"Alright, Martin, Jacob, Liam, have you said a proper goodbye to your family?"
Tyler asked as he stood in front of the gates of Shadow Totem City.
"Yes, Lord!"
Three of them shouted at the same time.
"This won't be an easy trip. There is a chance that you might not come back. If you want to back down now, you can."
Tyler knew how dangerous this trip was gonna be.
If people had an option to gain power, why wouldn't they?
But they didn't.
Most of the people in his city chose not to chase power simply because they knew the death rate of being a hunter.
Of course, the death rate of the ordinary villagers was even higher. But at least, they got a false hope of a safe life.
As a hunter, even that wasn't possible.
Martin was a tall, middle-aged man wearing a red bandana and a grey coat.
Jacob was a slightly shorter and buffed man wearing a red t-shirt and jeans.
Finally, Liam wore a grey shirt and grey pants. He also had a sword on his back.
Three of them were prepared for this expedition, even if it meant their death.
The look on their faces said it all.
Seeing this, Tyler brightly smiled and nodded.
He didn't want his people to back down from danger. After all, if they did that, who would protect his city?
He wasn't going to be in this city forever. And his closest people would leave with him.
So, he needed men who could protect this city.
"Let's go!"
John was on his left, and Rose was on his right. Three of them followed behind as Tyler moved away from the city.
There wasn't any announcement. So, nobody came to the city gates to send them off.
Alena and Misaka stayed behind.
As they walked away from the city, they started picking up speed.
Despite only being First Rank, they could run for hours at a speed of a hundred kilometers per hour.
The Eternal Forest wasn't close to the city. At least, for normal humans.
It was almost a thousand kilometers away, which should've made humanity safe.
But even for First Rank, it would only take ten hours to reach the Eternal Forest.
They had started their journey around ten o'clock. During the journey, they rested for a few hours, so they didn't reach the Eternal Forest till nighttime.
And, instead of moving at night, they decided to make a tent and sleep on the roadside.
Liam, Jacob, Martin, and John slept in the same tent while Rose and Tyler slept in another.
Tyler had slept with Rose many times.
They quickly fell asleep, and the next day, Rose made some breakfast for them as they folded the tents. And prepare for the journey.
Since they were close to the Eternal Forest, Tyler placed the tent inside the inventory and spoke.
"Liam, Jacob, Martin, John, you four will participate in the upcoming battles. If you can't fight, Rose will take your place."
"If the enemy is stronger than Rose, I will fight. Can you do it?"
Four of them immediately saluted while Rose nodded.
Those four walked in the front while Rose and Tyler walked behind them. As they slowly approached the forest, they started sensing different auras from the forest.
This wasn't the same as a human's Aura.
Rather than Aura, it was a killing intent released by the strength of those beings living inside the forest.
Looking at the forest, Tyler didn't feel any suppression.
'It's good. There are no monsters or spirits stronger than me. That being said, I still need to be careful.'
He thought to himself as they walked forward.
Suddenly, he stopped for a split second before taking a step forward.
A few seconds later, Rose stopped and turned towards Tyler. Her body trembled a bit as she tried to hold her breath.
Only a second later, four of them reacted.
It was the Killing Intent of one of the monster beasts directed towards them. When they felt it, they immediately took a diamond formation.
At this moment, John spoke with a deep voice.
"Jacob, you and Liam will strike first. Martin, you are with me."
Martin nodded and quickly jumped next to John.
He knew John's ability, and so did others. They were familiar with each other's abilities.
At this moment, a sharp figure pierced through the air and dashed in front of them. Its speed left no trail behind.
But their dynamic vision still captured the entity coming towards them. This creature waved its front limb, trying to tear apart Jacob with its claws.
[Earth Manipulation]
[First Skill- Earth Wall]
Crack!
The ground split open, and a large number of rocks started gathering above it. They gathered into one solid wall, and the wall rose in front of Jacob.
Crack! Bang!
The next moment, that wall was cut into three pieces as it fell on the spot.
The weight of the debris shook the ground and raised a lot of dust.
[Fire Manipulation]
[First Skill- Fireball]
Jacob raised his hand, putting it in front of his lips before he took a deep breath and released a stream of fire that slowly turned into a massive ball.
The fireball went straight, but before it could hit anything, that creature jumped out of its way.
Boom!
The fireball landed on the ground and exploded, causing a huge crater. The impact of the explosion sent shockwaves to the surrounding.
[Wind Manipulation]
[First Skill- Dash]
Liam's eyes captured the creature moving to the side.
He instantly activated his ability before his body blurred from his previous place and appeared in front of that creature.
[Third Skill- Wind Infusion]
He unsheathed his sword, and a wave of sharp wind emerged around his blade, turning his sword into a deadly weapon.
He swept his arm, cutting diagonally. The edge of the sword cut through the horn of the creature.
The hard bone was cut smoothly, falling to the ground.
"Roar!"
The creature was confused until it realized that its horn had just been cut off. It pained him. It angered him.
The creature roared and released a huge shockwave that sent Liam flying.
Liam quickly stabilized himself in the air and landed on his feet. He glided a few meters before stopping with his palm on the ground.
[Third Skill- Fire Slash]
A large amount of fire gathered on Jacob's palm before turning into a huge sword that he slashed down.
The beast didn't even realize the attack coming his way until it was.
Facing the fire slash coming down, the creature immediately pressed its rear limbs on the ground and jumped away.
Bang!
The fire slash struck the ground, and the heat started charring the surface of the ground.
The fire exploded on his hand, but suddenly, his body was covered in a ball of water.
Boom!
The Fire and Water collided, releasing a large amount of steam.
[Water Manipulation]
[Second Skill- Water Ball]
This was none other than Martin. His right hand was in the air, with his fist closed, putting all of his focus on holding the water ball.
He pulled back his arm, and the water ball immediately flowed towards him.
Only after he saw the water ball come out of the steam, he let go of his fist.
Splash!
The water fell on the ground, and so did Jacob.
"From now on, don't use this skill unless it is a life and death situation!"
Liam immediately rushed in front of Jacob, picked him up, and used his Wind Skill.
[First Skill- Dash]
Bang!
Just as he left, the creature's claw struck the ground where Jacob had fallen. The water splashed everywhere while the ground had three large claw marks.
As the cracks spread outward, Liam appeared next to Martin while panting hard and holding Jacob in his hand.
"Even though I am using a skill of my ability, it still drains me so much."
"You need to rest for a while. I will hold off this monster."
Martin spoke as he stood in front of Liam, but he was sweating hard. The previous move was quite taxing for him.
At this moment, the only one capable enough to fight was John.
"Stand down! Let me fight!"
Rose's voice rang in his ears. Before he could even think, Rose appeared next to him.
She was walking towards the creature, but her body was like a blurred picture.
[Sixth Skill- Blood Lance]
As she conjured the blood lance on her palm, she released her Aura for the first time in a battle.
Coating herself with a red aura, she felt intoxicated by the power it brought to her.
The creature also reacted to this Aura. He pushed all of his strength into his limbs and jumped back.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Rose's body turned into a jet stream with a red trail behind.
She instantly appeared in mid-air, pushed her arm forward as the lance pierced through the chest of the creature.
Splash!