Starting with the goblin extermination

Shadow Leopard.

A dangerous monster that exists only in the depths of the Ash Forest.

It is named for its extremely high speed and its phantom-like appearance.

What's most striking is its black and white skin, which allows it to conceal itself in the forest and is a top-quality material for crafting magical equipment.

The black pads on the soles of its feet allow it to remain silent even when stepping on dead branches.

Its long, curved claws on its forelimbs are as sharp as a fine dagger, allowing it to easily tear through sturdy leather and bones.

Even for professionals, this is one of the monsters they least want to encounter deep in the forest.

Because the shadow leopard is a cunning creature. Compared to ordinary wild animals, they are significantly more intelligent, which helps them complete hunt after hunt, filling their bellies with flesh and blood.

In most cases, they will use their special skin and silent paw pads to quietly approach their prey, and then wait quietly until the time is right before launching an attack.

So once you see it, it's time to face its claws.

Its assassin-like hunting habits and terrifying speed have caused countless unfortunate adventurers to perish under its sharp fangs.

Unless you can detect their existence in advance, you will only be able to discover them by paying a bloody price.

This is the Shadow Leopard.

Challenge the deep-level monsters with a challenge level of 1.

Just like the dire wolf, another kind of monster Logan encountered in the forest.

In the blink of an eye, a five-person adventurer team was reduced to only two.

Its challenge level is also level one.

Logan, who learned the [Wolf Assault] combat skill from the Dire Wolves, knew that the Dire Wolves' Level 1 Challenge rating might have a certain component due to the [Wolf Assault] combat skill.

But the shadow leopard before them.

It possesses no combat skills and there is no faint light indicating the release of combat skills.

He became a first-class monster through sheer physical strength.

boom--

A piercing sound suddenly rang out!

A wave of killing intent washed over him, accompanied by a massive black shadow. Two sharp claws tore through the air and slammed down on Logan.

Blood droplets scattered in the darkness, the iron rings on his shoulder were torn off, and then a long wound was exposed to the air.

At that moment, an intense pain, one that I hadn't felt in a long time, surged from my shoulder throughout my entire body.

That was close.

The enhanced dynamic vision brought by "Hunter's Instinct" and the rapid change of direction of [Wolf Attack] meant that the sharp claws that were supposed to tear open the heart only grazed the shoulder.

Their figures intertwined.

Logan braked abruptly, his feet gripping the ground so tightly they left thick marks in the dirt, and turned around, sword in hand.

He felt the wound on his shoulder.

Blood was flowing from his left shoulder, accompanied by a tingling pain. The ring armor slowed its attack but did not affect his sword swings.

Immediately afterwards, his nerves became even more excited, and Logan could feel his tense muscles beating with his heartbeat.

Anger burned within him, and his reactions became even faster.

If it hadn't been for its "hunter's instinct" that spotted it early, this attack would have severed its own neck from behind.

Pure physical strength can actually achieve this speed.

The Shadow Leopard is not a monster that should appear in the outer areas.

The shadow leopard, having failed in its attack, did not continue its pursuit after passing Logan.

It crouched low, crawling slowly ahead, observing its prey, intending to seize the best opportunity for its next attack.

A muffled explosion came from the camp behind them.

Logan looked ahead.

Another, slightly smaller shadow leopard appeared on the other side of the camp, and Ellis held it firmly in place.

"You damned beast! Get the hell out of here!"

Blood was streaming down Ellis's body, and he instinctively threw another punch!

The sound of a punch pierced the night sky, and the heavy punch, emitting a faint yellow light, slammed heavily towards the Shadow Leopard's face.

Extreme speed is the Shadow Leopard's greatest characteristic.

Ellis is clearly not known for his speed.

Therefore, in response to Iris's fierce attack, the Shadow Leopard merely twisted its body slightly.

The harsh wind pressure swept across the shadow leopard's face.

Immediately afterwards—

hiss.

The feeling of not hitting the target.

Unlike the level 1 monsters like the Ironclad Turtle that Ellis had killed in the past, the Shadow Leopard, a speed-type monster, was the type she hated the most.

The chainmail emitted a crisp, metallic clang.

Spots of blood trickled from beneath Elis's armor.

Thanks to the effects of the armor and the combat technique [Qi Force], it was only a minor injury.

But I can't touch it myself.

Sylvie's bow and arrows were no good either.

Whoosh whoosh!

Three arrows glowing with a faint green light shot at the Shadow Leopard from different angles in the air, but it nimbly dodged them all.

The arrow stuck in the ground, making Sylvie purse her lips.

Kosca and Quintas huddled in the back, Quintas even screaming, which annoyed Ellis.

"Shut the fuck up! If you yell again, I'll strangle you!"

Ellis cursed, this was no time to play the lady.

It's foreseeable that, having to protect the two defenseless people behind him while also facing this lightning-fast guy in front of him, he doesn't know how many more wounds he'll end up with.

It's only a matter of time before they are worn down to death.

Damn it! What kind of luck is this?!

The wanderer named Elsa had long since disappeared.

As for Logan... dealing with just one Shadow Leopard is already deadly enough for us, and that kid is now facing a much larger one all by himself.

"Elise!"

Logan's roar came from not far away.

How could the shadowy leopard in front of them give them a chance to talk?

The black and white figure darted and weaved once more, charging straight towards Iris.

"what?!"

She was met with the shadow leopard's sharp claws, which slapped at her neck with a foul stench.

The iron-hard fists held off the sharp claws, leaving several bloody marks and causing waves of stinging pain.

Sylvie's keen senses as a ranger allowed her to seize this fleeting moment.

[Powerful Shot]

The arrows, already prepared, hurtled straight to his side with a whoosh.

Ellis felt a lightness in his fists.

The shadow leopard twisted its body swiftly, and the arrow grazed its back, leaving a faint bloody gash.

"Protect those two useless guys behind us! Just hold them off! I'll take care of this one first!"

"Will it work?!"

Drops of blood dripped from the armor onto the ground. Iris clenched her fists, staring intently at the shadow leopard before her.

A gray-white figure flashed before her eyes.

Her heart was pounding.

Can a newly hired adventurer handle a shadow leopard...?

Few level-one professionals can do that, yet he dares to make such a boast.

But for some reason, the thought of Logan's cold eyes and the overwhelming aura he exuded that far surpassed that of ordinary professionals ignited the wild, unyielding spirit within Ellis.

Damn it! I'm definitely going to beat him to it and smash that beast's head in!

"Don't fucking talk big! I'm not dead yet, who are you to play the hero for?!"

With a loud shout, a heavy, solid phantom appeared behind Iris.

She silently called upon the name of God in her heart.

......

Logan heard Ellis's roar.

He sensed Elsa in the shadows.

He shook his head, and Elsa disappeared from the shadows.

Before me, a pair of dim, yellowish eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.

With graceful, lithe limbs, it once again charged straight toward Logan, accompanied by a fierce gale.

Logan did not dodge.

He simply held up his longsword.

His blood boiled wildly, and as blood continued to flow, the bloodlust hidden deep in his heart was finally unleashed.

Wild Hunt!

boom--!

A suffocating sense of oppression exploded outwards from Logan!

The air became as thick as blood.

Logan's wild blond hair was being visibly stained dark red by the invisible blood energy.

The shadow leopard, still in mid-air, suddenly contracted its pupils.

It was as if a pair of huge hands had gripped its throat tightly. Its body suddenly stopped, crashed to the ground, and its limbs trembled violently.

It's as if it's the prey.