The wind grew stronger as the Great 17 climbed higher along the northern ridge.
The forest slowly thinned behind them, replaced by rocky ground, scattered boulders, and tall patches of dry grass swaying under the mountain breeze. The terrain here was rougher, harder to move through, and far less forgiving than the forest below.
Kai walked near the middle of the group.
Hybrid Vision Eyes were already active.
Faint red energy signatures flickered across the terrain ahead.
Several of them.
More than before.
Marcus noticed the tracks first.
"Well," he said with a grin, "this place already looks better."
Victor crouched near a set of deep claw marks carved into the rocky dirt.
"These are fresh."
Lena stepped closer, studying the ground.
"Not one creature," she said calmly.
"Several."
Aiden stood quietly for a moment, watching the ridge ahead.
The wind lifted his coat slightly.
Then he spoke.
"Spread out."
No one questioned the order.
The group immediately separated into smaller positions across the ridge.
Not far apart—but far enough that they wouldn't crowd each other.
Kai moved toward the right side of the slope.
Hybrid Vision Eyes scanned the area.
Five strong signatures.
Intermediate predators.
But larger than the ones he had fought in the forest earlier.
The ground suddenly trembled.
A massive reptilian beast climbed up from behind a rock formation, its thick armored body scraping against the stone.
Two more beasts followed behind it—lean creatures with sharp hooked claws and narrow skulls.
Marcus laughed loudly.
"Finally."
Before anyone else moved, the beasts attacked.
The reptilian creature charged straight toward Marcus.
He didn't step back.
His sword slammed into the creature's armored head with a loud crack.
The beast roared as Marcus drove it backward.
Victor moved next.
One of the hooked-claw predators lunged toward him.
Victor's spear flashed forward.
One precise strike pierced through the creature's shoulder joint.
The predator stumbled.
Victor spun the spear and struck again.
Meanwhile Lena faced another beast on the left side of the ridge.
Her blade moved like silver lightning.
Three quick slashes cut across the creature's chest before it could even react.
Kai watched briefly.
Each member of the Great 17 fought differently.
Marcus relied on overwhelming power.
Victor used perfect timing.
Lena moved faster than most beasts could react to.
Kairo dashed across the rocks nearby, daggers flashing as he engaged a smaller predator with quick, unpredictable strikes.
Every one of them fought their own battle.
The ridge had become a field of separate fights.
Then another beast appeared.
This one climbed up directly in front of Kai.
It looked like a massive mountain wolf, but its fur was thick and stone-gray, blending almost perfectly with the rocky terrain.
Its yellow eyes locked onto him.
The beast growled.
Kai stepped forward calmly.
For a moment, Marcus glanced toward Kai's direction.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like that one's yours."
Victor looked over briefly but didn't move.
Neither did Lena.
They simply continued their own fights.
Kai realized something.
No one was coming to help him.
But not because they couldn't.
They were choosing not to.
They wanted to see what he would do.
The wolf beast lunged.
Kai moved instantly.
Hybrid Vision Eyes highlighted the creature's muscle tension before it even left the ground.
Kai stepped aside at the exact moment it attacked.
His blade cut across the beast's ribs.
The wolf twisted and snapped its jaws toward him.
Kai ducked beneath the bite.
His sword struck again—this time at the creature's front leg joint.
The beast staggered.
Kai moved smoothly.
Every movement was precise.
No wasted motion.
The wolf tried to circle him, looking for an opening.
Hybrid Vision Eyes traced the flow of energy through its body.
Kai saw the moment the creature prepared to leap.
He stepped forward instead of back.
His blade drove straight into the beast's chest.
The wolf collapsed heavily onto the rocky ground.
The entire fight lasted less than twenty seconds.
Marcus finished his own opponent a moment later.
The large reptilian creature crashed to the ground behind him.
Victor withdrew his spear from the predator he had been fighting.
Lena stepped back as her opponent fell.
For a moment, the ridge became quiet again.
Kairo whistled softly.
"Well… that was quick."
Marcus glanced toward Kai's direction.
He had seen enough of the fight.
"Clean," Marcus said.
Victor nodded slightly.
"Very clean."
Kai walked toward the fallen wolf.
Crystal Assimilation activated silently.
The glowing crystal dissolved instantly into his body.
The others saw the crystal disappear as if he had simply collected it.
No one suspected anything unusual.
The system appeared.
Crystal Absorbed
+50 XP
+15 RP
Kai wasn't surprised anymore.
Fifty again.
Meanwhile Marcus crouched beside the reptilian beast he had killed and cut the crystal from its chest with his knife.
Victor did the same with his opponent.
Lena retrieved a crystal from her fallen predator as well.
Every member collected their own prize.
Exactly as experienced hunters would.
Marcus stood up and held his crystal briefly.
"Not bad."
Kairo tossed his own crystal up once before catching it.
"Still not that strong though."
Victor looked toward the ridge above them.
"There are more."
Hybrid Vision Eyes confirmed it instantly.
Several larger signatures were moving deeper into the rocky terrain ahead.
Stronger beasts.
Kai's eyes followed the energy traces climbing further up the mountain ridge.
Aiden finally stepped forward again.
"We keep moving."
Marcus grinned.
"Good."
The group began walking again.
But something had changed.
Victor glanced toward Kai once more.
Not suspicious.
Just thoughtful.
Lena noticed it too.
Kai had fought efficiently.
Very efficiently.
And the others had noticed.
They continued climbing higher.
The wind howled stronger across the exposed rock.
Hybrid Vision Eyes suddenly detected something much larger moving above them.
A massive energy signature.
Much bigger than the predators they had just fought.
Kai slowed slightly.
Marcus felt the ground tremble beneath his boots.
"Oh."
He looked up the ridge.
"Now that looks interesting."
From above them—
A gigantic creature slowly climbed down from the rocks.
Its body was covered in thick armored plates.
Two massive horns curved from its skull.
And its eyes glowed deep red.
Victor frowned.
"That one's bigger."
Lena gripped her sword.
Kairo grinned.
"Well… that's definitely not boring."
The creature roared.
The sound echoed across the entire ridge.
Hybrid Vision Eyes pulsed.
The system appeared immediately.
Unknown Beast Detected
Threat Level: High Intermediate
Caution Recommended
Kai stared at the creature.
Finally.
Something stronger.
And for the first time today—
He had a feeling this fight might give more than fifty XP.