The unstable energy inside the beast was so loud it made the dirt beneath Rohan’s boots vibrate. The mixed red and purple light grew so bright that the surrounding trees cast long, chaotic shadows against the thick fog.

"Rohan! Get away from it! It’s going to blow!" Eric screamed, trying to push himself up from the wet dirt. His hands slipped on the mud, his voice full of panic.

Priscilla reached out a hand, her face tight with worry. "Rohan, fall back! We can shield against the blast together!"

But Rohan did not move away. He knew that if he pulled his sword out now, the beast might move or release the energy sooner. If it exploded right now, the blast would hit the injured Barry and Dominion, who were too close and too tired to run. Instead of running, Rohan gripped the hilt of the Steelwind Sword even harder. His knuckles turned white, but his breath remained slow and steady.

He activated Shadow Linger while standing completely still.

The strange power twisted the dim light around his body. To the dying monster’s eyes, Rohan suddenly seemed to split into two, then three different shapes. The beast’s confused brain could not figure out where the heavy pressure on its throat was coming from. It swung its massive paws wildly at the false images, cutting through empty mist and missing the real Rohan entirely.

With the beast distracted by its own failing senses, Rohan used his legs to push off the ground. He leaped upward, using the handle of his stuck sword as a step, and landed right on top of the monster’s wide, bone-plated snout.

The beast felt the sudden weight and tried to shake its head to throw him off, but its movements were slow, heavy, and clumsy from the loss of blood.

Rohan looked straight down at the glowing amber eyes of the creature, which were blinking in confusion and pain.

"Sleep," Rohan whispered.

He flawlessly dismissed the sword in its throat at that moment and summoned it back into his hand almost immediately, then drove the sword straight down through the beast’s left eye socket, pushing the blade all the way to the hilt.

The bright, explosive light inside the beast’s bone plates flickered and dimmed. The terrible humming sound stopped. For a second, everything in the vast forest went completely quiet, save for the sound of the wind rustling the high leaves.

The massive bear-boar stiffened, its remaining eye rolling back. The dangerous purple and red energy slowly turned into harmless gray smoke, leaking out of its many wounds and drifting away into the cold mist.

With a loud, heavy sound, the Standard Epic Beast collapsed forward. Its giant chin hit the dirt, kicking up a small cloud of dust and dead leaves. It did not move again, its massive frame finally growing cold.

[You’ve killed a Standard Epic Beast — Rampaging Ursine]

[Frontier Experience Gained — +1.5%]

The others stared at Rohan with surprised expressions.

Priscilla was the first to walk toward him and asked with a questioning look, "I thought you said your class just increased your martial arts."

Rohan nodded. "Yes. So?"

Priscilla raised an eyebrow. "Sooo... I was just surprised by how you were able to defeat the beast so flawlessly."

’I guess I revealed too much. Curses.’ Rohan cursed inwardly, although his expression hid it.

He formed a calm smile. "Ah yes, the thing is, my class also has a hidden passive trait that activates when my target is completely unfocused or confused. It is not an active skill, just a lucky bonus that lets me hit harder and dodge easier if the opponent loses its aim."

Priscilla kept her eyes on him for a few more seconds, trying to see if he was lying. But Rohan’s calm face and steady voice did not change at all. She finally sighed, her tight posture relaxing as she let her black sword rest by her side.

"A passive trait like that is still very rare for a Common Class," she said, though her voice sounded less suspicious now and more amazed. "But I suppose the world of Hunters is full of strange exceptions."

"Hey! Are we just going to stand around and talk while I am literally bleeding out over here?" Barry called out from the root of a nearby tree. He tried to laugh, but he ended up coughing instead, holding his side where the broken stone wall had bruised his ribs.

Dominion was already by his side, using her hands to help him sit up straighter against the rough bark. Her own arms were shaking from using too much of her stone magic during the fight. "Shut up, Barry. You are not bleeding out. But you do have some really bad cuts."

Eric finally got up from the mud, wiping his wet hands on his pants. He walked over to Rohan, his eyes still wide as he looked back and forth between his friend and the giant, dead Rampaging Ursine.

’This dude didn’t even know how to fight two weeks ago? What the fuck?!’ Eric lamented inwardly, not wanting to confront him openly.

"Man, you almost gave me a heart attack," Eric whispered, hitting Rohan’s shoulder lightly. "I thought you were going to turn into dust when that red light started flashing. Don’t ever do that again without warning me first."

"Relax. Dying wasn’t part of my plan." Rohan said with a small smile. He walked over to the beast’s head and pulled out his Steelwind Sword. He cleaned the blade quickly on the grass.

"We need to move to a safer spot," Dominion said, looking around the fog-covered forest with a worried expression. "The smell of blood from an Epic Beast will attract other monsters soon. If a pack of Weak or Uncommon beasts shows up right now, we won’t have the strength to fight them off."

"She is right," Priscilla agreed. She looked at Barry and then at Eric, assessing the team’s total condition. "Barry cannot walk properly, and Dominion is out of essence. Eric, how is your armor?"

"The front plate is cracked from that tail whip," Eric said, touching his chest. "It hurts a bit when I take a deep breath, but I can still move and carry things."

Priscilla nodded. "Good. We will take the most valuable parts of the Rampaging Ursine quickly—the tusks and the core if it has one—and then we must find a cave or somewhere to rest and heal."

Rohan did not object. He knelt by the giant snout of the beast and used his sword to begin cutting around the base of the long, curved tusks. As he worked, he could feel the eyes of the group still shifting toward him every few minutes. He knew he had pushed his luck by using Shadow Linger so openly, but saving the team was better than letting everyone die just to keep a secret.

Not that he cared if they died. Going back to the pavilion alone would simply create unnecessary questions and risk revealing his true identity.

The day had only just started, and they had already gained a small bit of experience. But looking deeper into the heavy, gray mist of the forest, Rohan knew the real danger was still waiting for them.

He knew Crimson Mage would have alerted the others, so he needed to earn that ten percent and get back to Earth for another motive as soon as possible.