The Hunt

Step three of hunting:

Find the prey and kill it.

Cecia arrived at the outer edges of the Black Forest outside Asgard. Just as the name implied, towering trees blotted out the sun. Only low-level magical beasts dwelled here, making it a good place for novitiate magic users to practice their skills.

Well-rested after a day of preparation, Cecia was full of energy. She lay in wait among the tall grass, her body smeared with a potion to conceal her overflowing mana, covered in fallen leaves as she waited silently.

Whenever there was a sound, she would open her eyes to check.

Cecia had researched in the academy library and knew that most rituals were designed to offer power to gods.

If the offering was too meager, even the weakest god would not bother to respond.

No god ate garbage every day, after all...

So Cecia ruled out small birds and rabbits, setting her sights instead on larger beasts.

Things like lone wolves, fawns, or wild boars.

With two Lv. 2 spells and a scimitar, Cecia was confident she could kill them.

Yet aside from rabbits and sparrows, the only creatures passing by were bouncing slimes.

They seemed anxious, fleeing from Cecia as if afraid of something.

Night fell, rendering the Black Forest even darker. Moonlight filtered evenly onto the ground, casting mottled tree shadows.

The moonlight was extraordinarily bright tonight.

Yet not a single one of the usually abundant magical beasts was in sight, leaving Cecia muttering in confusion.

Even hunting a few rabbits would make the trip worthwhile.

Just as Cecia was about to leave and return to the city, she noticed something amiss.

Why did that round blue slime have black marks on its body?

The slime had always been filthy, coated in leaves and twigs, which had kept Cecia from getting a clear look before.

But just now, the slime leaped high into the air in a clearing of the Black Forest, and the moonlight illuminated its body.

The black marks crawling across its form were identical to the ones that appeared on Cecia's arms from Abyss Erosion that morning!

The aura of the Abyss had infected the slime. If a creature could endure the Abyss like this one had, its spirituality would surely be sufficient.

Cecia reached down to touch Starhunter, the blade strapped to her thigh, watching for the right moment to strike.

Wait! Cecia rested her hand on the hilt at her waist, hesitating to draw it.

If the Black Forest was already infected by the aura of the Abyss, then as a target of Abyss Erosion—an anchor for the Abyss—she must have drawn something's attention.

Just like the curse described: becoming the "Throat of the Abyss."

Something was definitely off; the area around Cecia was far too quiet.

Shifting slightly, Cecia glanced behind her. There were monsters—thirty meters away, three pairs of glowing red eyes peered through the dark. It was clearly a pack of corrupted Night Wolves.

The overflowing fluctuations of the Abyss drove weaker monsters away, but they attracted keen-nosed wolves—and perhaps other creatures craving Abyssal energy.

Cecia swallowed hard, her heart pounding against her ribs. Neither in her past life nor as a shepherd girl in this life had she ever fought beasts hand-to-hand.

She forced herself to calm down and regulated her breathing.

Once calm, Cecia refrained from making any reckless moves. Her magic had clearly been completely hidden by the potion, but the Abyssal fluctuations couldn't be masked. The wolves had only picked up the scent; they didn't know what was giving it off yet.

Cecia was still the hunter; she remained in the shadows.

The three wolves kept their heads low, sniffing the ground as they searched for their prey.

Cecia's mind raced, analyzing strategies to handle Night Wolves.

Night Wolves were dark-element creatures. Their special ability allowed them to meld into shadows, though light magic could illuminate their tracks and nullify the stealth effect. They could hunt silently, but what was even more terrifying was their stamina—they could run continuously for three days and three nights without rest.

Even setting all that aside, Night Wolves were far more formidable than ordinary black wolves.

Let alone these wolves corrupted by the Abyss.

Cecia tightened her grip on Starhunter, sweat slick against the leather-wrapped hilt. In the distance, an unknown creature howled, sending startled birds scattering into the air...

Two of the wolves continued circling, while the third crept closer and closer to Cecia.

The distance shrank.

Cecia could hear the crunch of twigs beneath the Night Wolf's paws growing louder.

One step, two steps. Cecia calculated the distance in her head; if it got close enough, she was confident she could kill it.

Cecia was gambling that the foolish wolf wouldn't spot her at this distance.

She was pushing her luck, waiting for it to take just one more step—just a little closer.

No closer! Steeling her resolve, Cecia let her mana burst outward. 【Aegis of Light】 enveloped her entire body, its dazzling radiance stripping the Night Wolf of any shadow to hide in.

The sudden, blinding flash dazed the Night Wolf's eyes, and in that fleeting moment of disorientation—

Cecia lunged agilely from the brush, pouncing straight at the Night Wolf.

She pinned the Night Wolf down by the scruff of its neck. Raging flames exploded from her palm, scorching its fur. With a thought, she directed the fire straight into the beast's eyes.

Pressing down on the wolf's thick neck, feeling its rough fur beneath her, Cecia didn't hesitate. She slashed Starhunter cleanly at its Achilles tendon.

The scimitar arced in a graceful line, followed by a wet snap.

With its tendon severed, the wolf lost its balance and collapsed helplessly.

The Night Wolf let out a low growl. Though Cecia had scorched its eyes blind, it could still sense her presence through physical touch.

It whipped its head around to snap at the arm pinning it down—the arm that was suppressing its proud ability to meld into shadows.

Night Wolves were ambush hunters. They used their incredible endurance to relentlessly pursue prey, biting again and again to drag them down to exhaustion.

But when a Night Wolf became the hunted, its strengths were completely rendered useless.

Cecia ignored the danger entirely, letting the Night Wolf turn and bite down on the hand holding it fast.

【Aegis of Light】 was still active, preventing the Night Wolf from breaking through the barrier of light surrounding her arm.

Having lost a tendon, the wolf had forfeited most of its mobility. Cecia held its head down firmly and sliced straight across its throat.

The blade grated against the throat with a sickening crunch.

Sensing its end, the wolf beneath her thrashed violently.

Seeing its throat slashed open and the Night Wolf at death's door, Cecia quickly pulled back, letting her flames continue to burn the creature.

After all, there was more than one enemy present.

Enveloped in flames, the Night Wolf shrieked pitifully, thrashing frantically on the ground. The fire had destroyed its eyes, while the acrid smoke from burning leaves overwhelmed its nose. With a severed tendon and a slashed throat, its fate was sealed.

Cecia hoped this would intimidate the remaining two wolves.

But it didn't. One of the wolves had already closed in on Cecia, letting out a low, persistent growl.

As for the third... Cecia could no longer see it.

Total silence. That was the worst possible situation.