The Monster Hunting Legion's First Group Hunt

The stream is crystal clear and sparkling.

The banks of the river are lush and green, with trees sprouting new leaves that block out the bright sunlight and sway in the wind.

The scenery is beautiful, it's just a pity...

"Clatter—clatter—"

A cacophony of terrifying roars erupted haphazardly.

A group of grotesquely blue monsters frolicked in the shade of the trees on the riverbank.

It's like a piece of exquisite oil painting, smeared with filthy mud and other pollutants by someone who is jealous of it.

It completely ruined the harmony and beauty of the scenery.

until...

"Rustle--"

The bushes and grass shook violently.

A tall and imposing figure, accompanied by a swift silver bolt of lightning, suddenly burst forth from the trees on the shore.

"Croak?"

Hearing the noise, the monster immediately stopped playing and looked in the direction of the sound.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to see anything clearly.

The silvery lightning was already within reach.

His bloodshot, bulging, dead fish eyes widened abruptly at the sudden, chilling murderous aura emanating from him.

In the blink of an eye.

"Pfft~"

"Pfft~"

The sound of steel cutting through flesh echoed in my ears.

Almost all the blue monsters by the stream saw the world turn upside down and their vision began to spin.

Immediately following, with a series of "thump" sounds as they fell to the ground, deathly darkness descended.

"Clang~"

The silver sword was sheathed.

The blue, now stained black with blood and unable to move, looks much better than before.

"Gurgle~"

A series of swallowing sounds rang out from the bushes on the bank.

A witcher apprentice standing on the bush highlands stared wide-eyed, his eyes filled with clear astonishment.

He looked at the much more mature young witcher beside him and asked in surprise:

"Eh... Brother Ernie, didn't Master Aristo say that 'if monsters are really weak, they'll be happy if they're in groups'?"

"Under the captain's sword, can't even the 12, 4, 6... 18 water ghosts find happiness?"

"I feel like they died without ever seeing anyone," another apprentice added, equally astonished.

"I think so too..."

"Me too..."

"Forget about water ghosts, I stared wide-eyed and all I saw was a black shadow, a flash of silver. In the blink of an eye. Whoosh! Just one sound, and then they were all dead, all of them dead..."

In the second row of the crowd, an apprentice with dark, slightly cloudy pupils was gesturing wildly and making onomatopoeic sounds with his mouth opening and closing, like a mischievous little monkey.

"What's so surprising? That's the captain!" Ernie raised his head and glanced sideways at the young junior behind him. "Besides, last week, the captain even defeated Master Aristo."

"A dozen or so water ghosts? That's nothing, what's so surprising?"

Ernie spoke dismissively, but the emotion conveyed by his bright, round Cat Eyes was clearly not as matter-of-fact as he made it out to be.

"How can that be the same?" an apprentice muttered. "We didn't see anything last week. They were so fast, and there was all sorts of smoke. It didn't even last long before Master Aristo and Master Vesemir were locked in a fight and slammed against the wall..."

Yes! Yes!

"At least this time we saw sword light and blood..."

"I saw the commander draw his sword!"

"They drew their swords last week too..."

"It's different... it's different..."

The surrounding apprentices chimed in with their own opinions, clearly dissatisfied with the dull and tedious duel the day before.

In fact, the fight that just happened was instigated by these apprentices.

Otherwise, why would a Witcher Master Ailin come here to bully a water ghost?

The apprentices' cacophony of rejections seemed to have made Ernie lose face.

He turned around and glared at him:

"What 'commander'? Is that a title you can use now?"

"Now that the excitement is over, go back and practice your swordsmanship and hand seals. Even Master Aristo said you are the worst group of witcher apprentices he has ever taught!"

The apprentices, upon hearing this, were not afraid of him. After exchanging glances, they all stuck out their tongues and made faces.

Then, laughing and joking, he ran to the blood-soaked stream to help gather materials, which made Ernie stomp her feet in anger.

If Ailin hadn't been walking over, he probably would have already started cursing.

Klar and the others, who were also among the first members of the Monster Hunting Legion, crossed their arms and casually leaned against the tree trunks, laughing and watching the spectacle.

Obviously.

This is not the first time this has happened.

"Bite."

[Slay the "Water Ghost" Monster Horde!]

[Reward Settlement:...]

With a thought forming in his mind, blocking out the clanging and banging of mechanical sounds, Ailin smiled and encouraged the apprentice who was processing the water ghost materials, then walked to the shore and asked:

"What are you talking about that makes you so happy?"

"They were talking about how Ernie is getting along so well with the apprentices, Commander," Klar said with a smile.

"Yes, yes," the other witchers laughed.

Ernie frowned, ignored them, and came forward. "Commander, your strength is getting stronger and stronger. Before we came down the mountain, we could at least see your sword style."

"It's only been half a year, and I'm finding it hard to even see your progress."

"Commander, how did you cultivate? Is it really that effective after just one trip down the mountain?"

As he spoke, Ernie's face was full of longing.

The other members of the Monster Hunting Legion also pricked up their ears and gradually stood up straight.

"The rapid increase in strength is indeed related to going down the mountain," Ailin nodded with a smile, "After all, I encountered so many troublesome monsters."

Seeing the longing in everyone's eyes, Ailin paused for a moment and then said:

"Don't worry, we'll come down the mountain once this group of apprentices passes the Trial of the Mountains."

"Really?" The members immediately became excited.

They're tired of Kaer Morhen. All they do every day is practice swordsmanship and hand signs, and take care of the children... Oh, and the guards are so bored they're practically rusting.

If it weren't for the hot-tempered Aristo watching over things, he would have dislocated several more of his restless legs.

The Ancient Sea Fortress is deserted.

"Of course..." Ailin nodded seriously.

Even the young demon hunters who prided themselves on their maturity in front of their apprentices couldn't help but cheer, causing the apprentices who were dealing with the brain, tongue, and heart in the pool of blood to stop what they were doing and turn to look at them.

"Focus your attention, don't get distracted!" Ernie shouted. "When we get back, Master Aristo will be inspecting... Fiat, I'm talking about you. Are you trying to wash rags and wipe longswords again?"

The apprentices immediately made faces and continued processing the food.

One of the closest blond apprentices even stuck his tongue out at Ernie.

"You brat!" Ernie muttered under his breath.

At this moment, Klar chuckled twice, then frowned slightly as if she had thought of something, which was noticed by Ernie, who happened to turn around.

"What's wrong?" Ernie asked.

"It's nothing..." Klar shook his head helplessly, hesitated for two seconds, glanced at Ailin subtly but clearly, sighed, and said:

"It would be difficult to wait for all these apprentices to pass the Trial of the Mountains... no... even to be permitted by Master Aristo to participate in the trials..."

"It's already the blooming moon, and we might not even make it to the autumnal equinox..."

Ailin remained silent.

Since returning to Kaer Morhen a week ago, aside from practicing the Way of the Roar, he has spent almost all his time with the Witcher Company.

Legion Name: Pact of the Wolves

[Rank: Third Rank]

[Members: 10/15]

[Loyalty: Huus 100 (Die-hard), Bont 100 (Die-hard), Fred 100 (Die-hard), Ernie 100 (Die-hard), Klar 98...]

[Skills: Loot Lock Transfer LV1, Resonance LV2]

The results of these seven days of hard work are also remarkable.

The loyalty of the members was further solidified by Vesemir's recounting of his legendary journey in the castle hall and his glorious victory in the duel with Aristo.

And now, another die-hard loyalist with maxed-out loyalty has emerged – Ernie.

The loyalty scores of the other six members were also generally above 95.

It's estimated that once we go down the mountain together and experience a few battles and fights, we should be able to improve quickly.

Retract the panel.

With the demon hunters' almost explicit gazes fixed on Ailin, he naturally understood what Klar meant.

The mortality rate from the White Gull Potion dropped to zero, but the large number of apprentices who passed the trials did not all bring benefits.

Although the mortality rate was high among the group of Erin, Hughes, Bont, and Fred, the Wolf School members were all very skilled with two-handed swords.

Ernie and Klar's group, while slightly less skilled, still met the required standard. To put it in terms of the Witcher's Handbook, their School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword had reached LV1, or were just a little short.

But the next two or three batches were just average.

Although Ailin did not include them in the team, he could not see their skill proficiency.

But when you practice every day, you can tell at a glance whether someone is good or bad...

They are still far from it.

Some individuals with less talent may not even qualify by this time next year.

This is why, despite the successive crises and increasing dangers that followed, Ailin did not rush to recruit new members for the Monster Hunting Legion, maintaining a standard of ten members.

He can use Demon Hunter Points to upgrade his members' skill levels, but only if the skill is displayed on the member's panel.

Moreover, no matter how the Trial of the Mountains change, the School of the Wolf masters will not allow an apprentice who is not even qualified for the most basic two-handed sword to participate in the trials.

So what Klar said is actually true. If we wait until all the apprentices pass the Trial of the Mountains, the demon hunters who have spent the winter here may all return, and it might be too late.

but...

Doesn't Ailin know?

Of course he knew it; he did it on purpose.

Otherwise, with so many days left, how could they urge the apprentices to diligently instruct them in swordsmanship?

Swordsmanship differs from spells and basic potion-making; it is crucial to engage in real combat and learn from intense battles to refine and improve one's skills.

These past few days, when I practiced with the apprentices every morning, they were all very perfunctory.

therefore.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ailin lowered his head without making a sound, seemingly thinking seriously and "carefully considering" it.

"At least half..." He looked up at the backbone of the Witcher Company, "As long as half of them are recognized by Master Aristo and pass the Trial of the Mountains, we will set off."

really.

As soon as Ailin finished speaking, the demon hunters exchanged glances, then nodded vigorously with renewed fighting spirit, and their gazes toward the apprentices by the stream immediately changed.

"Okay, Commander, just watch and see, we'll be down the mountain in three months, no, two months!"

Ailin nodded slightly.

Before long, a group of apprentices, having gathered up the blood-soaked monster materials and carrying bulging Material Bag, came running over excitedly.

After praising the skillful technique he had just witnessed, Ailin said to Ernie and the others:

"That's all for today. You may take your apprentices back to the castle."

Ernie nodded, then suddenly realized something was wrong:

"Isn't the commander coming with us?"

"No," Ailin shook his head, "I have to go to the Circle of Elements."

The demon hunters understood, nodded in farewell, and left with their chattering, curious apprentices.

soon.

The hustle and bustle along the stream subsided, and tranquility returned.

However, Ailin did not leave immediately. Instead, he frowned and looked at the corpse lying in a small pool of blood for a long time.

"These water ghosts... aren't they a little stronger than those of the Sprout Moon..." he murmured.

Although he had just killed nearly twenty water ghosts with great speed and effort, there was no unique change from Wolf Emblem's perspective.

But the Witcher who killed hundreds or even thousands of water ghosts in Ban Ade after the Apprentice Combat Tournament could sense it...

The water ghosts of Kaer Morhen seem to have changed in the past few months.

"Could it be because of that Planetary Alignment?"

Thinking of Meritellie's theory in the divine realm that the Conjunction of the Spheres activated magical power, Ailin speculated.

"If that's the case, even the water ghosts of Kaer Morhen have been affected. Who knows how many changes have occurred to the monsters near Ban Ade..."

Because we still have too little information, the changes in the water ghost are not yet obvious and have little impact.

The Witcher only pondered the change briefly before keeping it in mind for the time being.

He glanced one last time at the stream bank, stained brown with the stench of monster blood, then turned and walked toward the Circle of Elements.

I've been back for so long, and I've been busy cultivating the Path of the Beast Roar and Witcher Company. I haven't had a chance to visit the Big Stone, the Broken Stone, and the Little Stone yet.

"Mountain Stone has been with Lady Vesemir for two or three months now, and I don't know how they are getting along."

"In addition..."

With a thought, Ailin brought up the Witcher's Handbook.

[Ding! Quest: Summon I (Collect 18/20 Rock Troll Blood)]

I checked the reagent bag again.

Hidden deep within the crystal bottle was a thin layer of scarlet blood.

"I wonder what kind of monster will be teleported by the summoning mission reward, the Conjunction of the Spheres - Troll, which is different from the hunting mission."

"If only we could teleport over a large number of Rock Troll that are easy to communicate with, like Big Stone, Broken Stone, and Little Stone."

"The Witcher Company is gradually getting back on track, plus a large number of Rock Troll with high defense and strong attack..."

"Tsk tsk~"

"Anyone who dares to launch a direct attack on Kaer Morhen will die!"

Filled with anticipation for the new Conjunction of the Spheres, the Witcher thought for a moment and decided to first go to the Rock Troll camp under the Circle of Elements to greet Big Stone and the others.

The Conjunction of the Spheres will cause quite a stir; let's be careful not to cause any misunderstandings.