The Real Hunt Begins
The day after the banquet.
At dawn.
As mana fireworks exploded to signal the start of the hunting festival, a total of twenty-seven mages entered the forest.
"It has begun."
Meanwhile, on the topmost floor of the Benheim Magic Tower, inside a viewing room completely sealed off from the outside world, two men sat.
Stern, the head of the Benheim family, and Kaiden, the head of the Lucen family.
Floating before them was a massive orb carved from crystal. Through magic, the surface of the crystal orb vividly projected the forest where the hunting festival was taking place.
"There are exceptionally talented children this year."
Unlike past hunting festivals, the lineup of mages participating this time was highly impressive. There were three direct descendants who were nearly at the 3rd tier. Even the level of the Benheim branch family members in this cohort was quite remarkable.
"Haha."
Kaiden laughed, responding to Stern's remark. "Well, that is surely because my daughter is participating."
Kaiden manipulated the crystal to zoom in on a specific area. "It seems Petra has already encountered a demonic beast."
Inside the crystal, the red-haired Petra Lucen was moving with flamboyant, dance-like grace. The Lucen family's signature spell, **Sword Creation** magic. True to its name, seven swords forged from magic floated behind her back before hurtling toward the beast.
Kaiden wore a satisfied smile. "Lucen's signature magic is extremely practical and efficient. In terms of pure lethality, no other magic can compare."
"Indeed, she is your daughter. An impressive level of mastery."
Stern's praise was not empty flattery. Reaching the 3rd tier before even coming of age was practically the definition of a genius. And she wasn't just at the entry level of the 3rd tier either.
*Slash! Slash!*
The crimson swords pierced the beast's hide, brutally shredding its internal organs. Slaughtering a demonic beast with just a few gestures, Petra's combat prowess was undoubtedly comparable to the very peak of the 3rd tier.
"Moreover, Petra can manifest up to seven swords. She might break through the barrier to the 4th tier very soon."
"It is like looking at you in your youth."
"She will surpass me. At her age, I had barely crossed the threshold of the 3rd tier. Forging five swords was the absolute limit of my abilities back then."
Unlike ordinary magic, signature magic systems categorized tiers somewhat differently. For instance, Lucen's signature magic determined one's tier by the number of swords they could create. For Petra Lucen to manifest seven swords before even reaching adulthood made her an unprecedented genius, even within her own family.
"However, she seems a bit reckless. The forest is uncharted territory. Venturing so deep this early could prove dangerous."
"She is of the caliber to lead the family. Shouldn't she possess at least that much boldness?"
"You are not wrong."
Kaiden watched his daughter, Petra Lucen, with a faint, cold smile. What lingered in his eyes was not simple fatherly affection, but a stickier, darker ambition. Stern noticed his unsettling gaze but quietly looked away.
"Ah, it seems your eldest son has also encountered a demonic beast, Lord Benheim."
Kaiden shifted the crystal orb's projection. On the screen, Arno von Benheim had run into a wolf-like demonic beast.
—*Grrr!*
The beast lunged forward. However, its claws could not graze even a single hair on Arno's head. Vines rising from the ground had tightly bound the beast's limbs.
Arno then raised his hand. Over his right palm, a rune began to glow. The rune **Hagalaz (ᚺ)**. Its effect was *Collapse*.
*Rumble!*
The ground gave way, and the beast fell into a pit, thrashing wildly. Watching silently, Kaiden nodded. "As expected of the Benheim successor. His mana control is exceptionally stable."
Projected through the crystal, Arno von Benheim skillfully subdued the beast using Rune Magic. Three runes formed a semicircle around the beast, and the characters, each imbued with different forces, unleashed overwhelming destruction.
Stern watched Arno's performance with a pleased smile. "He is doing well, but he still has a long way to go."
The greatest strength of Benheim's signature magic, Rune Magic, was its overwhelming versatility and scalability. While Arno's application of magic was stable, he still relied too heavily on brute force.
"Above all, a mage of Benheim must understand the true application of the runes."
"Haha. Early education already?"
"Well, Arno is still young, so experience will resolve that in due time."
Arno's talent was undeniable. If he grew without faltering, he would eventually become a great archmage who could lead Benheim.
"I agree. He is the successor of Benheim, after all. However, Lord Benheim, talent ultimately flows through the blood. There are walls that experience alone cannot scale. If you continue to let impurities into your family, you will eventually hit a wall."
A subtle sneer played on Kaiden's lips.
"Is that so? I think a bit differently than you."
Stern shrugged and deliberately manipulated the crystal orb to shift the view. The screen now showed Benheim's youngest daughter, Lunia, and the outsider mage, Raygan.
"Ah, so that is the subject of the rumors. The lowborn whom you even fed an elixir, Lord Benheim."
Kaiden's voice carried unconcealed contempt. But Stern merely offered a faint smile instead of an answer.
A few minutes passed.
—*Slash.*
"..."
A chilly silence fell over the viewing room.
"What on earth is that young man..."
Kaiden Lucen squinted, staring at the unbelievable sight unfolding through the crystal.
*Crash!*
The massive forepaw of a demonic beast slammed down. Raygan rolled to evade the attack, simultaneously invoking the rune **Kenaz**. He didn't simply shoot flames. Holding the embers in his hand, he scattered them all at once, as if sowing seeds.
—*Fwoosh!*
While the flames of *Kenaz* blinded the beast, Raygan drew the sword at his waist, severed its limbs, and plunged his blade deep into its gaping maw. The illusionary beast died instantly, dissolving into a shower of light.
It wasn't just any ordinary beast either. It was an intermediate-grade demonic beast. It had been configured to require at least three mages of the 2nd or 3rd tier to defeat, yet it had been dismantled like livestock dragged to a slaughterhouse.
"Ha."
Stern let out a dry chuckle. Even he was seeing Raygan fight in person for the first time. "Indeed, it is no wonder my son lost."
If one compared pure magical firepower, Arno was far superior. However, Raygan utilized Rune Magic in the exact right place at the exact right time, yielding maximum results with minimal investment. Having only recently reached the 3rd tier, he should have been at a disadvantage in many ways, but Raygan was seasoned enough to overcome it with ease. Making the evaluation Stern had just given Arno look foolish, Raygan possessed a level of resourcefulness born of sheer experience.
"...Lord Benheim, where on earth did you find a fellow like that?"
Kaiden frowned, utterly baffled. This was already his third kill. One intermediate-grade, two low-grade. Considering that the average number of subjugations per person during the hunting festival was only one or two, his speed was absurd.
"Is that young man truly of commoner birth?"
"I had him investigated. He is a lone orphan."
"But he is using magic and aura simultaneously."
"I was surprised as well."
"What is he? He is neither a knight nor a mage."
"Since he has entered Benheim, it is more appropriate to classify him as a mage."
Stern smiled wryly as he watched Raygan's performance on the screen. "Well, in this context, perhaps the term 'magic swordsman' would be more fitting."
It was a remarkably accurate assessment.
"Hup!"
I swung my sword the moment I cast the spell. Up until now, I had to hold back because my opponent was Brock, but there was no need for such restraint in the hunting festival. I could swing my sword with as much aura as I wanted.
*Slash.*
My aura-clad sword drew an arc in the air, cleanly piercing the core of the illusionary beast. There was no need to swing my sword multiple times. After all, it was just a fake made of magic. Its core was vividly visible to my eyes.
"This is ridiculous."
As I slipped the severed core of the illusionary beast into my pocket, Lunia let out a dry laugh and puffed her cheeks. "You are seriously unbelievable."
"What is?"
"I didn't even get a chance to step in."
Just as she said, while we hunted three beasts so far, there had been almost no opportunity for Lunia to do anything.
"Isn't that a good thing? You don't have to get your hands dirty."
"Well, that part is nice, but I need to secure at least some points. You know points are distributed based on contribution."
"Then starting from the next beast, you bind its feet first. I'll finish it off."
"No, I want to finish it. Raygan, you bind its feet."
I chuckled at Lunia's words.
"Why are you laughing?"
"No, it's just... something similar happened in the past."
"...Something similar?"
Lunia tilted her head.
"You don't need to know."
Truly, it was better that she didn't.
After that, I continued to hunt beasts with Lunia. Even though they were illusionary beasts, the creators had paid close attention to detail, as they perfectly mirrored the ecology of real beasts.
"Lunia, there are tracks here."
"Oh, you're right. How did you know?"
"Demonic beasts usually travel along paths like this. They prefer damp areas."
"Raygan, have you hunted demonic beasts before?"
"In the past. A few times."
In truth, it was closer to hundreds of times. Around the time the Archduke of Demonic Magic began to burn the continent in earnest, demonic beasts poured out due to the rampaging ley lines. Having returned to the past, I was likely the person who had hunted the most demonic beasts on the entire continent.
"Lunia, I found one. It's a low-grade beast."
"Got it. I'll freeze its feet."
—*Whoosh!*
Lunia cast her Rune Magic. Ice spreading from the earth instantly halted the defenseless beast's movements, and without missing a beat, my sword slashed deeply across its neck. Immediately after, the Rune Magic Lunia fired pierced the beast's core with pinpoint accuracy.
"That makes eight."
I tossed the shattered core to Lunia.
"Unbelievable."
Throughout our hunt, Lunia did nothing but marvel.
"When I participated in the hunting festival last year, catching five was my absolute limit. But this year, we've already caught eight. And it's only the first day..."
"..."
"You are truly amazing, Raygan. Now I understand why Father went so far as to give you an elixir. At this rate, we can beat Petra, and maybe even my brother. It's all thanks to you."
Lunia chattered excitedly, but I couldn't bring myself to smile. Because from a certain moment, a strange sense of foreboding had begun to wrap around my entire body.
"What's wrong? You look serious."
"Quiet for a second."
I raised my hand to cut Lunia off. While she wore a puzzled expression, I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest. I heard nothing. It was the same even when I pressed my ear to the ground.
"...There are no birds singing."
"Birds?"
"Yes. No wind, no insects chirping, no wild animals moving around. The forest is completely dead."
At my words, Lunia also listened to our surroundings, but she frowned as if she couldn't tell the difference.
"Is that strange?"
"Extremely. Illusions are just illusions. Insects and birds wouldn't run away in terror from illusions that pose no threat to them. This only happens when a real predator appears."
Come to think of it, even before my regression, assessing the situation had always been my job. Lunia had always relied on my senses.
'Your senses are more accurate than my detection magic, Raygan.'
"Indeed."
The survival instincts carved deep into my bones from crossing countless lines between life and death before my regression were screaming a warning. I walked over to where the illusionary beast we had just defeated had vanished. Normally, an illusion should dissolve into light and leave absolutely nothing behind. Yet, in that spot, blades of grass lay black and withered, as if swept by a blight. When I pinched them with my fingers, they crumbled into ash with a dry rustle. It was, without a doubt, the residue of black magic.
"So they've stretched their hands even here."
They certainly had some nerve. It was the exact moment I clicked my tongue and stood up.
"Aaaah!"
A sharp scream echoed from another part of the forest. I glared in the direction of the sound.
"Lunia, get ready."
"G-get ready? For what?"
"Because play-time is over."
From this moment on, the real hunt began.
Arno von Benheim was smoothly hunting demonic beasts. He had already subjugated three. At this rate, he believed first place was practically guaranteed.
"Aaaah!"
But his optimism was short-lived. Arno flinched at the sudden scream.
"What was that?"
Had some other idiot gotten scared of a mere beast and run away? It was probably a member of the branch families. It had to be.
Dismissing it as nothing, Arno was about to move on when a woman with disheveled hair burst through the bushes, causing him to shriek in surprise.
"A-A ghost!"
Startled, Arno quickly took a defensive stance, only to realize that the woman who had emerged from the thicket was a familiar face.
"You're... Lucen's..."
The daughter brought by Kaiden Lucen, the head of the Lucen family. Her name was surely Petra Lucen.
"A-Arno."
Petra also recognized Arno, blinking a few times before shaking her head frantically. "T-This is no time for this. Arno, you have to run right now."
"Run? Why would I run all of a sudden?"
"A demonic beast appeared!"
Arno tilted his head at Petra's frantic voice. A demonic beast? Of course one would appear. The hunting festival itself was literally an event to hunt demonic beasts.
"What kind of nonsense is that? And what's with your appearance? Did you roll down a hill on your way here?"
"No, I'm telling you, it's really dangerous!"
Frustrated, Petra stamped her feet and opened her mouth to speak. Or rather, she tried to.
*Thud.*
A vibration shook the earth. Before they knew it, a beast as large as a house had approached from behind Petra.
"Huh?"
Arno looked up. A wolf-like beast with two heads. Its sleek gray fur and two pairs of menacing eyes glowed crimson.
"...A demonic beast?"
A real demonic beast, not an illusion, stood right before his eyes.