Brothel

Swish, swish, swish!

The shrill whistle of an iron sword tearing through the air rang out without pause.

Berg swung the iron sword in his hand at incredible speed, so fast that it even left streaks of afterimages.

The Eagle Eye vision newly gained after drinking the potion not only greatly improved his long-range vision, but also enhanced his dynamic vision.

Under his focused Gaze, the pounces and bites of the nine gray wolves all became slow motion—the contraction of the she-wolf's hind-leg muscles to his front left, the saliva dripping from the corner of the alpha wolf's mouth behind him to the right. All this information gathered in his mind, forming a blueprint for the coming slaughter.

The first gray wolf to pounce at him had its front paw precisely severed at once. Then, just as he had done countless times in training at the Martial Arts Training Field, he turned and spun, slashing through the throat of the second wolf behind him.

Blood splattered onto the moss-covered earth, instantly dyeing it dark red.

After that, he seemed to transform into a streak of light, constantly weaving through the wolves' encirclement.

His swordsmanship was not particularly profound, but it was extremely precise and swift. Every strike came from a different angle, aimed at the gray wolves' eyes, throats, and other fatal spots.

More often than not, before the wolves' claws and fangs could touch Berg's leather-armored body, the iron sword slicing through the air had already taken their lives.

In just a few dozen seconds, several gray wolves lay on the ground, unable to move. They let out miserable whines as they waited to die, blood trickling continuously from their wounds, while the air filled with a heavy stench of blood.

The sole remaining alpha wolf saw this and actually turned without hesitation, fleeing deeper into the forest.

Berg picked up the bow from the ground, drew an arrow, and set it against the bowstring slick with gray wolf blood.

Thwack! The arrow shot into the distance like a meteor, embedding itself firmly in the alpha wolf's rear.

The force of the shot was so great that only the arrow's tail remained exposed behind the alpha wolf.

Awoo! Awoo! Awoo! The alpha wolf hopped repeatedly like a ridiculous dancer, its cries so miserable that even Xian, perched in the tree, felt a chill run down his back.

After leaping into the air several times, the poor alpha wolf finally toppled headfirst onto the ground and gradually fell silent.

How tragic. Having completed this series of killings, Berg, drenched in wolf blood, put away his bow and iron sword. He turned and bowed to Xian in the tree like a gentleman.

Then he picked up his iron sword again and pinned the howling gray wolves to the ground one by one.

At the same time, the white "Hunter" above his head began to change, a touch of emerald green winding through it.

"Wind Magic Rune."

After using the Wind Magic Rune to reduce his gravitational potential energy, Xian leaped down and landed safely on the ground.

"My lord, my father once told me that hunting is only meant to take lives. A qualified hunter does not torment prey, but gladly grants it release."

Berg explained why he had pinned the gray wolves to the ground.

"...Are you sure?"

Xian looked doubtfully at the alpha wolf nearby, its eyes still wide open in death.

It was his first time witnessing such a miserable way to die.

"Cough, cough. My father also told me that, no matter what, success in hunting takes precedence over everything. When prey is fleeing with its back turned, shooting that spot is the best choice."

Berg scratched his head awkwardly. Had he known, he would have shot its hind leg instead. Now he had sullied his lord's eyes.

"What abilities did advancing to Hunter give you?" Xian asked.

"One was the upgrade of my previous Gaze into Eagle Eye. The other is Sense Enhancement. Once activated, it can improve my five senses."

After checking his reflection in a pool of blood on the ground, Berg answered.

"Not bad. Excellent abilities." A trace of approval crossed Xian's face.

He knew very well that the five senses were extremely important factors in combat, escape, and searching alike.

Then, looking at Berg, whose entire body was stained with blood and made him look like a deranged killer, Xian lightly snapped his fingers.

In an instant, it was as though Berg had fallen into a washing machine. All the wolf blood clinging to him immediately repelled itself from his body and fell onto an open patch of ground nearby.

"My lord, this is?"

The youth looked back and forth at his now-clean leather armor in astonishment.

"Just a little trick." Xian smiled faintly.

"Your power truly exceeds anything I imagined," Berg said with a face full of reverence.

"My lord, are we returning to Black Wolf Castle next?"

"Forget it. It is rare for us to come out. Let's find somewhere to look around."

Xian stretched hard.

Now that he had advanced to True Magician, he was no longer as powerless as before.

Moreover, with the Crown of Humility concealing his identity and Berg, a powerful supernatural servant, at his side, he naturally felt far more relaxed and no longer had to remain on edge at every moment.

At the very least, within Black Wolf Territory, he could barely claim that his safety was assured.

"My lord, Mineral Town is not far from our current location. Would you like to take a look?" Berg asked after thinking for a moment.

There were three towns and fifty-one villages in Black Wolf Territory. Setting the villages aside, the three towns were Mineral Town, Wolf Fang Town, and Abundant Fruit Town.

Among them, Mineral Town attracted many passing merchants due to its abundant mineral deposits. It was considered the most prosperous town in all of Black Wolf Territory.

"Let's go."

Mineral Town.

Houses built from stone or logs lay scattered everywhere.

On both sides of the streets, all kinds of stalls stood packed tightly together, selling fresh red fruit, bread, textiles, pottery, furs, salt, and other goods.

"It is unexpectedly lively!"

Xian looked at the scene in surprise. The place reminded him of going to a farmers' market as a child.

"My lord, the fruit at this stall is excellent—you can try some. This stall's bread is good. This one offers the fairest prices for furs..."

Like a tour guide, Berg led Xian along the street and introduced each place with great familiarity.

"Berg, do you come here often?"

"Yes. Every time I hunt, I need to come to Mineral Town to sell furs. And since I am the only hunter in the village, Uncle Robert always leaves the village's supply purchases to me."

As though recalling certain memories, Berg's lips curved slightly into a smile.

"I see. By the way, what is that building for?"

Xian noticed a lavish building several hundred meters away that seemed utterly out of place among its surroundings. Quite a few people appeared to be gathered at its entrance.

"That is... a brothel." Berg's smile instantly became awkward.

He had never been to such a place. Even if the troublesome boys in the village merely joked about wanting to go, Village Chief Robert would give them a thorough beating.

There were brothels in this world too? No, in a world with a medieval-like setting, it would be stranger if there were no brothels.

Xian pondered this.

"Something seems to be happening there. Let's take a look."

At the center of the crowd, a young girl was being dragged toward the brothel by several thugs.

The girl was thin and weak, dressed in worn hemp clothes. She struggled desperately, her bleeding fingers digging tightly into the dirt as she was dragged along.

There was also a fresh bruise at the corner of her right eye, clearly left when she had resisted earlier.

"Tsk, how many has this been today? Lord Hawke is really going to make a fortune this time!"

"I heard it is because a Clay Merchant has been swindling villages everywhere this year, so many people ended up owing Lord Hawke money. They do not seem to realize that Lord Hawke's debts double every week. They can never be repaid!"

The onlookers whispered among themselves.