Treasure Hunt, Kill!

"Given the dwarves' fondness for metalworking, the [Blackstone Mountain] mentioned in the information should be an iron mine. There's an abandoned mine in the eastern part of the [Neck Mountains] that used to produce a lot of iron and tin. Let's go look there first." Frieren studied the map and made her suggestion.

Shane thought it made sense.

He stuffed the last bag of food into his backpack, checked all their supplies, and nodded. "Then let's go. Time to hunt for treasure!"

They left the inn one after the other.

But as soon as they stepped onto the street, a commotion broke out by the town gate ahead.

A rapid clatter of hooves rang out, accompanied by the screams of people nearby.

Shane instinctively turned to look. A runaway carriage was speeding toward the center of town. Its carriage body, wheels, and even its reins were splattered with sticky blood, which sprayed everywhere as it raced along. Drops of blood pattered onto the street, and the thick stench of it filled the air in an instant.

The horrifying sight sent passersby screaming. The once peaceful street erupted into chaos.

Shane and Frieren exchanged a look, their hearts sinking.

Several guards hurried over, trying to keep order while struggling to control the panicked carriage. An official-looking man soon arrived and began calming the townspeople one by one. He also informed all the merchants watching that the trade route through the [Neck Mountains] would be closed effective immediately.

From the snippets of conversation they overheard, Shane quickly understood: this was the second Demon Race attack the town had suffered that month.

Both incidents had been exactly the same. Caravans traveling through the [Neck Mountains] had been ambushed by the Demon Race, and not a single person had survived.

After the first incident, the town had sent out scouts and appealed for help from the nearest city, [Gostan City]. But Gostan City had also been under attack at the time and had been unable to spare anyone, which was why the matter had gone unresolved for so long.

Shane frowned.

The one who had attacked [Gostan City] was Solitar. She had clearly been after the Sage's magic in the labyrinth, and the timing also clashed with the first attack on the town's caravan. It didn't seem like the work of one person.

"Could there be another Great Demon around here besides Solitar?"

At that, Frieren thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Earlier, when I was searching the forest near town for clues about the dwarf's helmet, I carefully examined the surroundings. There were no signs of any demons."

"Then this is strange. Could the merchants have been attacked by something other than demons?"

Frieren furrowed her brow but said nothing more. Instead, she bent down and crouched, lightly touching the blood left on the stone road with her staff.

Faint blue traces appeared on the ground, stretching all the way out of town and heading east.

It was [Tracking Magic], which could follow a creature's movements by tracking the traces and aura it left behind.

Shane immediately understood what Frieren meant. 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 town.

The trail of blood stretched a long way.

After tracking it for a little over an hour, they finally found another abandoned carriage in the woods.

Its reins had been severed, and the horses were gone. The carriage sat tipped over at the side of the road. Like the one that had fled back to town, it was covered in blood, making for a terrifying sight.

But there were no signs of a struggle nearby, and not a single corpse.

It was as if the merchants had vanished into thin air, leaving only the blood scattered across the ground to silently tell of the tragedy that had just occurred.

Shane fought back his nausea and checked inside the carriage.

The cargo was still there.

So it wasn't a robbery.

That left only one answer: the Demon Race.

Frieren cast [Mana Detection], carefully sensing the area around them. Then she shook her head at Shane.

The two continued following the magical traces, deeper into the forest.

Before long, they found another carriage in the forest. This one was completely different from the other two. It had been smashed to pieces, and the ground all around it was scarred by magic.

Frieren stopped at once.

Her magic circle instantly turned to face a certain direction. Whoosh—

Without the slightest hesitation, she unleashed an attack spell. It shot through the trees and bushes before them and struck its target with pinpoint accuracy.

A Demon Wolf's head was pierced, and it died without a sound.

Three more Demon Wolves appeared from the bushes. They took up triangular positions and surrounded the two of them.

Shane and Frieren stood back-to-back, watching their surroundings warily.

"I'll take the front. Cover me."

As he spoke, Shane drew the long sword at his waist and charged forward, activating [Numerical Mirror] at the same time.

He'd been itching to try out this trait for ages. At last, he had his chance.

A tingling sensation shot up his spine. He could clearly feel his body undergoing a remarkable change—

His not particularly muscular frame suddenly swelled with power, and his strength increased dramatically. His movements became incredibly nimble, and even his senses sharpened. He could clearly hear the Demon Wolves' breath hissing from their noses and even smell the stench of demons drifting from several kilometers away...

So this was the power of [Numerical Mirror]?

It made his physical stats match those of a Demon Wolf. It was incredible.

Shane was delighted. It felt amazing to gain a powerful physique by cheating the system, without having to train at all!

As Shane charged, the Demon Wolf opened its enormous jaws. Its razor-sharp claws swept toward his face, carrying a foul wind. Thanks to the agility he'd gained from [Mirror Image], Shane easily sidestepped the attack and raised his sword high.

Crack—

Silver-white lightning burst from the blade in his hand. Wrapped in thunder, it slashed toward the Demon Wolf's head.

He was practically a god descended from the heavens.

Behind him, the wary look on Frieren's face gradually relaxed. It seemed he didn't need her support after all.

In no time at all, Shane had beheaded all three Demon Wolves.

Their bodies dissolved into magical particles and slowly faded away. Shane stood in the middle of the clearing, smoothly sheathing his sword with an air of complete ease.

Frieren was secretly surprised. Shane's growth had exceeded her expectations. He could already fight a Demon Wolf on his own. She walked over, about to praise him, when she saw him suddenly seem to "deflate" before her eyes.

Hm? Had she imagined it?

"Hah—"

Shane let out a breath. It was surprisingly uncomfortable when that burst of energy wore off, like the hollow feeling after some sort of intimate activity... leaving him a little empty inside.

He recalled the direction where he'd sensed the "stench of demons" and frowned without realizing it.

"Frieren, I think there's a demon heading toward that abandoned mine too."