"Avoid this route," said Anastasia while running through the woods, dodging one obstacle after another. "Unit 7 of 1-C-8 had set up a trap here."
Thanks to the reconnaissance search she did earlier, we were now aware of most of the enemy's position.
We knew which routes to avoid and not fall into traps, and which Unit would be our competition for the Steel Winged Eagle hunt.
Sure, cadets can't directly hurt other cadets, but that doesn't stop them from setting up traps and stuff to slow others down.
"How big is this forest anyway?" panting like a dog out of breath while following behind Anastasia, Kent asked.
"760 acres," Nero replied from right next to him. "And that's just the outer forest's area."
"I'll die."
I could practically see Kent's soul leaving his body after he got his answer.
Fortunately, the running shoes that I Edited were a great help.
===
Speed→ 101 [+62]
Stamina→ 96 [+62]
===
Both my speed and stamina stats were increased by 62 points. That created a big difference in my overall physical capability.
I could easily keep up with Anastasia, Amelia and Nero without even breaking a sweat.
We were heading towards the northeastern part of the outer forest, as indicated on the map we received.
The Steel Winged Eagle, an evolved eagle with mana-hardened steel wings and a large wingspan, was located there.
While it is known for its speed and sharp wings that can cut a grown man's neck, it does not possess any other extraordinary abilities.
"There!"
Right when I was about to open my smart bracelet and check our live location in maps, Anastasia yelled.
We found it. An eagle with black plumage, slightly larger than average, possessing a pair of enormous gleaming blue wings, circled through the sky as if it were the ruler of the winds.
From the looks of it, we were the first Unit to arrive here.
There were two ways of winning a spot in the top 5. Either kill as many normal mana beasts as possible or kill one of the four instructed mana beasts.
It was no surprise that many of the Units chose the first option since it was safer and easier.
"Careful not to let it touch you with its wings," Nero stated the obvious. "You'll be cut before you even notice it."
"Yes," nodded Anastasia. "I can see a great amount of mana circulating in its wings."
Anyone can see that, Anastasia. Its wings were literally glowing in an azure blue hue! You don't need special eyes to see that!
"Okay, what's our plan of attack?" asked Amelia.
"Shoot and bring it down, what else?" I shrugged.
And I was ignored.
"No, no, he's right," Nero chimed in. "Fire at it from all directions and when it'll have nowhere to go, I'll jump at it and kill it with my sword."
"You can jump that high?" Kent asked in amazement.
"I can jump higher," Nero grinned.
Without waiting, I took out my bow and quiver full of arrows from the smart bracelet on my wrist.
Slinging the quiver on my back, I took out an arrow, coated it in a thin layer of mana, knocked it on my bow and aimed it at the flying eagle.
Both Amelia and Anastasia quickly got into motion too.
Amelia climbed a tree and prepared herself while Anastasia dashed away from my location, drawing an arrow and readying her bow while aiming at the same target as me.
"Now!" Anastasia yelled.
As if waiting for that cue, both Amelia and I let go of our bowstrings and released our arrows.
Swoosh—!
In mid-air, the mana on my arrow split into six mana darts and shot at the Steel Winged Eagle.
Simultaneously, Amelia's arrow erupted in a brilliant blue light and hurtled toward the eagle at breakneck speed.
"Siiiiiii!"
The Steel Winged Eagle let out a harsh, high-pitched whistle as it noticed our attempt to hunt it down.
Fwooo—!
Effortlessly dodging our attacks, the eagle, instead of going higher in the sky, dived down, intending to take us at close range.
"Incoming!" Anastasia yelled.
"It'll try to use its wings to attack us!" Nero shouted back.
Instead of wasting time by shouting the obvious, Amelia and I drew back our bowstrings and readied our arrows for action.
Swoosh—!!
Swooosh—!!
Once again, my arrow shot forward and split into six mana arrows before raining down on the incoming eagle.
The Steel Winged Eagle expertly maneuvered through the air and dodged all my arrows.
Tsk, it was fast.
However, just as the bird avoided my final arrow, Amelia's arrow appeared in front of it out of nowhere!
She had used my attack as a distraction and had brilliantly predicted the eagle's movements based on it.
As my mana arrows limited the bird's options for escape, Amelia took advantage of the opening and launched her arrow to strike it down.
Truly, she is a genius marksman! Or markswoman? What's the word? I can't remember.
Tann—!
However, the eagle was not defeated yet. It crossed its wings in front of its body and used them as a shield, successfully blocking Amelia's arrow from piercing through.
After blocking Amelia's arrow, the Steel Winged Eagle expanded its wings and charged toward us from the sky once again.
"Fuck!" cursed Amelia. "It registered no damage!"
"Don't worry!" but right then, Nero barked and drew his sword from his smart bracelet. "I got it!"
The sword in his hand was surrounded in a bright azure blue glow as he coated it with a thick layer of mana.
I was honestly amazed. I was standing 12 steps away from him and I could still feel the energy coming off his sword.
This boy– no, this monster right here was the real deal.
Stomping his foot harder on the ground, Nero prepared to launch himself toward the approaching eagle.
Crevices formed where he was standing, and in a sudden burst, his figure disappeared from view and reappeared in front of the eagle in mid-air.
"Skiiiii!"
As Nero displayed his unmatched speed, the eagle let out a confused scream. Without hesitation, the boy mercilessly swung his sword, executing an upward diagonal slash.
Fwoosh—!
But before Nero's sword could connect, a huge boulder came flying at him.
Widening his eyes, Nero called off his attack and created a mana barrier around him.
Thwaash—!
Fortunately, Anastasia reacted quickly and shot an arrow infused with mana at the boulder and shattered it into pieces.
Tak—!
Landing back on the ground, Nero and everyone else looked in the direction where the boulder was thrown from.
Of course, I knew who it would be but I still looked anyway.
"Nice reflexes, pretty girl."
From the shadowy covers of the forest, a tall young man with muscles which were too ripped for his jersey to hide appeared.
"If it weren't for you, this boy would've been crushed like an insect."
Yes, it was… drum rolls, please… Alberto!
"Are you crazy?" Amelia exclaimed, her eyes filled with anger. "You could have seriously hurt him!"
"I'm going to report this to the instructors," Anastasia added with an irritated expression.
Wow, look at them. The heroines are angry on behalf of our hero who wasn't even hurt. Truly, such a beautiful and heartwarming scene.
Tsk. These bitches.
I personally just want to bash Nero's head with a rock! No, in fact, let me just push him under a truck myself!
"Oh, you'll report? And say what?" with a smirk, Alberto mockingly cocked his head to the side. "He is not injured anywhere, is he? I was just trying to hunt that eagle like you guys."
Honestly, more than Nero's strength, I was impressed with this guy's persistence. Even after being humiliated that day in the cafeteria, he was still targeting Nero.
"You–"
Before Amelia could start her rant, Nero walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, signaling her to calm down.
"Tsk," she clicked her tongue and held her words.
"Let's go guys," Nero said and started walking away.
The Steel Winged Eagle had escaped.
Since the academy had put a tracker on it beforehand to make it distinct from other Steel Winged Eagles in the area, we merely had to open the maps application on our smart bracelets to know its location.