It took an hour, but the group eventually reached Evergreen Forest. Trey and Lars waited at the edge of the jungle, unwilling to enter without the whole party present. When Trey saw the two girls and Joe arriving, he didn’t berate them for their slowness. He simply said, with a serious expression, “Let’s go.”

  The mood shifted instantly. Every member of the party sharpened their focus. Rina summoned a staff out of thin air. It was black and metallic, not unlike Olivia’s, though the top bore a large blue diamond instead of a crescent moon. Both girls brought their staffs forward and tightened their grips. Even usually casual Rina looked deadly serious.

  Lars unsheathed the massive sword strapped to his back. Three feet long and two feet wide, it was a hefty weapon, yet the large man wielded it with ease in one hand. He adjusted his shield over his chest, eyes locked forward.

  Trey drew his katana and gripped it with both hands, taking the lead as the party advanced deeper into the forest.

  The group moved in tense silence, eyes darting from shadow to shadow. Joe watched in surprise. Despite their varied personalities, the team’s coordination was precise. Trey clearly commanded the group effortlessly.

  From the rear, Joe observed their formation. Trey was at the front, with Lars close behind. Rina took cover behind Lars, while Olivia followed a meter behind her. The party communicated through brief glances and subtle gestures, each member understanding their role instinctively.

  For the first five minutes, the forest seemed peaceful. Leaves rustled softly in the breeze, and no creatures stirred.

  That calm shattered when beasts appeared from the underbrush. Grey-furred with white patches, pointy ears, jagged fangs, and slitted eyes, the creatures were clearly wolves. Twice the size of Earth’s wolves, they exuded menace, and their attention immediately locked on the adventurers.

  Joe had not sensed them approaching, but the party was ready.

  The lead wolf struck first, charging with rapid strides and a gaping maw. Olivia raised her staff, murmured a few words, and activated her skill. In an instant, Trey’s speed spiked as a green aura enveloped his body. He darted forward, sword in both hands, intercepting the wolf in a blur. Joe couldn’t track him, and before it could react, blood sprayed from the wolf’s neck as its severed head hit the ground, the body collapsing moments later.

  ‘What the hell! When did he even strike?’ Joe thought, eyes wide.

  Trey pressed forward, a brilliant glow surrounding him as he tore through the pack. Each swing was precise, leaving trails of blood and shredded bodies in his wake. Joe watched in stunned silence, unable to keep up with his movements.

  A few intelligent wolves, realizing they were outmatched, diverted toward the rest of the party, seeking weaker targets. Rina grinned and pointed her staff. She chanted an incantation that sounded like gibberish to Joe, and suddenly two massive stone spikes erupted from the ground, impaling a couple wolves through their stomachs and lifting them several meters above the forest floor. The creatures thrashed violently, blood spraying, before going limp.

  Two wolves leapt at Lars, only to meet the full face of his enormous shield. A sharp crack echoed as their bones shattered on impact. Lars didn’t even budge, standing firm like a statue. With a single swing of his sword, he butchered both beasts instantly.

  Silence returned to the forest. Over ten wolves lay dead on the ground, their bodies strewn across the field. The entire pack had been wiped out in less than thirty seconds.

  Joe stared, awestruck. ‘So… this is the power of an Adventurer Party.’

  Rina and Olivia exchanged a smile and high fived as they celebrated their victory against the wolves. Lars wore a massive grin as he admired his shield, which had stood firm against the monsters’ assaults. Trey returned to the group with a pleased expression. Despite cutting down so many beasts, there was no blood on him, only his sword dripped with crimson. He sheathed it at his waist and approached his comrades with an approving smile.

  “Well done, guys!” he said, beaming.

  Trey gave Lars a pat on the shoulder as he passed him, and the big man chuckled at the praise. Trey then walked up to Olivia and gently patted her on the head. “Well done. I did not even need to give the order. You are getting the hang of it, Olivia,” he said with a rare softness.

  Olivia flushed, clutching her staff tightly as she stared at the ground.

  “You too, Rina. That was good,” Lars added, glancing at the brown haired girl.

  Rina did not respond. She simply dismissed the staff in her hand, letting it vanish from sight.

  Trey then turned his attention to Joe, who stood a few meters behind the rest of the party. “What are you waiting for, you piece of trash? Take a knife from the bag and start carving these wolves open for their Beast Cores.”

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  Joe did not complain. He was used to the man’s attitude by now. He set down the massive backpack and opened it, reaching inside to grab a knife. Instead of equipment, his hand met empty space. His eyes widened as he peered into the bag and saw nothing but an endless black void.

  ‘What the hell?’ Joe thought. ‘Weren’t there supposed to be a lot of items in here?’

  Rina noticed his expression. “That is a storage bag, Joe. Just concentrate on the item you want. It will appear in your grasp.”

  Joe glanced at her and nodded. ‘So it works similarly to my sack. The difference is that this bag still registers weight, while mine ignores it completely. Interesting.’

  He followed her instructions, and a long, thick knife appeared in his right hand. Joe walked over to one of the fallen wolves and knelt beside it. He flipped the corpse onto its back, exposing its stomach and chest. His hands trembled, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Reading about adventurers harvesting cores was far easier than actually doing it.

  ‘Get it together,’ he told himself. ‘They are dead. I am allowed to cut them open.’

  Joe drove the knife into the wolf’s chest. The blade sliced through fur and muscle but stopped short when it hit bone. He tried to force it deeper, but the knife lodged stubbornly in place.

  Trey clicked his tongue and shoved Joe aside. “You really are trash. You cannot even remove a core? Watch carefully. This is how it is done.”

  With swift, practiced motions, Trey worked the knife through the beast’s chest and retrieved the core within seconds. It was a small, round gem that glowed a faint green. He tossed the knife back to Joe. “There. Do it properly.”

  Joe caught the blade and moved to another wolf. He struggled at first, but soon found the right angle and technique. A moment later, he pulled a glowing core from the creature’s chest. Rina offered him a small smile and a thumbs up.

  While Joe worked on extracting the cores, the rest of the party harvested the remaining carcasses, collecting valuable materials like fur, claws, and fangs. Lars even cut away several slabs of meat to store for later.

  A few minutes later, Joe finished and placed all the cores into the storage bag. He realized that once he adjusted to the process, removing Beast Cores was not only easier but oddly satisfying. He could now extract one in just a few seconds.

  With the area stripped of anything valuable, the group moved on. Everyone held their weapons at the ready, while Joe followed behind with both hands gripping the straps of the backpack.

  It was not long before they encountered another pack of wolves. The battle unfolded much like the first. The party fell into formation and activated their skills without hesitation.

  Then Rina turned sharply toward Joe, her eyes widening. “Joe, behind you!” she shouted, reaching out.

  Joe spun around just in time to see a wolf lunging at him, its jaws spread wide and fangs glistening. He did not freeze. Instinctively, he leaped backward as the beast snapped its teeth shut. A violent shockwave erupted when its jaws collided, blasting Joe through the air. He slammed into the ground and rolled several meters before coming to a stop. Pain surged through his body as he lifted his head from the dirt with a grimace.

  The wolf was already pouncing.

  Before it could reach him, a massive spike of solid rock burst from the ground and pierced straight through its stomach, killing it instantly.

  Rina rushed over and knelt beside Joe. “Are you alright?” Concern filled her eyes.

  “I am fine,” Joe replied with a strained smile as he forced himself to stand. “Thanks to you.”

  Rina nodded and turned away, moving to retrieve the core from the wolf she had killed.

  Joe remained where he was, staring at his body in disbelief. He had never been that agile in his previous life. He could not remember a single moment where he had moved like that, reacted like that. His body felt lighter, sharper, more responsive.

  As the moment replayed itself in his mind, a single thought echoed through his head.

  ‘What the hell was that?’

  Joe was quickly broken out of his thoughts as Trey shouted from behind, “Hey you manaless bastard, what are you doing just standing there? Extract the cores so we can keep moving.”

  Joe turned to face him and took out a knife before approaching one of the dead wolves. As he passed by, Olivia spoke in a low voice. “Are you really okay, Joe? I can check you for any injuries.”

  “I’m good.” Joe smiled at the cute green haired girl. She was an angel when compared to that asshole Trey.

  Joe quickly extracted all the cores and stored them away. His hands no longer shook when he carved a beast open. The process had become far more efficient as he gained experience.

  With the cores obtained and all the loot claimed from the carcasses of the wolves, the group pushed forward, journeying deeper into the forest.

  Joe’s thoughts drifted back to the moment he had evaded the wolf’s attack. His reaction, timing, and reflexes had all been perfect. It was the smoothest he had ever moved in his life, ignoring the burst of force that had nearly wrecked him. He could still hear his heart pounding loudly as adrenaline surged through his body. A smile crept onto his face as he looked down at his own hands and thought, ‘That was awesome.’

  He knew he was being absurd, but he could not stop the thought from spilling out as he muttered under his breath. “I want to do it again.”

  Never in his life had he felt so alive. The sensation was too good to let slip away. He wanted to experience it again, just one more time.

  A loud howl suddenly ripped through the air, launching a gust of wind that swept past his body. Joe flinched, snapped out of his fantasies far too late. He looked up to see another wolf staring down at the group.

  This one was twice the size of the others they had fought. Its fur was entirely black, two tails swaying slowly behind it. Its bold yellow slitted pupils bored into Joe’s soul, freezing him in place.

  “Everyone get ready! We’re dealing with a stage 2!” Trey shouted, his voice reverberating through the woods as he brandished his sword.

  This was the first time the party had verbally communicated when confronting a beast, a clear sign of the threat posed by the twin tailed wolf.

  A faint red aura shimmered around the creature. Joe guessed was circulating the mana from its core, the first beast to do so since they had entered the forest. It bared its fangs and charged forward at blistering speed, its massive form blurring as the earth trembled with every stride.

  Olivia began casting while Trey was already in motion, intercepting the beast. A veil of green light wrapped around his body and his sword ignited in flames as he gripped it with both hands.

  “Ember Family Swordsmanship: Running Fire!”

  He swung diagonally, launching an arc of flames toward the charging wolf. A shockwave rippled across the battlefield as the attack collided. The ground vibrated and smoke billowed outward from the impact.

  A second later, the beast burst through the haze with only a few burn marks scarring its hide. Trey’s eyes widened in shock.

  The wolf slashed horizontally. Trey barely managed to block with his flaming sword, but the force still sent him flying. He crashed into a tree to the right, bark exploding outward on impact.

  The beast immediately shifted its focus to the rest of the party.

  Rina activated her skill, and jagged earth spikes erupted from the ground, aiming to skewer the wolf. Showcasing terrifying agility, the twin tailed creature sidestepped and weaved between every spike without slowing. Rina’s eyes widened at its speed.

  Olivia cast another spell as a thick green barrier enveloped Lars. The big man roared and activated a skill of his own, provoking the monster and forcing its attention onto him.

  Howling, the wolf slammed its paws against the barrier again and again, desperate to reach the human behind it. The barrier held for ten seconds before shattering.

  Olivia cried out and collapsed to her knees as the spell disintegrated, her mana heavily depleted.

  Those ten seconds were enough.

  Lars activated another skill. His shield expanded by three meters as two identical shields formed from blue mana lined up in front of it, reinforcing his defense.

  The wolf smashed through the first construct with ease. The second resisted, cracking under repeated headbutts before finally shattering under a flurry of claws. The beast then slammed into the original shield, forcing Lars back as he gritted his teeth and held his ground.

  As the wolf continued its relentless assault, Rina activated another skill.

  The earth surged upward, binding the wolf’s feet as stone wrapped around its legs, anchoring it to the ground and limiting its movement.

  That was the opening.

  A heartbeat later, Trey descended from above, his sword crackling with violent flames.

  “Ember Family Swordsmanship: Falling Blaze!”

  The blade came down in a blazing arc, slicing cleanly through the creature’s neck and engulfing its body in flames.

  The twin tailed wolf collapsed a second later as blood poured from its burning body.

  The battle was over.