Chapter 291

Ray used the whole day to observe the beasts down below.

He didn’t even bother to move from his position as he calmly watched the creatures.

Their movements, patterns, routes, and so on.

He was absorbing it all like a sponge.

His mind was working and churning, trying to come up with the best possible way to defeat a King-rank beast with minimal injuries.

And it had to be done silently too, so as not to draw unwanted attention their way.

Alongside observing them, Ray was also analyzing the specific details from his previous fight with that one King-rank beast.

What could he have done better to defeat the monster?

Yes, he was caught completely unaware at first, and the whole world was initially strange to him.

What other mistakes did he make that almost got him killed?

All these he analyzed and thought over while carefully formulating a tactical plan.

Since he was so intensely focused, the girls didn’t bother to disturb him and they just decided to do their own things.

Trisha was casually swinging her sword.

It looked like she was in the middle of intense training.

She was going through a precise set of forms, dancing around the hilltop with a fluidity that could put a professional ballet dancer to shame.

Though he was focused on the valley, his ears were still on high alert, and throughout the girl’s training, each swing she made with her blade never missed its mark.

She had been practicing for almost two hours now, and throughout that entire time, her strikes didn’t sound off at all.

They carried the exact same intensity, same sound, and same ferociousness as when she had just begun training.

He was thoroughly amazed at this fact.

It seemed like she was a seasoned professional at what she does.

No wonder she always looked powerful and incredibly skillful on the battlefield.

Even techniques that Captain Jake hadn’t taught them yet, she displayed effortlessly.

Strange skills that hadn’t been introduced to their class.

Which made Ray conclude that she had definitely received prior training in the ways of the sword long before coming to the Corps.

Chloe, on the other hand, was utterly bored.

She wanted to test her archery skills too but couldn’t, given that they were stuck atop a hill.

So, she just settled for watching Trisha train, which provided her with a loose semblance of entertainment.

Hours passed, and soon, it was nighttime once more.

More of these beasts, especially the King-rank ones, surged outside from their dens and began moving around.

Finally, Ray stood up from where he sat as he could smell the girls eating the remaining pieces of roasted meat.

He wasn’t hungry, so he didn’t join them.

Instead, he began pacing all around the hill with his eyes fixed intently on the King-rank beasts, watching how some of them actively fought against each other for territory and meat in the valley.

Tapping the bridge of his temples twice, his vision changed, allowing him to scan the layout of the valley properly.

The whole terrain laid bare in front of his eyes.

Nowhere could the beasts hide as he was able to see through the whole valley.

He couldn’t see beyond the dark sea, so he ignored that part for now and decided to focus entirely on the monsters.

’Hmph. There seems to be a small gap in between their abrasive armor. Right at their back, close to the top of their heads... hm.’

The moment he felt a slight headache coming on, he quickly deactivated his thermal vision and sat back down on the ground.

Replaying the layout of the valley in his mind, he searched for the hidden routes the beasts could take—areas hidden from the others that would make their tactical execution much easier.

Figuring that out, he looked behind him for a moment to see Chloe had finished eating.

She was casually using her ability to lift a rock, dragging it across the hill with a bored look on her face.

Trisha, on the other hand, sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, seemingly in a deep state of meditation.

Her sword was placed right beside her, within arm’s reach.

A plan was rapidly forming in his mind, and within just a few minutes, it solidified instantly, causing a sharp smile to flash across his face.

’Yeah. This could work.’

"Ahem... I think I have a plan," Ray cleared his throat loudly, causing Trisha to crack one eye open to look in his direction.

"What plan?"

Ray frowned at her.

"A plan for the hunt! What do you think I have been doing all this time?!"

"Oh," she uttered, then stood up and walked toward him.

Chloe sighed as she stood up too.

"We are really doing this, huh?"

Settling down in front of the boy, they leaned in close as Ray detailed the parameters of the mission and exactly how it would be accomplished so they could secure their target safely.

...

The crack of dawn arrived as the sun rose slowly over the horizon.

With the morning light, three figures could be seen crouching behind a short hill just a few meters in front of a much taller peak that could serve as their fallback position.

"Ready?" Ray asked, looking toward the girls.

Chloe nervously gripped her bow and nocked an arrow.

She didn’t draw the string yet as she stepped out of the hiding place, taking a few paces forward before halting.

Turning around to glare at Ray, she uttered,

"Just know, if I die from this, my ghost will haunt you forever."

Ray smiled, then tapped the bridge between his brows to focus his senses.

"It’s breaking away from the pack. Move."

Chloe sucked in a sharp breath and dashed forward, disappearing from the sight of her allies as she maneuvered toward her designated position just in front of the adjacent hill.

Ray remained perfectly calm, tracking the entire movement through his thermal vision.

"Ready?" he asked quietly as he watched Chloe draw her bowstring taut.

Trisha gripped her sword with pure determination, her stance and expression rock-steady as she looked straight ahead.

Within a second, Chloe released the string, sending the arrow flying with immense force through the crisp morning air.

An isolated King-rank Earth Shaker that had been moving along its path was struck cleanly by the arrow, causing it to wheel around with a furious glare.

It hadn’t managed to secure its own meal due to being intercepted by a larger rival earlier, and its aggression was already at a boiling point.

Seeing the human drawing attention to herself, the beast slammed its massive scythes into the dirt and bolted straight toward her.

’Shit, it’s fast! Damn you, Ray!’ Chloe screamed inwardly as she turned on her heel and bolted away, boosting her momentum to the absolute limit with her telekinetic ability.

The beast was rapidly closing the distance.