As Aron made his way closer to the beasts behind the Everglade lion, most chose to attempt to retreat as if he were some sort of frightening beast.
Their attempts, however, were cut short when Aron began firing his arcane one shot after the another, accurately taking out each beast in one shot. Those he knew couldn't be taken out in one shot were instead shot at their legs, instantly dropping them to the ground.
'They're all lesser beasts, they have no value,' Aron thought as he casually began walking past the multiple bodies that covered the ground, killing any creature that was still breathing.
For beast mongers, they were four basic categories a beast could fall under. Lesser beast, common beast, greater beast, and unclassified beast. Lesser beasts, as the name suggested, were the lowest tier, these beasts held mana equal to or less than that of the average beast monger.
Common beasts varied in strength from weak to ridiculously powerful, however, every beast in this category held mana at least five times the amount of an average beast monger.
A/N: Only strong common beasts and above will be added to the beast index.
As for greater beasts, this was a title gained only after a beast achieved over twenty times the average amount of mana as well as developed intelligence, in some cases even speech.
Lastly were unclassified beasts, beasts so odd they fell under no specified category. They could be either extremely strong or even harmless.
'It could be that most beasts in this region are lesser to increase the survival rate of potential students?' Aron questioned himself as he approached the last breathing creature and killed it without batting an eye. With no solid evidence to his theory though, he could only continue to speculate.
Despite the hundreds of beasts he took down, many remained since the growls and howls in the region didn't seem to grow any less.
Knowing that the majority were lesser, the excitement in Aron's eyes had reduced significantly as he easily began tearing through the hordes of beasts.
Most attempted to attack with large numbers to overwhelm him, but this quickly proved to be ineffective as well since Aron placed his arcane gun in its holster and prepared to fight them barehanded.
The first creature began the charge and lunged at him furiously, however it couldn't match his speed as he gripped its neck at a frightening speed before ripping its head right from its body. This brutal act caused some surrounding creatures to hesitate to act as it was then the massacre began.
Without warning, Aron had shifted his attention onto the larger beasts first, aiming for their necks where he either gripped them and tore away their throats or simply crushed their heads.
In the confusion, one creature had managed to find an opening and bit Aron on the arm. However, it found not only the bite was extremely shallow, but it couldn't withdraw due to Aron tightening his muscles and holding its teeth in.
As its eyes met with Aron's, fear could be seen as he saw him ready a fist before punching it right on its head and instantly crushing its skull.
It soon became very clear to the beasts that they couldn't match Aron and so they attempted to flee but found themselves cornered instead. With nowhere left to run, howls of pain filled the air as Aron continued to lessen the numbers as was the case with everyone else.
The fighting carried on till the night had fallen as more beasts continued to be drawn in but quickly taken out soon after.
'This makes five thousand three hundred forty-five,' Aron thought to himself as he held a whimpering chimp-like beast by the head before furiously smashing it to the ground.
As he pulled his bloody hand away from the now dead beast, he looked around his surroundings just to make sure none were left before turning away from the scene and heading back.
When he arrived back, he found both Jagu and Jin panting heavily with a few wounds covering their bodies. Jin had sat down near the many night hounds he had killed while Jagu sat atop the berserker druid.
"Are you not going to finish it off?" Aron looked up at Jagu and asked, causing him to show a look of confusion. "What do you mean? It's already dead." Jagu defended but looked down on the beast he sat atop of with an unsure gaze.
"A druid remains a druid, whether pure or corrupted. Unless you crush its core, it will simply revive." Aron explained briefly causing Jagu to raise his sword and tear open the creature, looking for its core. Meanwhile, Aron walked over towards Jin who eyed him up and down before sighing after noticing he held no injuries. "Not even a little cut or bite?" Jin shook his head in amazement at that fact but that was not the case.
"I did receive a few but they quickly healed. I'm an oddity so it's pointless comparing me to others." Aron advised leaving Jin with a surprised look for a moment before showing a smile. "I suppose you're right. Are we done now? I could use a shower and some rum; I feel like I just fought an army," Jin asked in his usual carefree tone as he leaned against one of the bodies of the fallen nigh hounds.
"You go on ahead, I only came to inform you I'll hunt the rest before we move on to the next area. The goal is to not leave a single creature here alive," Aron said in a casual tone as if it were an easy task.
In truth even for people at his skill level, certain factors held humans back. Stamina, healing factor, senses, strength, and many more were something humans severely lacked under normal circumstances.
Of course, many overcame these limits by enhancing their bodies using mana, but this too required mental concentration and focus which grew less and less the longer one fought. To say one could continue fighting after the sheer number of beasts Jin, Jagu, and Aron fought would be incredible.
"At this point, I won't be surprised anymore. Alright, I'll let Scarlett know. Very few beasts could fly so their duty ended pretty quickly." Jin sighed before standing up and patting himself. He then proceeded to pat Aron on the shoulder before walking away toward Jagu who had torn open the Druid still looking for its core. 'I guess not all humans are intolerable, but it's too early to tell for sure.' Aron showed a small smile as he looked at Jin walking away before leaving himself.
After leaving, Aron had continued massacring every beast he came across so long as it housed mana. This carried on long after the sun had even set, only coming to a halt when he realized no more beasts were present in the region they were in.
With the last of the beasts dead under him, Aron looked at his bloody hands with a look of satisfaction before clenching them tightly. 'Even after all that, I do not feel any fatigue, hunger, or reduction in any of my abilities. Just what is this body's limit?' Aron questioned himself as the whole point in hunting extra beasts was to see if his body could tire.
"Father, you said we abandon our humanity when we become beast mongers, so then what do we become when we abandon even that?" Aron muttered to himself as he looked at his hands with a complex expression as he recalled more of his father's words to him growing up.
[Never fear the unknown, if people did that the art of beast mongering would have never been discovered, pup. Going down paths no one has before is what evolution is all about, the possibility of failure exists but so does that of success.]
'You did say something along those lines, didn't you?' Aron showed a weak smile as he remembered this for a moment before his usual expression returned to his face.
'I've already begun walking down this path, so there's no point doubting myself now. I will achieve the true power I seek; I will build an empire the likes of which has never been seen and I will do whatever it takes to achieve this. Whether I succeed or fail, well, only time will tell.' Aron declared to himself with a look of minor excitement on his face.
Be it the obstacles he would have to face or the discoveries he would make, Aron was looking forward to seeing just what the path he chose would lead to.
