"It's hard to find lone monsters here in the plains," Cristopher commented. "The lowest number of Monsters we've seen in a single group have been groups of three and four, and those were predators. Young Master, maybe we should take the risks?"
Thirteen pondered if they should take a risk just as Cristopher had proposed.
The chances of success were high, but there was also a chance that they would lose some manpower in the process.
The Predators that traveled in groups of threes and fours were always led by a Rank 3 Monster.
Herds, on the other hand, were led by Rank 3 and above Alpha Monsters.
Their group's manpower were Brutus, and Bruno, who were both Rank 2 Monsters, and two Ogres who were both Rank 3 Monsters.
Cristopher had no intention of letting the two Tigerkin Ladies fight. Their role was to guard him just in case an unexpected turn of events happened.
Both Tigerkins were Rank 2 Beastkins, but they weren't that proficient in combat.
Although Percival was just a Rank 1 Tigerkin, he was more proficient in fighting when compared to the two Tigerkin Ladies.
With their lineup, they could fight against Monsters, who were in groups of threes and four.
More than that and it would be troublesome.
"Understood," Thirteen replied after careful consideration. "Command your Slaves, including Jasmine and Ariel, to follow my orders without question. If we are going to do this, I will need to personally command them in battle."
Cristopher nodded. But, just as he was about to give his orders, they heard a blood curdling roar behind them, which made the chubby boy's face turn pale.
Thirteen's face also became solemn when he looked in the direction of the two Ogres, who were keeping a distance of two hundred meters away from them.
He immediately ordered Percival to cover Cristopher's mouth to prevent him from calling out to the two Ogres, who were fighting for their lives against a Purple-Furred Honey Badger.
"Don't summon Brutus and Bruno if you don't want them to die too," Thirteen said as he stood in front of Cristopher, cupping his face, and making him look straight into his eyes. "That is a Rank 6 Field Boss. If it sees us as a threat, we're done for.
"Jasmine, Ariel, cover his eyes, and no matter what happens, make sure that he doesn't do anything reckless."
The two Tigerkin Ladies took Thirteen's orders seriously because they were also familiar with this Monster.
It was one of the most fearless Monsters found in the borders of the Sumatran Kingdom, and even strong Hunting Parties stayed clear of this fearsome beast.
The Honey Badger was two-meters tall, and five meters long. It was the undisputed Overlord of the Warsor Plains, and very few creatures were able to escape its pursuit.
It had a terrible temper, and wouldn't hesitate to attack anything that moved.
The worst part was that none of them were able to sense its presence.
If not for the fact that one of the two Ogres had cried out in pain after the Honey Badger had bitten off one of its arms, they wouldn't have known that it was in very close proximity to them.
The boy could only watch helplessly as the two Ogres were torn apart by the Honey Badger before it greedily ate them.
Even Percival, who had a strong will couldn't help but avert his gaze as he looked at the blood that was seeping from the jaws of the Honey Badger, who seemed to enjoy the two Ogres very much.
After it finished its meal, it gave the Wagon a side-long glance before walking away with a satisfied look on its face.
Since Thirteen's group had remained perfectly still, the Monster didn't attack them because it was already satisfied with what it ate.
It wasn't a Jinn Type Monster, who liked to eat Humans.
The Purple-Furred Honey Badger preferred eating Monsters. Of course, if the two Ogres were traveling alongside Thirteen's and Cristopher's Wagon, it would have attacked them as well.
If that were to happen, they would have served as the appetizers, or the after-meal desserts of the ferocious Field Boss, who had easily defeated two Rank 3 Ogres, as if they were just newborn chicks.
When Thirteen was certain that the Monster was no longer around them, he ordered Jasmine and Ariel to take Cristopher inside the wagon to rest.
The chubby boy's face was already covered in snot and tears as he continued to sob due to the death of his two Ogre Slaves.
The two Houdini Mustangs that were pulling their wagons were also in a miserable state, and were barely able to stand due to fear.
It took a while for Thirteen to coax the two Horses to move, and head back to Gronar City.
Not even half a day had passed, and they were forced to return to the city due to the unexpected turn of events.
Thirteen also took into consideration that their group wasn't in a condition to continue their hunt because of the incident that just happened.
The only silver lining was that Cristopher didn't see the entirety of what had happened to his two Ogres.
He was spared from the raw brutality, and violence, that children his age shouldn't be able to see.
And yet, he was forced to experience it because he was a Wanderer.
"Take care of him," Thirteen said to Jasmine and Ariel before leaving the warehouse.
Tiona, who had taken refuge inside the boy's clothes when the Monster appeared, cautiously crawled onto his shoulder.
She then started to flick her tongue, while looking at her surroundings to ensure that they were truly safe.
After confirming that they were back to the city, she coiled around Thirteen's neck, and rested her head on his cheek.
The seven-year-old subconsciously patted her head with his finger, as if to assure her that they were safe.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Percival, who was also unable to sit still in the warehouse, followed behind Thirteen.
Although he tried hard to hide it, the Tigerkin was still shaken by their encounter with the Purple-Furred Honey Badger, who made him realize how easily they could have lost their lives in their short trip to the Warsor Plains.
"To the Slave Market," Thirteen replied.
"… Are you going to buy new slaves for our Hunting Party?"
"Yes."
Percival clenched his fists tightly when he heard Thirteen's casual reply.
"Are you treating us as disposable tools?" Percival asked, feeling rage build up inside of him. "Are you going to use us as bait?! Are we just cannon fodder in your eyes?"
Thirteen stopped walking before turning around to look at his Slave, who wasn't able to hold back his emotions.
When Percival saw the look in Thirteen's face, the insults that he was about to hurl at him became stuck up in his throat.
"Cannon fodder?" Thirteen looked at the Tigerkin in disdain. "You're not qualified to become one. So shut up because you have no idea what you're talking about."
After saying those words, the boy turned around and continued to walk toward his destination.
Percival, who was left behind, knelt on the ground on all fours, as he panted for breath.
The sheer killing intent that oozed out of the seven-year-old's body, which was directed in his direction, made him feel as if he was just a step away from dying.
The Tigerkin vomited, due to discomfort and the dizziness he was feeling after being subjected to such a gaze.
"H-How can someone so young have such dense killing intent," Percival wiped his mouth using the back of his hand. "His killing intent is even stronger than my Father's. Is he even Human?"
Those were the last thoughts in his mind before he fainted.
But, before his entire being descended into darkness, he knew in his heart that he would no longer be able to look at his Master the same way again.
