Chapter 238 The Path



"Commander..." Fosca muttered with wide-open eyes, looking at the huge Black Lightfang in front of her. The monster was already dead, but its aura was still heavy and pressured her.

"Yeah, I'm here. Even though I thought that luck was on our side today, that wasn't really the case." Marcus confidently said while keeping a wide grin on his face, "We encountered a rather large unit of the Lightfangs. What's more, there were some colored ones among them as well."

Fosca gulped, then she looked at Sara, "How strong is the Black Lightfang...? Considering it has five tails it should be much more dangerous than the White and Blue Lightfangs we fought against, right?"

Sara nodded, "That's right. Too bad you don't know that, but I'll tell you anyway. Next time it won't be like this, though I don't think what I'm saying makes sense. You've already realized yourself how big a mistake it was not to find out about the monsters near Border."

Fosca nodded silently. Sara had repeated this many times, and it irritated her a little, but she realized that it was more than fair. Sara outranked her, and for something like this, she could even write a complaint against Fosca, and it would only mean one thing for Fosca - big trouble.

"Khm." Sara cleared her throat, "In general, the most obvious indicator of the strength of the Lightfangs is their tails, they are the easiest to spot. Babies only have one tail, then they get a second, and their pink fur turns white."

Sara continued, "When the While Lightfangs get older and stronger, then they grow a third tail, and their fur turns blue. We've killed a few of them, and they're considered quite valuable since they're rated Terro Grade. Well, you already know that."

Fosca nodded silently with a curious expression.

"Then, here comes the Red Lightfangs, we're lucky we didn't meet them because although they're also rated as Terror Grade, they're much more dangerous than the Blue Lightfangs. They have four tails and killing one Red Lightfang is as difficult as killing 7 or 10 Blue Ones." Sara said seriously like a teacher in front of her student.

Fosca gulped waiting for the story about the Black Lightfang.

Tap.

At the same moment, Marcus walked over to Sara, put his hand on her shoulder, and pressed her against him with a joyful smile.

"Hey, enough of these boring explanations! It's like I'm back in the academy, and I wouldn't call this the most fun time of my life!" Marcus uttered in a joyful voice.

"But... Commander!" Sara exclaimed, trying to get out of Marcus's grip, but she was having trouble doing so, "I only have Black One to tell you about!"

"Hehehehe." Marcus chuckled, "Are you sure? Maybe you just want to get out of my arms? Do you dislike it so much that you don't want to share in my joy?"

As soon as those words were uttered, Sara's eyes went wide, and her cheeks flushed.

"No... I didn't mean that..." Sara whispered, barely audible to anyone.

Marcus noticed her reaction, and so did everyone else.

Then, he looked at Black Lightfang and said, "This One was quite strong. It is in the Arisen Grade, some are stronger, and some are weaker. That's it. This lecture is over. Next time, prepare yourself!"

"Wait!" Fosca exclaimed throwing her hand forward.

"Hmm?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

Fosca pressed her palm to her chest and asked, "If one were to compare Black Lightfang in terms of strength to Red Lightfang, what would be the number?"

"Agh... I see..." Marcus sighed, glanced at Sara, and replied, "Well, I guess one Black Lightfang is just as hard to kill as 10 or 11 Red Lightfangs, roughly like that."

Fosca's eyes went wide as a chill ran down her back with a slight shiver.

'Shit... Obviously, he's a lot stronger than me, he's Third Rank Commander after all, but does the difference have to be so huge?' Fosca internally muttered unable to believe what she was hearing.

She had seen several Fate Knight Commanders in battle before and had seen many of them at Fate Knight Academy. She realized that they were stronger, after all now she was only a First Rank Fate Knight, but she thought the difference between them was two or three times, no more.

So much she had probably never been wrong before.

'If what Commander and Sara said is correct, then one Black LightFang is equal to 100 Blue Lightfangs in terms of hunting difficulty... I got injured fighting one of them, while Commander Marcus easily defeated Black One... Moreover, it seems like it was more of an entertainment than a serious fight for him...'I think you should take a look at

It was hard for Fosca to accept such a difference in strength between a First Rank Fate Knight and a Third Rank. After all, even by the most lenient calculations, Marcus was a hundred times stronger than her, although Fosca realized that the actual number was much higher.

'Well, well, apparently someone's self-esteem just took a serious hit.' Marcus smirked, looking at Fosca's frowning face, 'It'll be good for her.'

Clap.

Marcus let go of Sara, then he clapped his hands loudly drawing everyone else's attention.

"Our main goal is still a rescue mission, but given the circumstances, we have to change our plans a bit." Marcus said seriously, pointing to the two Fate Knights standing next to the fallen pillar.

"You will stay here." Marcus looked at them intently.

"Hm? Commander, are you sure?" One of them asked with a worried expression. It was as if they were being eliminated from the mission, which was not a good sign for them.

"Yeah, we killed more monsters than expected. We can't lose so many valuable materials especially Blue Lightfangs and Black One. I've already reported it, and a special unit is moving here to collect the carcasses. Someone has to keep an eye on them." Marcus explained.

"Sure! We'll do our best to make sure no beasts get near here!" The Fate Knights simultaneously exclaimed as they realized what their mission was.

Marcus looked at Fosca, then at Sara, and said, "The three of us will be enough to save Zayne Fellen. The fewer of us, the faster we can move. By the way, don't forget to drag the carcasses from the woods near the explosion over here."

Whooooooooooooooooooooosh.

Fate Knights wanted to ask something, but no sooner had they done so than Marcus rushed forward with Sara. Fosca looked at Fate Knights puzzled, and then she came to her senses and ran after Marcus.

The Fate Knights exchanged glances, shrugged, and one of them headed into the forest. 

Every monster was worth something, especially the monsters from Dark Lands, so they knew very well what to do in such situations.

They had to put all the carcasses in one place so that the special squad could quickly pick everything up and return to base with them.

Blacksmiths, alchemists, tailors, and even cooks, could all use the monster carcasses for their own purposes. If the monster was strong, everything was valuable, from blood and flesh to fangs and body parts that could possibly be used to make some equipment.

Sometimes, if one of the Knights came across a unique monster, that one was sent to a special research center. 

This was done with all new and unusual monsters, as no potion or sword could be more valuable than information that could be used by everyone. In case of danger, it could save a life.

Fosca, Sara, and Marcus followed Marcus as they passed through the various territories of the Dark Lands. Marcus was running much faster than before, so even for Sara, it was difficult to maintain such a pace, not to mention Fosca who was already breathing heavily.

"Hey! Don't relax! The sooner we get there the sooner we can complete the mission and leave these damn lands! Gather yourselves!" Marcus said sternly.

"Yes!" Sara and Fosca exclaimed at the same time.

Sometimes Marcus would abruptly change direction. Unlike Fosca, he knew most of the regions of the Dark Lands well, and by sensing the auras of other creatures, he chose the safest paths.

The Lightfangs attacked them because Marcus had decided to take a short break, and he didn't want to take any more risks. Besides Lightfangs, many creatures in the Dark Lands could get close to them stealthily, and Marcus was well aware of that.

'Hm... It's unlikely that we'll encounter any more monsters, but I still have a bad feeling about it. That aura I felt from Dark Mist Forest was terrifying...'' Marcus pondered with narrowed eyes.

'If Zayne Fellen is still there and he faces that monster, then his life will definitely not be long. Well, I hope this guy realizes that he needs to act stealthily. Although, without luck, he definitely won't be able to survive.'' Marcus frowned, jumping over a fallen tree in his path.

Dark Mist Forest was no longer hidden by the horizon, so Marcus would get there soon enough, he needed about one hour, maybe less.