates.

There are only three left, and the other one was hidden for sniping. This is still beneficial for them. She must be stupid to use her ability without thinking of her cooldown. Such thoughts are growing inside his mind, slightly raising his morale.

The navigator finally found their target and reported it immediately.

"She's behind that tree over there. North-west side." The navigator mumbled, glancing at the small hill of dirt covered in leafy plants just north-west of their position.

The acting leader nodded and winked at the scout.

"Search for her possible escape route. Don't let her pass." He whispered to their scout. The scout just nodded and left.

That made them feel that the table had just turned.

They were agitated and wary at the beginning. But just after that slightest mistake of her showcasing, they recovered their confidence and made a plan to hunt down their target. However, little did they know, it was according to their prey's plan... Secretly overwhelming their instinctive plan.

From afar, the ranger pondered and felt things didn't match up. The place was covered with blood, as if she fought with her might. However, that attack earlier was magic, and since the navigator mentioned that she didn't have any company, it only means that The Masked Monster is a profound fighter.

'How stupid. I'll just use them as bait in this situation. They can't even deduce things wisely.' The ranger thought, dismayed at his temporary teammates and feeling disappointed at the acting leader.

'What can I expect in muscle brains?' he added.