“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

Three arrows buried themselves into the boar’s back, but the beast barely flinched.

Amber followed up with a volley of fire bolts, but they fizzled harmlessly against the creature’s thick hide.

By then, Kiana and Timothy had rejoined the fray, their wounds healed by Savannah’s magic.

However, neither was specialized in offense, and their attacks did little more than annoy the boar.

Sokram’s mind raced.

His energy reserves were dangerously low, and every second he delayed risked exposing the Chaos Energy simmering beneath his control.

He needed an opening, and he needed it fast.

One misstep and his secret would be exposed to the entire team.

As if Fate had heard his silent plea, the boar let out an ear-piercing screech.

“Screech!”

The sound was a warning; the boar was going to charge.

Sokram gripped his aura-coated katana in his right hand and maintained a flickering Mana Shield with his left.

His energy pools were nearly drained, making it hard to use Elemental Manipulation to manipulate the terrain.

Instead, he relied on his sword art evasion technique.

‘...Swift Wind: Leaf in the Wind.’

Using the wind generated by the boar’s charge, Sokram spun gracefully, dodging the beast’s attack with precision.

He aimed for the boar’s left side once more.

“Shing!”

Though he missed the heart again, his blade bit deep into the boar’s left leg.

The cut wasn’t enough to sever the limb entirely, but it chipped the bone, causing the beast to lose balance mid-charge.

The boar tumbled, its massive body rolling across the snowy ground before coming to a stop, sprawled on its belly.

“Screech!”

The boar’s cry tore through the air, but Sokram was already moving.

His Mana Shield flickered and vanished as dark lightning crackled around him.

In an instant, he was on the boar’s back, katana raised high, the blade shimmering with a dark aura of dread and annihilation.

‘Killing Blade Art – Crushing Mountain: Pierce the World.’

Sokram exhaled sharply, his arms trembling under the sheer force he was about to unleash.

With a flicker of dark lightning crackling around him, he flipped his blade and plunged it downward with a force that sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.

The steel bit deep, bone crunched, flesh tore, and in an instant, the boar’s massive skull split apart like shattered stone.

The beast didn’t even have time to scream.

The impact sent a tremor through the snow, leaving a crater beneath its lifeless body.

Sokram let out a breath of relief before looking back at his team. He cheered. “Good job, guys! We got another one!”

His enthusiasm was infectious as most of the team gathered around to celebrate.

Only Kazzah and Timothy hung back, their expressions unreadable.

Kazzah approached the boar’s corpse, storing it in his spatial ring alongside the others.

“Good work, team. With this, the job’s done. If we leave now, we can reach town before midnight. But if you want to camp here before heading back, that’s fine too.”

Sokram raised an eyebrow. “Do we get any boar meat?”

Kazzah shook his head. “No. We might even get a discount on the payment because of the head you crushed.”

Sokram knew that was a lie, but he couldn’t figure out why. “Since when did the hunter’s hall become so stingy?”

Kazzah scratched the back of his head, suddenly looking weary. “Look, the mission was a personal commission. Someone needed boar meat for a celebration and posted the request through the hunter’s hall. That’s all I can say.”

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Savannah’s eyes narrowed as she cast a suspicious glance at Kazzah. “Wait, isn’t your family hosting nobles from Frozen River City? Was this one of your family’s urgent commissions again?”

The team’s reactions were a storm of emotions.

Savannah’s eyes narrowed in suspicion while Nora crossed her arms, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Kiana’s hands clenched into fists, and even Lucy, usually a talker, looked uneasily quiet.

They all hoped Kazzah would deny it, but he didn’t.

“What difference does it make if it was my family who posted the commission?”

Kiana was the first to snap. “So you dragged us out here, again, just to suck up to your grandpa?! Do you even remember what happened last time? Milly’s dead, Karoz lost a fucking leg, and now he’s so broken he even tried to end his own life! And you have the nerve to act like this isn’t a big deal?!”

Kazzah looked taken aback but didn’t back down. “Well, nothing bad happened this time, right? And how is any of that my fault?”

"You fucking bastard!" Kiana lunged, her sword flashing in the pale light reflected from the snow, but Kan caught her just in time, his grip iron-clad around her arms.

She thrashed violently, her eyes burning with raw fury.

“Let go of me, Kan!” she screamed, her voice breaking from sheer rage. “I’ll carve that fucking bastard into pieces and feed him to the wolves! Let me go!!”

“Hey, Kiana!! Kazzah had nothing to do with what happened to your boyfriend. He brought it on himself trying to play hero, and he still failed to save Milly,” Timothy said, stepping in to defend Kazzah.

His words earned him death glares from the entire team, especially Lucy and Savannah.

“He saved Lucy’s life while you were playing around, you ball-licker! Son of a whore!” Kiana raged, struggling against Kan’s grip as he dragged her away.

Ignoring Kiana’s outburst, Kazzah turned to Savannah with an apologetic look and explained in a pleading tone. “Savannah, look, I know this seems bad, but it was necessary. You know that, right? Even though I’m leading the succession race, I need to stay on my grandpa’s good side.”

The last fiasco had cost him two teammates, and Savannah had almost left the team to start her own.

“You never change. But don’t worry. I won’t leave the team. We need three more missions for Sokram to be able to challenge you for the position of team captain. After that, this nightmare will be over,” Savannah said, turning her back on him and walking away.

Kazzah’s lips curled into a sneer as he gestured dismissively at Sokram.

“You’re really pinning your hopes on this little lizard? Do you honestly think he can do what I’ve done? This team is where it is because of me, my strength, my decisions. Don’t forget that,” he shouted, his anger boiling over, seeing the girl he liked choosing a newcomer over him.

“That much I doubt,” Sokram said, his voice eerily calm. “You’re not a leader. You’re a liability carried by a talented team. And while they might not surpass you yet… You won’t rise any higher. Your meager talent will only take you so far.”

He watched Kazzah’s eye twitch. 'Good. Let him seethe.'

Deep down, Sokram was smiling, because this wasn’t just about winning an argument.

He had just earned Savannah’s trust, and that was worth more than any insult he could throw at Kazzah.

“Alright, that’s enough! I’ve been patient with you, lizard. I even tried showing you some respect after you proved you’re not all talk. But I won’t tolerate any more insubordination from you!” Kazzah barked, marching toward Sokram and jabbing a finger into his chest.

“Haha, insubordination? Really? You’re a pathetic puppy,” Sokram replied, his smirk never wavering.

That was the final straw for Kazzah. “You son of a whore!” he roared, swinging his fist at Sokram’s face.

But Sokram dodged effortlessly, and in the next moment, the sharp edge of his katana rested against Kazzah’s throat.

“I’m not the one, pup. Bark all you want, curse, bitch about it. I don’t care. But if you come at me again, you'd better be prepared to die,” Sokram's eyes glinting with chilling killing intent.

He stepped back and sheathed his sword, but his gaze never left Kazzah.

“The truth is, I didn’t like you from the moment I laid eyes on you."

The air grew heavy as Sokram’s killing intent seeped into the surroundings, a suffocating pressure that made even the seasoned hunters tense.

"But after this hunt? I began despising you. I’m disgusted by people like you, little bitches who use others for their own gain and can’t even show gratitude or reciprocation. You’re just trash,” Sokram's voice dripping with pure disgust.

Kazzah looked around at his team, surprised to see Nora and Lara with their weapons drawn, staring down at Timothy to keep him from intervening.

Even Lucy had an arrow nocked and ready.

“Haha, you all amaze me. All it took was someone with a bit of talent and a silver tongue to show up, promising to be the team captain, and you all turned your backs on me. If it weren’t for Tim here, I’d wonder if loyalty even exists in this team,” Kazzah shook his head, playing the victim.

“Let’s go, Tim. They can find their way back on their own,” Kazzah said, mounting his wolf and riding off without a backward glance as Timothy followed obediently.

As Sokram rejoined the team, he found Kiana still fuming. “Look, the coward’s running away! Fuck! Why did you stop me?!”

Kan lost his temper momentarily. “Calm down, Kiana! I’m doing this for your sake! You know we can’t afford another fight with the Silverfangs!”

Then he noticed Sokram and looked ashamed. “Look, Sokram, I know it’s not a good look. I’m in the same Tier as Kazzah, but…”

Sokram raised a hand to stop him. “I understand. Your family must have their own circumstances. That much is clear to me, and I believe to everyone else, too. No one blames you.”

Sokram then surveyed the team, assessing their condition. “Well, it seems our payment will be meager this time. But I wonder, are you all satisfied with that?”

Nora crossed her arms, frowning. “Of course not. But what can we do? He’s the one choosing the missions.”

The rest of the team nodded in agreement, but Sokram grinned. “Look, it doesn’t have to be that way. We’re already out here, and these snowy plains are full of boars. I didn’t see any signs of other hunters, which means we have the perfect opportunity. If we play this right, we can double, maybe even triple our earnings...”

He scratched the side of his face, letting his words hang in the air as he waited for the team to catch on.

Savannah, as vice-captain, stepped forward. “Are you saying we should hunt more? If Tim had stayed, I’d agree, but…”

She paused, remembering how Sokram had tanked the last boar. “Even if you can be a shield, we’re down two members, and everyone’s exhausted. I don’t want to risk another disaster like last time.”

Sokram shook his head, his smirk unwavering. “I disagree. We won’t need more than Kiana if we use the strategy I have in mind.”

Savannah hesitated, searching Sokram’s face for any sign of uncertainty, but there was none.

Just quiet confidence, like he had already planned out every possible outcome.

“…Alright, then. What does our future captain suggest?” she asked, voice laced with challenge. “We’re down two members, half-exhausted, and outnumbered by the wild. So tell me, how exactly are you planning to turn this around?”