Two more? Thunder turned his head, exchanging a helpless glance with Sisi. The invincible little beauty was glaring angrily at the petite woman across from her, muttering something under her breath. Thunder guessed it wasn't anything nice.
Four people: one high-level mage, an agile thief, and two burly close-combat fighters. Compared to the Thunder-class group, this lineup seemed much more balanced—and far stronger.
These guys must be part of a mercenary group, here to explore the Brenton Forest.
"How did the griffin die?" The burly man holding the battle axe had his upper body bare, showing off his chiseled muscles. A scar ran from his eyebrow to the corner of his mouth, making him look ferocious. He glanced around, then rushed over to the griffin's corpse, crouching down to inspect it. "Damn, impressive."
Maria frowned. She didn't like the looks on their faces, especially the triangular-eyed man and the female thief. The guy kept leering greedily at her and Sisi, while the petite woman occasionally flashed murderous intent in her eyes.
Finally, the senior mage walked up to them, glanced at Thunder and his group, and asked his companions, "Did they kill the griffin?"
"They say so," the petite woman giggled.
"I don't think so," Yellow Snake Brother said with a smile. "We've been chasing this griffin for a while. How could they possibly have killed it in such a short time with their skills? The only possibility is that they stumbled upon someone else's kill."
"The griffin was definitely killed by us," Maria said, trying to suppress her anger. "If you need anything from its body, we can trade for it—gold coins or something else."
Idiot! Thunder clicked his tongue. She really was inexperienced. Looking at their expressions, it was obvious these people weren't about to pull out any gold. Besides, a griffin's magic crystal could fetch at least 200,000 gold coins on the market—a sum large enough to drive anyone mad.
"It must've been them." To everyone's surprise, the senior mage spoke up, his tone calm as he analyzed the area. "Hmm, the elemental fluctuations are chaotic—earth, fire, ice, and lightning—all caused by high-level spells." He looked up at Maria. "Either this woman is a dual-element high-level mage, or they've got a lot of high-level scrolls."
The mage considered Maria dual-element because he knew how hard it was to master magic. At her age, even a prodigy couldn't wield three elements simultaneously. The only explanation was that they had powerful scrolls.
Everyone's attention shifted entirely to Maria. As for Thunder and the students, their combat abilities were completely dismissed.
Yellow Snake Brother and the petite woman frowned slightly, but Maria sighed in relief.
At least they're somewhat reasonable.
"But it doesn't matter," the mage added lightly, flipping his robe casually. He pulled out an elegant-looking staff. "They killed the griffin, so they must've used up most of their strength. This woman here looks like she's suffering from magic backlash—she's no threat now. And as for those three students… pfft, two novice mages and a magic apprentice? What kind of threat could they pose? Just cut them down!"
The mage said this nonchalantly, without a shred of pity.
Maria's face turned pale. Who were these people? Were they serious? Sisi and Eric still hadn't processed what was happening—they thought they'd misheard.
Only Thunder's eyes briefly flickered with cold resolve.
Killing wasn't unusual. Thunder didn't think they were joking. In front of the lure of the griffin's corpse, morality and shame meant nothing.
"Haha!" Yellow Snake Brother laughed, pointing his greatsword at Maria. "Lady, running into our Silver Snake Mercenary Group is bad luck for you. With your looks, killing you right away would be a waste. Don't worry—I won't let you die just yet. You and that cute girl beside you will keep me entertained for days before I finish you off."
Maria bit her lip, her heart sinking. Why was her luck so terrible today? First, the griffin, and now this? After being hit by magic backlash, even if she could force herself to use magic, she wouldn't last long. Sisi and Eric, two novice mages, were no match for these people. Glancing at Thunder, Maria placed all her hopes on her miracle-working student.
But to her disappointment, Thunder was sweating profusely, trembling visibly, his head bowed as if terrified.
"You wouldn't dare!" Sisi shouted, clutching Thunder's shirt. "You're mercenaries! People will find out!"
"Little girl," the petite woman twirled a dagger in her hand, smirking. "You're adorable. Out here in the wilderness, no one will ever know if we kill you. And here's a secret—the Silver Snake Mercenary Group has done this plenty of times before."
No one noticed that Thunder was locked in a mental struggle with an unseen enemy. Though his body didn't move, his mind was working furiously to suppress the other presence.
Just as the Silver Snake group prepared to strike, a shout came from the griffin's corpse.
"What happened?" The trio turned to see the burly man shaking his head. He stood up, weapon in hand, and walked toward them.
"Listen," Thunder suddenly relaxed, squeezing Sisi's hand gently. He pulled Maria behind him and stepped forward. "Can I say something?"
Will they listen—or will blood spill next?