An Unsettling Hunt

“Village Chief?! What are you all doing here…?”

“I never expected to run into you.”

Her question was met by Reed and his companions, their faces mirroring her confusion. Their attire appeared remarkably neat, betraying no signs of having encountered danger, yet their hands were conspicuously empty—a clear indication that they, too, had failed to capture any prey.

It turned out that after heading to their assigned area, Reed and his group had searched their designated sector for a considerable time, only to find not a single trace of prey. Consequently, they decided to try their luck in other areas. However, as they traversed the forest, they found no prey; even the common Radas and Dobbies were scarce. They had continued their exploration until this very moment, when they encountered Elise and her party.

“So, it is the same situation on your side?”

“What do you mean? Are you suggesting…?”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Reed’s expression grew serious. He had specifically dispatched scouts to investigate the surrounding environment, and only after repeatedly confirming this area was the most suitable had he decided to launch the hunting expedition here. Yet, now they faced such an unforeseen predicament.

For the entire village, this hunt was crucial. If delayed much longer, the entire Valrin region would plunge into a severe winter. By then, the villagers would be unable to carry out normal production activities, relying solely on the provisions accumulated during autumn. Meat, especially, was critical, with nearly half of their winter supply typically acquired from this very hunt. But now, with things as they were…

“Let’s go find the other teams and see if they’ve encountered the same situation. If that’s the case, then I’m afraid we’ll have to find another location.”

After a moment’s thought, Reed immediately issued instructions. He then retrieved a signal arrow from his satchel. These arrows, crafted from special materials, could emit a powerful light under specific conditions. Before setting out, they had agreed that upon seeing a signal during the hunt, everyone should immediately converge on its source.

But just as Reed nocked an arrow to his bow, poised to fire, his instincts suddenly screamed a warning.

[Something… something utterly terrifying lurks within this forest.]

The group began to stir; clearly, the others had also sensed this dreadful crisis. In this world, all living beings contained varying degrees of ‘Spirit,’ and because of this, even ordinary people unable to resonate with Spirit could, to some extent, perceive changes in their surroundings. This manifested intuitively as what they called ‘instinct.’

Every person swiftly drew their weapon, nervously scanning their surroundings. The forest, which had moments ago been quiet and peaceful, had suddenly transformed into a devouring monster, seemingly poised to swallow them whole.

Elise’s brows furrowed deeply. Only she truly understood what was happening. Though she desperately resisted thinking in that direction, if it truly was as she suspected, then their prolonged search without encountering any prey made perfect sense. Even humans possessed the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, let alone animals.

“Everyone, form a circle! Be wary of your surroundings!”

Reed commanded immediately, no longer hesitating. He fired the signal arrow directly into the sky. Before long, a colossal burst of light erupted above. The dazzling brilliance not only illuminated the sky but also pierced into the shadowed corners of the forest.

Then, in the next moment, everyone’s breath hitched.

In a particular direction, several pairs of crimson eyes gradually materialized. Ferocious beasts slowly stepped out from the dense woods, as if they, not the humans, were the hunters surrounding their prey.

“Mon… monsters.”

A burly man’s voice trembled, his hand barely steadying the knife he held. The ominous presences before them were the nightmares of everyone in this world.

‘Monsters’ did not refer to a specific creature but was a collective term for all beings capable of combining spiritual energy with their physical bodies in a unique way. Unlike common wild beasts, they possessed inconceivable, terrifying power and could, to a certain extent, freely wield the spiritual energy within them. Besides having greater speed and strength, a significant number of them could also employ magic. Monsters came in diverse forms, but they undeniably shared one common trait: extreme aggression, bordering on cruel brutality. Wherever monsters passed, few lives escaped their clutches; in people’s minds, they were synonymous with death.

The monsters now before them resembled wolves but bore terrifying bone spikes on their limbs and spines, their mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth. Their mere appearance was enough to inspire profound dread.

“Bone Wolves… why are they here?”

Recognizing the monsters at a glance, Elise murmured to herself. These were among the most common monsters on the continent. They were inherently cruel, bloodthirsty, and usually hunted in packs, possessing formidable speed and strength. However, due to their lack of intelligence, they could not use magic. Given their equally astonishing reproductive capabilities, they were practically ubiquitous in areas where monsters were active.

But the problem was that the Valrin region belonged to the northwestern part of the Vernus Empire, a considerable distance from the front lines. Logically, these monsters should not be appearing here.

“Watch out, they’re charging!”

Reed shouted tensely, his confidence wavering. Despite his years, this was his first encounter with actual monsters. Yet, based solely on what he had heard about them, these terrifying entities were absolutely not something ordinary people could contend with.

“Roar…”

But the creatures did not seem eager to attack immediately. Leaping from the shadows of the trees, the Bone Wolves gradually encircled the group—a common tactic for them: first surround the prey, then overwhelm them in a rush.

The burly men broke out in cold sweat. Dealing with ordinary wild beasts was one thing, but fighting terrifying monsters was nothing short of suicidal. Now, it seemed, far from returning with a full bounty, they might well meet their end here today.

“Calm down, everyone! Whatever you do, don’t break formation. Fear will only excite these creatures more.”

At that moment, Elise suddenly spoke. Facing the encircling Bone Wolves, she showed not a hint of fear, her eyes fixed intently on one of the creatures as she rallied the others.

“They’re only good at preying on the weak and fearing the strong. Don’t let them see your fear; we can defeat them!”

“Pastor Elise…”

The men, whose spirits had plummeted moments ago, now seemed to rekindle a flicker of hope. If struggling offered even a slim chance of survival, then they might as well fight with everything they had.

“Roar—”

Seeing their prey’s fear suddenly diminish, and losing their amusement, the Bone Wolves no longer waited. With a long howl, one of them charged towards Elise, its blood-red maw agape.