Chapter 10: The Alpha
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: The Alpha
It took about two more hours to reach the portal leading to the 5th floor. As expected, there was a base there as well.
Just how far away was I dropped? Nothing ever comes easy.
"A Brass Grade? Soloing the 5th floor?"
"Yes, that’s right."
"Impressive. To be honest, I went in a party of four when I was Brass Grade. We even had an Iron-grade explorer helping us out halfway through."
"Is that allowed?"
"It’s not really a problem. There are countless people moving from Brass to Lead. If they nitpicked every little thing like that, there’d be no end to it."
Maybe I shouldn't have insisted on going solo. Usually, a party is the standard for the 5th floor. But out of stubborn pride, I’d told the guy I was partied with that I’d handle it alone.
In the first place, solo explorers were rare. Unless you had mobility-related skills, reaching the 5th floor usually took more than a day. Sleeping in a dungeon alone without a night watch was an incredibly dangerous gamble.
"Right. Are you heading out now?"
"I should. I ran into someone unusual, so I’m a bit behind schedule."
I’d managed to catch some sleep at the base. Not a long rest, just about three hours. Still, it was better to get at least the minimum amount of sleep.
It was already around 3:00 PM.
"Good luck. You’re heading straight back once you hit the 5th, right?"
"Probably. Is there anything I should watch out for?"
I’d been to the 5th floor once before, but back then, I’d gotten lucky and dropped right near the portal. It only took a twenty-minute walk to reach it. I hadn't encountered anything threatening, nor had I seen any of the hazards I’d been warned about.
"Goblins start appearing in the mountains from the 5th floor up. Other than that, it’s not much different."
"I see."
From the 5th floor onward, you stopped seeing just animals and started encountering actual monsters like goblins. Individually, their combat power wasn't anything to write home about, but they used threatening weapons like stone axes and spears.
I hoped I’d drop somewhere close to the portal again.
"I'm off."
"Take care."
* * *
Slide—
"A mountain."
The moment I stepped through the portal and my feet hit the ground, a pile of fallen leaves slid down the slope beneath me.
"The portal is over there."
As I recalled, the 5th-floor portal was in the middle of a forest. I needed to get out of this mountainous terrain quickly. Fortunately, the portal was downhill. That was much better than having to trek uphill.
"Hmm."
There was a mountain in the way, so it looked like I’d have to take a slight detour.
Being a mountain, the area was teeming with ordinary animals that hadn't been affected by mana. Even though my physical abilities improved significantly at night, the clear visibility of the day made things less stressful.
Since it was an active time for other animals, my senses were picking up a lot of movement, but nothing seemed particularly threatening.
"I should run."
Staying on the mountain for too long would only increase my mental fatigue and dull my alertness due to the constant, meaningless detection of presence from all directions.
Fortunately, I wasn't in the heart of the mountains. After about thirty minutes of heading down, the terrain leveled out. Because I’d taken a detour to avoid the dangerous paths, the direction my plate was pointing had shifted slightly.
I needed to hurry, register my plate at the 5th-floor return stone, and get promoted to Lead Grade.
—So we have to climb the mountain from here?
—The Direwolves should be in the forest, right? I don't think going up the mountain is a good idea.
I heard voices. First, a man’s voice with a peculiar rasp, followed by a woman’s voice that could be described as beautiful.
Beastkin.
The woman was a beastkin. A cat? A fox? A wolf? I couldn't tell. She had orange fur.
As for the man...
An Orc.
Typical Orcs had low intelligence and couldn't speak that calmly. It was usually more like... Human!! Fight!! Kill!!
He was likely a human with the [Orc] skill.
"Oh. A person."
"Hello there."
"Did you come down from the mountain?"
The Orc man questioned me.
"Yes. I'm heading toward the portal."
"Did you happen to see a large wolf on the mountain?"
"A large wolf?"
"Yeah. We heard news that a Direwolf Alpha is around here."
According to the beastkin woman, word had spread that a Direwolf Alpha had appeared in the northeastern part of the 5th floor—exactly where I was. Of all the places to drop, why did it have to be where something that dangerous was roaming?
"I don't think I saw it. I just arrived on the 5th floor. I only reached the foot of the mountain, so I didn't get a chance to look further up."
"I see. You’d better be careful. They say that thing is incredibly strong."
"Are you two planning to hunt it?"
"We're scouts. We're Lead Grade, but we're not at the level where we can take down an Alpha."
Aren't scouts supposed to be fast? I knew beastkin were incredible runners. Surprisingly, the Orc mentioned he had the [Light Footwork] skill, so he had no trouble escaping.
A portly Orc with light feet? That was an amusing thought.
"Well, I'll be going then."
"If you spot it, scream your head off. There should be quite a few people roaming around nearby right now."
"Will do."
Just as they said, I ran into quite a few people. I encountered about four teams, roughly one every ten minutes. They were all fast-moving parties of two.
It wasn't that Direwolves didn't live in the mountains, but their primary habitat was the forest. Since goblins inhabited the mountains from the 5th floor up, they had taken over most of the caves.
In terms of individual combat power, a Direwolf was roughly equal to or slightly stronger than a goblin, but goblins lived in tribes of at least thirty per cave.
Naturally, it was easier for elite entities to emerge among them, which was why Direwolves rarely shared the same living space as goblins.
For an Alpha to emerge among pack-forming monsters, there had to be a large pack. And for a Direwolf pack to grow in size, they had to head to the forest. Everyone else probably knew that too.
Sure enough, the number of scouts increased as I moved deeper into the forest.
The wolf was likely around here somewhere, but at least there were plenty of Lead Grade or higher scouts in the vicinity. If anything, being here was safer if I ran into trouble.
One of the people I met mentioned there was a reward for reporting a sighting. Everyone else was likely gunning for that too.
I walked for another hour. The mountain receded, and the terrain returned to a normal forest, with thick trees similar to those on the 4th floor beginning to appear. I took a thirty-minute break to eat a grain cube and drink some water from my canteen before moving on.
Once I crossed this small hill, it would be forest all the way to the portal.
Bloodstains.
A long trail of blood stretched out, leading to a Direwolf carcass in the distance to my right. I approached to examine the wounds; it hadn't been killed by a human.
Cannibalism?
There were two Direwolf carcasses, both messily mangled. Judging by the long trail of blood, they had walked a long distance while injured. Had the Direwolves fought among themselves? These were creatures that dominated the lower floors through sheer teamwork.
Was it the Alpha's doing?
In small packs, infighting rarely happened. Even if they did fight, it was never to the death. Unless it was a case of an Alpha unilaterally culling members of a large pack that it didn't like...
The carcasses weren't completely cold yet. Since the creature had walked a long way while bleeding out, it was hard to determine the exact time of death.
I popped a grain cube into my mouth and chewed slowly as I followed the trail of blood. The direction opposite to where the carcasses had come from was likely where the pack, including the Alpha, was located.
Is it a Direwolf's instinct?
It wasn't just Direwolves; it was an instinct shared by most monsters. Elite entities would eliminate any rivals that might threaten their position.
"Fortunately, it's toward the portal."
The direction the wounded wolf had been trying to go was toward the portal. The Alpha would be in the opposite direction.
If I stayed here, I might actually run into the Direwolf Alpha.
Or so I thought.
"Fuck."
I felt it. The presence of an elite entity nearby. It was coming from the direction of the portal.
My body shivered involuntarily. They had already taken up positions in the direction I was heading.
The wounded ones hadn't been running away from the Alpha. Had they been returning after a hunt?
Following the trail of blood had been a mistake. I should have gone in a completely different direction.
I quickly pulled my shield into my left hand and gripped my sword in my right. I immediately bolted to the right. The creature was blocking the path to the portal, so I had to take the widest detour possible.
No, wait. Wasn't I already compromised? If I could sense it, there was no way it hadn't noticed me.
If a Direwolf went all out, there was no way I could outrun it, no matter how hard I tried. Did I have to fight? Alone?
I'm far outside the search perimeter. There are no scouts around here.
My body went cold. My heart hammered so loudly in my ears it felt like it had crawled up into my brain.
Could I win? It was worth a try. Normally, I’d be dead for sure.
I didn't have the combat power to take it down, and even if I somehow did, I’d surely die from my wounds.
But now?
As long as I don't die instantly.
Just like that night, my wounds might be healed by the time I woke up. I didn't care if my body got mangled.
The creature's presence drew closer by the second. I felt like if I stepped out from behind this tree, I’d see it immediately.
The Alpha was also wary of me. Right. It had lived a long time; it must have that much intelligence.
"Whew..."
Step, step.
I stepped out from the cover of the tree trunk and revealed myself. Just as I expected, a pack of Direwolves, including the Alpha, was glaring at me.
Click.
I drank half the water in my canteen and poured the rest of the cold liquid over my head. I pulled out the remaining four grain cubes, tossed them into my mouth, and swallowed them down with the water. Since the pouch was no longer needed, I unbuckled my belt and dropped it on the ground.
"You're damn huge. You certainly live up to the name 'Alpha'."
The glowing yellow eyes of the Alpha, standing at the back of the pack, locked onto me with precision. It was 1.5 times taller than a normal Direwolf. It had a massive maw and wicked fangs to match.
Because it was daytime, I didn't have the razor-sharp senses I had at night. That was probably why I hadn't noticed so many Direwolves prowling around.
Including the Alpha... about fourteen of them?
Even though it was day, my physical abilities were much better than before. The boost was more pronounced at night, but I hadn't grown weaker during the day.
I loosened up my body, shifting my weight in a low stance to get the blood flowing through my limbs.
They were incredibly cautious. To think they were still standing perfectly still.
"Come on, you bastards. I'll kill you all."
I swept my wet hair back and cracked my neck.
—Awoooo!!!
The pack of Direwolves began their charge.