Zoom. Swoosh. Bind.

Igni Chains sprouted from the air and bound the only three wolves that had managed to survive Eren's relentless spell spamming. However, all three of them were wounded. And as such, it became easy for Eren to tie them with his Igni Chains once they got close to him.

Two axes appeared in Eren's hands as they jumped down from the tree. When he stood on the back of one of the three Copper Tail wolves, its head was already severed from its torso. The other two also shared the same fate soon enough.

The three fell to the ground in near unison. A second later, their bodies fell to the ground, resulting in much of their blood being sprayed on the ground.

Igni Wave

Eren cauterized the chopped torsos of the wolves he had just killed because the bodies that were more intact in their natural state would fetch him a greater price. He didn't have even a drop of blood or sweat on him even after killing so many mana beasts together.

Eren swung his axes around him and looked at the violence he had caused all around him. He took a fresh breath in his lung which was now laced with the smell of blood.

Eren had cut down on his mission completion time by hunting like this. He remembered taking mana beasts from their packs to hunt them when he had first started as a ranker.

He still remembered his first mission with Reece and Mia which saw him fighting with a stray Iron Trunk Honey Mammoth. He couldn't have imagined hunting an entire horde at that time. But now, it was no big deal for him.

"A bit of progress each day adds up to big results."

Eren smiled to himself and accessed his Status Window to look at his body stats values once again.

Name- Eren Elijah Idril

Organization: Stardust Guild

I-Rune Imprint: * (verified)

Ranking Status: Rank 1 Meta Ranker (Solid state mana core: Stage 9)

Class- Battlemage

Ranking Technique- Default

Martial Arts (mortal)- Jeet Kune Do

Martial Arts (mana-based)- Twin Star Arts

Credit paid: 3000/8000 Mana Quartz

Base Stats:

HP- 18.2 / 18.2

MP- 22.9 (?) / 22.9 (?)

STR- 17.5historical

AGI- 18.2

INT- 20.6

BTP- 97.4

Rank 1 Lightning Spells: Solid Spark, Blitz Steps, Blitz Wave, Blitz Storm, Blitz Heal, Blitz Arrow, Blitz Shield, Blitz Shard, Blitz Whip, Taranbiest, Lightning Seed, Lightning Tree

Rank 1 Fire Spell: Alfem, Igni Wave, Igni Lotus, Igni Chains, Igni Shards, Igni Bolt Blast

Rank 1 Miscellaneous Spell: One Up (sync incomplete)

[Active mission #JP-543: Subjugation of Copper Tail Fire Wolves.

Active mission #JP-544: Retrieval of the Copper Tail Fire Wolves' bodies.

Mission site: Mowry Woods.]

Eren dispersed the spectral screen and smiled. He was happy with the progress he had made so far. Although he was still far away from his ranking breakthrough, the fact that he had reached his current stage in such a short time was remarkable.

'As always, my normal mana core is one with the maximum base stat. My infinite mana core is also influencing it with its constant activity. My intelligence value shot through the roof compared to the last time. It means I can cast more complex spells at once without destabilizing them.

My way of casting Hex spells might have something to do with my INT value getting raised so much. Not that I'm complaining.'

Eren self-diagnosed himself based on his stats values and felt content about his analysis. He was about to start collecting the corpses of the Copper Tail wolves when he felt a strange feeling coming from behind him. As if he was being watched.

Suddenly, Eren narrowed his eyes and cast his spells.

Blitz Steps

Blitz Shield

Igni Wave

,m Zoom. Clang. Boom.

Eren suddenly attacked someone out of nowhere. A spear attack at him was parried by his two axes. He cast his movement spell to stabilize himself and make use of his exceptional agility. He followed the spell by shielding himself before the attack.

A coating of lightning mana had manifested around him. With this, he had prepared himself for the unthinkable. Only after ensuring that he was protected by his defensive spell did he invest in casting the attack spells.

He gripped his two axes and cast his fire-element spell. However, he didn't release the spell and retained its effects to give an extra edge to his weapons and the force behind them.

All of Eren's movements were completed in a second before the flying attack came from behind him. The next second, he deflected the attack, forcing him to be dragged away from his original position.

'Spiders?'

This was Eren's first guess as he stopped himself from getting pushed back. He used his two axes as anchors to kill the force before looking at his new enemy.

Eren looked ahead at the figure who had just attacked him. Studying and practicing Hex spells had made him more aware of his surroundings. That's how he was able to predict and read the attack initiated by an Awakened ranker.

This was a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s. She had brown hair that had been tied back in a ponytail. She had light green eyes and a bit of tanned skin. Her nose and lips were small and gave her a very youthful look.

This woman was wearing leather-like armor over a crop top. She had worn cargo pants and leather shoes that were etched with elemental runes. It was clear that she had used her artifact in conjunction with her Awakened-rank movement spell to launch a sudden attack on Eren that almost took him by surprise.

This female ranker was wielding a golden spear in her hand. She swung her weapon around herself and made it retract in size. This was the weapon she had attacked Eren with. The weapon would have struck him in the back if he hadn't deflected it using his two axes.

This spear-wielding woman had attractive curves and a pretty face. Her aura oozed with the vibrancy she had within her.

Even after carrying out such a brutal attack, Eren was unable to determine whether the female ranker had hostile intentions. But that didn't mean shit to him. Intentions didn't decide a lot of things in the world of rankers.

Eren stood straight up from his position and gripped his two axes. He wasn't afraid of an Awakened ranker anymore. Worst case scenario, he was confident of running away. As a result, he looked straight into the female ranker's eyes without showing any signs of shock or injustice.

"Aren't you going to ask me who I am?"

In a playful tone, the female ranker asked. She was looking at Eren keenly too as if hoping he recognized her. Eren smirked in contempt before responding.

"Why should I? I'll find that soon enough. When I look through your stuff.. after killing you."

Said Eren, and cast his movement spell. Lightning sparked and the battlemage disappeared from his position.

'Err.. maybe I shouldn't have met up with this crazy man in this way.'