The full moon illuminated the Ethereal Flatlands, casting a serene glow on the iridescent grass. The tranquil atmosphere of the area was suddenly broken as Mika's eyes locked onto the Starhounds that had approached her campsite.

Starhounds were magical beasts that looked like wolves but with fur that shimmered like the night sky, reflecting the stars above. They were known for their cunning, stealth, and speed. Their fangs and claws were imbued with a unique mana, which could cause severe injuries that were difficult to heal. They were also stronger at night, their pelts more durable, making them more formidable foes.

Mika tensed, gripping her katana tightly as she faced the pack of Starhounds. She counted ten of them, their eyes glowing with a predatory gleam as they slowly circled her campsite. Their strength ranged from the 5th to the 7th Stage of the Black Core Realm.

"I didn't think I'd encounter them so soon," Mika muttered under her breath, her heart pounding in her chest, but a fierce smile formed on her face nonetheless. 

“But this is good. At least I won’t have to look for more after I’m done here.”

A plan quickly formed in her mind, causing her smile to widen. She knew she should probably be the first to act since she was against ten enemies with similar strength, but she decided against that.

As they entered a stand-off, one of the wolves behind her lept at her, aiming for her shoulder. At the same time, one of the wolves in front of her jumped, aiming for her neck. 

Mika smiled and sidestepped the attack from behind before tightening her grip on her katana. 

[Volcanic Burst]

Enveloped in a swirling dance of flames and darkness, her katana burst forth from its sheath, carving an elegant arc through the air as it honed in on the beast’s vulnerable neck.

It had no time to react as Mika’s sword cleaved through its neck, lopping off its head in a single, clean strike. 

The other Starhounds yelped in surprise at the loss of their comrade, but Mika seized this opportunity and cast [Blink], teleporting herself one meter closer to the nearest wolf. She was still a few steps away from it, but that wasn’t a problem for her. 

With fierce determination, she forcefully drove the ball of her foot into the ground and launched herself toward the Starhound. In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance and plunged her katana into its skull with one swift thrust.

Satisfied that she was able to take down two Starhounds in one fell swoop, Mika turned around to deal with the rest, but what she saw was a shimmering pelt hurtling toward her. 

Mika barely had time to dodge, feeling the wind from the beast's attack ruffle her clothes. She had to use her katana to block the Starhound’s razor-sharp claws, creating a screeching noise as if they were metal.

However, before she could regain her bearings, another three wolves came flying in from different sides.

‘Damn. These Starhounds have pretty good teamwork. Not to mention, they’re incredibly fast.’ Mika cursed under her breath and had no choice but to [Blink] away to prevent herself from getting injured. She could’ve tried to kill one, but it wasn’t worth the risk of getting hurt, considering she’d still have another seven to deal with.

‘After using [Blink] twice and [Volcanic Burst] once, I still have around 70% of my mana left. If this was before I improved my Mana Control, I would probably only have less than 50% of my mana remaining.’ Mika smiled and made a mental note to continue training her Mana Control.

Taking a deep breath, Mika put her Mana Control into action, gathering a dense amount of fire mana from her core. Focusing her mind, she willed a [Fireball] to form in her free hand.

With a flick of her wrist, Mika launched the Fireball at one of the Starhounds, attempting to flank her. The beast yelped in surprise as the flames engulfed it, momentarily distracting the others. However, in reality, the flame only seared the ends of its fur and caused no real damage to it.

She’d need to improve her Mana Cultivation if she wanted to hurt them with any spells.

Taking advantage of their momentary distraction, Mika dashed forward and cast [Blink], teleporting herself a short distance behind another Starhound. She swung her katana in a swift, decisive, downward thrust, piercing the spine in its neck.

The injured Starhound let out a pained howl, alerting its packmates to the danger before it died a second later. The remaining seven Starhounds lunged at Mika, coordinating their attacks from different directions.

Mika gritted her teeth, focusing on her sword techniques and magic to fend off the onslaught. She combined a weaker version of her [Volcanic Burst] technique with her sword swings, creating a fiery explosion with each strike, forcing the Starhounds to retreat momentarily.

However, the Starhounds were relentless, quickly adapting to Mika's tactics and pressing their attacks. They realized that although the human’s fire looked scary, it couldn’t actually hurt them. 

Thus, Mika knew she couldn't keep this up forever; she needed to find a way to finish the battle quickly.

Mika knew taking them all on at once would be challenging, especially now that they were learning. She needed to find a way to separate them and pick them off one by one like she’s been doing. 

As she dodged and parried the Starhounds' attacks, she decided to use the terrain to her advantage.

Running towards a nearby outcropping of rocks, Mika climbed up and took a defensive stance. The Starhounds hesitated for a moment, realizing that attacking in this position would be disadvantageous for them.

However, like before, the Starhounds tried to surround Mika so that they could attack her from all sides, but did they really think Mika would stand there and watch them do that?

Sneering, Mika blinked toward one of the beasts that tried to get behind her. She was already mid-swing before [Blinking], so when she appeared in front of the beast, her sword sliced through its neck, removing its head.

After landing on the ground, Mika quickly hurried back up the rocks, dodging the two closest Starhound’s attacks.

With six Starhounds remaining, Mika knew she needed to conserve her mana. Instead, she decided to rely more on her swordsmanship to whittle down the remaining pack.

‘I could probably take out two or three more with the help of my magic before I ran dangerously low, but I’d prefer to save a little just in case something else pops up after this.’ Mika reasoned.

She was still in a Danger Zone, after all. Who knows what sort of dangers are lurking about, waiting for an opportunity to strike?

Plus, six was a much more manageable number compared to ten. With only that amount, while they could still cover all her flanks, they couldn’t back each other up like before.

Mika steadied herself on the rocks and examined the Starhounds before her, noticing they were becoming angrier as time passed. Watching their brethren get slaughtered so mercilessly seemed to have affected their psyche, something Mika found interesting.

‘I noticed this in the Noxious Jungle, but these magical beasts really do have more intelligence than normal animals. I suppose part of it’s also because they’re a type of wolf.’ 

Even in her previous life, wolves sometimes mourned the dead, showing they truly cared about those in their pack. That aspect was even more pronounced in this new world.

While Mika was thinking about this, a Starhound lunged at her. Mika nimbly sidestepped the attack and slashed at its exposed flank. It yelped in pain and fell to the ground. It wasn’t dead yet but was incapacitated, leaving only five beasts.

Suddenly, Mika felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. 

“Ugh!” She groaned in pain.

She had been so focused on the attacking Starhounds that she failed to notice one of them climbing up the rocks. The beast had sunk its fangs into her shoulder, its unique mana seeping into her wound, causing a burning sensation.

Fighting through the pain, Mika grabbed the Starhound by its scruff, twisted its neck with a sickening crack, and then flung it off the rocky outcropping. It fell to the ground with a loud thud, leaving only four remaining.

Grimacing, Mika knew she needed to finish this battle quickly. She couldn't afford to let her injury worsen, with the Starhound's unique mana making it difficult to heal. She needed to kill the remaining Starhounds and return to her camp to recover.

Mika looked at the four Starhounds still circling her position. They seemed more cautious now, their movements more calculated as they tried to find an opening in Mika's defenses.

She knew she couldn't afford to be reckless, but she also couldn't wait for them to make a move. It was time to end this.

With a deep breath, Mika focused her remaining mana and cast [Blink] once more, aiming to appear behind the closest Starhound. She had to move quickly, leaving no room for the beasts to react.

Her sword sliced through the air as she appeared behind the Starhound. It barely had time to register her presence before her katana pierced its heart. The beast fell to the ground with a whimper, joining its fallen brethren.

Only three remained now. Mika could feel her mana reserves dwindling, with only around 10% left, and her shoulder throbbed with pain, but she refused to show any sort of weakness to her enemies.

The remaining Starhounds seemed to sense Mika's determination and became more aggressive in their attacks. They leaped at her, attempting to land a devastating blow with their fangs and claws.

Mika was ready for them, though. Her katana danced in her hand, parrying their attacks with deadly precision. She had to be careful to avoid letting them close in on her injured shoulder.

One of the Starhounds tried to sneak up on her from behind, but Mika was one step ahead. 

“That move won’t work on me anymore!” 

She yelled, spun around, and slashed at its face, catching it off guard. The Starhound yelped in pain as it stumbled back, blood dripping from the deep gash on its snout.

To continue the aggression, Mika lunged forward, driving her katana through the Starhound’s heart, killing it on the spot. Only two remained now, and Mika could see the fear beginning to grow in their eyes.

However, despite their dwindling numbers, the remaining Starhounds didn’t give up. They continued to attack Mika, their movements more desperate and frantic.

Mika's exhaustion was beginning to show as using [Blink] so many times in a row took a toll on her body, not to mention she was running out of mana. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she focused on her breathing, forcing herself to remain stoic.

A Starhound lunged at her faster than before, its fangs aiming for her neck. Mika barely dodged its attack, but the move left her side open. The second Starhound seized the opportunity and swiped its claws at her, leaving a few gashes on her arm.

“Ugh! You fucker! Just die!” Mika roared as she swung her arm, forcing the beast off of her. 

Mika bit her lip, gritting her teeth against the pain, but as soon as the beast landed, she dashed toward it in an attempt to kill it.

Unfortunately, the beast’s agility allowed it to escape just before she reached it. 

The Starhound from before saw an opening and decided to take it. Digging its hind legs into the ground, it leaped through the air, aiming to take Mika down and feast on her flesh. 

Suddenly, Mika smirked and turned to face it.

“Hmph! You Starhounds really need to switch up your strategy. These kinds of sneak attacks might work against other beasts, but you need to get a little more creative against a seasoned warrior who’s listening and calculating for every change on the battlefield.”

She swung her katana as the first Starhound flew through the air, slicing through its underbelly, mortally wounding it. The beast fell to the ground with a deep thud, and Mika just walked up to it and finished it off by stabbing her sword through its brain.

Only one Starhound remained now. It stared at Mika, its eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. It knew it was the last one standing, but it refused to go down without a fight.

It snarled at Mika, clearly agitated by her rampage, but kept its didn’t attack just yet. Maybe it knew that this was its last day, but the rage in its eyes seemed to simmer down, leaving a calm that Mika wasn’t expecting to find in a beast. 

Raising an eyebrow at its behavior, Mika gave it a light nod before she turned serious. In her experience, someone with nothing to lose was the most dangerous, and since this beast just lost its entire pack…

Pushing that thought aside, Mika focused on the battle.

She and the final Starhound circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Mika's shoulder throbbed, and her mana was nearly depleted, but none of that mattered at this moment. 

There was only her and the Starhound before her. 

Suddenly, in a burst of speed, the Starhound lunged at Mika. It was a desperate, all-or-nothing attack where it used all its strength, speed, and mana to attack Mika. Its fur and claws glowed in the moonlight, extending and becoming sharper and more durable.

Mika raised an eyebrow at this, but this was within her calculations. She had seen something similar, after all. She had also read online that Starhounds' fur and claws can become even more dangerous should they inject mana into them.

“Thanks for the fight,” Mika said calmly as she sidestepped the lunge and swung her katana in a wide arc, connecting with the Starhound’s neck.

Dropping to the ground, its body and head rolled on both sides of her, blood splattering at her feet.

Mika let out a deep, ragged breath as she surveyed the carnage around her. Ten Starhounds lay dead or dying, their once-glistening pelts stained with blood. 

Before the wounded one could get up and try and finish her off, Mika slowly walked over to it and pierced its skull, killing it.

“Haaaa…” Mika released a relieved sigh now that they were all dead, but she couldn’t relax just yet. 

To complete the mission, she needed to skin these Starhounds for their pelts and remove their mana cores.

Sheathing her katana, Mika forced herself to move. She took out the knife Katherine packed for her and began skinning them to the best of her abilities. 

Although her left shoulder and arm ached from the Starhound's bite, and the unique mana from its fangs made it difficult to focus on anything else, she pushed through it, deftly removing their pelts.

Mika wasn’t a stranger to skinning animals, as she had done so many times in her past life, so it only took her about half an hour to remove everything. 

Picking up all her loot, Mika looked at the corpses, contemplating for a moment.

“I want to eat them, but that’s a bit too much food for a single meal, and they’re too big to bring with me. I also don’t want to attract any more predators after such an intense fight.” Mika muttered and soon came to a conclusion.

“I’ll just eat one of them tonight and leave the rest here for whoever wants them. I’d hate to let such fresh food go to waste!”

Dragging all her loot back to camp, Mika carefully stored everything in her backpack before carrying one of the Starhound’s corpses back and roasting it over a fire.

After eating her fill, she patched up her injuries, downed a Healing Serum, and fell asleep in her tent.

As Mika slept, the moon continued its slow journey across the sky; the Ethereal Flatlands bathed in its serene light.