Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Here It Is
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Deep in the forest, where no trace of humans could be seen.
Two mercenaries pushed through the thick underbrush, wandering without a clear path.
Rin brushed aside the branches scratching at her face as she followed behind Ian, then asked,
"This is the spot this time, right?"
"Probably..."
Rin had asked the exact same question several times already, but Ian's response stayed the same.
She let out a small sigh while forcing her way through the pathless woods.
Ever since arriving at the area with reports of Night Tail sightings, Rin and Ian had been scouring for any signs of it, roaming the mountain trails for hours now.
"Wouldn't it have been better to hire a hunter on a temp basis?"
Rin grumbled under her breath as she trailed after Ian.
She admitted Ian had an suspiciously vast knowledge base for a rookie mercenary, but tracking monster traces through the forest had to be the exception.
Finding signs in the woods was a hunter's specialty, after all.
Before they set out, Ian had laid out the plan—not to comb the forest directly for traces, but to pick out a handful of high-probability spots and check them one by one.
Followed by a string of dead ends.
Ian would glance around the spot they'd reached without any real investigation, mutter that it didn't feel right, and turn right around for the next location.
...And this was already the third time heading to yet another spot.
The pair trudged along a new forest path.
"You said you had a method, but I never imagined it'd be just guessing based on luck..."
"It's not luck. We're hitting the high-probability areas."
"It's still just guessing!"
With some experience navigating forests now, Rin knew better than to make noise here, so she kept her complaints to a hushed whisper.
This morning, when a guild messenger kid showed up at the inn to summon them, even Rin had been genuinely shocked.
The E-rank Ian Mercenary Corps had been picked for the job, just as Ian predicted.
After heading to the guild, climbing to the second floor for the mission briefing, and setting off immediately, Rin had been on edge the whole time.
This gig might actually pit them against a D-rank monster called Night Tail, after all.
But half a day into blindly wandering the woods without spotting so much as a wolf track—let alone the Night Tail—Rin's tension had evaporated completely.
"This time, it's really there."
"......"
Rin fretted over another bust, but Ian really did have a method.
Night Tail was one of those randomly spawning boss missions.
If they had to hunt down actual traces manually, even Ian would've bailed, but it wasn't necessary.
The cave where Night Tail appeared was fixed to just a few spots.
Low-level mission meant no deep-forest spawns, only terrain suitable for generating the fixed object "Night Tail's Cave."
In other words, it popped up in one of four or five candidate locations.
...Of course, if luck was sour like now, the picks could all miss until the fourth or fifth try.
Still, poking around guaranteed a find eventually.
"Hold up."
As they shoved through the foliage, Ian halted at what looked like an animal trail.
"What's wrong?"
"Found it."
"Huh?"
Startled, Rin peeked around Ian's back.
Where he pointed, massive wolf-like paw prints stood out clearly.
Rin, who'd tangled with plenty of wolves before, could tell right away they weren't normal.
These screamed "much bigger monster."
Her relaxed face stiffened in an instant.
"Wh-what do we do?"
"Follow it. What else?"
"What if it's really there?!"
"That's the job."
The traces confirmed Night Tail's den lay ahead.
As Rin pointed out, combat might be unavoidable.
Of course, Ian had prepped fully for that possibility.
Having played this game to death, he'd fought Night Tails until he was bored stiff.
Especially early-game with crap stats, sizing up if your build could handle the first boss was a make-or-break instinct.
Ian had rage-quit to boss wipes countless times as a noob, but that let him claim total mastery now.
Ian noted the traces on his map and crept toward the den's direction.
Rin whispered softly as she shadowed him in silence.
"It says reward for traces alone—can't we just head back?"
"What mercenary reports back with just footprints...? Gotta confirm the den at least."
Of course, they could turn tail now and still claim pay, per Rin.
But extra rewards scaled with progress.
Completing with bare-minimum "Night Tail traces found" meant bottom-tier payout.
After burning coins on an emergency slot, settling for regular-mission scraps? Nah.
Trace discovery. Den discovery. Subjugation.
Den discovery was the floor for D-rank-level rewards.
Ian and Rin trailed the prints stealthily, keeping low.
They reached the target spot, and sure enough, a cave gaped right where Ian pegged it.
"Quiet. Think we got it."
From the bushes, Rin and Ian peered at the cave mouth.
"It in there?"
"Only one way to know—go check."
"Inside the cave...?"
Rin eyed the entrance tensely.
Tell any E-rank merc they had to waltz into a wolf den, and they'd pull the same face.
"Isn't that crazy risky?"
"Guild needs proof like fur to sign off. 'Suspicious cave' ain't enough."
Den confirmation required hauling out the quest item "Night Tail's Trace" from within.
Even Rin, who usually followed Ian's lead without a peep, piped up this time.
"What if it's home? Wait for it to leave?"
"Could camp all night. Might be out hunting—better go now."
"Ugh... No way to lure it?"
Charging a cave blind was a combat nightmare, so Ian mulled lure tactics when—
Loud branch-crunching erupted behind them.
Way too big for the pair, who'd been dead silent in hiding.
"...!"
Rin and Ian whipped around.
Glowing eyes of a massive wolf locked on them.
Rin snatched her sword hilt and clawed for the orb pouch at her waist—but Ian's throw beat her.
His flung bead smacked the ground, belching thick smoke.
Next instant, the dropped orb cracked, bathing them in "Movement Speed Increase" magic.
"Run this way!"
"Y-you said we could take it!"
No desire for a real scrap anyway, Rin bolted after Ian.
Ian and Rin burst from the overgrown beast path onto a human-trod trail.
"This way!"
As he led Rin in flight, Ian chucked a prep bead back whenever the wolf's pursuing howl closed in.
Each blast of smoke shrouded their rear, buying distance as the Night Tail lost them briefly.
"Left at the fork!"
"C-Captain! You sure on direction? We're diving deeper into the woods!"
"Trust me—run!"
The beast's bay grew nearer.
Rin figured they fled city-bound, but endless trees made her doubt Ian's nav.
Couldn't ditch him solo, though.
Hoping his win talk wasn't hot air, she stuck to his heels.
"Hold—stop."
"Huh?"
Ian snagged Rin's arm, halting her.
Nonstop sprint left Rin doubled over, gasping as fatigue hit.
"Haa... haa."
"Here it is."
"Huh? What's 'here'... our tomb?"
"Over here, quick. Watch your feet."
In a clearing off the path, Ian tugged Rin to a corner.
His gaze fixed on red cloth fluttering from a branch.
Rin spotted it late, memory jogging—it looked familiar.
"Wait, that marker..."
Before she finished, the Night Tail burst from the brush behind.
Predator's roar blended with Rin's shriek.
Pointless as it felt, Rin yanked her blade to shield Ian when—
Branches snapped; the Night Tail vanished.
"...?!"
Rin chalked it to blinding speed, but the enraged roar thundered from dead ahead.
The Night Tail had plummeted into a sudden pit-trap.
Ian's tossed orbs rained in, shattering to unleash webs, slime, and smoke at once.
Three movement-slowing spells stacked; the Night Tail clawed futilely at walls, bellowing in fury, trapped.
"Th-this is... the trap from before!"
"Told you it'd come in handy saved."
"Who hoards traps over coin?!"
Rin's yell mingled with the wolf's trapped howls.
"Leave it—it'll climb out fast. Toss everything you've got!"
Ian gripped a premium silver bead, fancier than his usuals.
His big-ticket "Advanced Poison Mist" prep for now.
Prodded, Rin fished an orb from her pouch and hurled it.
It nailed the head; Night Tail glared murder, but pit-stuck, it just looked pitiful.
"'We can win' didn't mean me duking it out direct, huh."
"Tough cookie even for D-rank. No way."
"...Spell it out next time, no mix-ups."
Buying Ian's ironclad confidence, Rin—who'd nearly charged in bravely—sighed and lobbed stones at the pit.
Head pummeled by repeated rocks, Night Tail finally dropped its glare, head bowing.