Schnee rushed forward, her spear shining brightly. She swung her weapon and sliced the monsters, her attacks fast and efficient. She moved like a whirlwind, and Hunter's Phoenix followed her, incinerating the rats who came from behind.
When she killed two rats, three would spring from the heap of scraps. But Hunter's Phoenix, a Level 80 summon, was too strong. It burned everything in its path, and the rats had no choice but to run away.
"This is good."
Hunter swung his staff, the fire surrounding it growing hotter. The rats died once by once, leaving behind item drops and Gold coins.
"Hey, Hunter! Stop your Phoenix. I don't get any kill!" Schnee yelled, stabbing the last monster.
"Oh, sorry."
He immediately stopped the summon and returned it back to his staff. Even a 'Cover' command was too much to be used against Level 50 monsters.
"I'll keep it in check."
"That's fine. We'll have a lot of chances to fight. This is just the beginning."
Hunter nodded. As they walked around to find more monsters, he glanced at his MP. Summoning Phoenix, a Level 80 summon, cost a bit of his MP.
Deducting from his recovered MP, a total of 290 was chipped to maintain it for 48 seconds. Considering 50 MP was used for its initial summoning, 5 MP was used each second just to maintain it. This was the Summoner Class's problem.
'It's not efficient at all.'
"Schnee, I will just use a Level 60 summon later unless it's necessary to bring a stronger one. Although my MP regeneration is 3 MP/s, I won't be able to summon Level 80 for too long."
"That's fine. We're here to train me, remember? You can just watch and support me if necessary."
"Okay."
They continued fighting until sunset and managed to gather a few hundred Gold coins. They didn't bother to take the item drops except for healing item material.
Before, they decided to stay until night to see how good they were at moving without light. Although they had a potion that allowed them to see clearly at night as if it was day, they didn't use it to train their perception.
"Wow, this is creepier than I thought. Hey, isn't this like those horror movies? It's like a perfect setting for a slasher film."
Schnee commented, looking around. She was still cheerful and confident. Hunter, however, was a bit nervous.
"Don't joke around. There's nothing to laugh about."
"I'm not joking." She shrugged. "But you're right. It's not funny at all, especially since a real slasher is still on the loose. We have to be careful."
Hunter nodded, looking around. The sky was getting dark, and the atmosphere was gloomy. Even the lantern he held couldn't illuminate everything, and the shadows danced around them.
'This is not good. I should've brought a torch or something. But this is training, so I should get used to it.'
Schnee's mood wasn't affected by the surroundings. She hummed as she walked, her steps light. She even kicked the monster that popped up from the ground.
"Hey, Hunter." She called him, her voice low. "Do you think you can kill if you need to?"
"Huh?"
"I know it's a serious question, but can you kill another player if necessary?"
Her expression was grim, and her grip on her spear tightened. She was asking for real.
Hunter's mood turned serious. He narrowed his eyes as he looked in front of him.
"Well, I can't say that I am prepared, but I will try my best."
"Good."
She smiled and nodded, her gaze softening.
"If it's a matter of life or death, you have to kill. No matter who the other party is. You can't hesitate or show mercy. Just like how you have no hesitation killing monsters, you have to kill a human being without hesitation, too."
Her tone was cold, and her eyes were hard.
"You're right." He nodded, tapping his staff against the ground. "The way you asked as if the killer is near us."
Clang!
Suddenly, a loud sound echoed from the distance, startling the two.
"What was that?"
"A fight. Someone else is here."
Schnee's eyes lit up, and her grip on her spear tightened. "It must be the killer! He's finally made a move."
She started running, and Hunter followed her. They rushed through the dark forest, their feet slamming against the ground.
They saw a small light in the distance, and they rushed toward it. Sparks and explosions filled the air, and two groups were fighting.
One group consisted of two Level 73 Warriors and two low-level Mages. The other group was Willy's group Hunter saw earlier, except the Mage was missing.
They were fighting against each other, with the Level 72 Warrior engaging in a two-on-one against the other group's Warriors. The Mages were busy casting a spell, her hands glowing, but Willy interrupted them by throwing a stone.
"You bastard!"
The Mage swung his staff and knocked him away, and the stone dropped to the ground.
Hunter stopped in the distance. Whose group was the killer in?
He didn't have a chance to ask that. The fight intensified and Willy's group was pushed back.
"What are you doing? You're going to die! How dare you kill our friend?"
The Level 72 Warrior yelled, his sword raised high.
"Shut up! You're the one who is going to die."
The Level 73 Warrior roared, his weapon clashing against his opponent. Their blades clanged, and sparks flew.
Schnee and Hunter looked at each other.
'Now what?'
They were not part of the fight, and they didn't know what to do. They wanted to find the killer, but this situation was chaotic.
"Let's just observe for now. The Level 80 Mage I saw in their group is missing." Hunter whispered, and Schnee agreed.
"Alright. But if the chance to kill the killer appears in front of me, I will take it."
"Yeah, just be careful."
Both of them decided to hide and observe for now.
'There is a choice where we destroy them both, but that will take a lot of stamina. Let's avoid that if possible.'
When the killer's group confessed or showed themselves, they would move. It was a waiting game for them, a hunter, and the killer group, the prey.