The beast managed to retreat but was not unscathed. Its beautiful glossy green fur was now bathed in blood as it stared at the six humans with savaged eyes.
Rin landed next to Galahad. She secretly eyed the man.
Galahad affinity was earth.
Usually, people specialized in Arcane of Skills used physical attacks combined with arcane energy, producing a white light.
However, against an elemental force like the cyclone that the beast just unleashed, it was best also to counter it with an element. Better if the element was strong against that particular element.
When the physical force was combined with the Earthen arcane element, a brown light was produced.
More so, the Earth element was uncontested in terms of defense.
As for Rin, her affinity was in the element of wind, and with their opponent also being a practitioner of the wind element, her elemental attacks wouldn't work.
Usually, people who practiced in the Arcane of Skills rarely used their elemental affinity in attacking as it was weak, unlike those who practiced in the Arcane of Spells.
This practitioner of Skills usually combined their elemental attacks with their physical assaults to boost their power.
But of course, if one's affinity was weak against an opponent, it was better to use pure physical attacks combined with arcane force.
Like in the fight of Rain and the others, no one used their elemental attacks as no one had an affinity with fire being their opponent was ice.
Rain didn't have any affinity to any elementals, which was rare but not unheard of. Ethan's affinity was light. Alfonse's affinity was lighting as well as Rever, while Arca neither has the affinity to any element.
"Is everyone alright?" Galahad glanced behind him to assist the other group's situation.
The man with blonde hair was still intact with only a few scratches on his skin and a bleeding forehead, while the other three had it worse.
The man with brunet hair was limped all over and couldn't actually raise himself. It seemed that the bones in his hands and legs were crushed.
The woman with green hair had a trace of vomit on her lips. A punctured bone was sticking out from her flesh. She had a gruesome slash mark on her face and stomach while the guy with black hair was severely bitten on his waist that only a layer of flesh was keeping his body from being split into two as his intestines and blood were all over the place.
He could still heal himself if he absorbed arcane energy. However, with the rate of his absorption and the speed that he was losing blood, he would die first if no expert in the arcane of spells intervened and healed him.
This is bad!
"Anyone's a healer here?" Galahad asked when the other group remained in a daze.
Moments passed, and someone finally answered.
"M-m-me . . ." the guy with blond hair stuttered.
So the guy with blond hair specialized in the arcane of spells? That was why he wasn't severely injured, unlike the other three.
"Then why aren't you healing them?!" Galahad hissed, which caused the blonde man to flinch. His horrid eyes shook from Galahad's gaze.
"I-I-I'm . . . o-out of energy . . ." the blond guy said, voice barely a whisper.
"Hmp!" Rin sneered.
While Galahad was blunter in showing his anger, he grabbed the blond guy's collar, and with just one hand, he raised him in the air so their faces were leveled while all the guy could do was shudder and cower in fear.
"Aren't you still kicking? Used your own damn energy to heal them!" Galahad commanded and threw the guy on the ground like he was nothing but a garbage sack.
The reason why Galahad was so angry was that the guy with blonde hair could clearly save his group, but he didn't, just because the arcane energy he absorbed was already depleted.
However, there was still the body's own energy that could be used. Though it was dangerous in using your energy, as long it wouldn't deplete, you wouldn't die –– only the verge of it.
Even Ethan had used his energy without a second thought to heal Rain and Arca even though it hadn't been that long that they had known each other. Yet, because Ethan knew that he would be killed next without a vanguard, he knew his role, and he would stick to it to the end.
As for the four people lying on the ground.
They were just newbies that wanted to prove something.
At first, they were nervous since it would be their first battle, but with each advance inside the corridor and with each kill they made from rank D and C beasts, they had grown overconfident.
Thus, when the four of them met an unknown beast, they thought that it was just a simple rank-C, so they attacked it without a plan, and that was precisely why they were in this sorry state.
As for the blonde guy, he didn't know the other three in his group. He just formed a group with them since they approached him first. Being a person who specialized in the arcane of spells, of course, everyone wanted to partner with him.
So why would he, a proud son of an earl, help the three who were total strangers to him?
He was not willing!
He knew how dangerous it was to use his own body's energy. If he was not careful about how much energy he used, he might end up dying. He was waiting for his body to absorb enough arcane force to cast a spell again, but with the rate of absorption versus the rate at which the three in his group were losing blood, those people would die first before he could cast anything.
The rate of absorption for everyone was different. Some would only take seconds, minutes and those who were slow would take ten minutes or more. And a second was already enough between victory and defeat.
As for the blonde guy with an untrained body, his absorption rate was in the slower category. He couldn't be blamed for this as those who specialize in the arcane of spells didn't train the body but the mind with all those complicated spells that they had to memorize and practice. Thus, their bodies' absorption rate was much slower than those who practiced in the arcane of skills.
The blonde guy glanced at the passageway from where they came. There was no way in hell that he would danger his life for anyone! In fact, these people should feel honored to die in saving him.
As the blonde guy readied himself to ran for it, he found his hope crushed when he couldn't find the passageway anymore. Like there was none, to begin with.
"Don't even dare think of escaping. If that beast doesn't kill you first, I will if you don't heal them right now!" Galahad hollered. The savageness in his eyes made the blonde guy wobbled in fear as he unwillingly materialized his staff and began chanting.
"This is going to be ugly . . ." Rin raised her weapon as she eyed the beast in front of them.
Galahad couldn't help but feel worried as well. Cold sweat ran through his back.
True, he was hunting and fighting beasts all his life, but those were primarily rank-C and D., And if they ever encountered a rank-B, they were usually in a group of five of experienced warriors, not newbies composed of rotten children.
"It's probably a Rank-B. With its speed and power and all," Rin mumbled as she watched the beast with caution.
The beast was over one meter tall and two meters wide—a slim body with muscular limbs for power and agility—solid and sharp jaws, able to tear and break even the most rigid steel.
Rank-B Beast, Wind Howl (Pic)
"Mm . . . how confident are you with your strength?" asked Galahad.
"Our speed is evenly matched, but I lack in power," Rin answered.
"Alright, I'll leave the distraction of the beast to you. Leave the attacking to me."
"Roger."
---
"AH!"
"What is it?"
The white-robed elder leisurely sipped his tea before putting it down. He stroked his long white beard as his face held amusement. "Nothing. Ohohohohoho!"
The red-haired woman frowned, "What? What is that laughter for?! Is it because you lied to those kids?!"
The white-robed elder raised his long white brows. "Lied? When did I lie? I said that there is a Rank-B in one of the passageways and all passageways leading to one exit, so in a sense, there is just one passageway. Ohohohohoho!" The white-haired elder laughed heartily.
The red-haired woman shook her head. "Remind me not to play word games with you and that never to trust your words."