Into the Mountain Range
The foothills of the mountain range were thick with lush broadleaf forest.
“Let’s head straight in.”
“Ah, yes.”
I led the way up the mountain, with Jeban and his mercenaries trailing behind.
The entrance wasn’t too bad—there were even a few people around. For a mountain range, the lowlands didn’t look all that dangerous.
“By the way, what’s your mercenary group called again?”
It’d take time to reach the midsection anyway, so I figured I’d make small talk with Jeban. Come to think of it, I’d only ever called him by name; I hadn’t bothered learning the group’s.
“Us? Well… the Black Wolf Mercenary Guild.”
“Oh, Black Wolf, huh?”
“...It’s just a name we came up with as cocky kids.”
“And now you’re off to capture werewolves.”
From what I’d heard, for normal-sized monsters like werewolves, they yanked out the teeth and claws, bound the body tight, and stuffed it into a sack. Humans really were the cruelest of all.
“Hoo.”
At least the weather was nice—perfectly crisp for a hike.
Well…
Clank, clank.
Full armor and gear made it a bit much, though.
I was traveling light—just the buff coat and sword Garrett had gifted me, plus the canteen I’d gotten earlier.
But the mercenaries behind me were decked out head to toe, with heavy packs stuffed with supplies. They looked weighed down.
“You’re not carrying anything?”
Jeban, on the other hand, seemed as light on his feet as I was. Being the brains really paid off.
“We may not look it, but we’re all Silver-rank adventurers. That much is nothing.”
“Ah, got it.”
Silver-rank meant they could handle a mid-grade monster solo. Better to think of them as orcs in human skin.
Anyway.
We kept climbing from the foothills, and before long, the broadleaves thinned out, giving way to small conifers and rocky outcrops. The slope steepened, the air grew damp—this had to be the midsection.
“This the midsection?”
“Yes. We can set up camp here and start the search.”
Damn, how long would it take to comb this massive range?
Unlike the well-trodden lowlands, there were barely any paths here. Dangerous territory like this probably saw only mercenaries, no civilians.
“How do you search?”
“For beast-type monsters, we look for tracks or scat.”
“Oh, you know that stuff too?”
“Learned it from a hunter I knew back in the day.”
Pretty professional. Best you could do in this era, I supposed.
“Check around the rocks!”
The mercenaries set up and immediately scoured the nearby rock formations. Apparently, wolves liked spots like these.
While Jeban’s men hunted for traces,
“Jeban, come here.”
“Ah, yes.”
“While they search, let’s get you started on some basics.”
I had no intention of helping with the hunt, so I decided to teach him Fleet in the downtime.
“Y-you’re really going to teach me?”
Jeban still looked like he couldn’t believe a knight would share techniques with a mercenary. Made sense—knights with their pride wouldn’t bother.
I wasn’t a knight, though, so no skin off my back.
“First off, here’s what Fleet is.”
I activated it and slipped behind him mid-sentence.
“Y-yes… Huh?”
He whipped his head around in confusion when he realized I’d vanished.
And just as he started checking his back—
Smack!
I cracked him on the nape.
“Wh-when?!”
“That’s Fleet. Too fast for the eye to follow.”
And so.
I began Jeban’s Fleet training the same rough way Rowell had taught me.
**
“Hah… huff…”
The sun was dipping low that afternoon.
“That’s enough for now.”
“Understood…”
Thud.
Jeban, who’d taken a beating throughout the session, collapsed onto the ground.
“Getting the hang of it?”
“Yeah… I think I grasp the principle.”
He was a quick study. No wonder he’d awakened Aura on his own—he absorbed everything I threw at him.
Plus, he’d already been pushing his Aura for speed in his own crude version of Fleet, so he’d pick it up fast.
“How’s the search going?”
“Hah… huff… They said they found some recent tracks.”
“So we hunt tomorrow?”
“Yes. Camp here tonight, track ’em tomorrow.”
Jeban had grown even more deferential since I started teaching him. He treated me like a benefactor now.
Guess he’d been craving Fleet deep down.
“Don’t forget what I taught you. Keep practicing.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“I’ll check your progress on the next job.”
“Next job…?”
“I’ve got more stuff to hunt down.”
Troll fangs weren’t the only material for the sword. They were just the starting point—plenty more besides.
Some seemed too good for a real weapon, but Garrett didn’t strike me as the type to sabotage. Even if there were duds mixed in, it was probably some artisan aptitude test.
Craftsmen were quirky like that.
Anyway.
“Got all the camping gear?”
“Yes. We’ll set up the tents—just relax.”
“Nice.”
After that, the returning mercenaries pitched tents and boiled up some stew from their dried meat stores.
“How’s the taste?”
“Not bad.”
Nothing compared to the mansion’s fare, but compared to my Colosseum days? This was gourmet.
We camped that night.
And the next day, the real tracking began.
“Looks like this is their territory.”
Watching the mercenaries work, they mapped out the territory from tracks, then swept the area.
Risky method—could rile up the monsters—but they seemed confident in their skills.
With me here, it was safe anyway. Even a wagon-full of mid-grade monsters like werewolves wouldn’t faze us.
Thus.
A dozen burly men tore through the mountain all day.
And soon.
Grrr…
“There it is.”
We finally crossed paths with a lone werewolf.
“Kicked out of its pack?”
“Seems like.”
Up close, it had scars around its eyes. A reject, by the look of it.
“Dispatch it quick.”
Not our target, so I drew my sword from my belt and advanced.
“You’re handling it yourself?”
“Got something to test.”
How long since I’d fought a monster?
The werewolf growling at me was almost a welcome sight.
Grrr…
It seemed spooked, though. Maybe sensing my Aura, or instinctively knowing I’d slain its kin.
Whatever—didn’t approach, just menaced from afar.
Fine. If it wouldn’t come, I’d go to it.
I raised my drawn sword, pointing at the werewolf.
Closed my eyes, focused my Aura.
Slash—
I opened them to a closer view of the forest.
And…
Thud.
The werewolf’s headless body hit the dirt.
Clean Fleet.
Didn’t even need Track anymore—accuracy was sharp.
“Incredible…”
“No big deal.”
Werewolves had solid durability, but this blade carved through clean.
Heavy and sturdy for power, yet among the sharpest I’d wielded.
After felling it,
“It came from that way—let’s backtrack.”
“Right.”
We climbed toward where the werewolf had emerged, probing deeper.
We tracked signs for a good while longer.
“Tons of fresh prints here.”
We’d found what looked like a wolf pack’s trail.
“Lots of scat too. They holed up here before moving.”
“Yes. We can follow… but there are other prints mixed in.”
Squinting, I saw bigger tracks amid the werewolves’.
“This is…”
“Giant wolf prints, I think.”
The mercenaries confirmed it: giant wolves.
Wolves and giant wolves hanging together? Werewolves usually didn’t even run in packs of their own—odd combo.
“Anyway, they’re close. Let’s poke the hornet’s nest.”
“You sure? Situation’s a bit weird.”
“Worst case, one top-tier shows up.”
No reason to balk, so we rampaged through the woods and rocks, scraping every nerve.
“Everyone, hold.”
Jeban’s signal halted us. The brush ahead rustled.
“Finally.”
“Took their sweet time—they must’ve been pissed.”
The mercenaries drew weapons.
And soon.
Rustle-rustle, rustle.
Bushes shook all around, beast-stink thick in the air.
Rawr!!
A pack of giant wolves—tiger-sized, not wolf—burst from the undergrowth, massive frames shaking the ground.
“Raaah!”
The burly merc who’d first picked a fight with me swung his huge hammer at one.
Boom!!
The beast dodged with animal reflexes, whirling to snap at him jaws-wide.
But.
“Hah!”
Thrust!
A spearman from behind pierced its gaping maw. Looked like a practiced duo.
Others fought too: longsword duels, archers in position, Jeban leading the charge.
Ambushed in the woods, but we dominated.
No wonder they had a rep.
Fine, leave this to them.
I eyed the rustling brush ahead.
There.
Werewolves who’d sent the giant wolves as vanguard, pack glaring our way.
These bastards, sizing us up?
I drew and charged.
Trees and brush blurred past.
Suddenly, I was at the pack’s front, them flinching in surprise.
Thus.
As I focused Aura for a Fleet decapitation on the innermost one—
“Hm?”
A sharp pain tugged my nape, intense danger flooding me.
Whoosh!
I Fleeted backward instantly.
Boom!
A wolf—1.5 times bigger than the giant wolves—slammed down where I’d stood.
Grrrowl—
It reared up bipedally, glaring at me.
“Meet the boss.”
Clearly.
This was the pack leader.