Ch.23Cloudy, with Occasional Wolves

After finishing our breakfast of warm soup and bread sold at the lodging, we left through Oxville’s west gate and set out toward Ambers Ranch. I would have liked the bright weather to bless our journey ahead, but…

“The weather’s quite gloomy this morning…”

“It’s still fine. At least it doesn’t look like it’ll rain while the sun is up.”

“You can tell that?”

“When it’s about to rain, the air gets damp… I can feel my tail fur starting to droop.”

“Heh… being a beastkin sure is convenient.”

As we talked, I gently stroked Setty’s tail that was swaying in front of me, causing her to yelp “Hiyak!?” and release that familiar fruity scent.

“…Please tell me before touching my tail.”

“Uh, umm. Sorry.”

“I should mention this now—there’s no lodging at Ambers Ranch. Visitors have to sleep in the town hall, so we won’t be able to do anything tonight, okay?”

“Is that also part of space conservation?”

“Something like that. The safe zone secured by the minor barrier is at most 100 meters in diameter, so it’s barely enough for facilities for the ranch residents.”

“How exactly do you obtain the materials used to make these barriers? Do miners dig them up?”

“They’re primarily spoils found in dungeons.”

Dungeons. Along with quests, they represent the quintessential adventurer activities.

In novels and games, dungeons are typically cave-like places teeming with monsters, with powerful boss monsters like dragons guarding massive treasures in the innermost chambers. I wonder what they’re actually like in Grantis?

“A dungeon is a kind of enclosed space created where black mana flows concentrate. You can only enter and exit through designated entrances, and inside roam monsters born from black mana, but valuable ores, medicinal ingredients, or special items called ‘artifacts’ can also be found.”

“I understand gems and herbs, but it’s fascinating that items are found in naturally formed spaces.”

“There’s still a lot we don’t know about that. One theory suggests that dungeons themselves partly possess biological properties, controlling the monster population inside and creating artifacts to lure in prey seeking them.”

“Like a living labyrinth…”

It reminds me of unmanned factories in post-apocalyptic SF novels. The administrators died long ago, but AI still alive continues producing products, and protagonists obtain treasures made with lost technology after breaking through the security systems. A kind of classic development, I suppose.

“Among the items that can be found in dungeons are pure mana crystals called ‘mana cores.’ High-quality mana cores can become materials for major barriers covering entire cities, while lower-quality ones are used to create minor barriers distributed to resource facilities like ranches or mines.”

“If they discovered a dungeon with loads of high-quality mana cores buried in it, the western development project would make a huge leap forward.”

“Ahaha, finding something like that would raise your license grade by several levels… You might even get a statue erected in the middle of Mother Town!”

As we chatted about various topics while walking through the gloomy weather for quite some time, unwelcome visitors started following us around 1 PM.

A gray wolf kept following us from a distance, moving away whenever we looked at it. This happened several times until eventually, there were three wolves walking parallel to us about 50 meters away.

“They seem to recognize us as prey.”

“They’re maintaining a distance just barely within pistol range. Smart creatures—are they monsters?”

“They’re wild animals called Hunter Wolves. They hunt in packs, so there might be a few more around.”

“Hmm… I don’t smell any wolves other than those three right now.”

“Should we attack first before more gather?”

“That would be best. It could get dangerous if their numbers increase.”

I don’t know how strong these wild Hunter Wolves are, but they probably can’t compare to “monsters” like black panthers or Strike Falcons. However, the impact of numbers on battle superiority can never be ignored, so it’s best to take the initiative before the enemy gathers forces.

“Then I’ll begin.”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

I fire one shot at each of the distant wolves. Considering the white mana bullet’s velocity and the reflexes of Grantis’s wild animals, I didn’t really expect to hit them.

This shooting isn’t just simple deterrence but a clear declaration of war—”I’m attacking your entire pack.” I want to see how the Hunter Wolves will react when their supposed prey launches a preemptive strike before they’ve gathered sufficient numbers. If they give up and flee, that’s fine; even if they fight back, it’s better to engage them before we’re outnumbered.

The Hunter Wolf pack’s response to our preemptive attack was to fight back. The three wolves, easily dodging the bullets, began charging quickly toward me.

“They’re not running away but coming at us?”

“From their perspective, Setty has a melee weapon, and Jessica appears unarmed. That’s assuming they’re smart enough to make such judgments.”

For someone like me who’s accustomed to gunpowder firearms, the slow velocity of white mana bullets is quite unsatisfying. The easiest solution to this problem is “shooting when they’re too close to see and dodge”—if I shoot within 10 meters, they can’t dodge no matter how good their reflexes are.

But as the party member who can attack from a distance with the least burden, I can’t just wait for enemies to approach and claim I’m doing my part.

“If it doesn’t work one way, there’s always another way to make it work.”

Although three mana bullets remain in the cylinder, I open it and reload my revolver to test a solution for hitting the target before they approach. The distance to the enemies is about 35 meters—still far, but sufficient.

“Here I go!”

“Ta-ta-ta-tang!”

Four bullets fly like a meteor shower toward the leading Hunter Wolf. But their trajectories aren’t aimed at the wolf’s vital points.

The trajectories pass tantalizingly close around the prey, but if it tries to dodge in any direction, it risks serious injury—effectively restricting the Hunter Wolf’s movement.

“Bang!”

A fifth bullet is fired with a momentary time difference. If the Hunter Wolf, mesmerized by the previous four bullets, attempts to break through the center without dodging, this bullet will fly directly into the middle of its body.

The key point is that no matter how excellent an animal’s dynamic vision might be, its reflexes can’t completely keep up. If it were an object capable of irregular high-speed hovering like an alien UFO, it might be able to dodge to a safe position based on the detected bullet trajectory, but an animal running on the ground can’t change direction until its next step is fully completed.

In other words, if the interval between the first four bullets and the fifth can be made shorter than “the minimum interval the target can respond to,” the fifth bullet becomes a vicious mana bullet that absolutely cannot be dodged even if its trajectory is visually perceived.

By the time those five shots are successfully fired, it doesn’t matter what response the Hunter Wolf chose for the first four bullets. A white mana bullet would have been waiting for any choice. My next action is simply to put the sixth bullet between the eyes of the Hunter Wolf that’s been shot and is rolling on the ground.

“Bang—!”

The shooting technique I devised to overcome the weakness of white mana bullets that I painfully realized during the fights with the black panther and Strike Falcon was successful. There’s a drawback in having to use all six bullets in the revolver to take down one enemy, but it’s worth it for the merit of being able to defeat enemies from a distance.

Seeing the lead wolf fall under the shower of bullets, the remaining two scattered left and right, charging toward Jessica and Setty. They probably judged it dangerous to approach me in a group head-on as I rapidly fired six bullets. But they failed to realize that the two people they were targeting possessed far more lethal combat abilities.

“Diamond Dust!”

Though I’ve seen this freezing spell several times while traveling together, this is the first time I’ve seen it used for attack. The same wonderful magic that filled our canteens with ice every evening now spread radially from Jessica’s fingertips, creating a scene as if painting over the empty air.

Ice crystals too small to be clearly visible sparkle like stars. How much destructive power could such a gentle magic have? Anyone seeing this magic for the first time might think that, given how calm and pretty it looks, but the Hunter Wolf caught in its range was instantly covered with frost-white rime and ice fragments.

Like a soaking wet dog rolling in snow, ice and frost stick all over its body. The fur around its eyes, eyebrows, and even the moisture moistening its eyeballs freeze, preventing it from seeing ahead. Breath turned to frost fills its nostrils, hindering breathing, and its frozen palate and tongue stick firmly together with no sign of separating.

It’s far from the cartoon image of freezing spells where healthy people or monsters are instantly trapped in massive ice. But the vivid and somewhat scientific scene of extreme cold frost meeting an animal’s body temperature truly showed what freezing really means.

“Bang!”

The role of taking the freezing wolf’s life falls to the derringer pistol drawn from Jessica’s slender leg. I don’t know what kind of death awaits at the end of this beautiful freezing spell, but there’s no reason to wait for it.

“Hah!”

“Kyaang!”

The Hunter Wolf facing Setty was already bleeding from a deep wound on its left foreleg from her preemptive attack.

Unable to continue attacking or hope for escape, the last wolf made a final desperate lunge for Setty’s nape, but the next moment it was struck in the face by a sturdy spear shaft, unceremoniously thrown to the ground, and then pierced through the chest by the long spear blade, ending its life.

If there’s enough skill difference to overwhelm with ordinary offense and defense, there’s no need for flashy magic or secret finishing moves.

“So this is what it’s like against wild animals.”

“My, I can’t believe you’re the same man who was crying for help when bitten by a Scavenger Deer. You seem so reliable now!”

“Let’s not talk about that. I was unarmed then and couldn’t use my gun.”

I think bringing up our first meeting is unfair.

“Should we skin the wolves?”

“Huh? You know how to do that?”

“I’ve done it many times, so no problem. Could you dig a hole to bury the bodies in the meantime?”

“Sure.”

Wondering if this was a beastkin custom of respecting life, I asked Jessica, and she explained that burying dead wild animals prevents them from reviving as monsters.

Monster corpses don’t transform into other monsters, but wild animal carcasses left on the ground occasionally revive as monsters, so it’s recommended to bury them if possible, or burn them if not.

We were only able to get intact pelts from two wolves; the one that fell to Jessica’s freezing magic wasn’t in a state to be properly skinned, so we decided to bury it with the other corpses. As we carefully placed the Hunter Wolf bodies in the hole and began covering them with dirt, trying not to get blood on our bodies or clothes, Setty perked up her ears and looked toward the top of the hill.

“Setty?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I was too focused on skinning to notice the approaching scent. Over there.”

Looking where Setty pointed, I saw a new Hunter Wolf quietly watching us from the shade of a tree on the hilltop. It had darker fur and looked larger than the previous three.

“Do you think it will attack?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll keep watch while you finish covering the hole, Will.”

“…Alright.”

I finished covering the hole and tamped down the earth, ready to throw aside the shovel and draw my gun at any moment. The Hunter Wolf on the hill, which had been watching us, let out a long howl toward the sky and then slowly turned around, disappearing beyond the hill.

“It wasn’t raising its fur or baring its teeth. It didn’t seem angry.”

“It feels like it watched until the end as we buried its comrades’ bodies, then left.”

“I think so. It was probably the leader of the wolf pack we fought earlier.”

“So those three were planning to attack after joining up with their leader.”

Animals probably also know that dying within the influence of black mana can sometimes cause them to revive as monsters. Is it too human-centric to think that the leader was reassured and left because it saw us respectfully burying its subordinates so they wouldn’t turn into monsters?

Thinking I couldn’t keep such unanswerable questions in my heart forever, I started walking toward Ambers Ranch again with my precious companions.