Three days had passed since the goblins' failed sneak attack. With Phinia's help, William had nearly turned the village entrance into an icy fortress. As a descendant of Frost Giants, Phinia had a slight ability to control ice, and in such extreme weather, it greatly sped up the construction of the defenses.
From the distant forest came the wails of unknown monsters, fighting over bloody scraps. The corpses William and the others had abandoned had become the most coveted resource in the area. Countless battles had broken out at the dumping ground over the past few days. Every day, monsters that lost the fights were killed, and their bodies became fresh meat for the victors. Thanks to those corpses, almost all the monsters had gone to fight over the bait, and not a single one had come to bother the village. The three siblings and the giantess had enjoyed several relatively peaceful days.
But on the fourth day, things began to take a turn for the worse.
The stench of blood left behind by the fighting in the village had been mostly buried under the heavy snow, but it still attracted plenty of vicious birds and beasts. These unwelcome visitors had originally been drawn by the corpses tossed into the forest, but there were more starving monsters than there were corpses. Some of the more intelligent and powerful monsters had begun dividing up the territory among themselves, and snowbound Gnome Village had become a rare and tempting prize in the eyes of certain monsters. (That was what happened when someone's instinct to stockpile food got out of hand.)
Some unwelcome visitors began prowling around the village. Among them were a white giant wolf, a huge Brown Bear, and two unidentified beasts. The white wolf in particular had tried to sneak into the village several times, but William and Phinia had fortunately spotted it and stopped it in time.
According to Phinia, the white wolf was in fact a notorious beast of the North: a Winter Wolf. It was a dangerous predator that lived in frigid regions like the tundra. Winter Wolves were extremely intelligent and cunning, and could even speak Common and Giant. They often joined forces with other evil creatures. Winter Wolves were skilled and wicked scouts, hunters, and trackers, with enormous bodies and a terrifying breath attack that spewed cold. They would relentlessly pursue their prey until they brought it down, and would never stop hunting otherwise.
For the past few days, William and Phinia had been forced to take turns keeping watch at night to guard against these ill-intentioned creatures. They were exhausted from dealing with them. He had tried several times to lure the monster into a trap, but hadn't succeeded.
William sat on the wall, watching the Winter Wolf wandering not far away, bored. The monster stood nearly five feet tall at the shoulder and was about nine feet long. Its gleaming silver-white fur was soft and thick, a true jewel among furs. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed such a cunning animal existed.
At first, the Winter Wolf had pretended to be an ordinary white wolf and deliberately fallen into a snare. While William was inspecting it at close range, the Winter Wolf had suddenly broken free and attacked him. But when William dodged and prepared to counterattack, the wolf abruptly retreated. It had sensed that Phinia, who had come to help, was no ordinary person: she was a Frost Giant descendant, and still a young, underage one. That had given the Winter Wolf cause for concern. It needed to rethink its hunting plan.
The Winter Wolf immediately turned and left.
Winter Wolves often served Frost Giants, and knew well how powerful their kind was. After seeing Phinia, it feared that a conflict with the youngling might draw the attention of an adult Frost Giant. After all, the rulers of the northern ice fields were not to be trifled with, and they were fiercely protective of their young. The Winter Wolf planned to investigate first, then decide whether to abandon its prey. Such quick wits and decisiveness would have been impressive even among humans.
But for all its cunning, the Winter Wolf had never realized that William was actually the strongest fighter here.
In the days that followed, William tried several times to lure the Winter Wolf into a trap, but each attempt failed because Phinia was there and the wolf hadn't yet figured out what she was capable of.
Today, William had arranged for Phinia to stay in the cellar and chat with Mishaer. The two creatures, so different in size, surprisingly got along well. The little girl hadn't left the cellar since the battle, and she was getting restless.
The Winter Wolf lay behind a large tree several hundred meters outside the village, its eyes fixed on the human male on the wall. Every so often, it turned its head to scan its surroundings. Its beautiful, fluffy snow-white tail swished gently back and forth, keeping a rather leisurely rhythm.
After a long while, a puzzled look flickered in the cautious Winter Wolf's eyes. It couldn't understand how this weak human could be so bold as to stay outside alone. Did he really think that little wall could stop the mighty Bolfin? And where was that giant child who had turned her back on tradition? Was she lying in ambush somewhere?
That was right. The Winter Wolf, Bolfin, had already learned Phinia's identity, and it could now hunt without worry. Still, cunning as it was, it liked to employ a few little tricks.
Unable to spot anything unusual about William, Bolfin began slowly approaching the village. It moved in a particularly crafty way. First, it trotted forward, then stopped when it was about a hundred yards from the wall. Its icy blue eyes narrowed halfway to hide their malice. The wilderness was full of creatures with keen senses; some could even read danger from a creature's gaze.
The Winter Wolf pretended to be carefree, rolling around in the snow a few times before strolling from side to side with its limbs loose and relaxed. Its fluffy tail occasionally slapped the snow, sending flakes flying, making it look like a beautiful dog playing in the snow.
William watched the Winter Wolf's performance with what seemed like rapt admiration, as though he hadn't noticed that every time the beast moved from side to side, it got a little closer to him.
He narrowed his eyes too, grinning at the beautiful, cunning creature. A glint flashed in his eyes. What a crafty beast! It even knows how to use a diversion to fool me. Does it really think I can't tell that it's deliberately covering its tracks? You may be cunning, but you're still no match for me.
The Winter Wolf had been steadily shortening the distance between itself and William. Its playful act was really just a way to hide the changes in its tracks, since those were the only thing that could immediately reveal its true intentions.
The snow-covered ground was a vast white expanse with almost no landmarks. Under ordinary circumstances, even a slightly careless person would easily overlook such a gradual change in distance. By the time they noticed, it might already be too late.
But William had already made plenty of hidden markers in the snow outside the gate. A lone, upright dead tree and a raised rocky hollow made excellent reference points.
The Winter Wolf moved lightly, but beneath its seemingly relaxed exterior, its muscles were taut, ready to explode into a sprint at any moment. It could just as easily launch an attack or turn and flee.
Unfortunately, that tension beneath its calm exterior might fool others, but it couldn't fool William, a master of the fist. He was in the same state, ready to burst into action at any moment.
Just as a tiger might scheme to harm a man, a man might scheme against a tiger.
The Winter Wolf was plotting against him, and William was plotting against the Winter Wolf. The only difference was that William knew what the wolf was capable of, while the wolf knew nothing about the man.
As the distance between the man and beast grew shorter, both of them grew increasingly wary, taking care not to reveal a weakness and scare the other away. The two shameless schemers acted so brilliantly that they could have put to shame those men and women who clutched little gold statuettes and wept crocodile tears. Their performance together was so unprecedented it could shake heaven and earth.
When the Winter Wolf was less than fifty meters from William, it suddenly stopped and spoke in flawless Common. Its speech was even more proper and fluent than that of this actual human. In a low, hoarse voice, it said:
"Human! The mighty Bolfin has a question for you. Where is that damned Frost Giant child?" The Winter Wolf didn't know Phinia was a half-giant. It had always thought she was an underage Frost Giant.
William stood up in "shock," his face full of "horror" as he stared at the talking Winter Wolf. Trembling, he cried, "Y-you can talk!"
Phinia had told him beforehand that Winter Wolves could speak, but William hadn't taken it seriously. When the giantess had described Winter Wolves, she'd sounded as casual as if she were talking about a neighbor's pet relieving itself. That had led him to think that "speaking" meant something like a parrot mimicking words.
But the Winter Wolf before him was clearly an intelligent being with its own thoughts, capable of communicating just like a human.
So William's surprise at that moment wasn't entirely an act.
The silver-white giant wolf wore an expression of distinctly human disdain. It took several more steps forward without betraying its intentions and said, "Ignorant human! How could your pitiful intelligence understand the greatness of the lord of the snowy wastes?"
The Winter Wolf continued to approach, as if trying to pressure him. In a threatening tone, it asked, "Tell me! Why is a Frost Giant with a cowardly human?"
Just then, Alos came over after feeding hay to the animals in the stable. He heard someone speaking outside the wall and asked his brother in surprise, "William! Who's out there talking to you?"
William was startled by Alos's voice behind him. He turned and cried urgently, "Alos! Run!"
The Winter Wolf, already within thirty meters of the wall, immediately saw its chance. It exploded into motion, leaping and accelerating. The force of its four legs pounding against the ground was clear from the snow mist that erupted around it.
In an instant, the Winter Wolf became a white streak in the snow, flashing toward William. It vaulted over the several-meter-high wall in a single leap, its gaping jaws lined with sharp fangs lunging for William's neck.
William reacted quickly too. His back prickled, and his whole body tensed. Though he had no time to turn around, he twisted just enough to avoid the Winter Wolf's bite. But he couldn't dodge completely, because Alos was below. If the Winter Wolf charged into the village, the boy would surely die.
William took a long step and pressed close alongside the Winter Wolf. He drove his shoulder into its neck, throwing the airborne beast off balance before it could dodge. Before it could hit the ground, he shifted his weight and drove his right fist upward into its jaw, then followed with a rapid series of elbow strikes to its chest and belly. The Winter Wolf's head reeled. Half the fangs in its huge mouth shattered, and its tongue was pulverized. That showed just how powerful William's fists were.
The Winter Wolf's mouth wasn't the only thing that took a beating. William's series of elbows struck its chest and belly, and a rapid succession of cracks rang out as nearly its entire rib cage broke. The tremendous force sent the Winter Wolf flying backward, turning its forward charge into a full-body launch through the air.
William still didn't dare relax. He reached out with both hands and grabbed one of the Winter Wolf's forelegs in each hand. Then he sprang up with both legs and drove a knee into its belly—a move similar to a flying knee in Muay Thai, but far more vicious. He pressed the Winter Wolf's body against his own as they fell from the top of the nearly five-meter wall, then slammed down on the frozen earth in front of the gate, with the wolf beneath him.
William's knee had crushed the Winter Wolf's entire chest and its internal organs into a pulp. The poor creature let out a low, muffled groan. Its beautiful, icy blue eyes bulged like light bulbs, filled with fear and unwillingness to accept its fate. Dark, bruised blood and bits of flesh poured from its nose and mouth. Just like that, it died.
William knelt silently on the Winter Wolf's corpse. Only after the battle ended did he realize how badly injured he was. Several bones in his hands, arms, and legs were broken, and the skin and flesh on his knuckles, elbows, and knees—the parts he had used to attack the Winter Wolf—were badly torn.
Worst of all, during the brief battle, which had seemed to end in the blink of an eye, William's extraordinary burst of strength had drained all his energy. Muscles all over his body had suffered tears of varying severity. He was now completely out of fighting strength. If another beast appeared, his life would likely be over in this frozen wilderness.
William struggled to lift his head and gave little Alos, who stood in terror on the wall looking down at him, a bitter smile.
"Alos! Go get Phinia!"
Little Alos was utterly stunned. An unconscious "g-g-g" sound came from his throat. "William! Y-you... you actually..." He had watched the entire fight with his own eyes as his brother wrestled the Winter Wolf with his bare hands. Three punches and a few kicks had sent this terrifying beast, ranked among the three most fearsome creatures in the legends of the North, flying, knocked it down, and killed it.
Good heavens! That was a Winter Wolf! William had killed it with his bare hands. Alos couldn't believe what his eyes had seen. Was his idiot big brother really that powerful? This world was simply insane.
Little Alos stumbled down from the wall and charged into the cellar, flailing his arms. He fell several times along the way without even noticing. When he burst into the cellar, he was so breathless and excited that he couldn't get the words out. Waving his hands, he kept repeating, "Wil-William! He... he... brother..."
Phinia didn't stop to ask questions. She grabbed her giant axe and ran outside. Mishaer didn't care that she was afraid to go out; she hurried after her in her bare feet, without even stopping to put on her fur coat. Alos hurriedly grabbed hold of her, picked up her little boots, and said, "Boots! Boots! Put on your boots first! It's cold outside!"
Mishaer jumped up and down in a panic, flailing like a furious little kitten. "William?! I want to go out! Let go of me, Alos! I want to see William!"
Alos hurried to reassure her. "William's fine! He killed a powerful monster!"
It took Alos everything he had to get his uncooperative little sister into her boots. The moment she had them on, the girl darted outside. Alos, sweating from the chaos, could only grab her warm fur coat and chase after her.
When the two little ones ran out, they saw Phinia carrying William roughly through the opening in the gate. That silly girl seemed not to know the meaning of gentleness.
Phinia carelessly dropped the man, then rushed back outside. Before long, she came back dragging the Winter Wolf's corpse, looking delighted.
The little girl came rushing toward William, her nose running and tears streaming. In too much pain to resist, William could only sink to the ground and hold the shivering little girl in his arms. She kept trembling, whether from the cold or from crying, until Alos brought over the warm fur coat and wrapped her in it.
"William—! Sniff, sniff—"
"Mishaer, look at the white wolf I caught for you. Isn't it soft? Go on, feel it." William leaned against the Winter Wolf's corpse, with the little girl beside him. She was a little afraid of the enormous creature that had just died, but after stroking its soft fur a few times, her fear vanished.
Mishaer's face was covered in tears, and snot ran from her nose. She cried and laughed as she snuggled into her brother's arms, making William burst out laughing.
The Winter Wolf's death made the other three watchers in the forest back off for the time being. That gave William some much-needed time to recover. In the end, there was quite a gap between his explosive power and the strength of his body. He still had a long way to go before he could fully bring out his abilities.
The battles over the corpses in the forest were winding down, but William's family didn't need to worry about their safety for the time being. No foolish monster dared to provoke Gnome Village, that "dragon's lair and tiger's den."
Frost Giants were very skilled at processing Winter Wolf pelts, much like a legendary dragon-slaying technique: the sort of thing a person might never need in their entire life, but still had to learn. As a half-giant, Phinia was no exception.
After Phinia treated the Winter Wolf's hide with a technique unique to Frost Giants, she hung it in a ventilated place to dry. The silver-white pelt was so beautiful that anyone who saw it couldn't help wanting to touch it—and after touching it once, they wanted to touch it again. William began to worry that the lovely fur would end up rubbed bald by the whole family.
Winter Wolf meat wasn't suitable for eating, so they could only throw it away and bury it. For one thing, Winter Wolf meat was extremely greasy and strongly gamey. Unless they were starving, ordinary beasts wouldn't eat a Winter Wolf's corpse, aside from certain indiscriminate monsters on the ice fields. The second reason was that, for William, eating an intelligent being that could speak created an unpleasant psychological hurdle.
He gazed at the beautiful, mesmerizing pelt and thought, What a fine piece of fur. Once I'm healed, I'll have to get two more. He glanced back at his noisy family. Little Alos was excitedly showing Mishaer how her brother had killed the terrifying Winter Wolf, while Phinia, the extra spectator, listened with a look of rapt fascination.
Corrections complete.
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