War on the Horizon

Finral couldn't shake the feeling that he should have acted sooner. Whether it was denial or a desperate prayer to Argos that this wasn't real, he had hesitated. Now, the situation was dire. The magic beasts had targeted the city's teleportation formation, severing their only means of evacuating the citizens and summoning reinforcements. They were trapped, and the realization hit him like a punch to the gut—the beasts were more intelligent than anyone had imagined, and they had just sprung a perfect trap.

"This is bad. Really bad," Finral muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stood up.

With grim determination, he walked back to the guild, instructing Tabbatha to expedite contact with the nobles. Then, without hesitation, he leaped toward the magic tower, soaring over the city.

Amir, meanwhile, ran toward the explosion site. His heart sank as he surveyed the devastation. Everything within a 200-meter radius was reduced to ash. There were no houses, no people—just charred earth. Anyone who had been there was undoubtedly dead.

Irritation gnawed at Amir. He had planned to leave this damned city as soon as possible, only intending to warn them of the impending danger. But now, he was trapped like everyone else. The thought of abandoning hundreds of thousands to die gnawed at his conscience, even as he cursed himself for not leaving when he had the chance.

'I should have just left,' Amir thought bitterly.

In his eyes, the magic beasts had just secured their meal, targeting him and cutting off any chance of escape. Their intelligence was undeniable, and now the city was on their hit list.

With a heavy heart, Amir returned to the guild and booked a room. If a war with the magic beasts was coming, the guild would be the safest place. But more importantly, he needed to use the time to absorb the magic beasts' cores and bodies he had collected, increasing his stats and breaking through before the tide hit.

The guild was eerily empty, as everyone had gone to check on their families or inspect the damage. On the fourth floor, he spotted Tabbatha rushing around, papers in hand.

"Miss Tabbatha!" Amir called out, catching her attention.

She paused, looking at Amir. "I want to book a room. I know you're busy, but can you let me stay here? I have the money to pay."

Tabbatha nodded, understanding his need to hunker down. "Sure, you can stay in room 8 down the hall. I'll give you the key later," she said before hurrying back to her tasks.

Amir entered the room, noting the simple setup—a bed, a chair, and a table. It was far from luxurious, but it was enough for his needs. He emptied his magic ring, and the bodies of five general-class beasts and two noble-class beasts fell to the floor. He hadn't been able to collect all the beasts from the second pack due to the bears, but what he had would suffice.

"Alright, let's get to work," Amir murmured as he sat cross-legged, clearing his mind.

Despite everything, he hadn't stopped practicing his bloodline techniques. In the past month, he had unlocked new abilities, like draining mana from a distance and using money to gain temporary strength. Now, he focused on sensing the energy within the beasts' bodies. Thin streams of colorful energy began flowing into him, spinning like a vortex within his body.

"Ralph, show me my status," Amir commanded.

===Status===

Name: Amir

Titles: Child of Argos

Bloodline: Ancient Bloodline of Greed

Rank: F+

Strength: 24

Agility: 19

Stamina: 30

Mana Capacity: 40

Charm: 5

[Stat points: 20]

A smile spread across Amir's face. The combination of his bloodline and cultivation technique was working, allowing his power to grow rapidly. Soon, he would be ready to face the nobles and the entrance exam.

"Ralph, put 15 into agility and 5 into stamina," Amir instructed, closing the status screen.

He felt a surge of energy flood his body, knowing it would take a couple of hours for the full effects to manifest. He put away the general-class Dire wolf bodies, then pulled out a dagger and cut into one of the noble-class beasts, digging around until he found a light blue core.

"Bingo! This is what sets me apart from the others," Amir said with a gleam in his eye.

Thanks to Ralph, he could absorb as much mana as he wanted without fear of consequences. Ralph would store the excess energy, preventing his body from exploding, and allowing him to gain stat points at an incredible rate.

Amir sat back down and began absorbing the core, determined to increase his stats as much as possible before the beast tide arrived. There was no time to waste.

After an hour Amir had absorbed the two cores of the noble beast. Only noble beast and higher had cores and could use magic. He wished he had more but looking at his stat point a devilish grin fashioned his face. He just couldn't stop smiling. He felt that he would be able to fight the pack of noble beasts now even if that was crazy.

===Status===

Name: Amir

Titles: Child of Argos

Bloodline: Ancient Bloodline of Greed

Rank: F+

Strength: 24

Agility: 34

Stamina: 35

Mana Capacity: 40

Charm: 5

[Stat points: 35]

The noble beast cores contained refined mana, offering Amir a significant boost in power without the need for further refinement. He instructed Ralph, "Allocate 20 points to mana capacity, 10 to strength, and the last 5 to stamina."

Now, all he had to do was wait for the energy within his body to integrate fully, allowing him to harness his newfound strength and break through to the next rank. But first, he needed supplies. "I've got to stock up on potions before morning," Amir thought. By then, the city would be in chaos, and he had no intention of getting caught up in it.

In a brightly lit room, eight individuals sat around a table, their expressions tense as they discussed the growing crisis.

"How can a magic beast target the teleportation formation? This has to be a coincidence! You're out of your mind, Finral," a short, rotund man blurted out.

"I'm not making this up," Finral replied, his voice firm. "I've already confirmed the boy's report—there's a King-class beast somewhere in the forest."

The short man, clearly annoyed by Finral's presence at a council meeting after all these years, shot to his feet. "Are you seriously going to take this commoner's word that magic beasts have intelligence? Are you all mad? Magic beasts have been mindless for thousands of years!"

A tall, lean man with a slightly muscular frame, dark purple hair, and piercing dark blue eyes nodded in agreement. "He's right. The idea that magic beasts could possess intelligence is highly unlikely."

Finral's patience was wearing thin, his irritation clear as he faced these pompous nobles. "Aron, you can check the mountain yourself and see, but while you're at it, ask yourself how such a large beast tide could form without anyone noticing."

A rough voice suddenly cut in. "You address him as Lord Aron, commoner. Know your place." The speaker, a white man with black hair, glared at Finral.

The short man joined in, barking, "Someone like you shouldn't address the Marquis as an equal. Show respect to your betters, commoner!"

Finral's annoyance boiled over. "Know my place? Do you think I care about your titles?" His aura began to seep out, a crushing pressure that bore down on everyone at the table.

"Do you really think just because I've been gone, I can't crush you all under my foot?" His voice dripped with menace as the pressure intensified. Everyone at the table, except for Marquis Aron, who remained unfazed, felt the immense power radiating from Finral. They could only grit their teeth and endure, knowing they stood no chance against a ranker, even one who had been out of commission for the past decade.

"Finral, calm down," Aron said in a calm, almost condescending tone. "There's no need to bully those weaker than yourself."

Finral sneered at him. This man, always calm and collected, was nothing but a bastard in his eyes. The sight of Aron's smug face made his blood boil. Reluctantly, Finral released the oppressive aura, and the others at the table breathed a collective sigh of relief.

As Finral turned to leave, he paused at the doorway, casting a final glance back at the group. "Like it or not, a massive beast tide is coming. We're on our own, without reinforcements. So prepare to fight—or we all die."

The room fell into a stunned silence as Finral exited. The possibility of magic beasts possessing intelligence was almost too much to believe, but his warning was enough to make them reconsider. One thought lingered in their minds as he left: Finral was every bit as powerful as he had been ten years ago.