Thrashing the Black Ghost at 2 AM
2 AM. The outskirts of the territory, where a pitch-black darkness blanketed the sheep pasture.
Slither.
A thick shadow rippled beyond the pasture fence, and a massive silhouette slipped inside without a sound. Seria and I, hiding in a haystack, held our breaths and watched the scene unfold.
"...No footsteps at all, for real."
Seria whispered right in my ear. It matched Luke's intel perfectly. The thing was at least twice the size of a human, yet it moved without even the slightest patter on the ground.
Then it happened.
Pssshhh!
The shadow halted in the middle of the pasture, its mouth gaping wide as it spewed out a purple mist. The fog spread across the entire field in an instant, and the sheep, bleating in panic, collapsed one after another like they'd rehearsed it—out cold.
"Yep, definitely a Shadow Owl Bear."
"That's sleep gas, huh."
Seria furrowed her brow.
"Seria, hold your breath."
"Got it."
We clamped our noses and mouths shut from inside the haystack. Luckily, the wind was blowing away from us, so we avoided breathing in the gas directly.
Once all the sheep were down, the beast dropped the massive sack on its back with a thud. Then it scooped up the sleeping sheep like prizes from a claw machine, stuffing them into the sack one by one with its huge front paws.
"Whoa, check this guy out. Smart cookie, huh?"
I let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"And to keep that bulk going, how many sheep does it chow down a day? Total glutton."
"Young master, this isn't the time to admire it. The sheep are about to get swiped."
Seria poked my side, giving me a nudge.
"Alright, alright. Time for the hero to make his entrance."
I swept back my coat and focused mana into my fingertips. To take on something that stealths in the dark, first things first—I had to strip off that damn invisibility cloak.
"Seria, when I give the signal, burst out and cut off its escape. I'll light things up."
"As you command."
I took a deep breath, then flicked my fingers through a gap in the haystack.
Light Strike!
Fwwooom!!
A blinding flash shot from my fingertips and exploded in the center of the pasture. The place lit up like midday.
"Bool?! Kweeeek!!"
Caught in the sudden intense light, the shadow monster let out a grotesque screech, clutching its eyes.
The darkness lifted, revealing the true form of the so-called "black ghost" in stark clarity. An owl's head on a bear's fat body, covered head to toe in pitch-black feathers. It matched the illustration from the magic beast encyclopedia in the study exactly.
"Not a ghost—just a big fat lardass."
I cackled as I hopped up onto the haystack. At my taunt, the Shadow Owl Bear rubbed its eyes and glared at me with blood-red orbs.
"Grrruuuurk!"
It snarled in rage, raising a massive front paw. But just as it lunged at me—
"Not so fast!"
With a whoosh of slicing wind, Seria charged in behind it.
"For starving my lord's people!"
A sharp blue Aura Blade shimmered like heat haze around Seria's dark wooden sword.
"Repay it by plucking every last feather!"
Thwack!!
Seria's wooden sword smashed mercilessly into the Shadow Owl Bear's plump nape.
"Bool?!"
Its huge body buckled forward, face-planting into the dirt. Feathers flew everywhere.
"Ooh, nice impact. Perfect hit!"
But the Shadow Owl Bear was a magic beast with tank-like durability. It shook its head violently, foam flecking its snarling muzzle as it rose, then gaped its maw to spew purple sleep gas at Seria.
"Seria! Hold your breath!"
"Yes!"
I shouted urgently, drawing up mana.
Wind Blast!
Whoooosh!
A gust blocked Seria's front, blowing the beast's gas clean in the opposite direction.
"Perfect timing, young master!"
"Not done yet! Seria, watch your feet!"
I channeled more mana, deploying a spell at its paws. It was half-out already, but crime's gotta pay, right?
Holy Net!
A net of woven light mana surged from the ground, binding the Shadow Owl Bear's legs tight.
"Bool?! Kweok!"
With its feet tangled, it flopped down again with a thud.
Now for the beatdown.
"Alright, Seria! Sandbag's ready!"
"Thank you, young master!"
Seria grinned fiercely, regripping her wooden sword. Time for some proper schooling.
-
"Kweeeek!!"
Trussed up tight in the net of light, the Shadow Owl Bear thrashed and wailed grotesquely.
Darkness gets countered by light. Common sense.
"Yeah, no escaping~ No stealthing~"
I sat on a bench munching popcorn, watching the show.
"Seria, go wild."
"Yes!"
Seria approached with a wicked grin.
"How dare you."
Blue aura poured from her wooden sword.
"Steal the livestock my lord's people raised with their blood and sweat?"
Thwack!!
The first blow slammed into its thick shoulder blade.
"Bool?!"
"And on top of that, trampling our precious fields?!"
Thud!!
The other shoulder this time.
"Kweok! Grrruk!"
It writhed in pain, trying to spew sleep gas, but I'd already walled its snout with a wind barrier. The gas dispersed harmlessly into the air.
"Hey now, keep that mouth shut. Stinks."
I snickered, manipulating mana, as Seria's pummeling continued.
"Food our territory folk prepared to get through the winter warm and fed!"
Crack!
"And you fill your belly with it!?"
Smack!
"You thieving owl-bear bastard!!"
Thwack!!
Seria's combo unleashed.
"This for the chickens!"
Thud!
"This for the sheep!"
Smack!
"This for the calves!"
Thwack!!
"And this...!"
Seria inhaled deeply, hoisting her wooden sword overhead.
"Is for making us shiver all night crammed in that tight spot!!"
Thump! Thud! Crack! Smack! Thwack!!
"Krrrng!"
Ha, even from afar, it looked brutal as hell. No matter how tough a variant magic beast's hide, it can't stand up to a future Sword Master going all out with physical therapy. Plus...
...Our Seria's seriously scary.
She's avoiding vitals and pounding away like a pro. Perfect control—beating it just short of death. Artistry.
Not that I felt a shred of pity.
Stealing calves? That's crossing the line!!
Beef prices these days!!
"Grrooo... "
Finally, the Shadow Owl Bear went half-comatose, tears streaming down its face. Its massive bulk trembled like a scolded neighborhood mutt.
"Whew."
Seria exhaled lightly, slinging her wooden sword over her shoulder.
"Young master, subdued. Shall I finish it?"
"Nah, hold up."
I kept the light net active and approached. Opening the big sack on its back revealed the sleep-gassed sheep intact inside. Thankfully, they were unscathed, snoring away.
"Sheep are fine. As for this guy..."
I prodded its feathers. These special ones infused with mana enabled stealth—priceless rare materials that fetched a fortune from mages and alchemists. And the mana stone in its heart would be a top-grade power source, purer than your average beast's.
"Seria, let's not kill it."
"Huh? Why? Leave it alive, it'll just terrorize the territory again."
"Nah, I mean kill it later. Better to capture and drag it back alive for now."
I grinned, yanking out a fistful of feathers.
"Bool?!"
"These feathers, the hide, the mana stone—the whole package. Sell it to a merchant guild, and we'll recoup three times the damage to our people. Kill it now, get blood on it, value drops."
Seria smirked at that.
"Classic young master. Thinking profits first at the sight of a magic beast."
"Basic skill for a lord's heir. Now, where's the rope? Bind it tight and deliver to Dad come morning."
We moved the knocked-out sheep back inside the fence, gagged the Shadow Owl Bear, and trussed it up like dried fish with sturdy rope.
"And that's case one for the Martel Detective Agency—cleared perfectly!"
I tipped my wide-brimmed detective hat and flashed a V-sign.
"Good work, partner."
"All thanks to your support magic, young master. Without you blowing away that gas, it'd have been a hassle."
Seria wiped sweat from her brow and smiled back.
"Alright, now let's drag this lardass to the Lord's Castle?"
I nudged the bound Shadow Owl Bear. Wait till morning and borrow a cart?
But Seria grinned and grabbed its hind leg.
"I'll haul it. You lead the way, young master."
"Hey, even for you, that bulk alone..."
Slither.
Before I finished, Seria started dragging the house-sized beast like luggage.
"...Yeah, you're the best."
I shook my head and followed. One thing's clear—gotta be careful not to piss off our Seria.