Wolf Pack

After briefly cleaning up the battlefield, the caravan continued onward. Since Soren's injuries made riding inconvenient, he could only sit in a cargo wagon.

The mysterious woman did not invite him into the large carriage. They were not familiar enough for that. However, she did invite Vivian, but the little girl shook her head and refused, climbing into the wagon to sit beside Soren. The group traveled on in silence. The caravan guards continued to spot the surrounding area, occasionally calling people over to fill in potholes along the road. The recent heavy rains had turned the roads into muddy tracks, full of holes and standing water.

Soren was filthy, and Vivian was patting the dust off him.

There had naturally been no time to worry about appearances during the fight. He had rolled across the ground to dodge, ending up covered in mud. Once it dried, clumps of dirt were stuck all over him.

The little girl carefully picked them off, rubbing at them with her tiny hands and blowing away the dust.

Everyone else was busy with their own tasks. Whenever they happened to see the two in the wagon, faint smiles would unconsciously appear on their faces, and their impression of them improved slightly. This was especially true for the mysterious woman in the large carriage. From time to time, she lifted the curtain to look at them, though her gaze fell more often on the adorable little girl, as if there were something about her that drew the eye. The scene was peaceful.

Soren sat cross-legged in the wagon, wiping down his Scimitar with a scrap of cloth. Bulette blood was acidic; if it was not cleaned off properly, it would affect the weapon's use. The little girl sat beside him, removing the mud stuck to his clothes. Every so often, she puffed out her cheeks and blew earnestly. Because the fabric was of poor quality, dirt had seeped into its seams. Even after she had dusted it clean, gray patches remained, leaving the little girl dissatisfied.

"Use this!"

As the Guard Captain rode past, he smiled, took out a small pouch from his clothes, and tossed it to Soren. "This is refined Essential Oil. You can use it to maintain your weapon."

A blade could not simply be wiped and sharpened.

For people like them, who made their living through battle and bloodshed, a good weapon that suited their hand meant a guarantee of life.

Soren smiled. After catching it, he scooped out a little ointment with his finger and carefully spread it over the Scimitar. This refined ointment could keep a weapon from rusting. Before acquiring a Transcendent Tier weapon, it was best to carry some. Even enchanted weapons of the Transcendent Tier needed regular maintenance. It was an attitude toward combat. Soren dried the Scimitar with the cloth and sheathed it.

Perhaps because of the energy he had spent fighting, or perhaps because he had lost quite a bit of blood when he was first injured, he seemed tired and drowsy.

Without realizing it, he leaned against the wagon and dozed lightly.

The little girl watched him quietly. Perhaps she was tired as well, so she rested her little head against his chest, taking care not to touch his wound.

The caravan continued onward.

Whenever guards rode past the wagon, they also softened their movements a little. It was a sign of respect for the strong.

Soren might not be able to defeat them in a one-on-one fight.

But in the battle against the Bulette, he had earned the respect of the caravan guards.

In truth, Soren had not fallen asleep.

In the wilderness, he rarely truly slept. Most of the time, he remained in a light doze.

Half asleep, half awake.

The slightest unusual sound would wake him.

Because he knew exactly how many dangers lurked in the wilderness, he had to remain vigilant at all times.

It was already evening.

The caravan still showed no intention of stopping. When Soren woke, he found the little girl asleep against him.

He carefully pulled out his arm, trying not to wake Vivian.

Unfortunately.

The little girl still opened her eyes. She raised a small hand and rubbed them, then looked up. "Brother."

"You're awake?"

Soren nodded with a smile and gently stroked her hair. A caravan guard who had fought the Bulette alongside him passed by and smilingly tossed over a bundle of Bread and meat chunk. There was no room for niceties while adventuring in the wild. The Bread had been prepared in advance and was a little hard. The meat was dried Smoked Meat. Since it had been kept against his chest, it was still somewhat warm and easier to eat.

People who traveled outside year-round kept their provisions against their chests, because that kept the food from becoming too cold to swallow.

Soren broke off a piece of Bread for Vivian, then tore off a strip of meat.

Since they were not stopping to make a fire, there would naturally be no soup. Soren swallowed his food with water, then said softly, "Once we make camp."

"I'll make you something tasty."

This was the wilderness.

With his skills, catching a couple of rabbits would be as easy as playing around. Since there were no traces of human activity here, there was plenty of game!

The only trouble was that making a fire might alert the wilderness Monsters.

But with so many people, there was nothing to Fear.

The little girl was not picky at all. She quietly swallowed the Bread with water.

Suddenly!

As if she had sensed something, she looked toward the forest in the distance, tugged at Soren's clothes with her little hand, and whispered, "Brother."

"Does it seem like something over there is watching us?"

Soren immediately gripped his Scimitar warily. He stood atop the wagon and gazed into the distance, but he could see nothing. Still, based on past experience, he figured out what was watching them.

"It's fine."

He gently rubbed the little girl's head and said slowly, "Those are Gnolls that live around here."

"They probably noticed us passing through."

"But."

"They won't dare attack a large caravan. We'll leave their territory soon enough."

Gnolls.

One of the most common creatures in the wilderness.

They were more dangerous than Goblins and Kobolds. They had sharp teeth, claws, agile bodies, and a fair degree of intelligence.

These creatures loved attacking lone travelers.

But when faced with a caravan this large, they rarely attacked a large group of prey unless they were completely certain of victory.

As carnivores, Gnolls did not form especially large groups.

Most tribes had only around fifteen to thirty members, divided into family units of roughly five to eight. Compared to attacking a heavily guarded caravan like this, they preferred hunting Beasts and Goblins. At the very least, the latter posed little danger. If they attacked humans in the wilderness, Gnolls could not avoid suffering casualties.

As long as a group had more than five people, even if Gnolls attacked, they would choose to launch a sneak attack in the middle of the night.

At first, they would quietly stalk their prey!

As the nearby woods became denser, the caravan guards tightened their scouting formation. The number of people Spotting ahead increased to five, ensuring that someone would always be ready to provide support if anything happened.

Some of the merchants had already begun to complain.

Traveling after dark was extremely troublesome. Without enough light, the oxen and horses slowed down as well.

Fortunately.

A bright moon soon rose.

The moonlight was excellent tonight. Cold, clear light illuminated the surroundings, making it fairly convenient for them to travel.

The caravan guards lit torches.

The workers also mounted the prepared torches on the wagons. In the large carriage at the center, the mysterious woman quietly stepped outside. She stood on the carriage shaft and glanced around, then pointed toward the top of the carriage, uttering a strange monosyllabic incantation. A glow immediately appeared above the large carriage.

Light Spell!

The mysterious woman's Wizard Level was likely not low. She had illuminated an area spanning more than a hundred feet.

Cheers rose from the caravan.

The power of Spells excited many people, and the merchants showed relieved smiles as well.

"That Elder Sister's Spell is amazing."

The little girl quietly edged closer to Soren and whispered, "The Light Spell I use is only this tiny, but she can light up such a huge area."

Above level 15!

Soren gave the large carriage a deep look. He had not expected the mysterious woman to be a high-tier Witch.

The light source made traveling easier for the caravan.

But it also exposed their location. Pairs of ghostly green eyes could be seen in the pitch-black forest nearby. They belonged to wolf packs and Beasts moving through the area.

Awooo!

A loud wolf howl echoed over the wilderness. On a distant hill, the figure of a wolf king as large as a calf appeared.

It was a wild Worg.

It stared deeply at the distant caravan, its pupils fixed on the large carriage. As if sensing the mysterious woman's gaze, its sturdy body trembled. Then it let out a low, rumbling growl. Wave after wave of wolf howls rang out. The wolf packs hiding in the darkness nearby emerged one after another, then their ghostly green eyes vanished as they followed the wolf king away in another direction. Worgs possessed decent intelligence, even being somewhat smarter than Warhorses. There was still plenty of prey to hunt in the wilderness; there was no need to provoke this caravan.

Especially when it contained a terrifying Wizard!

Fear of spellcasters had seeped into their bloodlines over countless years. Endless painful lessons had taught these Beasts never to lightly provoke beings capable of casting Spells.

As long as they were not angered.

These Beasts would not easily attack enemies capable of casting Spells!