The second day of the Stationing Mission.
Although it was night, the area around the Beacon was very bright. An array at the high end of the Beacon's pillar shone intensely, illuminating the surroundings. It allowed the disciples to fight the attacking monsters without difficulty.
Bathing in the light, Desper stood with his hands firmly gripping his swords, looking ahead at the six monsters rushing toward him.
They were large beetles with two serrated mandibles, standing one meter tall and three meters long, running on six legs. Their bodies were covered with a glistening carapace.
Desper focused on them, planning his strategy. Eland had already informed him that these monsters were M-2, just one level below him. Fighting six of them at once wouldn't be easy unless he used his Bloodline, which, of course, he wouldn't.
He took a deep breath and pushed off the ground, charging at them. He chose the one on the right end and ran toward it.
As he got closer, the monster snapped its jaws at him. Desper didn't use his swords to block and instead ducked to the right.
CHAAAACK…
His heart skipped a beat when he heard the crushing sound of its pincers.
'I must be careful' he reminded himself.
After adjusting his position, he spotted a small gap between the shell of the head and that of the body. Without hesitation, he raised his left sword and struck, aiming for the unarmored neck.
Clink.
A loud metallic sound echoed.
"Huh?!" Desper's eyes widened.
His sword didn't hit the soft flesh of the neck. Instead, it was caught by another beetle's mandibles.
'Did it really defend it?'
He didn't have time to think about it and retreated, dodging as the first beetle recovered and attacked again.
Then he quickly swept both of his swords.
Clink.
Clink.
The blades fended off two beetles coming from each side. Desper frowned when he saw the first beetle opening its maw to attack again while the others moving to encircling him.
He leapt backward, turned his body, and ran away.
"What are these monsters?!" he grumbled.
During the year he lived in the village, he had fought and killed many monsters, but this was the first time he had seen monsters defend one another. Not only that, but they also attacked as a group to surround him. Even the lizardmen from yesterday, which were much stronger, didn't fight like this.
After creating some distance, he stopped and faced them again. Desper examined their formation and noticed that three of them were slightly ahead of the others. He guessed these three would attack while the others defended them.
"That is going to be really hard," he muttered and lunged at the one on the far left.
The beetle snapped its mandibles at him while the others began to close in. Desper dashed left, dodging the attack. The monster's neck was exposed again. He repeated his move and struck at it. Another beetle behind it stretched its head and caught the blade.
Desper had already expected that. In a swift motion, he stepped onto the first beetle's body and thrust his other sword toward its neck. The second beetle was still occupied with his first blade, and the others were still closing in. He was sure this strike would land.
However, he was astonished to see the beetle raise its head, making the shells of its head and body converge and cover the neck.
"Are you kidding me?!" he almost cried.
His sword slid across the hard shell, sending sparks flying.
He had no choice but to leap away and retreat again before being completely surrounded.
…
Away from the fight, atop the Beacon, stood three men.
"Is he going to be okay?" Zen asked, looking at Eland and Silas beside him. "The Iron-Carapace Beetles are just M-2 monsters, but their defenses are very strong, and their fighting pattern is very annoying. Isn't that a lot for a new disciple?"
"Don't worry about him," Eland shook his head. "If something happens, Taros and Arkan will intervene."
Then he added, "I need to decide whether I will allow him to join us after six months or not."
Desper had a six-month period as a new disciple. During this time, the sect didn't consider him an official member of the team. He had to gain experience by fighting weaker monsters and learn from his team's performance.
After these six months, he would become a normal disciple like the others and would have to join a team after gaining the approval of its leader.
Eland turned to Silas and said, "I learned that you tested him. What do you think of him?"
"He is very good," Silas stated while watched the fight.
He glanced at Bron and added in a cold tone, "A very good replacement."
…
Back to the fight.
Desper could be seen rushing toward the far one on the right. With his back to the team, he could use his Svikari Bloodline to kill all the beetles easily. However, he didn't want to always rely on it. He also wanted to gain experience from equal fights.
After evading the beetle's maw, he was on its left side, its neck exposed.
Desper had already given up on attacking it, but he still arced his left sword to keep the one defending busy. Then he swung his right sword in a low horizontal slash.
He had noticed that these monsters had three weak points: the neck, which he couldn't reach, the very tiny eyes behind their maws, and…
Screeeeeehc…
The beetle screamed in pain. Black, sticky blood gushed out of its severed leg after Desper's sword precisely sliced through the gap between the shells.
He wanted to amputate another one, but he chose to retreat, not giving the others a chance to encircle him.
"Hmm?" He was surprised when he saw their formation change.
"So you fight in pairs rather than as a group," he murmured, noticing that only four of them were rushing at him at high speed while the remaining two were slower after one of them had lost a leg.
"That would make it much easier." He smiled and charged at them.
The beetles still followed the same pattern: two in the front to attack and two in the back to defend.
Desper didn't go left or right. Instead, he lunged toward the middle. He swept his swords and stopped their clamping pincers. He watched as the other two tried to attack him from the sides while staying within range to defend the front two.
He seized the chance and ducked through the gap in the middle. Ignoring the four monsters behind him, he launched himself at the slower two.
The unharmed one snapped its jaws at him, but Desper easily fended them off. Then he jumped atop it and bounced again, landing next to the injured beetle. He used one of his swords to deflect its maw and lashed out with the other at its legs again.
Screeeeeeech…
The beetle shrieked loudly.
Desper didn't care about the black blood spraying his face and struck again, severing the last leg and completely paralyzing it.
By that time, the other beetles had caught up with him, but it was too late as he had already escaped.
He grinned when he saw that only four of them were chasing him. Behind them, one beetle stood beside its paralyzed companion. He felt a lot of pressure lift, knowing they could no longer surround him.
He set the one on the far left as his target and dashed toward it. He used the same strategy: ducking to its side, fending off its companion, and striking its leg. However, this time he had the chance to slice another leg before escaping, paralyzing another beetle.
With only one pair chasing him, Desper tightened his grip on his swords and charged at them.
"It is time to end this."
He dodged the pincer of the one in front and darted to its side. He raised his sword, aiming for its exposed neck. As expected, the other beetle intercepted his attack, so he jumped onto the back of the first beetle. Knowing it would raise its head to protect its neck, he bounced onto the second one, which was busy with one of his swords. He pressed his sword against its maw, forcing its head downward, and struck its neck with the other.
The first beetle didn't have time to defend its companion and watched as Desper's sword finally slashed through the neck, separating the head from the body.
Screeeeeeechhh…
The beetle roared.
"So you have emotions as well, huh?" he scoffed.
The beetle tried to catch him, but he was faster and darted to its side. With no one to defend it, Desper brought his right sword down on the soft flesh of its neck. His blade cut through it like butter, instantly killing it.
After that, he looked around and saw that the other two pairs were staring at him, growling and threatening. However, none of them attacked.
He rested his swords on his shoulders and approached them slowly.