"Master-buzu!"

Elena suddenly ran towards Lawrend just as they were leaving the camp.

"Elena, you can't come with us."

Lawrend said to her. It would be bad if Elena gets killed. She's just a little girl, after all.

"Buzu! I want to come with Master."

Elena insisted to Lawrend. Lawrend looked at everyone awkwardly, asking for help.

"Isn't it okay? She's a monster anyway. She needs first-hand practice to get strong."

Olgar responded to Lawrend.

"But Mr. Olgar, she's just a little girl!"

Lawrend shook his head. He was against the idea of letting a little girl hunt with them.

"No, she's not. She's a monster in the body of a little girl."

Olgar shook his head. Even if Elena looks like a little girl right now. She was still a slime. That's proven by her ability to turn her hand into a slime tentacle.

"What do you mean?"

Lawrend looked at Olgar in disbelief. He didn't expect that the Olgar he respected would be so mean towards Elena.

"I mean what I said. If you want her to grow, then let her come with us. Otherwise, she will just turn into a domesticated monster for you to play with. She won't grow strong."

Olgar replied to him, steadfast. He was entirely serious about his words.

"Grow? She will? But isn't there an appropriate age for that?"

Lawrend looked towards Elena. He doesn't see the strength that Olgar was talking about.

"Master, I'm hungry too-buzu."

Elena said to him as she held his hands.

"Then, wait for us here, okay?"

Lawrend said to her with a smile. He wants to protect her. Any danger for this little girl is off the table.

"Master… I want to drink monster blood-buzu."

Elena's eyes shone sharply when she spoke. Lawrend was taken aback by her words. The Elena that he wanted to protect wants to drink monster blood.

"Like I told you, Lawrend. She's still a monster. I understand your feelings of wanting to protect this little girl, but she's strong enough to protect herself from danger. She's not like a useless little girl."

Olgar said to Lawrend with annoyance. When Ella heard Olgar's words, she felt like he was talking about her. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her hands, downcast.

"Ah… I'm sorry. I got too heated."

Olgar immediately realized his mistake.

"Alright. Mr. Olgar is right."

Lawrend nodded his head and forced a smile on his face.

"Looks like I got too impatient…"

Olgar murmured as he left the camp together with Lawrend and Elena in tow.

"Mr. Olgar, I'm sorry."

Lawrend bowed his head.

"I was so protective of Elena that I forgot that she could protect herself."

Lawrend said to Olgar.

"It's good to be protective, but you shouldn't hold the person back while doing it."

Olgar replied to Lawrend.

"Yes, I understand."

Lawrend raised his head and replied.

"Alright, let's go!"

Olgar said to the two of them with energy.

"Yes."

"Buzu!"

Lawrend and Elena nodded their heads and followed him.

...

It was dark, and the thing that lit up their way inside the forest was the bits of moonlight that barely passes through the trees.

"Shh!"

Olgar shushed them. He peered his ears to their right.

A few seconds later, that part of the forest rustled.

"+Blade Wind+!"

Olgar suddenly casts a spell. It flew from his hand and attacked whatever creature that was making the sound.

"Approach it carefully."

Olgar said to them. He led the way slowly as they approached that part of the forest.

"It's a rat."

Lawrend looked at the bisected rat in front of them. Its blood spilled across the ground.

"Food-buzu!"

Elena cried out. She crouched down, and her hand turned into a slime tentacle before it sucked up the blood on the ground.

"Delicious-buzu!"

Elena stood up as she exclaimed.

"..."

Lawrend had no words for her. Olgar was actually correct. He glanced at Olgar, and the latter gave him a smirk.

"Anyway, let's continue deeper. Unless you want to eat rat meat."

Olgar urged them forward. Lawrend and Elena followed him.

They cut through the forest, and Olgar marked the trees on their way as a form of a landmark. If he didn't do this, they would become lost on their way back.

SWOOSH

A long shadow suddenly appeared in front of Lawrend. It was a snake with its fangs bared out!

"+Blade Wind+!"

Olgar cast a spell, and the snake was bisected powerlessly. It fell in front of Lawrend with its blood splattered around.

"Focus! If you can't attack, dodge!"

Olgar taught Lawrend. This repeated several times with different kinds of attacks. In the end, this hunt turned into a teaching lesson. As for Elena, she had been drinking the blood of the monsters.

"We found our prized food."

Olgar suddenly said to them. Lawrend was panting heavily right beside him.

A wolf was sleeping on the ground. It had an unusual brown fur to blend with its surroundings.

"What kind of a wolf is that?"

Lawrend asked Olgar.

"That's a Forest Wolf. It's only as strong as a Beginner Mage."

Olgar explained to him.

"Lawrend, how far is the range of your Beginner Magic Spell?"

Olgar turned and asked Lawrend.

"5 meters."

Lawrend replied candidly.

"That's more than enough."

Olgar smiled hearing Lawrend's words. They approached the Forest Wolf slowly, and when it was at the distance that Lawrend could attack it, Lawrend started to chant.

"|Shock Arc|!"

An arc of electricity connected Lawrend and the Forest Wolf in an instant. This was Lawrend's first time casting it again after increasing his mana reserves.

BOOM!

The shock arc spell pulverized the skull of the Forest Wolf. Its blood and brain matter spread to the surroundings.

Olgar ran to the wolf and lifted it onto his shoulder.

"Let's go!"

Olgar ran. Lawrend and Elena followed him, confused.

"Don't look back! There's surely a pack in the surrounding area!"

Olgar said to them, but just as they were running, another Forest Wolf appeared in their path. It eyed them coldly.

"AWOOOOOO!!!"

The Forest Wolf howled seeing that its brethren were dead on Olgar's shoulder.