Seeker 382

Test

Chapter 382. Ice Wolf

“…Hey, hey, what is that?”

The man called Boss stepped out of the store, looked around, and the first words he uttered were these.

In the direction his gaze turned, there was an enormous, beast-like figure.

It resembled a Snow Wolf, a monster with the appearance of a wolf. Its snowy fur gave it a certain noble beauty, almost like something regal.

However, a typical Snow Wolf would only be about the size of a horse. Even though that’s far larger than an ordinary wolf, the monster before the mercenaries—those rough-and-tumble warriors—was on a completely different scale.

Even with all four feet on the ground, its height was higher than the roof of a two-story house, and its body length must have exceeded ten meters. It had the imposing presence of a dragon—perhaps even bigger than one.

This massive monster had somehow appeared within the city. Houses had been smashed, and people were fleeing in fear and confusion.

Vidal, the leader of the mercenary group Thunder Hammer Brigade, pondered for a moment. "Ah, with that size, a monster like that could easily jump over the city walls," he thought.

The distance from where Vidal stood to the monster was still considerable. But if the creature decided to come for them, it could reach them in just a few dozen seconds.

What was more pressing was the immense pressure the monster exerted, even from this distance. A bead of sweat trickled down Vidal’s forehead.

“Damn it, what the hell is that thing?”

Vidal was a rare awakened individual who had surpassed his limits. He was confident in his strength, far above that of seasoned adventurers or knights. It was this overwhelming power that earned both fear and admiration from the members of his mercenary group.

But even Vidal, faced with the immense power of the giant wolf, felt that its strength was incomprehensible.

“Why the hell is a monster like that inside the city?”

“B-Boss, what should we do?”

The members of the Thunder Hammer Brigade who followed Vidal were also disoriented, witnessing the monstrous creature wreaking havoc in the city.

Vidal only thought for a moment before arriving at his decision.

“We’re getting out of here. If we stick around and try to fight that thing, we won’t last a minute.”

“Y-Yes, Boss!”

“Don’t call me Boss. Call me Captain.”

The monster rampaged, destroying the city and massacring people. With its claws and fangs, it tore through humans and buildings, freezing everything in its path with icy breath from its mouth. It slowly, but surely, started heading in the direction of Vidal and his group.

If they didn’t act quickly, they would be its next meal. Vidal ordered his men to prepare for departure immediately.

At that moment, a man who appeared to be one of the city’s guards ran toward them after spotting their figures.

“Hey, you guys, you’re awakened ones, right? Help us out.”

“Huh?”

“We can’t take down that monster with just us guards. Lend us a hand. I’ll make sure the reward is handled, I swear. This is an emergency.”

The guard desperately pleaded with Vidal and his mercenaries. Vidal responded with a question.

“How many guards and adventurers are in this city? Don’t count the rookies. How many seasoned awakened ones are there?”

“I don’t know the exact number, but including you guys, probably thirty or forty. Please, we’re in a race against time. You know people are being slaughtered right now, don’t you? We don’t have much time.”

Hearing this, Vidal scoffed. He then said firmly:

“Ten thousand gold coins.”

“Wha...?”

“I’ll give five thousand to each of my men, and three thousand to me. Ten thousand total. If you can pay that, then we’ll talk.”

The guard looked stunned at first. But then, he quickly became furious.

“D-Don’t mess with me! That’s more than a hundred times the going rate for an A-rank adventurer! Don’t take us for fools! You know full well that people are being slaughtered by that monster right now!”

“Hah, we couldn’t care less about that. Protecting the 'helpless citizens' is your job, not ours.”

“Wha...!”

“If you can’t offer the reward, then the conversation ends here. Goodbye.”

“W-Wait, what are you gonna do? Are you really running away?”

“We’re 'helpless citizens' too, you know. We’ll just run like everyone else.”

“Y-You heartless bastards! Cowardly chickens!”

The guard, his face red with anger, threw a parting insult before running toward the monster. Vidal scratched his head and frowned as he watched the scene unfold.

Meanwhile, a mercenary came out of the tavern and reported to Vidal.

“Boss, we’re ready to move.”

“Alright. I hate to leave the drinks behind, but we’ve got to move. If we waste any more time, we’ll be monster food.”

“W-Wait, you guys.”

The tavern’s landlady came out, followed by the bartender and a young waitress.

“You guys, where are you going? What’s going to happen now? That—wasn’t it supposed to be the awakened ones who’d take care of that monster!?”

She pointed toward the massive beast wreaking havoc in the distance. Vidal sighed deeply.

“Tell that to the city’s guards. They seem to think they can defeat that thing.”

“Are you not going to fight it?”

“Yeah, we’re pulling out. I’ll warn you now: if you value your life, you better get out of here too. This city is finished.”

“W-What do you mean, 'get out'? Just like that? And what about the drinks we paid for?”

“Does it matter when we’re all about to die? If you want to run, follow us. We’ll call the drinks 'escort fees.'”

“S-Such...”

The landlady collapsed where she stood. The bartender wore a troubled expression, and the young waitress began crying.

Just then—debris from smashed homes, thrown by the rampaging monster, came flying through the air in an arc. The debris was headed straight for the landlady and her companions.

“Tch...!”

Vidal quickly stepped in front of the landlady, crossing his arms to absorb the impact of the debris. The debris shattered in two and fell to the ground nearby.

Blood dripped from Vidal’s arms and forehead. The wounds weren’t fatal, but they were significant.

“That’s three extra gold coins for the escort fee. Hurry up if you’re coming. We don’t have time.”

“Y-You... greedy bastard!”

“Say what you want. If you’re not coming, we’ll leave.”

“Wait! I’ll go! I’ll get ready right away!”

The landlady rushed back into the tavern. Meanwhile, the bartender, who had been looking troubled, spoke to Vidal.

“I’m sorry. I’m in your debt. Please protect us on the way out.”

“I’ve got it covered. I’ll tell you, though—being a weak man is tough. To protect the ones you care about, you’ve got to bow to people you don’t like.”

“...”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Forget I said it.”

Vidal raised both hands in apology to the bartender.

Then, with the landlady and bartender quickly readying themselves, Vidal led the Thunder Hammer Brigade out of the city of Tulam.

A few people, including the young waitress and her family, also followed them, but they were only a small fraction of the city’s population.

＊＊＊

Elsewhere, deep within the snow-covered northern lands outside the city of Tulam. In the desolate region often hidden by fierce blizzards, stood a massive structure that could only be described as the Ice Castle.

The Ice Castle—so it was called by the people.

To call it a structure might not be entirely accurate. No one knew when it was built, but according to reports from past heroes, it was said to resemble a dungeon.

At the heart of this Ice Castle. In what looked like a grand throne room, though impossibly vast, sat a beautiful woman upon a throne made of ice.

No, she could not possibly be human. With skin as white as snow and hair as translucent as ice. Dressed in a gown that seemed woven from thin ice, she leaned elegantly against the throne.

Surrounding her were monsters of all sizes and shapes. The Ice Queen, amidst this crowd of monsters, smiled faintly.