The Monster Horde of Mount Hakobe

Mount Hakobe, as a branch of the renowned snowy mountain range "Zonia," was battered by wind and snow year-round without respite.

Because of the harsh weather, magical railways couldn't reach Mount Hakobe, so Noah and Nobu had to hitch a ride on a merchant's cart coming to collect magical herbs.

After eight or nine hours, the two finally arrived at the village at the foot of Mount Hakobe.

Noah practically jumped off the cart. At first, the novelty of riding kept him fine, but as time dragged on, the bumpy road left his back aching and his whole body sore.

After paying the herb merchant for the ride, Noah followed the address on the commission slip and headed with Nobu to the client's—the village chief's—residence.

Just as they knocked, a white-bearded old man opened the door. Spotting the guild emblem on Nobu, the chief's voice carried a hint of surprise: "Are you Fairy Tail mages? You came fast—come in, sit down."

In the warm room, Noah and Nobu sipped tea brewed from Mount Hakobe's specialty magical herbs while listening to the chief explain the commission details.

"Winter Snow Grass" was a high-quality magical herb that, when consumed, could quickly restore stamina and magic power. It was a unique specialty of Mount Hakobe and the treasure this small village relied on to survive.

But a month ago, a group of magical beasts called "Vulcans" suddenly appeared on Mount Hakobe.

They not only drove off villagers gathering herbs on the mountain but also frequently came down to cause trouble in the village, and their behavior grew increasingly severe—once, they nearly hurt a child.

For the sake of their livelihood and the village's safety, the villagers pooled together 550,000 in funds, and the chief, acting on their behalf, issued a commission to Fairy Tail to "exterminate the Vulcans."

When Noah asked about the number of those "gorilla" beasts, the chief's answer startled Nobu beside him.

There had been over fifteen Vulcans on Mount Hakobe before.

That number made Noah sense something was off.

He had read in the Encyclopedia of Monsters left by the second guild master that Vulcans lived in small groups, typically stable at seven or eight individuals, rarely exceeding ten.

Moreover, according to the chief, this group had arrived suddenly a month ago, yet the icy, snowy Mount Hakobe wasn't an ideal habitat for these "gorilla" beasts.

What reason did they have to migrate here?

After being warmly treated to dinner by the chief, Noah declined the chief's suggestion to rest overnight before starting the mission.

On the way here, Noah had already devised a plan for dealing with the Vulcans. These beasts had a daily rhythm similar to humans, making night the perfect time to hunt them.

The bright moonlight cast its glow over the snowy mountain, making the path visible even without a light source.

Two figures climbed Mount Hakobe one after the other.

The Vulcans' gathering spot was easy to find—caves were their homes, and Mount Hakobe had only a few natural caves, with just one large enough to accommodate over a dozen beasts.

Having gotten directions from the chief beforehand, the two quickly located the target.

Nobu quietly slipped into the massive cave.

Inside, clusters of ice crystals sparkled, and a gently glowing magic crystal illuminated most of the cave through endless reflections.

Scanning the cave with one glance, Nobu's heart jolted—he roughly counted, and there were a full twenty-five Vulcans!!

Among them, five Vulcans were surrounded by the other "gorilla" beasts like stars around the moon, clearly holding a high status.

Nobu couldn't be bothered with that. The phantom of a giant black bear flashed behind him, and a crimson magical aura rose from his body.

"Possession Magic: Bear Spirit Possession!"

With a roar, Nobu slammed his palm into the nearest beast. A crisp crack sounded, and red and white mixture oozed from that Vulcan's head.

Nobu's battle cry naturally woke the other beasts. Over a dozen vicious glares locked onto him, the immense pressure forcing Nobu to lower his stance slightly, ready for combat.

Listening to the sounds of fighting inside the cave, Noah, leaning by the entrance, yawned and muttered to himself:

"Nobu, really—why not just take advantage of these beasts sleeping and kill five or six to lighten the load? Had to start with a bang, and now he's facing attacks from twenty-four Vulcans at once."

Nobu's wild clan's "honorable combat" was something Noah simply couldn't understand, but he respected his choice.

Nobu's "Possession" magic allowed him to use two animal spirits: "Bear" and "Wolf."

Bear Spirit boosted physical strength; Wolf Spirit enhanced agility.

Since Possession magic could only use one power at a time, Noah had tailored two fighting styles for Nobu based on the two animal spirits.

The "Bear Style," focused on palm strikes, and the "Wolf Style," centered on agility.

Nobu was already familiar with his own magic, and after months of hard practice, he had mastered both styles. His ability to send a "gorilla" beast to the afterlife with one palm strike showed his current strength.

As long as he stayed careful, Nobu could definitely take on those twenty-four Vulcans head-on, though he'd definitely get banged up.

"Damn bear power!"

Dodging a beast's bite with a nimble move, Nobu instantly switched to Bear Spirit, combining it with a technique to palm-strike an approaching beast away, then swapped back to Wolf Spirit to pursue.

Though constantly switching "Possession Spirits" cost some magic power, the trade-off was that Nobu's combat was brutally efficient.

With the Bear Spirit's immense strength, the Wolf Spirit's speed, and the highly compatible fighting styles, not a single Vulcan could withstand even one exchange with Nobu.

Soon, the seventeenth Vulcan fell, and Nobu pressed forward toward the next monster.

"Stop right there! You damn bastard!"

Among those five high-status Vulcans, one suddenly roared in human speech and charged at Nobu.

It could speak human language?!

Noah was startled, remembering what he'd told Nobu to watch out for—powerful Vulcans could forcibly absorb humans into their bodies using magic.

Could that one... no, could those five Vulcans be beasts that had taken over human bodies?!

Burning with rage, Nobu showed no fear of the powerful Vulcan individual and threw a full-strength punch to clash with it.

Thump, thump, thump!

The "gorilla" beast flew backward, slamming heavily into the wall deep within the cave, leaving the other four powerful individuals stunned.

"Boss, this one's tough!"

"Let's use our original strength!"

"Alright!"

After a brief exchange, the five powerful Vulcans suddenly had magic circles rise beneath their feet, lifting them upward. Five figures clad in gear resembling that of a religious order appeared, each radiating formidable magical power.

Nobu's face darkened. Only powerful individuals could command ordinary Vulcans, but those five powerful beings weren't Vulcan beasts at all!

They were humans disguised with magic!

His magic power had already been drained considerably. Facing five fully capable mages, Nobu knew he was powerless.

Seeing the enemies charging at him with ferocious momentum, Nobu didn't hesitate for a moment—he turned and ran. His self-imposed challenge had already been perfectly fulfilled when he defeated those twenty beasts and when the five enemies revealed their true forms.

With his mental block resolved, Nobu didn't care about saving face as he fled, shouting:

"Master! Save me!"