Night had fallen upon the forest, and a bright half-moon illuminated the area with its brilliance.
Aizel carefully climbed and leaped across treetops as he approached the first group of Dire Bjorns, hoping to remain concealed from their sight.
He knew he had a limited window of opportunity. He made sure each movement he made was as quiet as possible.
He could feel adrenaline pumping through his veins with each jump and landing as he got closer and closer to his target. Though he didn't know how long he would remain undiscovered, he understood that the longer he could go without being noticed, the higher his chances would be for success.
Aizel looked down from the protection of a tree, anxiously staring down at the four slumbering Dire Bjorns below.
He didn't dare to utilize his mana sense to check the surroundings for fear of arousing the monsters or alerting them to his existence.
Aizel summoned his newly acquired weapon, "Dragonfang," from his ring. The blade glimmered brilliantly under the moon's gentle glow.
He closed his eyes and focused on its particular ability, imagining how he would use it in the upcoming fight. He exhaled deeply once he felt ready, mentally preparing himself for the task ahead.
"Here I go," With that, he jumped down from the tree and landed quietly near one of the sleeping Dire Bjorns.
He quickly thrust his new dagger, Dragonfang, into the monster's head. The Bjorn's eyes widened in pain, but before it could react, Aizel thrust the blade further by striking the grip with his palm.
Aizel's hands shook as life energy streamed from the Dragonfang blade into his body, enhancing his senses and boosting his magical power.
He felt a burst of energy coursing through his veins, as well as a fresh mental clarity that allowed him to focus on his surroundings with keen awareness.
Aizel was still absorbing the slain monster's life energy when he heard a sudden rustling of leaves and trees.
He turned around to see the other three Dire Bjorns staring at him with their eyes wide open. Their sense of smell had picked up on the scent of new blood, and the sight of their fallen family had alerted them.
They were now completely aware there was an intruder among them.
Aizel's mind raced as he appraised the situation swiftly. With the last three Bjorns fully awake and attentive, he knew he needed to move quickly.
He planned to use his dagger's shadow puppet ability but with a twist. He used his imagination to cast a dark shadow behind one of the Bjorns.
The shadow puppet repeated Aizel's earlier action, thrusting the Dragonfang directly at the monster's head.
Aizel sprang into action, moving with lightning speed towards the remaining monster as he unsheathed his weapon, Sekki. The beast was taken aback, and his head fell to the ground before it could react.
Only one monster remained standing now.
The last monster tried to attack him with a heavy claw, but Aizel was quick to react and parried the attack with his sword.
With a quick twist of his wrist, Aizel conjured an earth spike beneath the monster, piercing its gut and lifting it off the ground. The monster let out a guttural cry as it hung in the air, helpless against Aizel's skill and magic.
He swiftly decapitated it with a single slash of his sword. The monster's head rolled to the ground with a thud as Aizel calmly sheathed his sword and let it hang at his waist.
"They were only Grade I monsters, but still, their bodies are so huge and menacing."
Aizel wasted no time in disposing of the Dire Bjorns' bodies. He stored them in one of the empty rings he had obtained from the bar patrons, giving him additional storage space.
He quickly left the location, knowing the stench of blood might draw other monsters.
Aizel took a calculated decision to lower the monster population by focusing on the weaker groups first.
He moved quickly from one location to the next, slaying monsters with pinpoint accuracy and putting their bodies in his ring for disposal.
He knew he couldn't keep doing this constantly, but he persisted in reducing their numbers as much as he could, knowing it would be advantageous in the following days.
And with that, the moon gave way to the sun as night faded away, giving way to a new day.
*****
Meanwhile,
Felgura City, at Crestfall Manison,
In the large hall, Seraphine and Hazel were sitting on a sofa, with Harold Gilles to their right and Yelena and Leah Roswell to their left. The tension between the two families was apparent as if they were ready to attack each other at any moment.
"So now that you all are here, let's start this from the beginning." The man who addressed the group was none other than the headmaster of the magic institute and head of the Crestfall family.
Lysandra stood motionless and mute, next to her grandfather, who was speaking at the conference.
Hazel nodded respectfully to everyone in the room as she rose from her seat, her anxieties forcing her to fidget. She then began to relate what had happened in Ashford town.
She finished describing the happenings in Ashford town and, with a timid nod to the others, took her seat next to Seraphine once more.
Lysandra's gaze shifted towards her grandfather, who sat lost in thought, his fingers idly stroking his beard.
"I am telling you! This is all the fault of the Gilles family. Not only did this man's wife start chaos in our town, but she also killed my guards, mages, and family members."
Leah's body trembled with rage as she rose from her seat and yelled angrily at Harold. As she spoke, her eyes drilled into his with venom.
"Shut up! You bitch. Not only because of your family, I lost my daughter, but now you even took my wife away from me.
"I swear, if it wasn't for the elder here, I would have literally skinned you both by now," Harold responded with rage as well.
The headmaster just let out a sigh.
