Chapter Fifty-Five: Return

When the matter of becoming a third-level apprentice was brought up, Hughes couldn't help but recall the box that Wizard Matt had given him and wonder why it could only be opened once he reached that level. Lost in thought, Hughes sat by the pond and forgot to return.

“Hughes!” Billy called out in a panic, spotting Hughes by the water’s edge.

“What’s wrong, Billy?” Hughes regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth. What else could Billy be doing? He had been gone so long, Billy must have come out to look for him.

“You’re asking me? You’ve been out so long I thought something happened to you! I asked Del and the others, and they said you came this way, so I came to check!” Billy replied irritably.

“You could have just used your messenger bracelet to call me,” Hughes said, waving his bracelet in front of Billy.

“I—well, I was worried about you! I’m not arguing, let’s go!” Billy felt embarrassed as Hughes spoke; he could have just called him, instead of making it so complicated.

Watching Billy storm off in frustration, Hughes followed him back.

For the next three days, Hughes accompanied Billy and his group, searching for devil crocodiles, slaying them, and collecting their eyes.

Hughes grew increasingly adept at working with the others, and the team came to admire his abilities.

Especially Billie, who would draw so close to Hughes that she seemed eager to press herself against him, though the others said nothing, as if accustomed to her behavior.

The collection of devil crocodile eyes grew steadily, and thankfully they hadn’t wasted time trying to take the scales in the beginning, which would have been fruitless.

“We’ve almost finished this outing. Let’s do one last round and head back to the academy,” Billy suggested.

The others had no objections.

“Let’s go here, then!” Billy pointed to a marked spot on the map. There were more devil crocodiles here than at previous sites, but considering their teamwork and strength, Billy felt they had a good chance.

Once they agreed on the location, they set off for the final marked site. Since it was their last, everyone was lively, chatting much more along the way.

“Billy, something's not right here!” Hughes whispered into Billy’s ear. When they arrived, Hughes sensed an oddness—something he couldn’t quite describe, unlike the previous places.

“Yes, you’re right!” Billy felt it too upon arrival.

The atmosphere here was unnatural, eerily quiet. The pond’s water was stagnant, nothing like what they’d seen before.

“Boss, look here!” Hughes turned to see the Ron brothers waving him over.

“Boss, look at this!” Ron pointed to a severed tail.

“That’s a devil crocodile's tail?” Billy crouched down, his expression grim.

“And it was bitten clean off by something,” Hughes said, examining the wound with certainty.

“What could bite a devil crocodile?” Del was incredulous. With those massive bodies, devil crocodiles were always the hunters, not the prey. And this area was their territory—no outsider could have killed so many.

“Boss, we checked—there are no devil crocodiles nearby, not even in the water,” Billie reported, glancing at Hughes as she spoke.

“Not a single one?” Billy could hardly believe it.

“Trust me, boss. I’ve got plenty of experience,” Billie replied confidently.

The group sat down to discuss whether to head back now or venture deeper.

In the end, their consensus was to return. They’d already gained plenty, and whatever had happened here was unknown—going further might be dangerous. They decided to head back and report the situation to the Shadow Ring.

“Let’s go, then!” Billy rose and stowed the map.

“Glug!”

“Glug!” Hearing the sound, Hughes looked toward the water.

Huge bubbles welled up from the bottom, growing larger as they rose until they burst on the surface.

“That can’t be! I just checked—” Billie grew serious.

“This isn’t the time for explanations. Let’s see what we’re dealing with!” Billy already had his weapon in hand.

The others quickly armed themselves, watching the water.

The bubbling intensified, and finally, the creature beneath revealed itself.

“Is that—it’s a devil crocodile, isn’t it? So many!”

Hughes and the others recognized the silhouettes instantly; they’d slain plenty over the past days.

“What do we do, boss? Fight or run?” Del asked Billy.

“We retreat! This devil crocodile is beyond us. If I’m right, it’s eaten all the others in this area. To be safe, we should withdraw!” Billy decided caution was best.

“Boss, it’s getting closer!” Billy turned to see the beast was not far behind.

“Kara Kikura!” Billie acted first, throwing something on the ground and chanting a spell.

The seeds Billie tossed sprouted rapidly, growing into thick vines that bound the nearly twenty-meter-long devil crocodile tightly.

These vines were a form of witchcraft, but required special seeds and were far less powerful and swift than true zero-level spells.

“I can’t hold it for long,” Billie said, looking pale. Having just reached second-level apprentice, this was still taxing for her.

“Beep! Devil Crocodile: Strength: 7.4, Agility: 3.1, Constitution: 4.74, Spirit: 4.17, Status: Healthy, Skill: Water Arrow.”

“Water Arrow? This devil crocodile has that skill?” Hughes wondered how it had become so powerful. With that spirit and constitution, even a third-level apprentice might struggle against it.

Soon, Billie’s vines gave way, and the devil crocodile broke free.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!” Three blue water arrows shot through the air with a piercing sound. Billy and the group dodged at once.

Though the arrows were merely condensed water, Hughes didn’t underestimate their power. The one he dodged struck the ground, blasting out a crater over a meter deep.

“This devil crocodile has the strength of a second-level apprentice. We must hurry back and inform the academy,” Billy’s face went pale at the display.

“You all go ahead. I’ll catch up soon,” Hughes urged Billy and the others to leave first; this beast was no match for him.

“No way, we can’t leave you behind,” Billy objected first.

“That’s right, I’m not scared,” Del said, his axe itching for action.

“Don’t worry, I have something to protect myself. I’ll be quick, trust me.” As the devil crocodile advanced, Billy gritted his teeth and believed Hughes.

“Come on, big guy!” Hughes summoned a lightning strike that hit the beast. Seeing Hughes use wizardry, Billy and the others felt a bit relieved; they could hardly bear to leave him behind.

Once they were gone, Hughes dropped his pretense and unleashed his full strength.

“Ha!” Hughes punched the devil crocodile’s body, lightning wrapping his fist. With nearly ten points of strength, he toppled the beast.

Where Hughes struck, the flesh was charred, and the air was thick with the scent of roasted meat.

After several heavy blows, the devil crocodile hesitated to attack.

“That’s better, big guy!” Hughes clapped his hands, satisfied the beast was subdued.

But he refrained from killing it—if the Shadow Ring investigated and traced the incident to him, it would be troublesome. This devil crocodile’s power was more than a second-level apprentice could handle.

After taming the beast, Hughes rested briefly, then quickly set off to reunite with Billy and the others.