Chapter 83: Hunting the Demonic Beasts

Chapter 83

Hunting the Demonic Beasts

While many students were raising their hands to withdraw, Ellie noticed that her friend from the same village raised her hand high to ask for more details. This question was rather unusual, one that many students hadn’t even thought to ask.

"Professor, what happens if a student kills a demonic beast? And if that student kills 2 demonic beasts, is there a difference compared to killing just one?" Nara’s clear voice rang out.

The young woman wanted to know if there were any consequences for killing a second demonic beast. She had already reluctantly killed 1, and if there were no additional repercussions for killing a second, she planned to join the fight to earn points easily.

However, Professor Regan’s words left Nara disappointed...

"The more demonic beasts you kill, the more demonic toxin you absorb. This will accelerate the transformation of humans into demons."

Upon hearing this, Nara withdrew immediately, without a second thought!

With most of the first-year students opting out, even Vida and Aria decided not to risk it. Only Ellie and Wint remained standing calmly, leaving the second to fourth-year students to contemplate their decisions.

"These two first-year students, I urge you to reconsider. It’s not surprising if you choose to withdraw, especially since you haven’t had any combat training yet," Professor Regan said with concern. He didn’t want these two young students to risk their lives again, despite admiring their determination. For their future, he hoped they would abandon this idea.

"Professor, my power is meant to protect my friend. If my friend joins the fight, I won’t back down either," Wint said seriously. His words earned him appreciative looks from the surrounding students, and even Aria thought he seemed a bit more admirable now.

"And what about you, Student Ellie...?" Professor Regan looked at the girl, who showed no intention of retreating. In fact, he didn’t need to ask, as he already knew her answer from the look in her eyes.

"Professor, my power can support long-range combat. Therefore, I am confident I won’t be in danger. I wish to join this fight." Hearing Ellie said firmly, Regan could only sigh deeply. He looked at the few remaining students and began assigning tasks.

As Ellie had mentioned, her power was primarily for tracking targets. Once she spotted a demonic beast, she could use her ability to follow and pinpoint its location for others to attack. While it seemed like she was avoiding direct risk, in such a situation, who would willingly sacrifice themselves?

Especially for these students, their futures were still long ahead. They don’t want to throw their entire lives away to demonic toxin.

"Professor, the Setter family requests that Lady Ellie join them in fighting the demonic beasts," someone from the Setter family announced while Regan and the other professors were planning with the students who chose to fight.

Regan looked at Ellie, who was waiting for instructions. He understood that the Setter family probably wanted to protect her more than anything, which was why they wanted her on their side. With the Setter family’s power, Regan believed they could protect Ellie better than he could.

"Mmm, Student Ellie, you can go assist the Setter family. Take Student Wint with you."

"Yes, Professor."

"I will do my best." As the two students left under the watchful eyes of the others, Regan sighed in relief. At least the students he was concerned about were now in the safe hands of the Setter family.

Ellie was already designated to help the Setter family suppress the beasts, and Wint was a tag-along who was happy with his right decision. Following Ellie to assist the Setter family in finding the demonic beasts would undoubtedly improve his relationship with them.

When Ellie arrived, Aman and Koross immediately took on the role of guardians for the petite girl. They exchanged glances but refrained from discussing their plans in front of Wint. Nevertheless, everything was already prepared, and Ellie knew what she had to do without being told.

"Our Setter family will head to the northwest, while the other families will support us from different directions. For this battle against the demonic beasts, we have chosen the sacrificial individual. If you encounter a demonic beast, injure it and bring it to the chosen one. Understand?" Steven’s words sounded harsh in normal circumstances.

The terms "sacrifice" and "chosen one" referred to those who would give up their lives after killing the demonic beasts. Other families might be frightened, but the chosen one of the Setter family only needed to use Owen’s special weapon to kill the demonic beast. They wouldn’t face any other danger except disappearing from society for a while until everyone forgot about them.

"The esteemed head of the Setter family, my name is Wint from the Femon family. I will be joining you on this mission. If there’s anything you need assistance with, please command me. I will do my utmost to fulfill my duties."

Steven looked at the brave young man briefly. His appearance was indeed impressive, and this courage was befitting of someone to be proud of. The Setter family also admired such brave youths. However, those they truly admired were the ones who sacrificed for the family, not just ordinary acts of sacrifice like this.

Of course, Steven thought this way about Wint because he didn’t truly understand the latter’s character. If he knew that Wint’s demeanor was merely an act and that Wint did everything solely for the Femon family, Steven might find Wint to be more agreeable.

"Mmm, it seems you are an ally of Ellie. In that case, stay with Aman and Koross. Ellie’s safety is the most important."

"Understood, my lord," Wint replied obediently, his foolish smile irking the Setter family members.

"Why don’t you go help the other students? Just Koross and I are enough here." Aman slightly annoyed by Wint’s demeanor. Fortunately, Ellie was not foolish enough to be deceived by Wint’s behavior. If she admired and trusted that Wint was a good man, Aman might have secretly assassinated him out of sheer annoyance!

"Because Ellie is my friend. I chose her as my partner to uphold justice, help people, and fight bravely. Therefore, I must stay by her side to protect her from danger," Wint smiled, his words making Aman want to vomit.

"Have you asked Ellie if she wants you around?"

"Even without asking, those who share the same ideals must protect each other," Wint continued in his nauseatingly insincere manner, his innocent smile leaving Aman speechless.

Seeing the demon Aman concede for now, Ellie sighed. Getting this Hero number 1 out of her life seemed to be no easy task. She couldn’t understand how the previous Nara tolerated Wint’s disturbing behavior. For her...having this ticking time bomb close by was incredibly annoying.

"Other families have started to make their move. We should start searching for the demonic beasts now." Ellie ignored Wint’s actions completely. Arguing with him would only make her look foolish, so she decided to treat him as if he were nothing more than thin air.

"Alright, let’s begin the search then," Steven nodded in agreement with the young girl, while Wint quietly observed the importance of Ellie to the Setter family.

The appearance of the demonic beasts caused great panic among the people. Previously, there were only rumors spread by the Setter family. They had reported that when the Setter family encountered the demonic beasts, the situation was very similar to what it was now: plants became poisoned and gradually withered away, while the surrounding wildlife disappeared completely. Thus, people were already on alert for the appearance of demonic beasts.

However, no one expected that just a few days later, the demonic beasts would actually appear. They attacked a number of soldiers, poisoning them, and requiring treatment from the priests.

The initial injuries were caused by the first demonic beast released by the Camp Leader, who was quite satisfied that events were unfolding as he intended. However, he was unaware that someone else was impersonating him!

As the first demonic beast was released, demonic beasts 2 through 10 gradually escaped their cages with ease. That’s because, suddenly, the cages were mysteriously unlocked. Ellie had ordered spores to destroy the cages. The padlocks, unable to withstand the fungal decomposition, vanished, and all 9 beasts were set free.

The Camp Leader realized something was amiss when soldiers on patrol were attacked from different locations. Thus, he secretly went to check the demonic beasts’ confinement area. To his surprise, he found Setter family members waiting to capture him, ensuring he couldn’t escape their plan.

The appearance of demonic beasts at multiple locations around the camp forced the major families to take action. The 4 families had arrived here, if they let the camp fall, that would tarnish their reputations. So, the 4 families agreed to hunt the demonic beasts, each family taking a different location.

Ellie and the Setter family were already aware of the release of the demonic beasts, giving them more preparation time than others. Some groups from the Setter family lured the demonic beasts to different locations while choosing a spot to face just 1 demonic beast, leaving the other 3 families to deal with the overwhelming chaos.

None of the 3 families suspected the Setter family’s choice. With Steven’s subtlety, he didn’t choose their hunting position first. Instead, he let the Fernal family pick a spot suitable for the hunt with minimal disadvantage. Then, he chose the 2nd position for the Setter family. The Cherine family didn’t get along with either the Fernal or Hart families, so they surely didn’t dare challenge the Setter family’s choice. As for the Hart family, their power was on a different level entirely.

Regardless, their current target was a single demonic beast, which also served as a test for Owen’s weapon. If there were any sacrifices, the Setter family was ready to adequately compensate those who gave their lives.

Under the moonlight, the Setter family moved slowly and silently to hunt the demonic beast. Even though they knew its exact location, they weren’t foolish enough to engage it immediately. They acted as if they were conducting a regular search, employing tracking experts, those with abilities to scan the area, and more.

Their operation was highly professional, with Ellie positioned in the center, surrounded by multiple layers of protection. Wint now realized that Ellie wasn’t just important to Aman, but she was also crucial to the Setter family.

As someone obsessed with fighting, Wint couldn’t help but notice that this meticulous operation was orchestrated for a single rural girl. He started to understand that Ellie’s importance was far greater than he had assumed. Perhaps the engagement between Aman and Ellie had never been real in the first place.

He had never heard Ellie mention any engagement, and even Aman only said that Ellie was a member of the Setter family. His eyes sparkled slightly as curiosity began to form within him...He had to find out why Ellie was so important to the Setter family!!

"Up ahead!! It must be it."

It took only 10 minutes for the tracking of the demonic beast to come to an end. In front of them, a demonic beast the size of a level 1 wolf appeared easily. The beast also noticed the members of the Setter family. It let out a threatening growl, and upon catching the scent of delicious human flesh, if one looked closely, they could see drool dripping from the corners of its mouth out of sheer hunger...