Treasure Hunt, Kill!

"Given the dwarves' custom of smelting iron, the Blackstone Mountain mentioned in the information should be an iron mine. There is an abandoned mine in the eastern part of the Neck Mountains that used to be rich in iron and tin ore; let's go there and look first," Frieren suggested, looking over the map.

Shane felt that made perfect sense.

He stuffed the last bag of food into his backpack, checked all his supplies, and nodded, "Then let's go! Treasure hunting, here we come!"

The two walked out of the inn one after the other.

Who would have thought that as soon as they stepped onto the street, a commotion would break out at the town gate ahead.

A burst of rapid hoofbeats accompanied by the screams of those nearby erupted suddenly.

Shane turned his head instinctively, only to see a riderless carriage charging toward the center of town at high speed. The carriage's cabin, wheels, and even the reins were covered in thick, viscous blood, splattering everywhere as it sped along, dripping rhythmically, and a heavy, metallic scent of blood instantly filled the street.

This terrifying scene sent passersby screaming in panic, and the once-peaceful street exploded into chaos.

Shane and Frieren exchanged a look, their hearts sinking.

Several guards rushed over, trying to maintain order while struggling to control the maddened carriage. Immediately after, officials arrived on the street, beginning to soothe the public one by one and notifying all the merchants watching that the trade route to the Neck Mountains would be closed effective immediately.

From their fragmented words, Shane quickly understood: this was the second Demon Race attack the small town had encountered this month.

Both incidents were identical: merchant caravans traveling through the Neck Mountains had been ambushed by the Demon Race, with no survivors.

The town had sent out scouts and requested reinforcements from the nearest Gostan City during the first incident, but Gostan City was also under attack at the time and could not spare the resources, which was why the matter had remained unresolved for so long.

Shane frowned.

The one attacking Gostan City was Solitar, and at the time, she was clearly aiming for the Sage's magic within the labyrinth. Furthermore, the timing conflicted with the first attack on the town's caravan; it didn't seem like the work of one person.

"Could there be other powerful members of the Demon Race in this vicinity besides Solitar?"

Hearing this, Frieren pondered for a moment and shook her head.

"Previously, when I was searching for clues about the dwarf helmet in the forests near the town, I carefully investigated the surrounding environment. There were no traces of the Demon Race."

"That's too strange. Could it be that the ones attacking the merchants aren't the Demon Race?"

Frieren frowned. She didn't say anything more, instead bending down to touch the bloodstains left on the stone road with her staff.

Immediately, some pale blue traces appeared on the ground, extending out of the town and heading east.

This was Tracking Magic, capable of following a target's movement trajectory through the scent and traces left behind by living beings.

Shane immediately understood Frieren's intention; they were going to track down the "mastermind" who had killed the merchants.

Following the direction indicated by the magic, the two hurried out of the town.

The bloodstains extended for a long distance.

After chasing for about an hour, they finally discovered another abandoned carriage in the woods.

The carriage's reins were broken, the horses were gone, and the vehicle was tilted on the side of the road. Just like the carriage that had run back to town, this one was also covered in blood, creating a horrific scene.

However, there were no signs of a struggle in the surroundings, nor were there any corpses.

It was as if those merchants had vanished into thin air, leaving only blood all over the ground to silently recount the tragedy that had just occurred.

Shane suppressed his nausea and checked the interior of the carriage.

The cargo was still there.

It wasn't a robbery-homicide.

Then there was only one answer left: the Demon Race.

Frieren activated Mana Detection, carefully sensing the situation in the surroundings, and then shook her head at Shane.

The two continued to follow the magical traces, chasing deep into the heart of the forest.

Before long, they discovered another carriage in the woods. This one was completely different from the previous two; the entire carriage had been smashed to pieces, and the ground was covered in traces of magical destruction.

Frieren stopped in her tracks immediately.

Her magic circle aimed in a certain direction in an instant, swish—

Without the slightest hesitation, an attack spell shot out instantly, passing through the thickets and bushes ahead and hitting the target in the distance with precision.

A Demon Wolf was struck through the skull and died without a sound.

Immediately after, three more Demon Wolves appeared in the bushes, standing in a triangular formation and surrounding the two of them.

Shane and Frieren stood back-to-back, remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

"I'll take the front; you provide support."

As he spoke, Shane drew the longsword at his waist and lunged forward, simultaneously activating Numerical Mirror.

He had wanted to test this trait for a long time, and today he had finally caught the opportunity.

Instantly, a tingling sensation raced up his spine, and he clearly perceived that his body was undergoing a marvelous transformation—

His physique, which hadn't been particularly strong, now felt his muscles bulging, his strength increased significantly in an instant, his body's movements became exceptionally agile, and even his senses became sharp. He could clearly hear the breath spraying from the Demon Wolves' noses, and he could even smell the stench belonging to the Demon Race drifting from kilometers away...

Is this the power of Numerical Mirror?

To change one's own physical stats to match those of a Demon Wolf—it's truly miraculous.

Shane felt a surge of joy in his heart; this feeling of possessing a robust physique without the need for training, as if cheating, was truly exhilarating!

Seeing Shane charge forward, the Demon Wolf immediately opened its blood-stained maw, its sharp, steel-like claws bringing a foul wind as they struck directly at Shane's face. Relying on the agility gained from [Mirror Image], Shane easily dodged to the side while simultaneously raising the longsword in his hand high.

Crackle—

The blade in his hand erupted with silver-white lightning, carrying the power of thunder as it slashed toward the Demon Wolf's head.

A god descending upon the world—it was nothing more than this.

Behind him, the guarded expression on Frieren's face slowly relaxed; it seemed she was not needed to provide support after all.

In just a few moments, all three Demon Wolves had been decapitated by Shane.

The corpses of the Demon Wolves turned into magical particles and slowly dissipated, while Shane, standing in the center of the clearing, coolly sheathed his sword, looking completely at ease.

Frieren was secretly astonished; Shane's growth rate exceeded her expectations, as he was now actually capable of fighting Demon Wolves on his own. She stepped forward, just about to offer a word of praise, when she saw Shane suddenly seem to "deflate" in an instant.

Hm? Was it just her imagination?

"Hoo—"

Shane exhaled a breath; the feeling of the adrenaline rush fading was truly a bit hard to get used to, much like the post-climax clarity after some sort of life-exploring activity, leaving him with a faint sense of emptiness...

He recalled the direction from which he had just sensed the "stench of the Demon Race," and his brows knit together involuntarily.

"Frieren, it seems there are members of the Demon Race also heading toward that abandoned mine."