The Sound Of Despair

Their sharp claws had little difficulty in clawing through the giant white ape's throat, which could do nothing more than stare at the two beasts as they slowly carved its life out. Just like that, the once-mighty overlord of Dagger's Rock Island met its end.

For decades it had reigned over the local magic beasts along with the other two overlords, and after Schatten and Licht had killed its two rivals, there had finally been an opportunity for it to reign alone. There had been no doubt that the two fearsome platinum beasts would not remain on a small island like this.

Just an insignificant slave and two infant magic beasts had put an end to its ambition. Just where had it gone wrong? Even at the last second of its demise, the ape did not recognize Schatten and Licht, or else it would have been easier for it to accept the circumstances.

The two beasts stepped away from their dead enemy, their fangs and claws bloodied and laid down next to Sturm.

Schatten licked Sturm's bruises to help him heal and exchanged an emotional glance with Licht. {We really did it. No, he really did it.}

There was a fundamental difference between a tenth-tier bronze beast and a seventh-tier one. That difference consisted not only of the gap in physical strength, agility, and so on but also of experience and confidence. When they first killed the other two overlords, they were as insignificant as ants, which could be disposed of by nothing more than a simple breath in their direction.

Nonetheless, those three had reigned for decades on the island, and if it was not for the lacking surroundings, they would have certainly have progressed to the silver tier. Even if they employed traps and tricks like the bright lightning orb, it was a fact that they, a stepless human and two third-tier bronze beasts, had defeated a foe on the verge of silver.

{What do you think would our parents say about this accomplishment?} Licht asked. The tiger was deep in thought, reflecting upon the fight.

{I'm not sure about you, but the chieftain would probably laugh in my face. My father has always been strong, never been bested in single combat, so how would he understand that killing a mere bronze beast is a great accomplishment due to our circumstances? He is at the peak of platinum, bordering the diamond tier, and you know how rare those terrifying beasts are. He knows nothing about the suppression of tiers,} Schatten answered. 

{Well, mine would have probably said 'as expected of the next grand protector' and given me a pat on the shoulder. My father has never fought in his life, as he prefers to dedicate himself to research, just like yours, he would not understand what we just did.}

In a rare moment of peace, the two rivals talked like friends about their family. They did not know if they could ever return, and for better or worse, both of them were the only connection to the past they had. Maybe, just maybe, they could overcome the hate and disdain between their races and forge a true friendship with Sturm as the anchor.

Licht got up to scout the surroundings, as they were at their most vulnerable state right now, but before he jumped up into the trees, he turned towards the wolf laying loyally next to Sturm.

{It seems both of our parents have their deficits, but… mine is still better than yours. A cultured scholar or a brute warmonger? Seems like I was born luckier than you.}

{You mean a coward that hides behind a fabricated cause to justify taking tributes of actually hardworking races? I will gladly be less lucky if I had to endure that!}

Their peace did not last for long. 

"Ahem."

The two beasts' eyes widened as they had thought Sturm had fallen unconscious, but the teenager's exhaustion required nothing more than simple rest. Thanks to the [Fists of Mjölnir], Sturm's will expenditure had been low compared to other times in the past. On top of that, while running around and dodging the mad ape was not easy, the accumulating paralysis from Schatten's traps made it progressively easier.

Only the [Black Room] had been pushed to its limit, and Sturm was sure that his perception would increase by a significant amount after a few days of rest. Thus, after resting for a while, Sturm felt recovered enough to get up, which promptly caused Licht to return from the treetops and line up next to Schatten.

They both remembered the cause of the maclawco overlord's fall, and going through a similar experience was the last thing they wanted. 

Sturm cracked his neck and lightly stretched his muscles. It was a successful hunt, but sadly they would not be able to sell the remains at the Mercenary Association. Just the tusks from the gorilla had to be worth dozens of silver, but the nobles in Dagger's Rock Town would probably kill Sturm should he be recognized in town.

<<Well, thanks to the lightning source, we can simply wait for an opportunity in the future.>>

After storing the tusks, hide, and claws inside the lightning space, Sturm allowed Schatten and Licht devour the corpse. A tier 10 bronze beast's meat was extremely nutritious to them and would slightly speed up their growth. With the salvaged materials stored and the meat being eaten, it was time for a debrief. 

"Before I tell you my analysis of this fight, I want you two to explain to me what we did well, what we did wrong, and how we can improve. Schatten, as an experienced hunter, I want you to start."

To Sturm's surprise, Schatten did not directly blabber around but thought about it first. A member of a warrior family was not to be underestimated; just like in the military, certain things were drilled into the soldiers, no matter how smart they were.

{In the face of the relatively little time we had to prepare for that white ape, we did well in preparing both the shadow traps and bright orbs. This is especially commendable since those two were the factors that allowed us to win. 

Our mistake was that Licht and I could have played a more active support role throughout the fight. If we had been further distracting and attacking the gorilla from afar, then you would have never landed in the situation of almost being impaled. 

That being so, having both of us inside your lightning space is overkill, and at least one of us should provide ranged support in the case of an overwhelming enemy like today. Our evasive abilities are indeed much inferior to yours, but I am confident in my survival in shadowy spaces, as Licht is probably in places with obstacles. He could easily use the surrounding trees and his bright lightning to stay far enough away to never be in serious danger,} Schatten concluded his analysis.

Licht did not want to be outdone by the wolf, so he approached the task differently. {The dog is right that we did well in our preparation. We kept our composure and proceeded to act as efficiently as possible. 

While I have little to criticize about that, I think our most significant mistake was that we did not use all the tools at our disposal. 

For example, we could have easily provided you with further lightning cells or helped you in building mana constructs, thereby reducing your will expenditure and increasing our damage output. The reason you held back most of your willpower was to prepare in case something unexpected happened, right? With our active support, at least three lightning bolts with medium strength could have been cast in advance, thereby slowing the ape down enough so I would not have had to save you,} Licht added.

All their arguments were sound and logical, both criticized their lack of support. While Schatten focused more on giving direct combat support, Licht wanted to provide additional aid from inside the lightning space. Sturm was very satisfied with their answers, and if they could learn and improve like this after every fight, they would soon be an unstoppable force.

*Clap* *Clap*

"Very good, you two. It is apparent you two have received thorough educations, and I agree with both of your arguments. Luckily, they do not stand in the way of each other, so we shall try them out during our next hunts until we are confident enough to face the mage." Sturm praised the beasts and promised to apply their improvements.

"Just like now, I want you two to always think about this before, during, and after each fight. I want you to memorize the following steps and get them to be second nature to you."

Sturm proceeded to teach them something he had learned from the military in his last months on Earth. It was called the 'Situational Assessment.' 

First, you identified the objective. For example, was it to kill, defend, escort, or delay a target? Then you analyzed the environment. Is it dark, rainy, hot, or cold? Are you in a forest or on a mountain? 

After being aware of the environment, you identified the strengths and weaknesses of an enemy. What celestial step or tier are they at? How well equipped are they? How many are there, and will there be possible reinforcements?

The next step was naturally examining your own strength, after which you compared the enemy to yourself.

Finally, you used the previous information to assess the overall situation and find at least two possible and practical actions or measures to take.

All of this had to happen in a matter of seconds, which required a lot of experience in the form of real combat situations. Neither the brumawolves nor the raitigers had ever used such an, as a matter of fact, simple method before making their choices. The method was not perfect, and as far as Sturm knew, it was already somewhat outdated in modern militaries on Earth, but its simplicity and effectiveness were proven and undeniable.

<<Still, this is not enough. A mage is simply too versatile and unpredictable. We need to find a way for me to take at least a few celestial steps and let Schatten and Licht advance further, or no matter how much we train or prepare, a single magic trap or spell may end it all,>> Sturm contemplated as he compared the ape with limited intelligence to a noble mage, who went through years of studies and education.