"Whew..."
Geralt lowered the longsword in his hand and swept a puzzled glance around him. Since earlier, he had been attacked by several waves of monsters in quick succession. That was not unusual in itself; Witchers always encountered all sorts of monsters on their travels. But this time, Geralt felt that something was off.
The monsters were coming far too frequently.
Generally speaking, whether monsters or beasts, they all had their own territories. Of course, powerful monsters could enslave and command weaker ones, but that was limited to certain cases. Normally, monsters stayed apart from one another. For example, where there were trolls, there would be no Water Ghouls. Conversely, giants would not appear in a fork-tailed dragon's territory.
But the situation here was strange. Monsters of different species came in wave after wave to attack him, with barely any breaks in between. Geralt felt less like he was adventuring in the mountains and more like he was fighting in an arena... Hm?
Suddenly, Geralt gathered his focus, tightened his grip on the Silver Sword, and cautiously watched his surroundings. Just now, he had sensed a strange feeling of danger, as if something were lurking nearby, preparing to attack him. It made Geralt uneasy. He slowed his pace, drew his sword, and vigilantly scanned the area.
"—Whoosh!!"
Suddenly, a black shadow sprang out behind Geralt and rushed toward him. Geralt swung backward, and with a powerful shockwave, the shadow was sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground.
"What is this thing?"
The moment he saw the monster clearly, Geralt froze. It was not a monster he had ever seen before, but something entirely unfamiliar. It was about as tall as an adult, walked on two hind legs, and had a long tail and sharp teeth. Its foreclaws were relatively