Seeker 374

Test

Chapter 374. The Jet-Black Wolves

Emerging from the mist was a large beast resembling a wolf.

Its size rivaled that of a small horse, its fur was jet-black, and its eyes gleamed red.

There were five of them.

"That's a Vampire Wolf. Just like in the Monster Encyclopedia data."

Yuzuki readied the Fenrir Bow, drawing it back as he shared the results of his Monster Appraisal skill.

When monsters appear, his fear seems to retreat.

Incidentally, I had also checked out monsters related to vampires in the Monster Encyclopedia beforehand.

Vampire Wolf was one of those, and I'd memorized its data.

For a typical A-rank adventurer party, five of them would be a serious threat.

It seemed the monsters had noticed us and were rushing toward us at full speed.

I raised my divine spear and shield, preparing to counter.

Kazane and Griff also assumed their stances.

"Attack first—Fenrir Arrow!"

With Yuzuki's shout, a shining ice arrow shot forth at high speed, leaving a luminous trail behind.

The arrow struck one of the oncoming jet-black wolves directly.

The hit caused an ice pillar to bloom from the impact point, and the beast vanished into a black mist before turning into a magic stone.

Four remained. They showed no sign of fear.

Two charged straight at us.

The other two scattered left and right, seemingly trying to flank us.

"I'll handle the two in the middle! Griff, take the left! Kazane—"

"The right? Got it!"

Kazane dashed forward at incredible speed to intercept her target on the right.

After confirming Griff headed left, I sprinted forward.

Within seconds, I clashed with two Vampire Wolves.

"Take this—[Triple Thrust]!"

"—GRRRAAOOO!"

First, I unleashed my standard skill attack.

My Divine Spear, imbued with a radiant skill aura, struck one of the jet-black wolves three times in rapid succession.

After three quick thrusts, it let out a death cry and dissolved into a magic stone.

The other one, in the meantime, lunged at me from the ground.

I blocked its pounce with my shield, bracing myself to avoid being toppled over and then deflected it.

It landed lightly and immediately zigzagged toward me with surprising agility, likely to avoid repeating its comrade's fate or being blocked by my shield again.

However, this maneuver was obvious to our sharpshooter.

"Hold your position there, Senpai! Fenrir Arrow!"

The second ice arrow whizzed past me, striking the zigzagging Vampire Wolf as it landed.

It too vanished into a frosty bloom, leaving only a magic stone behind.

Looking around, I saw that Kazane and Griff had also defeated their respective opponents.

All five monsters had been eliminated.

As I picked up the magic stone at my feet, I turned to my junior.

"But, really, 'hold your position' is a bit much, Yuzuki."

"Heheh, it slipped out! But Senpai, wolves need proper training, after all."

"Oh? Calling me a pet, are you? Looks like I need to clarify who's in charge."

"Go ahead, then! I'll show you just how much of a pet I can be, Senpai!"

"Huh...? Did you just call yourself a pet?"

"It's total surrender! I've always said, Senpai is the master, and I'm the pet. Put a collar on me, train and pamper me as you see fit! Woof!"

My junior had a habit of flipping their stance immediately after making bold claims.

How serious is he, really?

"Ugh, you two get lovey-dovey every chance you get. Let me join too, I’ve said it before!"

Kazane approached, exasperated.

Griff, clutching a magic stone in its beak, also returned.

Would including Kazane make it 'Master and Fun Pets'?

But doing that with Kazane feels criminal... Honestly, even Yuzuki is risky...

Their playful banter messes with my sense of normalcy.

Anyway, we cleared a minor obstacle.

Only Griff took a hit, and the injury was quickly healed with magic.

Each Vampire Wolf earned 900 experience points upon defeat.

Not insignificant enough to call it a pittance.

"Still, looks like we’re on the right track to the vampires' lair."

"Yeah. At least they pointed us in the right direction."

"Ugh... I just want out of this creepy forest as soon as possible. It gets scarier when the monsters are gone."

"Your fear is bizarre."

We resumed our journey.

As the dense mist threatened to obscure our direction, I occasionally mounted Griff to scout from above and verify our destination.

Eventually, we reached our target.

"This... This is the vampires' lair...? They overdid the atmosphere..."

Clinging to me, Yuzuki’s voice trembled.

In an open area within the forest, a stone structure loomed.

The building, surrounded by crumbling stone walls, felt like an old castle, despite its smaller scale.

Creeping vines spread across the structure, and bats fluttered while rats scurried and hid.

There was no apparent monster presence, nor any danger.

A decaying wooden gate, likely once part of the entrance, lay collapsed, half-buried in weeds.

The entrance was wide open, with no obstacles to entry.

"Alright, let's go. Time to get serious."

"Kraah!"

"I think you should've been serious all along."

"True, but constant tension won’t help us succeed either—Ah!"

"Yuzuki, focus."

"I'm scared, but I'm serious now!"

We bantered lightly, then passed through the castle gate and stepped inside.