"Hm?"
Rin turned around when she heard a faint sound. A sound of some kind of rumbling from rubbles.
"What is it?" Galahad looked down at the little lady beside him.
"Nothin'. Thought I heard somethin'."
Rin shrugged her shoulders and resumed walking at her own pace.
Galahad gave a side-long glance at the little missy after he checked their backs and didn't hear anything. Isn't this girl a bit . . . scared?
This was the first that Galahad encountered a girl who was so nonchalant about their current situation. Like she was already used to life and death situations.
"Ah. Trouble."
Rin and Galahad paused when a group of students came their way. Three boys and a girl. They were the group that was ahead of them, the first group from entering the same passageway.
With roughly more than fifty first-year students, some formed a group with four or three members. And with just ten passageways to choose from, it wasn't a surprise if two groups took the same passageway.
The headmaster didn't say anything about first come, first serve in the passageway.
But of course, due to pride or confidence or any other reasons, only Rin and Galahad traverse a passageway that another choose first. Not because they were weak as to let the first group kill all the beasts for them while they stay safe at the back, but because they simply didn't care whichever passageway to go.
Most of the students were from nobles and respective families, so they had their noble's pride and dignity. They rather die than cower from behind another.
However, for Rin and Galahad, they were neither nobility nor commoners. They were raised in a totally different environment, so they didn't really get why the approaching group looked at them with hostility. Like they were a thief or something.
A blonde-haired boy roared and marched towards Rin and Galahad with a fuming face, "You two, you were trailing behind us for far too long."
Who wouldn't be agitated and angry when their group was doing all the fighting, fending off Rank-C level beasts while these two just walked leisurely behind them.
"Why did you take this passageway knowing that we already chose it?" barked the only woman in the group.
"No idea. My feet just led me here," Rin answered in a bored tone and yawned, which caused the woman with green hair to turned red in anger.
"Y-you!"
The woman with green hair ground her teeth and stormed towards Rin when Galahad blocked her way.
The woman was forced to take a step back. With Galahad imposing aura and built, the group was rendered silent.
"Everyone, let's not fight amongst ourselves. Why don't we form a group?" Galahad suggested with a smile on his face, which made the other group somewhat relaxed.
Galahad knew the feeling of these people in front of him. He was not exactly ignorant of how things work. It was just like hunting. If one warrior already made its mark, the other warriors have to respect it to avoid internal strife in the tribe.
But this was not hunting nor any other thing. This was survival, with their life on the line!
The boy with black hair sneered. "Hmp! Form a group with you two? No way! Don't ever think that by forming a group with us, you can loot our kill!"
Killing beasts would yield treasures, mostly arcane hearts, fangs, pelt, or meat. Depending on the quality, it could fetch to one hundred silver to ten gold coins.
Rain's group, for example, had killed a Rank-A beast. One horn alone could already fetch ten gold coins and the arcane heart to hundred gold coins. Not to mention the pelt, fangs, claws, and meat. With just one Rank-A beast, you could already be filthy rich. That was why some earned a living through killing beasts. But of course, the higher the quality, the more dangerous it was.
"Let's go. Let's hurry up, so this two couldn't catch up to us."
Eventually, the group made their way like they were afraid that someone would come first in claiming the prize. Like it was some kind of a game.
Galahad glanced at Rin. "What do we do? Should we turn back and choose another passageway?"
"Nah. Let's go forward. I already hear a strong blowing of wind in that direction. And besides . . . I have a feelin' there's nothin' for us to go back to anymore," Rin mysteriously chortled as she advanced.
Galahad just watched the little lady in amusement, but he still followed her nevertheless.
Rin's feeling was indeed correct. Once all the students left the spacious dilapidated hall, all the ten passageways were shut tight, like there was no archway there in the first place.
As Rin and Galahad advanced, they gradually sensed an unusual gust of wind, blowing stronger and stronger.
"What is it?" Rin asked when Galahad stopped.
"I smell danger." Galahad didn't even glance at Rin. His eyes focused on the light, signifying the end of the long corridor, hundred meters away from them.
Rin closed her eyes and sniffed the air. But only the smell of old decaying bricks, rotting molds, damp air and . . .
Blood!
Rin's eyes turned sharp, and she materialized her weapon, dual knives, as she gradually absorbed arcane force.
For Galahad, he had lived all his life in the presence of those creatures. He had a hunt and fought them every day to protect his tribe. He knew their smell.
A beast.
Galahad started to gather arcane energy as well. He materialized his weapon, a moon blade as tall as him. It could also be considered an axe. Only it was curved.
"Be careful. It's a beast . . . and a strong one at that," Galahad warned.
Rin nodded. "Mmm . . ."
As the two of them advanced, they heard the loud sound of battle cries, roars, and explosions. The strong gust of wind filled the whole space with the stench of blood.
"Shit!"
"Tsk!"
Rin and Galahad didn't have the time to marvel at the beast in front of them as they each unleashed their respective skills when they saw that those four were about to get pulverized when the beast unleashed a massive tornado towards their direction.
The four students were paralyzed at the gap of strength between them and the beast that all they could do was tremble in fear.
Typical newbie reaction.
"Everyone! Stay behind me!"
Galahad roared, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the four. He unleashed his skills to counter the tornado that the beast just released.
One massive strike of earthen light came out from his moon blade, the same size as the tornado, as it clashed with the rampaging cyclone.
[Earth Strike]
BOOM!
The ground shook, and rubbles flew everywhere until the two opposing forces disseminated.
When the smokes were cleared, Rin appeared out of nowhere with knives in hand. She swiped her knife, and two crossing lights in the shape of an X struck downward, charging towards the beast.
[Dual Strike]
BOOM!