Monsters, unlike beasts, were inherently aggressive and chaotic creatures, for it was because of the abnormal mana flows that they appeared, bringing nothing but discord to this world.
Their sole purpose was to devour others, absorb mana, and become stronger. At the same time, many beasts sought peace of mind and a natural path to strength, they engaged in Creation, a process that allowed Warp to devour mana and raise a creature to a new stage.
Naturally, this was only possible for Magical Beasts - equivalent to Mages in the human world.
Monsters were a real threat to many places, but fortunately or not, they were too valuable to Mages, so they were constantly being hunted.
Obviously, having a hunter mage in the squad was a real boon when fighting monsters.
'Yeah... We were definitely lucky to stumble upon him.' Evan smirked, looking at Halvor, or rather at his axe whose sharp blade passed through the flesh of the two icy monsters.
It would take them a few more seconds to break free of the ice and attack Evan, and in the same amount of time, Evan would be cut to pieces.
However, when hunting, the most important thing was not to run into someone for whom you were prey, and the monsters had successfully failed this mission.
The two torsos of the monsters fell to the ground as a fountain of blood gushed out of their bodies, pouring a crimson liquid that divided into rivulets and flowed down the frozen ground to soak into the white snow, coloring it pink.
"Whew! That wasn't bad! That wasn't bad at all! Evan, you did good! Honestly, I was worried you wouldn't be able to activate the catalyst the first time." Halvor said contentedly, placing the axe on his shoulder.
"Hmm?" Evan raised an eyebrow, "Is that hard to do?"
Halvor nodded deeply, "Sure. Nobles with good bloodlines, those who are likely to awaken a talent for magic, are trained in the use of catalysts from childhood. If you were able to do it the first time, then you have an understanding of how magic works, naturally. Though it doesn't guarantee a talent for magic, but it greatly increases the chances."
Evan's gaze grew deeper as he turned, looking at Klaus and Hana running towards them.
'If Halvor is telling the truth, Klaus is not telling the whole story... I can understand why I was able to use the catalyst, but what about him? Isn't he just an ordinary 19-year-old commoner with no talent for magic? Hah, his murky past is hiding something.' Evan pondered with a sly smirk.
"No one heard you?" Klaus asked, looking around.
Halvor shook his head, "Nah. It's all clear. Once we're inside, we'll definitely surprise those parasites. Let's go!"
Hana walked last as she looked curiously at the bodies of the monsters.
"They don't have Cores in them?"
Halvor turned around and waved his hand, "Nah, only monsters have Cores."
Hana tilted her head in confusion, "Aren't they monsters...?"
They stared at each other for a while, as if they were speaking different languages, not understanding each other at all.
Then, Halvor lit up as his eyes went wide.
"Right, you probably don't know about that. Look, humans have Commoners and Mages, yeah there are also Knights, but those are just strong Commoners. Beasts are even simpler - there are Beasts and Magical Beasts, I think you can tell the difference between them. Monsters have the same system, but the names are different.
Dormant Monsters are regular monsters with no magic, so... technically every Monster has magic, but not the Dormant One." Halvor explained.
Hana got a complicated expression, then she slowly nodded.
"What about that moose...? It had a core..."
"Well, because it was a Magical Beast, so when infected with the parasite it became a Monster. I realize this may sound confusing, but I think you'll figure it out soon enough." Halvor shrugged before stepping inside the cave.
Cold droplets from the melted snow dripped through the cracks, falling to the ground and creating tiny puddles between the stone grooves where the droplets hit, echoing a ringing sound throughout the cave.
Evan, Klaus, Halvor, and Hana felt strangely calm as if this were just an ordinary, lonely cave whose only visitor was the occasional frosty wind.
However, the deeper they delved, the more unease grew, like an invisible aura enveloping everything around them and slowly themselves.
"What is it...?" Hana whispered, looking at the first fork in their path.
Thick blood vessels covered the walls, spreading throughout the cave, like vines. From time to time, they pulsed, as if a huge heart was hidden somewhere far away.
"Looks like the real parasite lair starts from here..." Evan muttered as his mouth corners slightly lifted upwards.
"Which way do we go? Evan, can your compass tell us?" Klaus asked.
Evan shook his head as he pulled out the compass. The arrow was pointing backwards - towards the entrance because he had overwritten the compass's purpose.
"We'll have to figure out where the main larva is by trial and error ourselves. Let's go left. No premonition, just a random choice." Evan shrugged.
Halvor swung his axe, "In that case, it's settled!"
Step. Step. Step.
A series of footsteps could be heard from the approaching group, and after a few meters, one of the monsters took notice of them - just like the ones at the entrance. It was asleep, but it sensed the intruders, its instincts woke it up, and it was ready for a deadly fight.
However, the sharp blade of the thrown axe that split the monster's head quickly ended the battle that hadn't even started yet. The axe slammed into the wall, and Halvor, who was passing by, nonchalantly pulled his weapon out of the wall, heading onward.
'Damn... How strong is he... No, how strong are mages.' Evan inwardly uttered with a great frown.
He had to become a mage at any cost, and he had to hope for luck, for in three weeks his life would be decided.
'Hmm... A talent for magic, I don't believe it can only be awakened by natural causes. In any world, there is a way to make your own destiny, and I must find it!'
After a while, after killing a few more monsters, they saw in the distance a dense cluster of vessels covering a stone slab in the wall that seemed to be a door leading to a forbidden place.
Next to the door stood a monster, with its head down and an intimidating aura that made Hana take a few steps back. Evan and Klaus tensed up, feeling goosebumps go down their bodies.
"Oh... At least that one is asleep, but he's not Dormant, he's a Monster." Halvor sighed, making his Warp spin and spreading mana through his body.