It seems that my skill with kinetic magic lets me start at a higher level. Or maybe it's just because this spell is so damn simple. A brutish thing, which means getting better at it is simply a matter of expanding the affected area without losing power.

Then again, he might have been downplaying his success a little. Yes, [Quake Push] had a very uncomplicated matrix, with just the basic guidelines needed to direct the massive force it released, but he wouldn't have been able to cast it successfully without [Parsimonia].

His secondary trait enabled him to hold onto a spell that should have, by all rights, gone out of control on him, especially since this was his first attempt.

If Old Nick had tried to cast it, even ignoring the massive mana requirements, he probably would have torn himself apart in the attempt.

[Quake Push] was a spell he wouldn't be able to teach to anyone else. At least, not to those without traits similar to his, which he doubted were very common, or to Prestige classes, who would have much better options available.

Taking in the sight of the broken floodplain, Nick had to admit that he might have underestimated the consequences of prepping the field as much as he had.

[Structural Weakness] was an insidious spell. It turned even solid stone into a crumbling wreck, and when cast over several hours on such a large area, then combined with [Quake Push]... It was a miracle he hadn't triggered an actual earthquake.

"Well, it worked, and that's all that matters."

Hopping across the broken land, Nick started the arduous process of gathering the thunderhoof corpses. Fortunately, Ogden's ring only needed a small amount of mana to activate, consuming beast after beast the moment he touched them.

I bet I could create a spell to pick things up without touching them, but now is not the right moment. My mana is dangerously low, and the spiritual shroud around me almost feels like it's going to burst. I don't want to find out what happens if I completely exhaust myself and lose contact with the ether.

Technically, it was anchored to his soul. Nothing should happen even if he wasn't actively keeping it folded within layers of reality. But when the magic of a Greater Ritual was involved, he couldn't take chances.

Every step had to be followed precisely, and he really wanted to avoid dealing with the immense amount of mana he had gathered from the herd until the last moment, when the ritual's natural flow would make it accessible.

"Huh, so I got more than one," he murmured, looking down into a sinkhole where water from a subterranean aquifer had begun to fill it.

Submerged underwater lay two enormous thunderhoofs, roughly the same size as the matriarch he had killed the day before.

These seemed to have survived the initial fall, as shown by the many scorch marks all around them, but the spiritual storm he'd unleashed afterward, along with the rapid rise of the water levels, proved to be too much.

Nick carefully lowered himself to their level, pressing his hands against the two massive bodies.

In a blink, they disappeared, and if he concentrated on the iron ring, he could faintly sense their presence there.

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Crooking his finger, he telekinetically lifted the other bodies from the deeper waters. These belonged to regular thunderhoofs, whose fall had been enough to kill them, considering the amount of blood and snapped bones he could see.

He snapped them up. While preserved bodies would likely sell for more, it was the matriarchs and alphas that would be sold for parts to turn into enchanted items. The common ones would probably end up on tables in various inns and taverns.

I was already planning to spread my sales over several months to keep prices high, but now that I think about it, this herd is by far the largest I've ever heard of. It's possible that by hunting it all down, I might have unknowingly created a shortage.

That meant overall prices would increase significantly. Likely, this wouldn't impact the sale of matriarchs, as they were already rare enough to be sold only occasionally. But for the regular thunderhoofs, it would turn what should have been a small error in his earnings into a substantial amount.

This might be good for me and Floria as well. I haven't touched the herds within our lands, and with the influx of merchants, demand was already increasing.

Of course, that meant getting thunderhoof meat at the market would be difficult for a while, at least until the next breeding season, but with the Green Ocean so close, the people of Floria never really lacked options.

Happier now that he realized he'd done something good for his community and not just himself, Nick hopped out of the sinkhole and moved on to the next pit.

There were still many corpses for him to nab.

The day was nearly over when all was said and done, and although Nick had recovered enough of his mana to potentially launch another attack, he first wanted to check on the status of the remaining thunderhoofs.

Where his initial attack on the rear only resulted in about thirty bodies, the Eastern trap had essentially wiped out the herd, killing most of the regular thunderhoofs, half of the alphas, and three matriarchs.

It was a resounding success, but about fifty common varieties, twentyish alphas, and eight full matriarchs still remained, representing the true power of the herd.

Using the cover of the night to fly high, Nick followed the messy tracks the main group had left behind.

As expected, the thunderhoofs had split, following the two paths he had laid out for them.

One group, consisting of two matriarchs, including the herd leader, and every regular thunderhoof had gone west, in the opposite direction of his attack.

Although he would have liked to eliminate the biggest monster during the ambush, he didn't feel too disappointed about his 'failure,' as it set up a final confrontation that would give the last step of the Sacred Hunt the proper gravitas.

He also wasn't too concerned about them getting anywhere. The two matriarchs had apparently decided to keep pace with the regular thunderhoofs, which meant they would still be well within his ritual's range by the time he got done with the other group.

This last herd, smaller but just as dangerous, was fleeing south, and this was the one he was currently tracking.

Made up mostly of alphas and led by six matriarchs, they were making good time, moving much faster than before Nick broke up the herd.

They still feel a bit too powerful for my liking. Six matriarchs, all between levels sixty and eighty, are no joke, and the alphas still have the numbers to overpower me.

Still, Nick didn't lose hope. It was true that, on paper, his chances were very slim, especially since the third step of the Sacred Hunt didn't allow for more deception.

He'd have to confront them directly this time to demonstrate his worth in the eyes of the Omaha elders.

But the fact was, the thunderhoofs had to go through his spiritual storm to escape. They had been successful, but he seriously doubted they had done so without taking damage.

When he finally found them, he got proof of his suspicions.

The herd had slowed considerably over the past hour, allowing him to close the gap quickly. When he touched down in a tall patch of grass, completely hidden from sight, Nick started analyzing their presence and had to hold back a chuckle.

You might have gotten away, but it wasn't without giving up a pound of flesh, was it?

Indeed, the thunderhoofs had slowed down for a reason. The matriarchs still appeared as bright stars to [Empyrean Intuition], barely dimmed by the soul-shredding winds, but the alphas were not so lucky.

They had managed to run longer than Nick expected, given their conditions; he had to give them credit for that. Thunderhoofs were stubborn creatures by nature, and their determination to survive only increased his opinion of the beasts.

But the truth was, the alphas just didn't have enough mana to endure the spiritual storm. They only got away because Nick let them. Honestly, the hardest part of the whole operation was lowering the storm's power enough for them to escape.

And I did that for this exact reason.

Being herd creatures, the matriarchs hadn't even considered abandoning the deadweights. They were their charges, and they would defend them against anything.

Considering the level of intelligence he had seen them demonstrate so far, Nick shouldn't have been surprised by the shades of familial love, protectiveness, and impotent anger the matriarchs felt.

They had gathered what was likely the largest herd of the grassland in decades, all in response to the threat from the north, and had driven it south to calmer lands, only to fall victim to a natural disaster they were simply not equipped to handle.

Nick would have liked to act now. The enemy was weak and distracted, and he was sure he could have worn them down with hit-and-run tactics.

Unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards. The Sacred Hunt had to be completed in stages, and while the first step involved subterfuge and the second preparation, the third did not.

Nick would have to face them directly and win.

Still, that didn't mean he had to go in blind. So, he settled into a deeper depression in the ground, hidden by the dense grass, and started watching them.

I feel like a documentarian. I just need an aged British voice for commentary, and I'll be ready.

Repressing the urge to snort, Nick fully opened his mind's eyes.

The matriarchs were stunning as always. Creatures of lightning, evolved to watch over their lesser kin and confront any threat the grassland might throw at them, they had enough mana to face a talented knight and come out on top through sheer stamina alone.

In fact, Nick was quite curious about how his mother would compare against them. She was starting to train again these days, as her defeat against Akari and her husband's rank-up had lit a fire under her, but she was still lower in level than the matriarchs.

But then again, so am I. Mom has been hunting thunderhoofs for decades now. She knows all their weak spots and has strategies for anything they might throw at her.

In addition, she had the Stalking Gait. That alone was probably enough to secure her the win, given that she had mastered it enough to be virtually invisible to ordinary senses.

Nick wouldn't have the advantage of stealth when he attacked, but he might still be able to use something he'd seen her do.

The matriarchs spent the rest of the night lowing worriedly and watching over the resting alphas, clearly concerned about their chances of recovery.

Nick suspected that given enough time, their natural mana production would heal the scars carved into their souls by his spiritual winds, but unfortunately for them, they wouldn't get the chance.

Looking up at the gradually brightening sky, clear of any clouds, Nick settled on a plan.

If he had to face them directly, he would. That didn't mean he had to go at it stupidly, though.

Slowly stretching his limbs to shake off the night's soreness, he smiled. Yes, I think I can do this.