Amanda moved alone through the thicker trees at the edge of the Demon Wolf Plains, following the trail left by one of the recently emerged B-rank Demonic Beasts. The tracking wasn't hard, as the creature was so large as to leave an easily followed trail behind it, and Amanda's high level [Magic Detection] skill had already recognized what kind of Demonic Beast it was.

A B-rank Colossal Giant.

With its thick skin, massive size and high speed regeneration, the B-rank Colossal Giant was easily a force capable of wiping out a large city full of people. Even B-rank Adventurer's would struggle to do any meaningful damage to it, even if they could identity its weaknesses. It was only its extremely low intelligence and like of grace in combat that prevented it from being considered an A rank threat.

To most people, hunting such a monster alone was suicide. But Amanda had done it before. She had almost always hunted alone as an A-rank solo Adventurer. A brainless brute like this wasn't even a challenge to her.

Still, she needed to deal with it before it came across any of her Guildmates, as even the B-rank teams would have trouble either fighting or fleeing from this monster.

However, as she drew nearer to her query, the sudden sounds of a battle erupted from up ahead.

Fearing the worst, Amanda called upon her [Storm Magic], [Physical Amplification] and her [Instantaneous Movement] skills to rush forward at speeds comparable to a Demonic Beast with over 1500 AGL, showing why people called A-rank Adventurer's simply inhuman.

Jumping up high into the air, in order to get a quick view of what was going on, Amanda managed to spot the massive creature, its monstrous twisted form made even more grotesque by its lack of clothing. Despite the slightly human-like bone structure of the beast, it lunged about on all fours with its entire body, in a manner that was unnatural even among animals, tearing up trees as it swung out its huge arms at whatever must have been its target.

Amanda's heart sank, hoping that it was only attacking another Demonic Beast, and not a human being, when her 'Guardian of Children' title triggered… informing her that there were children in that direction.

If she had been moving before, now she really started to leg it, ignoring safely limits and the possible drain on her MP. With 'Guardian of Children' activated, her physical attributes and MP regeneration both increased, allowing her to kick it up a notch.

But before she was more than two thirds there way there, something flew up out of the trees. A young girl with dark blue hair, seeming to fly unassisted, going straight towards the sky.

The giant pulled itself up onto its back legs, lunging up after the child, hands outstretched in order to grab them. But as it got closer, the child simply vanished into thin air, leaving the Demonic Beast grasping at nothing.

Then something happened that nearly made Amanda stumble in her run.

A small child, a Black Catkin jumped up from the tree line, performing multiple [Air Jumps] in order to get up to the monster's neck. And as the creature was half suspended in the air, unable to flail and tumble around to guard its weak point, the child swung a sword as large as she was, covered in the fire of an [Elemental Weapon] skill. The blade easily passing through the monster's spinal cord, burning the flesh to stop it from regenerating.

The beast's movements stopped, its arms and legs going slack, and then it fell to the ground with a thud that shook the earth. 'Guardian of Children' deactivated as the children were no longer in any danger. Amanda wondered if they were ever in any danger to begin with. Shock and curiosity slowed her step, and she triggered her [Presence Concealment] in order to draw closer and see the children that had just managed to pull off a kill that most B-rank Adventurer's would struggle with.

With how high her [Presence Concealment] was, it was easy for her to get to the edge of the cleared forest to get a good look at the two little girls as they stood over their kill.

The first child, the one with blue hair, looked to be a human girl, around 15 years old. But as she watched her, Amanda realized with a shock that her "Demon Slayer" title was informing her that the girl was only a child, but also a Demon. Easily a C-rank Demonic Beast, she was dressed in high-quality light armor and had a sword that was as black as night in her hand which was give off strong demonic energy. Amanda had never met a Demon that was so childish in both body and spirit as to earn the label of 'child' from her 'Guardian of Children' title.

However, if this girl was surprising, the other child made Amanda's heart stop. As the Black Catkin girl stood upon her kill and swung her sword so fast that the blood stuck to its surface went flying off, Amanda got a good look at her face.

"Framia?" Amanda mumbled in shock. It looked just like her. Just like the little girl who she had once tried to raise from near enough to birth as if she was her own child, the girl who had ran away from the orphanage those twenty years ago. A tight knot formed in the woman's throat as the memories came back, as she knew that this was not Framia. Not only was Framia no longer a child, she was no longer alive. Neither her, or her husband Kinan, or their child…

"Way to go Fran!"

"Way to go Fran! You took down that oversized freak with one hit!" Art cheered as she ran towards the beastkin girl.

"Nn. Art's illusion made it easy." Fran said a small smile on her face as the two gave each other high fives.

[You both did well.] Archer congratulated them. The monster they had taken down was strong and dangerous, but they had effectively controlled its movement and attacked its weakness when it was most vulnerable. While the monster had stats significantly higher than the B-rank Demon they had faced, its low [Skills] made it simple to deal with, but Archer would allow the two a certain amount of pride in their accomplishment.

They had been hunting in the Demon Wolf Plains for nearly a full day, having arrived midday before, and in that time they had managed to hunt down two B-rank and twelve C-rank Demonic Beasts, as well as hundreds of lower rank monsters.

Fran had grown from level 33 to level 35, and with that last kill, Art had grown to level 4. It was as Archer had thought, the benefits given by hunting stronger monsters made dealing with the lesser creatures nothing more than a waste of time and energy.

"So, what do you think this thing tastes like?" Art asked as she looked up and down the fifty foot tall giant. "Looks kind of stringy. Maybe chicken-like?"

"Nn, don't know." Fran admitted.

[I'm not sure if we are going to be cooking this one.] Archer said. His dismissal of the idea didn't come from any amount of disgust at the idea of its somewhat humanish appearance, but rather because it wasn't good for Art's high-stats diet. [While it has high stats, the stat-per-pound ration is too low for it to be useful for your [Predation Absorption] skill. Even in its major organs, the concentration of magic is too low.]

"I guess you're right." Art said with a shrug.

As long as it tasted good, Art had no qualms about eating anything, in fact, the more magical energy in the meal the better, as far as she was concerned. Archer had been a little taken aback when she had requested he cook the B-rank Demon's heart for her… that was cannibalism. Though thinking back to the Demon himself, the guy probably wouldn't have minded the idea of being eaten to raise another's stats. It wasn't as if Archer wasn't already using his bones and hide to make the girl's equipment. Just like using a Magic Stone from the same race as the monster materials could have an effect on the equipment, Art's own power synergized with items made from the other Demon, increasing their effectiveness by an entire rank.

Besides, the effects of [Predation Absorption] were to important to ignore.

Just like humans, Demon Beasts only gain 1 or 2 to each of their base stats each time they level up, perhaps 3 if they are specialized, so most of their growth occurred when they Evolved to the next rank when they reached their max level. However, after eating a good 25% of the Moonlight Dragon meat and the Demon's heart, Art's stats had increased by nearly 30 points, an absolutely insane growth for a single week of eating, surpassing the stats she gained from the [Christening]. If she kept it up, she would have stats equal to the B-rank Demon's in a little more than six months, without considering her stat gains from level ups and while still technically being a C-rank Demon. Her prospects for if she ever reached the A-rank stages of her life cycle were absolutely insane.

Likewise, Fran was steady growing as her 'Magus Killer' job started to bare fruit. With a current job level of 27, it was providing her with +26 STR, AGL and MAG. She had also gained two new titles, including the one she just got from the giant they had just killed; Giant Slayer and Annihilator of Demonic Beasts.

(Title: Giant Slayer | Awarded to one who has slain a giant. | Effect: Increased damage to giants.)

(Title: Annihilator of Demonic Beasts | Awarded to one who has slain over 1000 Demonic Beasts of over 100 subspecies. | Effect: Increase stats when fighting against Demonic Beasts. The increase is proportional to the strength and number of the Demonic Beasts.)

The number of Demonic Beasts needed to unlock the 'Annihilator of Demonic Beasts' title had been met back in the dungeon when Fran was farming the Army Beetles, though satisfying the number of subspecies requirement was actually harder than it sounded, as most locations only had a few types of Demonic Beasts, even dungeons were known to have no more than ten or so subspecies. However, high rank Haunts, like the Demon Wolf Plains, had a much better variety of Demonic Beasts, and with Fran killing every type of monster they came across looking for rare skills, or just absorbing their Magic Stone Points, she quickly reached the 100 mark.

It was a valuable skill, something that might come in handy in the future, if they ever find themselves fighting an entire stampede again.

"Alright, let's go track down our next target!" Art said, throwing up a fist into the air.

"Nn!" Fran readily agreed, mimicking the action.

Archer chuckled at the display, before he noticed the presence of an unfamiliar weapon nearby. [Be on guard. Someone is watching us.]

The two girls stiffened before Fran quickly opened up the [Dimensional Storage], shoving the entire giant into it all at once, letting her and Art drop gracefully to the ground below.

"Know you're there. Come out." Fran said as she lifted Archer.

[...Fran, that his not the proper way to deal with an unknown stalker.] Archer said, as Fran called out whoever it was that was watching them.

(Isn't?) Fran asked.

[No. Allowing them to know that you have spotted them will put them on guard and limits the chance for luring out a poorly prepared ambush. They might even retreat, losing you your chance to confront them.] Archer said.

(Seemed like calling them out worked to me.) Art commented, as a young black haired woman walked out from the treeline.

She appeared to be in her late twenties, perhaps early thirties. With her mature body, and long dark hair, she was what many would call a traditional japanese beauty, though her long ears betrayed her elvish heritage. Her weapon, a whip on her belt, was made from a Sky Dragon's whisker, and Archer's perception told him that the woman had killed the A-rank dragon in question by herself. She wore a one piece full body leather armor under a cloak made from monster materials, and her hair was held back behind her ear with an ornament made from a Thunderbird's feathers.

Even before using his Appraisal, just from watching the way the woman moved, Archer could tell this wasn't an opponent Fran and Art were ready for. Luckily, if her stats sheet wasn't lying, they won't have to.

Name: Amanda

Age: 58

Race: Half-Elf

Job: Champion of Storms

Status: Normal

Level: 70/99

HP: 646, MP: 825, STR: 327, END: 293, AGI: 451, INT: 390, MGC: 423, DEX: 356

Skills: Coercion Lv7, Chant Shortening Lv6, Presence Concealment Lv8, Dismantling Lv8, Fire Resistance Lv6, Hand-to-Hand Techniques Lv4, Hand-to-Hand Arts Lv7, Wind Magic LvMax, Danger Perception Lv9, Presence Perception Lv8, Herculean Strength Lv5, Mining Lv7, Harvesting Lv8, Instantaneous Movement Lv7, Flash Step LvMax, Exhaustion Resistance Lv6, Elemental Weapon Lv7, Throwing Lv8, Poison Resistance Lv6, Cold Resistance Lv5, Whip Techniques LvMax, Divine Whip Techniques Lv2, Whip Arts LvMax, Divine Whip Arts Lv4, Storm Magic Lv4, Paralysis Resistance Lv8, Magic Perception Lv5, Lightning Resistance Lv7, Vigor Manipulation, Physical Amplification, AGI ↑ High, Storm Amplification, Magic Manipulation

Unique Skills: Grace of the Spirits

Titles: Orc Slayer, Guardian of Children, Giant Slayer, Dungeon Conqueror, Demon Slayer, Dragon Slayer, Personification of a Gale, Wind Mage, Annihilator of Demonic Beasts, Rank A Adventurer

Equipment: Magical Whip of the Sky Dragon's Whiskers, Full-Body Leather Armor of the Old Multi-Headed Snake, Overcoat of the Poisonous Lizard Demon, Shoes of the Sovereign Bull Demon, Heavenly Ring of Sacrifice, Ornament of the Thunderbird's Plumes, Ring of bulwark, Feathered Throwing Knives of the Paralysis Owl ×24

[Lower your weapons and do not provoke her. She's the Guild's A-rank, so she shouldn't be an enemy.] Archer advised Fran and Art, even as he prepared his own weapons and [Skills] in case of danger.

It was worse that Archer had feared. Though their levels were close together, this woman was far stronger than the guild master, both in raw stats and in technique, and on top of that, her high [Magic Perception], [Fire Resistance], and [Lightning Resistance] meant she would be next to immune to most of the two girl's basic spells, while her physical skills and attributes were high enough that Archer doubted that Fran and Art could take her close-quarters, even if they worked together.

Fran did as she was told, putting Archer back away on her back, though she too had [Skills] primed and back up weapons kept in the [Dimensional Storage] at the ready, while Art prepared her own spells.

"I'm impressed, most people wouldn't be able to see through my [Presence Concealment]. You two are very special girls, aren't you?" Amanda said as she approached them.

"Hiding: why?"

"Just out of curiosity. I wanted to have a chance to see who had taken down the giant." The woman said with a light smile. "She said your name was Fran, right?"

"...Nn. D-rank Adventurer, Fran." Fran said, introducing herself. "Who are you."

"Me? I'm…" The woman moved with a speed beyond human capabilities, so fast as to even catch Archer off guard, as he had sensed no ill-intent at all. Amanda closed the distance between herself and Fran in the blink of an eye before throwing her arms around Fran, drawing her into a bear hug. But this wasn't an attack, at least not a traditional one as she pulled Fran head into her chest and squealed. "I'm your mother!"

Archer and Art were both too stunned to move as Fran was lifted clean off the ground by the strange woman. "Let go." Fran growled, struggling to free herself from the woman's grip.

"Maybe I will, if you call me mama."

"No!"

"Hey, don't be like that. Let me give you a kiss on the cheek."

[...Fucking Lady Killer title.] Where the first words to pass through Archer's mind as he tried to process what was going on.

"Hey! Let go of here you crazy lady!" Art shouted, jumping into act and grabbing the woman's arm, trying with all her strength to help pry the arm off. But the woman's grip wouldn't let up at all. "Fucking hell! What is with this lady's strength!?"

Even with Fran and Art putting their strengths together, the A-rank Adventurer was too strong.

(Archer! Help!) Fran cried out in desperation as she struggled to keep her face away from the woman's lips.

[Right. Art, using your [Solar Flare] spell. Fran, get ready to give it everything you got.]

(Nn!) (Right!)

Art jumped back behind Fran, holding up her hand to point at the woman's face. "[Solar Flare]!" Her palm exploded into light, too bright to be blocked out by mere eyelids, blinding the woman who had Fran in her grasp.

At the moment of the flash, Fran and Archer gave it everything they got, triggering [Support Magic], [Herculean Strength], and [Combat Qigong] in order to push Fran's body as far as it was safe to push it.

Even this wasn't enough to fully break the woman's grip, but it did weaken it enough for Fran to slide a bit downwards, until her feet touched the ground. "~Pass unseen among the shifting shadows. [Dark Traversal]."

Fran's body melted into the shadows on the ground, letting her slip out of the woman's grip and move over to the treeline where Art was already running too.

Both girls started to run as fast as they could as they heard the woman's voice behind them. "Hey, wait!"

[Mountain Peak!] Archer cast the first level of [Mountain Magic] causing a massive spike, nearly twice as tall as the giant had been to suddenly jut upwards out of the ground between them and the crazy woman, momentarily hulting her process.

But only momentarily, as ten seconds after the stone obstruction appeared, it promptly exploded.

"What the crap!?" Art shouted as as bits of rock were sent flying all directions.

[Keep running. I'll hold her off.] Archer said as he triggered his trump card. [[Doppelganger Synthesis SP].]

([Doppelganger Synthesis SP] parameters set: single duplicate of 120% strength, 10 minute duration. Cooldown: 1 hour)

I'm using the Manga's version of Amanda, which is different from the WN version, as in the WN, Amanda only went full clingy mode whenever she was drunk or Fran was leaving town, at all other times she was more of the cool, if slightly over protective, older sister figure.

It is hinted at that Amanda might view her 'Guardian of Children' title as a mockery. That the gods gave it to her as an eternal reminder of what she is not. This is shown by her not wanting people to talk about the title, and how she blames herself for being cruel to Fran's parents, saying that their deaths were her fault.