The Smoldering Mountain and the Hunter’s Instinct

The Demonic Dragon, in its death throes, unleashed its final Dragon’s Breath. This breath was fueled by every last shred of its remaining life energy.

The moment it erupted, this Dragon’s Breath engulfed what was once the lush, verdant Ash Mountain. It transformed the peak into the smoldering mountain it is today—a place of embers that would never fade.

Every night, the dark red embers glowed with an eerie, crimson light beneath the pitch-black sky. It cautioned all to never approach this lifeless, dead mountain carelessly.

“It’s quite frightening, isn’t it?”

Seeing Phini gazing toward the dark red ridge, Angela followed her line of sight.

“Frightening?”

Phini did not immediately agree. Instead, she stared intently at the smoldering ridge, her face etched with a pensive expression.

“Don’t stare for too long. Get some rest and go to sleep.” After observing the ember-strewn mountain for a while, Angela patted Phini’s shoulder with a gentle suggestion.

“I’m heading back to my room. If you need anything, Phini, just call out to me next door. Just remember, don’t go out onto the street,” Angela reminded her as she cleared the dishes from the table. She then turned and departed.

Her departure, however, did not cause Phini to avert her gaze from the smoldering range. Lost in thought, she maintained her vigil well into the deep hours of the night.

“Arooo~~~”

As the moon reached its zenith, a piercing, chilling cry resonated through the village. Within moments, it reached Phini’s ears.

“?”

Startled back to her senses, Phini finally shifted her gaze from the mountains. She looked down at the village, attempting to pinpoint the source of the cry. Before long, she had roughly identified the direction.

‘You absolutely mustn’t go out!’

Just as Phini was about to recklessly investigate, Angela’s warning echoed in her mind. Her raised foot came to an abrupt halt.

‘Is this the ‘ghost’ Angela is so afraid of?’

Withdrawing her foot, Phini turned her head to look out the window once more. With a single glance, she saw a pair of crimson eyes shimmering with an eerie light in the darkness below.

However, those blood-red eyes were not fixated on Phini’s window, but rather in another direction.

Phini instinctively touched her chin, silently murmuring to herself. She wondered if the entity hadn’t noticed her, or if it simply deemed her insignificant.

From beginning to end, those crimson eyes remained fixed on the house next to Angela’s. That house, too, was made of wood, and it was even more rudimentary than Angela’s dwelling.

“Arooo~~~”

The ‘ghost,’ seemingly oblivious to Phini’s presence, continued to howl at the neighboring house. It was as if it intended to summon the occupant out. However, no matter how the creature cried, the wooden house remained entirely unresponsive.

It wasn’t until the latter half of the night, perhaps concluding that no one was coming out, that the ‘ghost’ finally turned and left.

“…”

Phini watched the entity depart, her gaze never wavering until it vanished completely. She stared blankly at the empty street for several minutes before finally returning to her bed.

Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.

After a week of recuperation, Phini’s injuries were almost entirely healed. Of course, engaging in any strenuous activity would still pull at the new tissue, causing a tearing pain. Therefore, even though she could move freely, she was very careful to avoid reopening her wounds.

However, even if she couldn’t engage in vigorous exercise, she still performed small rehabilitation movements. Lying in bed for nearly half a month meant her joints were bound to be rusty. To prevent her physical functions from deteriorating, she naturally devised a rehabilitation plan for herself every day.

Today, Phini ventured into the forest outside the village. While Kabi Village was said to be near Ash Mountain, that wasn’t entirely accurate—it merely bordered the base of the range. On the outskirts of the village lay a resource-rich forest and a forbidden swamp.

According to Angela, the swamp was home to extremely dangerous magical beasts. That was why villagers were strictly prohibited from entering it.

Phini had no interest in the swamp; her purpose in coming to the forest today was purely for rehabilitation. This forest harbored many ordinary wild animals, which served as one of the village’s food sources. Of course, hunting wild animals was not an easy feat; otherwise, Angela’s family wouldn’t be so poor they could only afford rye bread.

Phini thoughtfully rubbed her chin for a moment, scanning the forest for traces of prey.

Was it luck, or were the wild beasts simply careless? With just a quick scan of her surroundings, she spotted tracks.

She immediately walked over, squatting down to touch the animal’s footprint. When it came to hunting experience, Phini had plenty. In her past, before the dungeon, she had been someone who relied on it to survive.

After feeling the print, Phini promptly scooped up some dirt from the track and chewed on it.

“Pfft! It seems it was left not long ago…”

She spat out the dirt, rubbed her chin, and pondered for a moment. Based on the moisture and taste, she quickly reached a conclusion: the beast likely hadn’t gone far.

Realizing this, Phini quickly surveyed her surroundings.

“That way!”

Having confirmed the direction, she immediately pursued her prey. Unconsciously, she neared the edge of the forest during her chase.

“Here…”

Seeing the dark, stagnant water emerging not far ahead, Phini realized she had reached the edge of the forbidden swamp.

“Yip~”

Just as Phini hesitated, a clear sound came from ahead, interrupting her thoughts.

Looking forward, a small, fox-like wild beast came into view.

‘It feels like this creature is leading me…’

Observing the small fox standing at the forest’s edge, Phini instantly grew wary. Recalling the tracks, suspicion quickly formed in her mind. She had initially assumed it was a very careless prey, but upon careful consideration, she realized the traces might have been deliberately laid to guide her to this exact location.

“Yip~ yip~”

Perhaps noticing Phini watching it, the fox, seemingly unafraid, continued to call out, attempting to attract her attention. However, Phini was not lured by its calls. She observed it closely, filled with caution.

“Yip~ yip~”

Sensing her wariness, the fox began to roll on the ground, trying to act cute to make her drop her guard. However, no matter how endearing it tried to be, Phini remained unmoved, watching it with an expression as if looking at an idiot.

“Yip…”

Seeing her complete lack of reaction, the fox, looking helpless, ceased its antics. It shook its body, shedding the dirt clinging to its fur, and barked at her once more.

“…”

In response, Phini swiftly drew Narthemia from her waist. With lightning speed, she hurled the heavy Holy Sword directly at the creature!

Perhaps it had not expected the human to act so ruthlessly. Before the fox could even react, it was pierced through the chest by the heavy blade. Its eyes widened, its body trembled, and then it collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

“Looks like we can add a meat dish to dinner tonight.”

Seeing Narthemia strike its target flawlessly, Phini waited until the fox was completely still. Only then did she walk over and lift her prey.

The fox was only about half her size. It appeared to be a young one! But Phini didn’t care; to her, this fox would definitely be a feast. After not tasting meat for a long time, she was truly craving it.

Thump-thump… Thump-thump…

As Phini pondered how to field-dress the fox, a very muffled, rhythmic sound emanated from the depths of the adjacent swamp. The sound was like someone slowly beating a heavy drum, sending shivers down her spine.

“…”

Phini instinctively turned her head. However, what greeted her eyes was still the lifeless, stagnant swamp.

This swamp was full of abyssal-like mud, making one want to stop in their tracks. Phini had no intention of entering it.

Although she was curious about the muffled drumming sound, she chose to suppress it. She grabbed the prey she had so painstakingly caught and decided to leave the area immediately.

Not long after Phini had walked away, a creature with crimson eyes and a human-like form crossed the border from the swamp into the woods.

Seconds later, this peculiar creature swiftly ran to the spot where Phini had killed the fox. It opened its mouth, extended its tongue, and licked the blood-stained earth.

After licking for several minutes, the creature, having cleaned up the blood, wiped its mouth and gazed greedily in the direction Phini had left.