Chapter 40: Chapter 40 The Tense Standoff
"But I don't know how many people are there. If their numbers increase, it will be difficult for me to fight them," Veer thinks to himself. "I should first assess their numbers before taking any action."
Veer takes a bath and equips himself with his battle suit and blade. He also fastens a belt that carries over 10 small knives, each the size of a hand. These knives were purchased by Veer from a store affiliated with the Battle Mages Alliance. While they may be too small to kill a monster directly, a hunter can use them to dismember a slain monster. However, Veer possesses the ability to control these knives with his mental power, making them deadly weapons. Fully prepared, Veer leaves his room.
Outside the room, Veer acts inconspicuously, heading to the receptionist before making his way towards the forest. He ventures deep into the woods, aiming to reach a location where he won't be easily found.
"They're still following me. No problem, they just missed the right opportunity," Veer muses silently.
Veer intermittently adjusts his pace, sometimes speeding up and other times slowing down, giving the impression that he is controlling his breathing.
After about 30 minutes, Veer senses movement ahead and decides to reduce his speed. He becomes silent near some bushes and slowly advances. After walking for a while, Veer spots a hyena-like monster called Lakdboom. It measures less than 5 meters in size, and while its physical appearance may be intimidating, its rank is low, just a rank 1 monster that hunts alone. It scares its prey through intimidation, killing those who fear it. However, if someone shows no fear, it releases a gas that temporarily impairs vision for a minute, allowing the monster to escape.
"Hmm, I should first demonstrate to those bastards that they pose no threat to me. Only then will they reveal themselves. From what I gather, their numbers should be around 2, which I can handle comfortably," Veer thinks to himself.
With that in mind, Veer deliberately attacks the monster, appearing clumsy and inexperienced in hunting. He charges towards it at a speed of 28 m/s, showcasing an intentionally flawed approach.
pAs Veer starts running, Lakdboom also becomes aware that someone is attacking him. In response, Lakdboom increases its size to intimidate its assailant and lets out a loud roar, causing Veer to pause for a moment.
Seeing that a human has come to attack him, Lakdboom also charges towards Veer, ready to attack.
However, Veer, realizing that Lakdboom has fallen for his trick, remains standing in his position. He draws his blade while Lakdboom observes him. At that moment, Veer's hands tremble, which prompts Lakdboom to open its mouth wide, intending to strike Veer in two.
When Lakdboom is merely a meter away from Veer, Veer swiftly sidesteps, attempting to evade the attack. But as Veer moves to the side, Lakdboom manages to catch him, sending Veer flying three meters away until he collides with a tree. From a distance, it would appear as though Veer must have suffered severe injuries, but in reality, Veer is completely unharmed.
Veer contemplates, "Will this much drama be sufficient to draw out those bastards?"
Lakdboom roars once more upon realizing that its prey has escaped.
"Aooooooooo!"
It charges towards Veer once again, while Veer pretends to be immobilized due to the impact of hitting the tree. Lakdboom relentlessly pursues Veer with all its might, and upon colliding with Veer, a resounding boom echoes through the forest.
As a result, a cloud of dust and mud, spanning five meters, engulfs the area, making it difficult to see.
When the dust finally settles, Veer and Lakdboom both lie under the tree, motionless. Several minutes pass before Veer gradually moves away from the creature's head. He retrieves one of his small knives and proceeds to cut the four legs of the Lakdboom monster in the middle of its chest, where its heart would be. As the knife penetrates the creature's body, blood starts flowing out, still warm to the touch. After examining the body for some time, Veer senses something resembling a stone. Realizing that he has found what he was looking for, Veer carefully removes it.
Veer examines a small brown stone shaped like a bullet—the source stone.
"What is this? This monster's body is so large, yet the source stone is so small," Veer mutters with a sigh. As Veer contemplates, there is a rustling in the nearby bushes, and three shadows emerge from a distance of three meters. Their faces are concealed by cloths.
Upon seeing them, Veer internally smiles and then displays a facade of fear and surprise.
One of the three individuals steps forward and addresses Veer, saying, "Hey, kid, hand over your battle suit and everything else you have, or else the consequences will be severe."
Upon hearing this, Veer responds with a frightened and stuttering voice, "W-Who are you? You can't take my battle suit from me. I bought it with my own money. I won't give it to you!"
When all three of them hear Veer's words, they burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha..."
"But if you don't hand it over willingly, we'll take it by force, even if it means killing you," one of the three says, their voice revealing that it belongs to a girl.
"No, you can't. I'm a Rank 1 warrior. I can easily handle a Rank 1 warrior or magician. If I can't defeat all three of you, at least I can injure you," Veer stammers, trying to assert himself.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but maybe you don't know, we are all Rank 2 warriors and magicians. I am a Rank 2 warrior, and the one standing next to me is a Rank 2 magician. The person who spoke to you earlier is also a Rank 2 warrior. Now, can you still fight against us?" the girl confidently replies.
"So, all three of you are Rank 2 warriors and magicians. Is there anyone else besides the three of you?" Veer asks, his voice becoming more serious.
"No, there's no one else..." The girl answering Veer suddenly stops mid-sentence, sensing a danger emanating from the person in front of her.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone