Baiting

The Twilight Chapel wasn't a charity. Resting there didn't cost anything, but everything else did—physical examinations, weapon maintenance, treatment, and so on. So when the nun said this to Zheng Yichen, the first thing that came to mind was... How much would it cost?

"It won't cost you anything, but you'll have to do a few things for me," said the nun with milky-white hair.

Zheng Yichen nodded in understanding. "So, like a commission?"

"That's right."

There was no question of anyone taking advantage of anyone else. The one offering the commission laid out the task and the reward, and the person considering it could choose whether to accept or decline. It was a choice for both sides.

"Then I..."

"You can't right now." The nun shook her head.

"..."

Back in the Southern Forest, Zheng Yichen stared at the extinguished campfire in the distance. It was the one he'd left behind earlier. This time, he'd come better prepared, having bought some practical supplies from the hunters at the Twilight Chapel.

Among them were some items recommended by the hunter Arno. Arno seemed to be quite popular at the Twilight Chapel.

There was a powder that temporarily masked your scent. It could even suppress the smell of blood on your body, but there were many different kinds. You couldn't just bring one packet and expect it to work in every situation.

Different places called for different odor-masking powders. There were kinds suited to forests, kinds for wilderness areas, and more than thirty specialized varieties in all...

Zheng Yichen had nearly gotten a headache just listening to the explanations. The kind he was using now was suited to forest excursions. He was going after that mule. After failing to cross swords with it and getting jabbed a few times instead, he had to even the score.

So Zheng Yichen had prepared a feast for the mule. He hadn't poisoned it, mainly because he was worried its sense of smell was too sharp, and that its danger sense might detect the poison.

Besides, poison was expensive—especially poison that was hard to detect. Some poisons were difficult to notice, but their effects weren't very strong. The ones that were both effective and hard to detect cost even more. Cheap stuff only worked if you forced it into your target's mouth. Unless the target was an idiot, they wouldn't eat it.

Perched in a tree, Zheng Yichen watched the "bait" he'd placed below. He'd made it by mixing in his blood. He hadn't learned how to prepare bait from the nun, but plenty of other hunters knew how, and he'd been able to buy some.

Then Zheng Yichen saw a wolf dart out and snatch the bait away???

"Shit... Why is there a wolf here? And a lone one, at that?" Zheng Yichen watched from his hiding place, completely dumbfounded. This was the outer edge of the Southern Forest. Why was there a wolf here?

As for the other small animals, they couldn't even get near the bait he'd left. All he needed to do was see whether he or the mule would run out of patience first.

But now a wolf had ruined everything??

Before long, though, Zheng Yichen heard a brief howl from somewhere in the distance. He quickly climbed down from the tree and headed toward the sound. He found the wolf already dead, while a mule with a horn on its head bent over the bait he'd prepared and ate.

Zheng Yichen's mouth twitched. That was way too cunning. It had actually driven another beast over to get what it wanted?

Still, the fact that it had eaten the bait he'd brought meant his concoction really was tempting. The operation hadn't worked this time, but he could try again next ti—no, forget it. This thing had already shown how cunning it was. This trick might not work a second time.

Zheng Yichen charged in. The mule, its mouth smeared with blood, only reacted when he got very close. Zheng Yichen was astonished. Was it really that absorbed in its meal?

He wouldn't get many chances. The instant the Unicorn Mule reacted, the Black Gun appeared. Zheng Yichen sprang forward and thrust. The Unicorn Mule could run, but at this distance, with a body nearly as big as a horse's, he'd hit it unless he somehow fell flat on his face.

With the bait still in its mouth, the Unicorn Mule tried to flee. The Black Gun struck the muscles of its thigh, meeting a little resistance, but Zheng Yichen's weapon still pierced deep into the flesh.

He felt its extraordinarily vigorous blood surge through the Black Gun, sending a powerful response through him. Draining its blood felt different from when he'd tormented small animals before. This time, he could clearly feel it resisting.

But that resistance only slowed the Black Gun's blood-draining. Even if it couldn't draw anything at all, landing a blow like this on the mule was still worth it.

The extra blood-draining damage riled the Unicorn Mule, making the cunning Abnormal Creature even more ferocious. No matter how crafty it was, it was still an abnormalized animal. Once injured, its beastly instincts took over, and the mule had no intention of running... at first.

But then it saw Zheng Yichen, his eyes bloodshot and nearly glowing in the night. The fury brought on by pain suddenly faded a little. The mule was going berserk, but Zheng Yichen looked as though he'd lost his temper even faster.

Especially when Zheng Yichen tossed aside the firearms on his person, as if he meant to fight it hand to hand. The Unicorn Mule launched a powerful charge at him.

It had seen the weapons humans used and was intensely wary of anyone carrying them. Now that Zheng Yichen had put his weapons aside, it didn't need to run just yet.

It remembered this human. They'd fought yesterday, and he hadn't even managed to hurt a single hair on its body. True, when he fired at the end, some Pellets had hit it, but they hadn't even pierced its skin. That was nothing like today, when this despicable human had ambushed it.

Its thigh had been stabbed, and a great deal of blood had been drained from it. This was the most serious injury it had suffered since it was discovered. It needed to eat a person alive to make up for it.

Facing the Unicorn Mule's charge, Zheng Yichen felt his body grow more vigorous and strong, and got a little overconfident. He grabbed the horn with one hand. The skin on his palm was scraped raw, and the tremendous impact sent him sliding backward.

He swung the Black Gun at the Unicorn Mule's head. The mule gave a grunt, and the piercing Hissing Sound rang out again. Its tongue wrapped around Zheng Yichen's arm, squeezing it with a sharp, constricting pain.

The Unicorn Mule whipped its head, sending Zheng Yichen crashing into a nearby tree. The Black Gun flew out of his hand.

The mind-affecting Hissing Sound grew even more frequent. Zheng Yichen had hit the tree as hard as if he'd been struck by a car, and he was furious. A short black spear appeared in his free hand. Before the Unicorn Mule could react, he stabbed the Black Gun into its neck.

At this distance, there wasn't enough room to dodge, no matter how well it could sense danger.