Chương 14: Hunter and Prey

The town of Mirevale was divided into the western commercial area, the eastern residential area, the northern wealthy area, the central administrative area, and the slums at the south. In a run-down wooden house at the northern edge of the slums, four people sat around a battered table, voices rising in argument.

"As I said, as the one who initiated this meeting, I want 40% of the proceeds. I was the one who found the prey, and I did most of the investigation!" Evan shouted at a burly man with a scar on his face.

"And I said no." The burly man with a jagged scar across his face slammed a hand onto the table.

"We're the ones doing the fighting. And the cleanup. 25% each. That's customary. Don't push your luck, Evan." His hand drifted to the hilt of the greatsword resting against his chair. The long scar on his face twisted as his expression hardened.

"Can it even be considered a fight? It's just a farm boy from a remote village, a rookie adventurer. I can't bring myself to believe that he has impressive swordsmanship, as you said. I think you're just exaggerating, Evan." Another burly thug said while leaning back in his chair, his expression disdainful. He was wearing leather armor, with a bow and quiver hanging on his back.

"You're a moron, Joe. If he were such an easy target, why would I even tell you about him? I would have taken him out by myself and monopolised all the proceeds from that dwarven weapon." Evan snapped back. The room fell silent. A hint of greed and uncertainty flashed across Joe's face. A young woman with short dark hair, leaning against the wall, was calmly listening to their argument. She wore light leather armor that hugged her figure, short trousers, and high boots.

Two daggers rested at her waist, swaying slightly as she shifted her weight.

"Are you sure you saw it correctly, Evan? I can hardly believe that a village boy would possess a dwarven-made weapon. If he truly possesses it, then are you sure his background is as you said, a mere village boy?" The dark-haired young woman asked, her expression uncertain.

"I'm sure about that, Denise. That kid, Kyle, arrived in Mirevale about a month ago. Registered as an adventurer and took nothing but low-level quests. I asked around. He has no connections, no backing. Just another nobody from some backwater village trying his luck." Evan threw up his hands and said.

"As for that sword? I don't know, maybe he got it from somewhere, maybe he stole it. All I know is that a village kid isn't qualified to own a sword like that." Evan leaned back and said, his expression dismissive.

"Then what about the skills you warned against? Where did he learn it?" Denise pressed.

"I don't know! The only thing I'm sure of is that no one will look for him after he disappears! If you're that afraid of his background, then get lost!" Evan growled, his expression turning dark. Risk was common in their line of work. If they were afraid of any little risk, they might as well call it a day and go back to their mothers. Denise's expression darkened, and a hint of malice flashed in her eyes as she reached for her daggers. She wasn't the type to swallow insults quietly.

"Wait!" Joe held up his hand.

"Someone is coming." As the room fell silent, three knocks sounded, one long and two short, followed by a hushed sound from outside.

"The target is heading out." A moment later, Evan stood up and walked to the door.

"It's time."

"We'll settle this later. Let's get the sword first. Remember to follow the plan."

"Do we really need a meticulous plan to deal with a village kid? I think just following behind and ambushing him is enough." The scar-faced man, Mike, said as he slung his greatsword over his back and followed. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Well, as they say, Mike. Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit," Joe said, following closely behind.

"Hmph!" Denise snorted and pushed herself off the wall, following behind as well. She would deal with them later. Evan opened the door, and they walked out one by one.

"He walked out from the north gate. I've sent my baby after him. We won't lose him." Joe said as he looked at a faint dot disappearing into the sky. His beloved falcon. No prey can escape from its sight.

"Let's go!" The four of them walked north, disappearing among the complex stretch of buildings. —------------------- Looking at the map of the northern Mirevale region in his hands, Kyle walked to the side of the official path.

'Why doesn't this world have official means of transport? I always have to spend hours walking to reach my destination. Should I buy a horse? But I don't know how to ride or tend to it, and I don't have a place to keep it, neither inside the town nor outside,' he complained internally. If there was one big complaint that he had about adventuring, it was that he always had to walk for hours on end to the quest's location. A mode of transport between Mirevale and the various quests' locations didn't exist.

At least not in this remote town.

'Maybe things would become better as I become stronger. If I could move at the speed of sound, it would take me less than a minute to reach the quest's location. Until I reach that point, I guess I have to endure the long walks.' He folded the map and placed it back in his bag. He wasn't far away from the activity area of the Fanged Wind Wolves. He looked up at the sky. The sun had just risen over the horizon. It was still early morning. Birds were flying in the sky, chirping as they flew over him.

About a hundred meters to his left was the Silverbark Forest, where the sound of birds singing and leaves falling could be heard. The last trace of humans he saw was the adventurers that left the town with him and the caravan that he passed by. Now, it was just him and nature. To the right was a prairie stretching to the horizon, and to the left was the silverbark forest. The scenery was amazing.

'It looks almost like the Windows XP wallpaper.' Kyle thought as he looked at the grassland stretching to the horizon. After admiring the scenery for a bit, he continued on his journey. It didn't take him long to reach the activity area of the fang wind wolves, according to the report. He carefully looked around, moving across the bushes and searching on the various dirt paths leading to the forest before noticing a faint mark on the ground. Kyle knelt on one knee and carefully inspected the mark on the ground.

"As expected, the tracks of a Fanged Wind Wolf." The track was quite fresh. Four distinct toes pressed into the soil, each tipped with a sharp claw mark. Unlike ordinary wolves, the imprint was deeper and slightly elongated, as if something had sliced into the ground rather than simply stepped on it.

"This is undoubtedly the paw of a Fanged Wind Wolf, and judging by its freshness, it's about 6 to 8 hours old. That is to say, a fanged wind wolf passed through here last night." He muttered. Kyle stood up and inspected the surrounding area. He quickly found other traces left behind by the wind wolves and followed them into the depths of the forest. Before entering the forest, Kyle quickly applied the scent-suppressing herbal paste on his arms, face, and legs.

'This should suppress my scent for a few hours,' Kyle thought as he continued following the wind wolves' tracks. After threading through the forest for a few more minutes, Kyle came across a place with many tracks. Traces of blue and white fur. Scratches 2 meters tall on trees and a faint fishy odor.

'This should be one of their main activity areas,' Kyle thought as he carefully looked around. Kyle heaved a slow breath, steadying himself, before opening his bag and pulling out several items. A coiled rope, a small shovel, a dagger, and fresh meat wrapped in layers of leaves. The meat was wrapped with snowpine tree leaves, completely suppressing its smell and preserving it for a while. He scanned the area once more. The trees here were closer together, their trunks thick and sturdy.

The ground was uneven, with patches of soft soil mixed with roots and stones. Dense enough to conceal movement… but not too dense to restrict his own. It was the perfect place for a trap. Driving the small shovel into the soil, he loosened the earth behind a narrow gap between two trees. Working quickly but carefully, he dug a shallow pit, about half a meter deep, just deep enough to disrupt their footing.

He cut off a few branches and sharpened them with his dagger before placing them in the pit and covering it with thin branches, grass, and a dusting of soil. From above, it looked untouched. This trap might not be enough to kill the wolves, but it was enough to disrupt or even injure them. It all came down to timing. Moving to the next trap. Kyle selected a young, flexible tree nearby and bent it down with effort, securing it with a simple trigger tied to a ground peg.

At the end of the rope, he formed a wide loop and carefully laid it flat along the approach path, disguising it with leaves and loose soil. He took the prepared bait, the meat wrapped with leaves, unwrapped it, and carefully placed it in the loop. Kyle stood up and looked at the traps from multiple angles.

"Hmm, it's a bit obvious, but it's enough to fool beasts." He nodded with satisfaction. He placed the tools back into his bag and moved a few meters behind the first trap, hiding behind the bushes.

"Now, it's just a matter of waiting."