"What kind of bounty are we looking for?" Taria asked, scanning the bounty hunter's board with focused eyes. She was searching for something reasonable, something low-level that wouldn't get them killed.
That won't get her killed.
Most of the bounties required venturing deep into the mountains or exploring the islands beyond the city, places where monsters roamed freely, hunting both each other and any foolish humans who dared cross into their territory.
"Something easy for you to handle," Kaedros replied, arms crossed.
They could hunt in the wilderness, sure, but it would be a challenge for Taria. And if Kaedros showed too much power, someone might start questioning how a rank one mage could do what he did.
"Here! There's still an open investigation about those Scabbera we killed," Taria said, eyes lighting up as she pointed at a notice. "They want bounty hunters to trace the nest and destroy it."
Kaedros raised a brow. She sounded a little too excited, was she still riding the high from her recent break through?
Her enthusiasm dimmed as she read further. "Oh… they're asking for at least stage five rank one and above."
Kaedros's eyes gleamed. "We should take it."
Taria spun toward him, eyes wide. "What?! Did you not hear the part about needing at least stage five of rank one?!"
He snorted. "So? We already killed some of them. There can't be only few of them left."
Taria stared at him. She should've known.
It hadn't even been that long since they met, and already she understood one thing clearly—Kaedros had a talent for reckless, borderline suicidal ideas.
"We could just pick something reasonable," she insisted, pointing to another slip. "Something for low rank one. Something we can do inside the city."
But Kaedros wasn't going to waste time babysitting bounties in the city.
"I'm not sitting around in this city doing menial work," he said firmly. "We need to advance. Monsters are the key."
Taria groaned. "Are you sure it's just a few Scabbers? Not a whole nest?"
"At most, yes."
He didn't say what he was actually thinking, that Scabbers bred like insects and for all he knew, they could walk into a swarm.
Taria sighed, then patted the spear strapped to her back. "Alright. Let's do it. I'm curious to see what this thing can really do."
☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆
The vineyard just as they left it, except the corpses were gone. In their place, bones were scattered around the clearing, picked clean.
"Looks like something else took care of the cleanup," Taria muttered, covering her nose against the stench. The air still reeked of blood and rot.
Kaedros approached the area casually, he had gotten used to blocking smells that he didn't like.
"I forgot to ask, why didn't we bring the Scabbers bodies back with us last time?" Taria asked, frowning.
"These are low, level monsters. Barely any mana in their flesh. Not worth it." Kaedros grimaced. "They make terrible meat, too."
"Meat?" Taria blinked. "People… eat monster meat?"
"Of course. In places like Solmere monsters with strong mana cores are delicacies. Some of them help build muscle or even boost your cultivating."
Taria tilted her head, intrigued. "So… why not take the Scabber then? They still provide little meat mana right?"
Kaedros gave her a disgusted look. "Because Scabbers are trash. Diseased, weak, and useless. If you want meat that doesn't make you vomit, we'll have to venture deeper into the wilderness."
Taria raised a brow. "You really hate them, don't you?"
"They're the lowest of the low. No value except for spreading filth and multiplying. High-level monsters are different. Their parts can be used for weapons, potions… even holy offerings."
Kaedros stepped closer to the shed wall and began sniffing the air.
Taria stared. "What… are you doing?"
"Tracking."
She followed, puzzled. "By smell?"
"Yes. My technique give me heightened senses." Technically true, his Draconic blood granted him far more than any normal tracking ability.
He caught a lingering trail, something faint but familiar, the unmistakable smell of Scabber. That scent would lead to the nest.
"Some monsters' meat, blood, and cores are taken by the Celestial Order," he said offhandedly. "Merchants buy the rest. It's a big industry."
Taria blinked. She hadn't thought about it before, but it made sense. Monster hunting wasn't just about survival, it was a business as well. A big one.
Kaedros moved along the vineyard edge, nose twitching, eyes sharp.
"You're really sniffing out their trail…" Taria muttered, jogging to keep up.
"You should pay attention," he said. "This is how we find the nest."
"I just didn't know techniques like that existed," she said, admiring the way he moved, focused and smoothly precise. "You look like a bloodhound."
Kaedros gave her a smirk. "Better."
They moved out into the wild, following a faint trail deeper into the trees. The forest was dense, shadows thick between the tall trunks, every rustle and whisper putting Taria on edge.
Suddenly, Kaedros halted.
Taria almost walked into him. "What now—"
Her voice died.
Her jaw dropped as she saw what he was staring at.