Red zone.

They started walking.

The sky had already brightened, streaks of morning light slipping through the canopy above. Arah could hear birds in the distance, faint chirps cutting through the otherwise quiet air.

Their group moved in silence, over fifty strong. Most were Rank 1, with a handful of Rank 2s, and even a few Rank 3s among them. With that much power packed into one place, nothing had dared to attack them so far. The Black Zone had remained still.

It was uneventful, and some looked relieved by that. Sofise was among them. She looked less panicked than she had been when they started walking.

As they continued, Iane suddenly yawned and walked up to the front of the trio.

"It's pretty boring so far, right?" he said.

No one responded.

He pouted a little. "Hey, come on. I'm trying to make small talk here. I might die of boredom if this keeps up."

Still, silence.

He sighed, clearly defeated, until his eyes lit up with an idea. He snapped his fingers. "Alright, how about this? A real team bonding moment. Let's all share something we like, maybe our hopes and aspirations?"

They glanced at him like he'd grown a second head. Even Arah gave him a sideways look.

No one answered.

Iane frowned, then muttered something under his breath before saying, "I'll give 10% of my red disc earnings to whoever actually engages in a conversation with me-"

"Deal," Sofise said.

Arah blinked and looked at her, then at Iane.

'Just how bored do you have to be to pay people to talk to you?'

He didn't get it. For someone who prided himself on reading people, Iane remained a mystery. Maybe it was because Arah came from a world where survival came first, where power ruled, where people were so attached to their advantages and belongings that they wouldn't even offer a starving child some money. This world was different that way, or maybe it only seemed that way. He hadn't seen enough of it to know for sure.

Iane blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "Alright then. You get to start us off."

Sofise gave a slight frown but eventually said, "There's not much to say. I want money. That's it. My dream, my goal, is money."

Iane smiled. "So that's why you joined up? You're willing to risk your life for it?"

Her frown deepened. "Is there a problem with that?"

Arah quickly raised his hands. "No, no problem at all."

Iane turned to him next. "What about you?"

Arah shrugged. "I want power."

That was putting it mildly, but he didn't owe them the full truth.

"Ohoho! Great minds think alike. You and me, we've got the same aspirations... Power," Iane laughed, but for some reason, his voice trembled slightly on the word power.

It was subtle, barely noticeable, unless you were paying attention.

Arah had been.

He said nothing, just nodded and kept walking.

Then Iane turned to Terent, who scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I... I like killing things."

There was silence.

Terent immediately panicked. "O-oh gods. N-not in a weird way! I mean, I like killing bad things. No, wait, I like killing monsters. That's it! I'm not a weird guy, I swear..."

He stared at the ground, avoiding everyone's gaze.

Sofise rolled her eyes. "Sure, I believe you," she said, her voice soaked in sarcasm.

"Th-thank you," Terent said, totally missing the tone.

Iane just watched it all unfold with a grin. "Ah, how noble," he clapped his hands once, then started asking more random questions, favorite food, favorite place to eat, favorite drink.

And they all started answering.

The questions kept coming for nearly an hour. Then, just as suddenly as he'd started, Iane wandered back to his original place in the formation.

"Guess I actually have to try if I want to earn a profit," he said, humming.

After that, one of the men on the trip with them said, "We're entering the Red Zone. Guard up!"

They nodded and proceeded to enter.

Nothing happened in the first few minutes after they arrived. It was no different from the Black Zone. But as they walked deeper, it strangely got harder to see. A weird red mist began to thicken, making it difficult to perceive things from afar.

Arah looked around. Everyone seemed calm about it, so it must've been a characteristic of the Red Zone. Still, he didn't drop his guard. If anything, his senses were at an all-time high.

They kept walking for a while until the group suddenly stopped.

Without hesitation, they summoned their soul paths, and one of the men yelled, "Don't forget to send out a soul energy pulse every second, and try not to waste too much soul energy in this battle unless absolutely necessary!"

Everyone nodded again.

Sofise looked at Iane. "I… don't have that much control over my soul energy."

Iane waved her off dismissively. "Don't worry, a sliver will do. Just move it once or twice every second. Still, try not to breathe in their blood. You're a ranged fighter, so you should be okay."

He then turned to Arah and smiled. "I believe you have some degree of control over your soul energy?"

Arah gave him a short nod.

They all got into position.

Soon, the ground started trembling.

And it didn't take long to see what was causing it.

Once they got within range of visibility through the red mist, several huge beasts came into view, massive bulls charging straight toward them.

'Thorn Bulls.'

They were an elemental-type beast that used plant energy. Huge creatures covered in poisonous thorns, with two massive, jagged horns protruding from their skulls. They didn't slow down. Twenty of them, all charging at full speed.

"Split into small groups!" one of the hunters shouted.

They instantly scattered. Staying in place would've gotten them trampled.

The bulls came to a screeching stop as the group dispersed, letting out a weird, muffled snort before splitting off themselves and giving chase.

Arah, Sofise, and Terent followed Iane as their unit broke off. Two of the bulls followed them.

As they moved, Arah was already calculating. The Thorn Bulls had thick, natural armor made of poisoned thorns. If too much got into your system, you'd be paralyzed. The thorns also protected them, meaning frontal assaults were dangerous and inefficient. The only known weak spots were the legs and underbelly, areas with less armor.

Iane suddenly stopped. "This should be enough distance. I'll take care of the other one. You three distract this one as much as you can. If you get an opportunity to kill it, don't hesitate."

He held his gourd in one hand and sighed.

"I'll be slightly limited in how much I can help you this time, so...be careful, okay~?"

Then he pointed the gourd at one of the bulls charging toward them.

Instantly, water spilled out like a river. Four streams shot through the air, hovering like floating serpents before suddenly forming into four massive water snakes. They crashed into the bull with a hiss.

Iane smiled as he drew a short dagger with his free hand and charged in.

Arah didn't have time to watch.

He was about to enter his own battle.

He glanced at the others and gave a small nod. They already knew the formation, as they had discussed it earlier.

Terent would be the main aggro point, drawing the beast's attention. He was the strongest among them, so the job fit naturally. Arah and Sofise would support from the sides. But with both of them being close-range fighters, it'd be risky with the venom. They'd have to be quick and precise.

Terent charged forward at an incredible speed, Arah close behind. Sofise stayed back and immediately loosed an arrow aimed at the bull's eye.

The bull reacted fast, swinging its jagged horns and deflecting the arrow midair. It didn't do any damage, but it gave just enough of a window for Arah and Terent to set up.

Terent closed the distance first. He slashed low, aiming at the beast's legs, one of the few areas not covered in thorns. Arah dashed to the opposite side, slashing at the same spot on the other leg.

The bull tried to move away, but Sofise fired again, forcing it to lift its head and block the arrow. Its legs buckled slightly under the combined pressure of the attack.

They repeated this rhythm again and again, Terent aiming low, Arah striking from a blind angle, and Sofise preventing it from retaliating properly.

So far, they had done their best to distract it, but they still hadn't made significant progress in actually killing it.

Then the beast let out a guttural bellow.

Its green skin began to shift, slowly turning red.

It was enraged.

It lowered its head and charged at Terent with explosive speed.

"Shit," Terent tried to brace, raising his dagger just in time.

The blow connected.

Even though he managed to deflect it slightly, he was still blasted backward, sent flying through the air like a ragdoll. The bull roared and tried to follow up, lunging with both horns to impale him midair.

But Terent suddenly stepped on air, pushing off a platform and twisting his body mid-flight, barely dodging the fatal strike.

The bull skidded to a halt, confused.

That was all the opening Arah needed.

He was already behind it.

He didn't hesitate.

'Let's see... this too should be a weak spot.'

He locked onto his target, took a sharp breath in, then out.

His muscles twitched, and then he exploded forward.

The bull, still wondering how it missed Terent, suddenly froze.

A scream ripped through the mist.

Arah had pierced it from behind.

Specifically, its ass.

The beast howled in pain and thrashed wildly, the hit not fatal, but devastating enough to send its balance and coordination into chaos.

Arah pulled his spear out, green blood spraying, and leapt back before the thorns could brush him and sent a wave of soul energy through his body.

The bull then turned its attention toward him, its already red skin deepening into a darker shade. It charged, and Arah could tell its focus was fully locked onto him. The beast was fast, within a single breath, it was already upon him, horns poised to impale.

Arah sidestepped at the last second and slashed at the beast's leg.

He frowned.

'Shallow.'

The stab hadn't even reached bone.

He leapt away as the beast spun toward him, preparing for another charge, only for an arrow to whistle through the air and pierce its eye.

Sofise, standing far in the back, gave a small smirk. "Bullseye," she muttered.

Terent, now recovered, darted forward and slashed the other eye, rendering the beast completely blind.

The bull let out a furious, pained bellow, thrashing wildly. It kicked, swung its horns, and spun in place so violently that getting close became nearly impossible.

But Terent didn't hesitate. He rushed in low and slashed at the same leg Arah had already weakened. Its mobility was shot. It stumbled, losing its balance.

Arah saw the opening.

He shot forward and drove his spear straight into its underbelly. He twisted the blade, his muscles tensing, then, with a sharp pull, slashed across.

The bull twitched.

Its legs gave out,

and finally, it collapsed.

-------------------------

I've been working on improving my team fight scenes. I'm not sure how this one turned out, so if it doesn't work, please let me know where I can improve. 

Thx for reading!