Chapter 27 : Land of Wolves (3)
Thud thud thud.
Urgent hoofbeats could be heard racing through the dry forest path.
The owner of the hoofbeats was a monster resembling a reindeer, its body covered in shaggy fur.
However, if there was a difference from an ordinary reindeer, it was that this guy had antlers and hooves made of steel, and its size was more than double that of a reindeer.
Thud thud thud.
However, contrary to its majestic appearance, the monster's steps looked very hurried.
Whoosh!
"Gurgle!"
And the one who made the monster urgent was a knight of Haken who was persistently racing after it.
The knight threw the spear he was holding, and the spear flew through the air and accurately pierced the guy's neck.
"Haha, got you. You rascal!"
The knight who ended the monster's life burst into loud laughter and pulled out the spear.
Even though he had run for quite a while following the monster, at a speed unimaginable for an ordinary person, not a trace of exhaustion could be found on the knight's expression.
"Where do you think you're going, you rascal!"
Kiek!
"Smash one guy's head!"
Crunch!
A monster massacre was unfolding here and there.
The operation report stated that it was a joint operation between the Haken Knight Order and the fortress garrison, but in reality, the slaughter of monsters was solely Haken's share.
I, who was silently watching this monster massacre operation, asked the adjutant.
"You said they never learned aura?"
"That is correct. In the first place, most were regular soldiers when they applied for the test, and after coming to Haken, they didn't have the opportunity to learn aura."
"Is that so? You mean they are showing that level of skill purely with physical abilities without aura."
The reason the upper echelons of the knight order did not give Haken the opportunity to learn aura was simple.
Because they had already been marked as uncontrollable bombs since a long time ago.
'It means there's no need to sharpen a blade if it's a sword I cannot use.'
I carefully engraved the sight of Haken fighting into my eyes.
Although their limits were clear because they could not handle aura, they clearly knew the advantages they possessed and were definitely extracting those strengths.
'They look somewhat rough, but they are certainly efficient. Does it mean the experience of a hundred years wasn't spent in vain?'
I imagined one interesting scenario.
What if I taught them aura?
If aura were added to those overwhelming physical abilities, what kind of monsters would be born?
Smirk.
I, who let out a chuckle, observed the knighthood while mounted on my horse.
"Tch, what an unlucky guy. He means he doesn't want to lift a single finger, right?"
It wasn't just me observing Haken; Haken was also observing me.
They confirmed my skill from the sight of me turning Pierce into pulp, but that didn't mean their hostility toward me had faded.
They didn't like the fact that the unlucky captain was commanding the hunt they came out for after a long time, nor did they like that captain guy sitting on his horse without lifting a finger.
"Hey, should we feed that jerk a blow?"
Then, a colleague quietly approached the knight grinding his teeth towards me and spoke.
"I found this near here, you see?"
"This is an Earth Worm's shell."
"Right, looking at the state of it, it seems there's a cave where an Earth Worm lives nearby. So, we could……."
The two exchanged hand gestures and glances with secretive expressions.
After a while, they smiled and scattered in different directions.
***
"Captain! I have something urgent to tell you."
"What is the matter?"
A member with an urgent expression approached me and made a report.
"An Earth Worm. Members have been sucked into a cave where an Earth Worm lives."
"An Earth Worm?"
An Earth Worm was a large monster reaching 10 to 15 meters in length alone, and it had the habit of hiding and living inside caves.
Creating a sand pit like a swamp to make prey fall into the cave and then eating them was the feeding method the guy mainly used.
"How many people were sucked in?"
"Just the ones confirmed are five in total."
The Earth Worm was a very threatening monster because of its tremendous size, the thick armor covering its body, and the acidic liquid spewed from its maw.
If members really had been sucked into an Earth Worm's cave, this must certainly be a very critical situation.
"Understood. Lead the way."
"Yes, Captain. Please follow me."
The member hurriedly moved away from me.
Just as I was about to spur my horse to follow him.
"Captain, something is strange. Rather than moving immediately, how about grasping the situation a little more before going?"
The adjutant held me back.
To his eyes, it must have been suspicious.
The members of Haken were veterans among veterans.
That five of such people were sucked in at once was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
And even if such a thing happened, it didn't seem likely they would look for me rather than trying to solve the problem with their own power.
"We will go first and check the situation. How about you come after that, Captain?"
The Centurion acting as adjutant cautiously recommended that I move slowly.
However…….
"Do not worry. I also know that something is suspicious."
I showed a reaction they hadn't quite expected.
"Captain, knowing that fact, why do you say you are moving? It could be dangerous."
"Why, you ask? The members want to play a prank, so the person called the Captain should play along with them."
"……!"
"Until there is a separate order, you guys hold your current positions."
Ending with these words, I rode my horse like the wind and headed toward the Earth Worm's cave.
The soldiers could only watch my receding figure with blank expressions.
***
"It is here. The sand pit the members were sucked into is likely connected to this cave."
The place the member guided me to was a deep cave entrance that was pierced straight down underground.
The member, standing at the cave entrance that looked unusual at a glance, quickly gauged my reaction.
"Understood. Then I will try entering here, so you inform the other members of this fact. We must not have any additional members falling into danger, after all."
"Understood. Captain."
With that answer, the member ran away leaving me alone, and I moved my steps into the cave without hesitation.
'It seems the statement that there is an Earth Worm is true itself.'
Judging by the unique smell of the Earth Worm wafting from deep inside the cave and the debris of shells scattered everywhere, the idea that an Earth Worm was here seemed to be true.
Satisfied with that fact, I moved my steps straight toward the depths of the cave.
Skitter skitter.
Before long, I eventually faced the master of this cave.
A body stretching long, divided by carapaces like an arthropod.
Numerous legs wriggling while shining sharp claws.
Dozens of eyeballs sticking to its head.
Skritch.
The Earth Worm swallowed its saliva, making a unique grinding sound.
It was understandable since, to the guy, I was grateful for the prey that had walked toward the deadly place on my own two feet.
'If it's this guy, it's perfect as a test opponent.'
But smacking lips upon seeing the Earth Worm was the same for me as well.
The Earth Worm is a monster whose subjugation difficulty changes depending on where you fight it.
If fighting outside the cave where the Earth Worm resides is difficulty level 4, the moment you fight the guy inside the cave, it instantly rises to level 6.
Currently, the mana rings I have completed are six in total.
In other words, the Earth Worm could be called the optimal punching bag for me to beat up comfortably.
'If it's here, there won't be any watching eyes, so my abilities won't be exposed just because I use magic.'
I recalled the list of magic to test against the Earth Worm.
And the very moment my thoughts were organized.
Kiaaaak!
The Earth Worm opened its maw wide and spewed acidic liquid.
Sizzle sizzle.
The rock fragments hit by the spray of acidic liquid melted down mushily like tofu.
However, not a single trace remained on my armor, which should have been hit directly by the acidic liquid.
Woom!
As soon as the threat was detected, the Mana Shield that naturally rose up protected me.
Surrounded by the blue light of the Mana Shield, I observed the Earth Worm this way and that.
'For now, what should I try first?'
Was my appearance, without even a flinch, unpleasant?
The Earth Worm swung its long-stretched tail.
However, even this time, the guy's attack couldn't touch a single hair on me.
A stream of light stretching out from the ground had wrapped around and seized the guy's tail as it was.
The next incantation immediately leaked from my mouth.
"Spear."
Gaaack!
As soon as the incantation ended, a scream burst out from the Earth Worm's mouth.
The stream of light that was winding around the tail became dozens of sharp spears just like that and pierced the Earth Worm's shell.
Even the Earth Worm's shell, harder than rock, was insufficient to block the spears of light.
Gurgle gurgle.
Green body fluids quickly flowed out through the broken shell.
However, the reverse flow of body fluids did not last very long.
"Freezing!"
Wooooom!
The moment the next incantation came out of my mouth.
Powerful cold energy began to frost over the broken shell area.
Crackle!
The cold energy that started at the wound site expanded its range in an instant and wrapped around the Earth Worm's entire body, and the guy literally became a single ice sculpture.
The Earth Worm, who should have been the ruler of the cave, was merely powerless before the magic I showcased.
I, who succeeded in subduing the Earth Worm without moving a single step, approached the frozen Earth Worm with my Family Sword drawn and snapped my finger.
Whish.
Then, wind blew from somewhere and took the shape of a giant hammer, and soon began to strike the Earth Worm's whole body.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Earth Worm's body, frozen while stretched out to a length well over ten meters, soon began to shatter into pieces.
The moment the head of the guy, which was hideous beyond measure, was shaved away to my eye level.
Flash!
Blade Aura began to burn with a blue light from my Family Sword.
Boom!
The ruler of the cave became a wretched state with only its head remaining and rolled on the floor.
***
"You have to be ready properly. You know we have to beat it to death as soon as it comes out, right?"
"Don't worry. Is this our first time doing business?"
About an hour had passed since I hid my body inside the cave.
The Haken Knight Order was waiting in front of the Earth Worm's cave, holding a hunting formation.
"But what if that guy died inside by chance?"
"Die? Did you not see him grappling with the Captain the other time? If he has that much skill, he won't be able to catch the Earth Worm, but he will be able to run away and come out. Then the Earth Worm will follow that unlucky guy out, so let's catch it right then."
The members hadn't given false information wishing for me to die.
What they wanted was to see me running away from the cave in a panic with an unsightly appearance, not for me to be found as a corpse.
Just hearing the news that the unlucky guy ran away dragging snot and tears would make the mood of the colleagues waiting for them much better.
Crackle!
Just then, the wall near the cave entrance began to crack, making a splitting sound.
Seeing that sight, the members entered full-scale hunting preparations.
Clank! Clank!
One hundred members formed a formation in perfect order and entered preparations for their respective roles.
Some held shields to block the acidic liquid, and some prepared chains to bind the Earth Worm's movements and harpoons to cut its breath.
Crash!
"It's here, get ready!"
And the moment the outer wall of the cave burst out, the shield bearers instantly blocked the front.
However…….
"What? Did everyone come out to greet me?"
What poured over their shields instead of the acidic liquid that should have spewed out was a cold voice that was still unfamiliar.
"Ca, Captain?"
"Yes, it's me. Is there something on my face?"
Was it because they were too flustered?
One of the shield bearers at the very front spoke my title without realizing it.
I replied with a nonchalant expression.
"Ca, Captain. Do you have any injuries?"
"Injuries? It is exactly as you are seeing."
Contrary to what they expected, my armor and cloak were neat beyond measure, and not even dust could be found, let alone injuries.
"You there. Don't just stand there blankly, could you go over there and retrieve that?"
"……!"
My finger pointed to the debris of the collapsed outer wall.
The members who checked that place were startled without realizing it.
"We came out for a hunt after a long time, so there should be at least that much loot."
In the debris of the outer wall, the Earth Worm's head, which was about the size of a sturdy young man's upper body, was lying all alone.
"You there. Didn't you tell me earlier that five people were sucked into the pit?"
"Th, that is correct. Captain."
"I searched that guy's nest thoroughly, but the members were nowhere to be seen. How did this happen?"
"Th, that…… So……."
The member who reported the lie to me turned pale and couldn't say anything.
"Well, it's fine. If there are no casualties, that is a welcome thing in itself."
However, unlike when I dealt with Pierce before, I showed a generous appearance and mounted my horse.
"By the way, you guys. Surely you aren't all gathered like this just to catch one earthworm like this, right?"
"……."
At my question, the members couldn't give any answer.
Their pride could not possibly allow them to answer, 'To catch the Earth Worm you beat to death alone inside the cave, we need about a hundred people to gather, and that too outside the cave, not inside.'
"I believe not. If your skills are really only at that level, you guys would be people who are only at the level of wild dogs, let alone wolves."
This time too, there was no one to answer my question.
Instead of answering, the members were bowing their heads with flushed faces.
Their eyes were blazing, engulfed in an unknown energy.
However, one thing was certain: the identity of that unknown energy was not simple 'hostility' like before.
Having confirmed that, I let out a light sigh and spoke to the members.
"The time is late. Let us return to the fortress for today."