Level 40... that should be a Class-rank beast.

  Kael calculated quickly. If he could take this thing down tonight, his mission would be as good as finished. With that thought, he shifted his gaze toward the source of the energy, only to find himself staring straight into the face of a young girl.

  "Who are you?" they both blurted out at the same time.

  Without another word, the girl’s hand blurred, driving a gleaming dagger toward his throat.

  "Hold on!" Kael’s Omni-Sphere instantly elongated into a reinforced baton, cleanly parrying the girl's blade.

  "You’re from another mercenary squad, aren't you?" the girl hissed, her eyes locking onto his.

  "No, I'm alone," Kael explained hurriedly.

  The girl frowned. She didn't sense any other presences nearby, so she lowered her guard slightly and withdrew her weapon. However, she kept her dagger poised, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

  "You're a mercenary team, right? Are you fighting a Class-rank beast?" Kael asked, his tone natural now that the immediate threat had passed.

  "And you still claim you're not with another squad? You're here to poach our kill!" The girl’s face darkened again, and she lunged forward with renewed ferocity.

  "I really am not!" Kael sighed, raising his baton to catch the blade once more.

  To Kael, her movements felt like they were happening in slow motion. But he was a shopkeeper, not an assassin; he had no desire to play the "ruthless flower-destroyer" without a damn good reason.

  "You Jiu, support!"

  A clear, commanding shout rang out from the clearing ahead, breaking their stalemate.

  "I'll deal with you later," You Jiu snarled at Kael before spinning around and sprinting toward the voice.

  Kael followed, finally seeing the battlefield. A small girl in massive plate armor was braced behind a tower shield taller than herself. On the other side of that shield, a Flame Demon Wolf slammed its weight against the metal, its maw dripping with fire and baring obsidian-white fangs.

  Level 48 Class-rank Beast: The Flame Demon Wolf.

  Born with the ability to breathe fire and cast low-level pyromancy, it was one of the most lethal predators in the woods. Supporting the small girl was a valiant female Knight and a Swordswoman who was constantly harassing the wolf’s flanks to keep it from focusing its assault.

  ROAR—!

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The wolf let out a guttural howl, exhaling a gout of intense flame at the Swordswoman. She tapped the tip of a branch with her toe, leaping backward just in time. As the flames scorched the air above her, the wolf dug its claws into the earth, shattering the ground as it lunged like a bolt of lightning after the retreating girl.

  "[Backstab]!"

  You Jiu materialized behind the wolf, her dagger diving for the nape of its neck. But the beast's instincts were preternatural. The moment she appeared, sparks of fire began to dance across its fur. As her blade touched the hide, a violent shockwave of heat erupted.

  Fire Magic: [Flame Pulse].

  It was a defensive spell used by mages to repel close-quarter attackers. Cast by a Class-rank beast, its power was terrifying.

  "[Mana Aegis]!"

  From the rear, the girl named Xiao Ya waved her staff, casting a shimmering barrier over You Jiu. But the Aegis lasted less than two seconds before the Flame Pulse tore through it. You Jiu was sent flying back by the concussive force.

  The Swordswoman caught her in mid-air and retreated behind the safety of the tower shield.

  "How is she?" Lan Ye asked without looking back, her spear leveled at the wolf.

  "It’s bad," Xiao Ya replied after a frantic check. "Sister You Jiu took the full force of the Pulse. The wolf’s magic is too strong—she’s covered in severe burns."

  "Can you heal her?"

  "My mana is too low. I can only stabilize her; she needs a clinic in Cloud Mist City." Xiao Ya hesitated, then added quietly, "And... if we don't treat this immediately, I'm afraid she'll be left with permanent scars."

  "Lan Ye, maybe we should pull back," suggested Fei Xue, the Swordswoman who had caught her. She felt a sting of guilt; You Jiu had been injured trying to cover her.

  For a young woman, a permanent scar was a wound deeper than any physical injury. Xiao Ya knew healing magic, but she had no way to erase scarring—in fact, such specialized magic was almost unheard of.

  "We have no choice. Zi'er, prepare to retreat," Lan Ye barked, leveling her spear in a defensive stance to cover their exit.

  "Rear is clear. Qinqi, prep the Earth Wall," a voice called from the canopy. It was the archer, Lan Qing'er, who had been providing overwatch.

  "Wait a second. If you're in a hurry, why not try one of my pills?"

  Kael stepped out from the shadows as if he’d been there all along, holding up a small ceramic bottle.

  "Who goes there?!"

  Instantly, several weapons—arrows, rapiers, staves, and spears—were pointed directly at his heart.

  "Don't get the wrong idea. I am a shopkeeper. I have... 'no ill intent,'" Kael said, his face a mask of calm.

  Despite the arsenal leveled at him, he felt no inner tremor. In fact, he almost wanted to laugh. The combined threat of this entire squad didn't feel half as oppressive as the presence of that one plain-faced man in the Trial Space.

  "What shopkeeper? Creeping around in the middle of the night... you're clearly up to no good!" Na Lan Qinqi cried, a ball of mana already swirling at the tip of her staff.

  "Tell you what, I'll leave the pill here. Use it or don't—it's up to you," Kael offered, choosing a middle ground. He glanced toward the snarling Flame Demon Wolf and added, "I'll just go ahead and take care of that overgrown puppy for you."

  "Excuse me?"

  "You're going to... 'take care' of a Flame Demon Wolf?"

  The girls stared at him, then at each other, utterly bewildered. Finally, Lan Ye snapped out of it. "No! Regardless of what your motives are, we can't just stand here and watch you commit suicide."

  "She’s right," Na Lan Qinqi added. "Even if you're a creep, we aren't going to let you die for nothing."

  Kael gave the loli mage a brief look, placed the ceramic bottle on the grass, and spoke with sudden gravity. "Give that pill to the girl. Sooner is better than later. Oh, and if you use it, remember you owe me ten Spirit Crystals. That's the retail price."

  The moment he finished speaking, Kael’s silhouette blurred. He vanished from their sight.

  "So fast!" Lan Ye gasped, her heart skipping a beat. She realized she had catastrophically underestimated this stranger.