But instead of attacking Kazzah, the beast turned to Nora, its beady eyes narrowing in fury at her relentless assaults.

The creature spread its four arms wide, preparing to crush her in a deadly embrace.

Seeing the towering beast loom over her, Nora panicked slightly, causing her to stumble.

Timothy, who was supposed to support her, froze in fear, his body locking up as he watched helplessly, unable to move.

Before the beast’s arms could close around her, a barrage of fireballs exploded against its face, “Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The flames licked at its bristly hide. At the same time, the ground behind its feet surged upward, throwing the creature off balance.

The beast toppled backward, its massive body crashing to the ground and nearly crushing Kazzah, who had rushed forward in a desperate attempt to reach Nora.

Relief washed over the team as they realized Nora was safe, though the tension lingered in the air.

While the team recovered from the shock, a flash of dark lightning crackled above the fallen boar.

Sokram appeared, stepping onto the beast’s chest and swinging his sword downward, aiming for its brain.

‘Killing Blade Art – Swift Wind: Rock Splitter!’

In one fluid motion, Sokram’s katana arced through the air, its blade gleaming like a streak of silver.

“Shing!”

The beast’s head split into two halves, its body shuddering violently before collapsing into the snow, lifeless.

But before the team could celebrate, Kiana was sent flying.

This time, it was Amber who caught her with a hastily conjured vine web, her fastest spell.

The surviving boar rose to its feet, enraged.

It swung its clawed left arm in a wide arc.

Sokram quickly cast two Mana Shields around Kan and Lara. But his Precognition had already shown him that he was the boar’s real target.

Just before the attack could reach him, Sokram activated another technique.

‘Killing Blade Art - Swift Wind: Leaf in the Wind.’

Like a leaf carried by the wind, he spun gracefully between the boar’s incoming arms, narrowly avoiding the deadly claws.

“Shing!”

In the same motion, he cleanly severed the two arms.

Before the boar could register the loss of its limbs, Sokram used the momentum of his maneuver to dash away, gasping for air.

The audible gasps that followed didn’t come from him alone. His entire team watched in stunned silence, their worry for him palpable.

Sokram tried to regulate his breathing, his chest heaving as he fought to recover his mana.

His head pounded from the mana depletion, a bothersome reminder of his current limits.

But as his lungs drew in the icy air, they also absorbed the ambient mana, forming a subtle vortex around him.

The energy flowed back into his body, steady and reassuring, like a river refilling its banks.

“Screech!”

The boar cried out as it finally realized the loss of its arms, stumbling and falling onto its haunches.

Seizing the opportunity, Lara, Kazzah, and Kan swiftly finished off the beast.

Soon after, the team gathered to catch their breath, but the silence was deafening.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Sokram, countless questions swirling in their minds.

It was Sokram who broke the silence first.

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“Hey, captain,” he said, his gaze locked on Kazzah. “Pay attention to your surroundings next time instead of just looking for openings, will you?”

Kazzah frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“You almost got Nora killed when you swapped targets instead of sticking to the plan and working as a team to keep the boars down.” The answer didn’t come from Sokram this time; it came from Lara.

Her voice was trembling with protective fury for her twin sister. “If Sokram hadn’t stepped in, she’d be dead because of your recklessness.”

“Not to mention,” Kan added, “you could barely damage the boar’s leg when we first attacked. Yet, you kept trying to cut it off instead of focusing on the weak spots Sokram pointed out earlier.”

Kan had used Sokram’s advice and dealt greater damage to the beast way more efficiently, and couldn’t help but point out the difference. “That was by far your worst performance during a hunt. You may have never been great at leading or strategizing, but at least you were a respectable warrior. This time, though…”

Before Kan could finish, Kazzah spat back, “Then feel free to challenge me for the position of captain. I’ll welcome you anytime since you think I’m such a shitty leader.”

Kan clicked his tongue, knowing it was useless to argue.

Kazzah would never admit his flaws. But what happened next surprised everyone.

“I might just do that,” Sokram said, standing up to face Kazzah with a chilly expression. “As soon as I gather enough contribution points for it.” He paused, his gaze unwavering. “You didn’t issue a single command, only focused on keeping yourself out of harm’s way. Even though Nora was taking the brunt of the damage, you showed no consideration for your team. So, yes, I think you’re a shitty leader, and I’ll challenge you as soon as I can.”

Kazzah was taken aback by Sokram’s determination.

His pride clashed with the wariness caused by the undeniable strength Sokram had displayed.

For a moment, he hesitated, his jaw tightening as he weighed his options.

But then he straightened, his tone firm yet clearly annoyed. “Tsk! Do whatever you want! But today, I’m still this team’s captain. You have half an hour to rest.”

Savannah immediately protested. “Kazzah, half an hour isn’t enough. We’ve spent too much mana.”

Kazzah, however, saw through her concern. “You mean him, right? Your new protégé? He’s fine. Half an hour is more than enough for dragons to refill their mana pool.”

With that, Kazzah walked off to sit under a tree, away from the team.

Timothy stood and followed, sitting beside him.

Sokram shook his head in disappointment as he watched them go.

The team rested in silence for a few minutes until Amber couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer.

“How do you do it?” she asked, her voice hesitant but filled with awe.

Sokram smiled reassuringly. “Took you long enough. You don’t need to be afraid to ask, you know?”

He patted the empty space beside him, inviting her to sit. “I know most people are stingy when it comes to sharing knowledge, but I’m not like that.”

Hearing this, the rest of the team perked up, their interest piqued.

Amber, however, hesitated. “But I can’t pay for it. Unlike most of you, I come from the slums. The hunter’s salary is barely enough to feed my family.”

Sokram nodded understandingly. “Don’t worry about it, big sis,” he said, then smirked mischievously. “There are many ways to pay me back besides gold.”

Amber blushed and froze, her mind racing at his words.

The rest of the team stared, wide-eyed, until Sokram chuckled. “Haha, you guys need to get your heads out of the gutter.”

Sokram's eyes twinkled with mischief. “I meant you could help me with research or work as my assistant. There are plenty of ways we could negotiate in exchange for sharing my magical knowledge. Don’t forget, I’m not of age, and I’m in no rush to deal with the curses.”

He leaned back, his grin widening. “Besides, I’m far too young to be thinking about those kinds of payments.”

Amber let out a relieved breath, though her embarrassment lingered.

The others also felt a bit sheepish, but Lucy saw through Sokram’s antics. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“You wound me, big sis!” Sokram exclaimed, putting on an exaggerated mock-offended face.

Then, his mischievous grin returned. “Are you saying I’m this cunning and mischievous? Well, how could I not be when you all make it so easy? Haha.”

“Y-You!” Savannah started, but Sokram cut her off. “No, you! I noticed you don’t use conventional healing magic. You’re not a priest or a healer, are you?”

Savannah was taken aback. “What? I… You noticed that? H-How?”

She had always been insecure about her class.

While she had initially been proud of awakening as a rare class, the lack of knowledge about it had been a constant struggle.

Sokram smirked knowingly. "Because I pay attention to my teammates. Your mana flow doesn’t align with clerical spells. But it reminds me of something I read about while researching runic magic."

Savannah nodded. “I’m a Forest Runic-Warden,” she explained, her voice tinged with both pride and frustration. “It's usually Nymphs that awaken with this class. As for healing, it is just a secondary part of my class, and it’s only possible because of my race’s natural talent with light magic.”

Sokram feigned surprise, though he had known about her class all along. “Really?! That’s an amazing, rare class. That means you can use Runic magic and rituals, even siphon mana from others, right?”

Savannah smiled, pleased by his reaction, but her expression quickly turned embarrassed.

“Yeah, I could… if I had any knowledge of nature runes or rituals, or even mana links.” She admitted, her voice tinged with frustration. “But the nymphs guard their secrets closely. It’s like they don’t trust anyone outside the Sacred Continent.”

Sokram shook his head disapprovingly. “Aunt Moira should have told me you were struggling with that. I could have helped you sooner. Dragons aren’t masters of Magi for no reason, you know?”

He flickered his hand, summoned a book from his Void Glove, and handed it to Savannah. “Here. You don’t have to take my word for it.”

The team was stunned to see Sokram handing over a magic book so casually.

Some even wondered if he had a soft spot for Savannah. But Amber, sitting beside him, watched with eager eyes, her curiosity growing.

Sokram wasn’t just defined by his silvery hair and eyes; he also possessed a silver tongue and a scheming mind.

He knew Savannah harbored many insecurities about her class.

And while in the previous timeline, a certain dryad nymph had later taken her as a disciple, in this timeline, he intended to help her develop her magic himself.