The grasslands stretched out below, and within that carpet of green, scattered specks of white and brown punctuated the landscape.
From the great height at which he flew, they looked like mere dots, but Seto knew those specks were Bicorns lounging in the grass. He peered down at them from high in the sky.
"Guruuu..."
Seto usually operated alongside Rei, but today he was on his own. While he felt a twinge of loneliness and insecurity being apart from his partner, the Gryphon let out a soft trill and focused his attention on the monsters below.
Shtie’s proposed strategy was remarkably straightforward: Seto was to approach the Bicorn pack without hiding his presence and drive them toward the ambush point where the others waited. Ordinarily, such a primitive plan—hardly worthy of being called a "strategy"—would never work against creatures as cunning as Bicorns, who were accustomed to hunting in packs. At least, it wouldn't work for anyone else.
However, the one doing the driving was the Gryphon Seto, and the gap in their status was undeniable. It was a foregone conclusion that if a creature of his caliber approached without stealth, the Bicorns would sense the threat and bolt immediately.
Seto soared through the air until he was directly above the pack, then circled to the far side before flapping his wings and beginning his descent.
"Gurulululululu!"
He announced his presence with a thunderous cry, making it crystal clear to the monsters that a Gryphon was hunting them.
"Hihihihihiiin!"
The Bicorns felt the overwhelming aura of a superior predator closing in. One of them was the first to notice; it let out a high-pitched neigh and scrambled up from the grass. An instant later, it began to gallop in the exact opposite direction of Seto—straight toward the location where Rei and the others lay in wait.
"Gurululu!"
Seto watched them closely. Whenever a few stragglers tried to break away from the main group, he used his Wind Arrow and Water Ball skills to hem them in, adjusting the pack’s heading.
To any observer, the sight would have strongly resembled a sheepdog at work. Of course, this particular "sheepdog" possessed a level of ferocity that defied comparison.
"Burulululu!"
"Hihiin!"
When a Bicorn attempted to veer off, a Water Ball would impact its path, sending turf and soil flying. If that didn't work, a volley of Wind Arrows would shred the grass ahead of them in rapid succession.
Terrified by the displays of power, the Bicorns shrieked and neighed, yet they stayed together as a single pack, charging blindly toward the trap.
Seto continued to make micro-adjustments, diving near the leaders whenever they strayed. The Bicorn pack galloped for about 15 minutes before the figures of Rei and the others finally appeared on the horizon.
"Gurulululululu!"
Seto let out a piercing cry, intending for his voice to reach Rei.
The signal was clearly heard. Down on the ground, the group readied their weapons to intercept the stampeding herd.
A short while earlier.
Following the adoption of Shtie’s plan, the group had been busy preparing for the airborne Seto to deliver the Bicorns to them.
Rei had produced the Death Scythe and a handful of throwing spears from his Misty Ring. Those seeing the massive scythe for the first time stared in utter shock at its scale. Robre, Shtie, and Onz had also drawn their respective weapons—a spear, a bow and arrow, and a pair of daggers—and crouched down in the tall grass.
The carriages had been moved to a location a safe distance away from the designated battlefield to ensure they wouldn't obstruct the combat.
Shtie had initially worried about leaving them vulnerable to other monsters, but Robre argued that keeping them right next to the Bicorn fight was far more dangerous. Since they couldn't spare anyone from the Rank Up Exam to act as a guard, they reached a compromise: the carriages were clustered in a visible spot, and if monsters appeared, the drivers would immediately make a break for Rei’s position.
"Hey, Rei. Can I have a word?"
A voice suddenly called out to Rei while he was hidden in the shadows of the grass.
He turned to find Arnihit, one of the nobles he was tasked with protecting during the mission.
"What is it? As you can see, the Bicorns could be here any minute. If you have business, make it quick."
"Oh, certainly. I don't intend for this to be a long conversation. I’ll be blunt: I want you to fail this exam on purpose."
"...What?"
Rei stared at the woman as if he couldn't comprehend the words coming out of her mouth. He took a few seconds to verify she was real, and perhaps sane, before responding.
"Why? I’ve heard Bicorn packs are a menace and that their presence is affecting the procurement of materials in Gilm."
"Exactly. I have certain... connections. If the Bicorns make frontier materials scarce, I stand to make a significant profit. What do you say?"
Rei’s brow furrowed in deep displeasure.
"This mission is my Rank Up Exam. More importantly, you're suggesting I intentionally let monsters go free?"
"Naturally, I’ll compensate you. I hear you have a penchant for collecting Magic Items."
"...You've done your homework."
"It's only natural to research someone before making a proposal. Well?"
Arnihit pressed for an answer, but Rei didn't hesitate for even a second.
"I refuse. I am collecting Magic Items, certainly, but a promotion to B-Rank is worth far more to me than whatever items you could provide. Besides, you're the next Baron, right? I doubt you have anything I couldn't just buy myself with the gold I already have."
"Guh... Fine. If you refuse, there's nothing more to be said. It’s not as if this profit was essential. However, I advise you to keep this conversation to yourself if you value your future in this exam."
Arnihit spoke with a veiled threat, but Rei merely gave a small shrug.
His gaze had already shifted away from her. he was poised and ready for the moment Seto arrived with the herd.
Judging that further talk was useless, Arnihit retreated from Rei’s side without another word.
(Now then, was that part of the exam, or just Arnihit’s own greed? Either way, I should probably report this to Residence later.)
While he planned his next move, the shapes of horse-like monsters finally appeared on the distant horizon.
Determining that Seto’s herding was proceeding perfectly, Rei scanned his surroundings. No one was visible in the tall grass; because they didn't know exactly how the driven Bicorns would react, the ambush was spread out over a wide area.
Even if they couldn't see each other, the tension was palpable.
"They're almost here!"
At that shout, everyone tightened their grip on their weapons.
Shtie, the party’s Archer, was tasked with opening the engagement. Her range was superior even to Rei’s Flying Slash skill or spear throwing, allowing her to strike the Bicorns while they were still at a distance.
Even though everyone in the group was a C-Rank Adventurer and a single Bicorn was no threat, they saw no reason to take unnecessary risks.
Under normal circumstances, the Bicorns would have veered away the moment they realized they were being sniped. However, with Seto nipping at their heels, they didn't have the luxury of choice.
"Hah!"
The moment the distance closed to 500 meters, Shtie judged they were in range and released her first arrow.
Considering that an ordinary hunter would have a range of barely 100 meters, the shot demonstrated just how elite an Archer she was. It was precisely this level of skill that had allowed her to reach C-Rank and qualify for this promotion.
The arrow traced a perfect arc through the sky, plunging down into the torso of a Bicorn in the middle of the pack.
"Hihihihiiiiiin!"
The monster shrieked in agony but didn't stop. It slowed down slightly, but it was too terrified of the death pursuing it from behind to give up.
"Did you see that? That's Shtie for you!"
Robre’s boastful voice drifted from somewhere in the grass, but Shtie ignored him, focusing entirely on firing one arrow after another.
At such a distance, she couldn't quite rain down a constant barrage, but she maintained a relentless pace. Bicorns struck by multiple arrows or those hit in the legs eventually collapsed, only to be trampled to death by the hooves of their own kin.
Others who slowed down were overtaken by Seto. The Gryphon ended their lives effortlessly with a single strike from his front paw.
Despite the casualties, the wounded pack continued to thunder toward the ambush. When they were 100 meters away, Rei stood up and put the full weight of his superhuman muscular strength into a spear throw.
The spear whistled through the air, piercing completely through the torso of one of the lead Bicorns before embedding itself in the one behind it.
The watching nobles and Robre were stunned. They couldn't believe a mere thrown spear could possess such power and range. Shtie was so shocked that she actually forgot to fire for several seconds.
"Shtie! Focus!"
Snapped back to reality by Robre’s sharp reprimand, she hurriedly resumed her sniping.
Rei noticed the lapse but focused on thinning the herd. He pulled more spears from his Misty Ring and threw them with inhuman force, skewering Bicorn after Bicorn. While he couldn't always skewer two with a single throw, he occasionally managed to pin two or even three together.
Terrified and desperate to escape Seto, some Bicorns continued to charge even after being impaled by spears.
Finally, the battered pack reached the tall grass where the party lay hidden.
"Uoryaaaaa!"
The hot-blooded Robre was the first to leap out. He thrust his two-meter spear forward with the raw power of a Wolf Beastman. The strike was so sharp it shattered the Bicorn’s horns and pierced through its skull in one motion.
(Heh. He actually has the skill to back up all that talk,) Rei thought as he watched.
He swapped his remaining spears for the Death Scythe and vaulted into the fray.
"Haaaaaa!"
Like the Grim Reaper himself, Rei began to reap the Bicorns' souls.
The horns that couldn't even stop Robre’s spear stood no chance against the magic-infused Death Scythe's blade. Each flash of the massive weapon sent the head of a Bicorn—each larger than a warhorse—spinning into the air.
Fountains of fresh blood erupted from the severed necks, painting the grassland in shades of gore.
Whirling the Death Scythe as if in a dance and occasionally punctuating his strikes with Flame Magic, Rei looked every bit the legend behind the alias of 'Crimson'.
Not wanting to be outshone, Robre’s spearwork grew even more frantic, while Shtie’s arrows found the marks of those trying to break away. Onz remained near Shtie to protect her while providing necessary follow-up for Robre’s reckless charges.
The final blow came as Seto arrived from the rear, crushing skulls with his paws and tearing throats with his beak.
"Watch out for their horns!" Rei warned.
By themselves, Bicorns were only Rank D, and they only posed a C-Rank threat as a coordinated pack. However, driven into a panic state by Seto, their coordination had completely collapsed.
The battle ended when Rei stepped in front of the pack leader—a beast significantly larger than the rest—and cleanly took its head with a single swing of his Death Scythe. The Bicorn pack extermination was over as quickly as it had begun.