Chương 15: The Weight of the Hunt

Kyle waited for a while. The sun gradually rose from the horizon, bringing along with it an increasingly sweltering heat. Kyle watched as the meat on the trap gradually changed color, flies started gathering around it, and its smell became more and more putrid. Suddenly, the bushes next to the trees not far away rustled.

"Grrrr!" The sound of growling sounded, followed by the appearance of a white and blue furry creature. It was more than two meters long and over 1 meter tall. Its body was lean but densely packed with coiled muscle. Every movement carried a restrained power, like a drawn bow waiting to be released. Beneath its blue and white fur, those muscles shifted subtly, visible with each step, fluid, controlled, and dangerously efficient.

However, its most defining feature was the two 30-centimeter fangs sticking out of its mouth, hence the name [Great Fang Wind Wolf]. Three other wolves, similar in appearance but slightly smaller, followed behind it. They approached the piece of meat cautiously, circling it while sniffing the air. After circling it for a while, vigilantly looking around, the alpha wolf cautiously leaned forward and nibbled on it.

The moment it shifted the meat from its place, the concealed snare snapped tight around its neck, yanking it violently off balance.

"Uww!"

"Ghhrrk—!" The alpha wolf yelped as it was yanked forward. It flailed its limbs around, struggling to free itself, startling the other three wolves and causing them to back up.

"Gotcha!" Kyle burst out from behind the bushes. He quickly ran forward, stopping just a few meters from the first trap, then unsheathed his sword and provoked the other wolves.

"Come on—""Grrrr!" The three wolves growled, then didn't hesitate to pounce. They ran toward him one after the other, their movement swift. The first one jumped between two trees, landing straight onto the trap.

"Auu—auu—!" Its paws landed straight on the trap. The thin layer of leaves and branches fell apart, causing it to drop exactly on the sharp spikes, injuring it. However, because the pit wasn't deep and the spikes weren't sharp enough, its paws weren't fully impaled. However, that was enough. Kyle needed just that small window. His veins shone faint blue as he instantly used [Mana enhancement].

He crossed the distance of several meters in just a fraction of a second and thrust his sword, impaling the wolf through the eyes and killing it in just one blow.

"Two left!" Kyle jumped back, avoiding a pounce from another wolf. He deflected a paw from the second wolf with his sword before punching it away. The two wolves quickly recouped and closed in from both sides, growling as they approached. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

'Their cooperation is immaculate. I'm glad I used traps to get rid of the first two, or I might have been injured.' He took a deep breath; his eyes shone with a sharp light. Clenching his sword with both hands, his mana flowed through his body from his core at an unprecedented speed. Just as the two wolves growled and jumped at him one after the other, Kyle moved. He deflected the paw strike of the first wolf in one motion, then struck the second one with the pommel of the sword.

Using the momentum, he pivoted and slashed across the first wolf's waist, cleaving it in two and causing its blood and guts to spill on the ground.

"Only one left." Kyle muttered as he jumped back, avoiding the counterattack of the last wolf. His blue eyes collided with its bloodshot grey eyes, both radiating murderous intent. Mana flowed towards his legs, then his hips. In the next second, he instantly crossed the distance between them, leaving a faint afterimage behind.

"Burst Step," he muttered. The wolf was stunned by the sudden burst of speed. Just as it was about to jump back to try and avoid the attack, his sword moved with explosive speed as he cleaved vertically. [Superspeed Slash] From an outside perspective, Kyle's sword disappeared just as it rose above his head, reappearing below the wolf's neck. The wolf froze in its tracks. A second later, its head slid cleanly from its neck, blood spraying in a crimson arc.

Kyle looked at the three wolf carcasses around, then turned to look at the alpha wolf, still struggling to free itself from the snare. The alpha wolf whimpered as it looked at its dead companions, growling as it looked at Kyle, its eyes bloodshot, drooling and foaming from its jaws. Kyle silently looked back, his eyes meeting those of the alpha wolf. He walked towards it, branches cracking softly under his steps. The alpha wolf barred its teeth as Kyle approached, growling.

Stopping a few meters in front of it, Kyle watched the wolf struggle for a moment… then raised his sword and brought it down. A few minutes later, Kyle pried the fangs from the last wolf. Putting them in his bag, he looked at the wolf carcasses for a moment before walking away.

'The alpha wolf displayed feelings of anger and hatred for me in its final moments. They might be just beasts, but they undoubtedly have feelings. Unfortunately, they attacked caravans, so naturally, they will be hunted by adventurers,' Kyle thought, his feelings a bit complex. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his parcel.

'Enough of that; I still need one final set of fangs to complete the task. I need to find their lair.' A pack of Fanged wind wolves often leaves one or two females in their lair to take care of their young while they're out hunting. He just needed to follow the traces they left behind to find the lair. Naturally, it didn't take long for him to find the lair. The place he chose before was already very close to their main activity area. Soon, a cave came into view.

Its entrance was full of scratches, tufts of hair lay at the entrance, and that faint ammonia smell… This was undoubtedly their lair. He used the pommel of his sword to strike the entrance. The reverberations spread into the depths of the cave.

"Grrrr!" Growling sounded as a furry creature slowly emerged from the depths of the cave. Kyle stepped back into open space and waited. A second later, a fanged wind wolf emerged, slightly smaller than the ones from before. It growled defensively as it spread its claws, leaving deep scratches on the rocky surface of the cave. The female wolf crouched low, looking at Kyle with hostile eyes before pouncing straight at him.

Just as it was a meter away from him, Kyle side-stepped in a blur, dodging its claw swipe at superhuman speed. At the same moment, he followed with a slash from the bottom to the top; his sharp sword effortlessly cleaved through its flesh, bones, and organs.

"Wooo!" The wolf heaved one last mournful cry as it fell onto the ground, falling completely silent, its internal organs splashed across the ground. Kyle flicked the blood from his blade, then proceeded to clean the blade with a piece of cloth before sheathing it.

"That's the last one." He muttered as he carefully pried the fangs from the wolf's mouth with a dagger.

"Mpff—Woo—" Whimpering and whining suddenly sounded from the cave. Kyle froze; his hand unconsciously drifted toward the sword hilt as he looked at the dark cave. However, what he found were just a few pups, just a few months old, whimpering as they looked at him. Kyle silently looked at the whimpering pups, his expression complex.

'I'm sorry, little guys. Your parents attacked caravans on the official route. Even if I don't complete this quest, other adventurers will come later on and kill them.' He silently looked at the whimpering pups and sighed.

"This is just how the world is." He muttered as he placed the fangs in his bag and closed it.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take you with me." Looking back at the pups one last time, Kyle apologized internally and walked away. The faint whimpering followed him for a few steps… before fading into silence. For the first time since arriving in this world. Kyle felt a trace of discomfort he couldn't simply ignore.