Why Would a Hunter Listen to Its Prey?

"Last time, I encountered a beast. After fighting it, I returned severely injured..."

Maria frowned.

Could it be that she can go back as long as she inflicts serious injuries on herself?

That's a bit foolish.

As for beasts...

"There is no trace of beasts in this city."

Looking at the gloomy sky, Maria also showed a puzzled expression.

Although the atmosphere here is terrible, it's clear that there's no sign of beasts here; it's just a group of ordinary people living here.

Hmm... just a bunch of ordinary Beastification humans.

After glancing at her again and scaring away several men who tried to attack her, Maria sighed with some distress.

Just then, low laughter suddenly rose from the alleyway next door.

Are you feeling lost?

"..."

Maria turned her head to look.

He was a strange man.

He had a height that was hard for ordinary people to imagine... Even Maria, who was over 1.8 meters tall, was a little shorter than him.

His robust upper body presented a refined inverted triangle shape, with a black vest stretched taut over his white shirt.

He made no attempt to conceal his highly ancestral, wolf-haired arms and his pure wolf head; the exquisite top hat on his head looked like a tiny toy.

He stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the damp wall, fiddling with his lighter while looking down and asking Maria questions.

"I can tell you're not from this city..."

He continued speaking, his voice low and seductive.

Maria could also sense the same aura emanating from him as from the Emperor in Penguin Logistics.

It is neither human nor beast.

Perhaps because she had nothing else to do, Maria wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, she turned and stared at the other person.

"Who are you?"

"I am one of the managers of this city."

The man made no attempt to conceal his identity. When he saw Maria stop, he turned his head and stared at the indifferent woman in front of him with his scarlet eyes.

Their greed and desire were made no attempt to conceal themselves.

This feeling made Maria somewhat uncomfortable, but she was too lazy to say anything more.

Respect is never spoken, but earned through actions.

At this moment, she had no interest in the other party's rudeness.

"Let's meet formally, dear lady. My name is Rob, and I am the strongest among the [Wolf Pack]."

"Maria, Hunter specializes in hunting [wild beasts]."

Maria spoke in a flat tone, almost as if the voice were directed at the man.

Rob was taken aback by this uncompromising attitude, and then his inhuman mouth slightly opened, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Hunter... I never expected to hear such a title within the territory controlled by a family in this day and age."

"I have no interest in saying anything more to a rude stranger, Wild Wolf. State your purpose."

Maria continued speaking, her demeanor as elegant and composed as ever.

This was something ingrained in her very being, and also a kind of shackle that bound her.

But Rob felt quite comfortable with such direct and blunt words that showed no mercy.

He stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked the hair around his mouth.

"As you can see, this city is very chaotic, isn't it?"

"..."

"This is not the norm... There are many, many reasons for this, and of course, I do not deny that my compatriots and I bear the main responsibility."

The wolf-headed man approached Maria, but his uncontrolled, subtle movements suggested he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared.

He felt a physiological wariness toward Maria.

"I've seen you do a lot in this city... maintaining order, stopping crime, but you need to understand that these are things that Columbia police officers should be doing, not things that an outsider like you can interfere with..."

"So, you've come to warn me?"

Maria ignored the warning and silently stared at the wolf-like human in front of her.

She took a small step forward, stepping into the darkness covered by the walls.

His gray eyes turned crimson in the darkness.

Even if Maria was unwilling to admit it, the fact was that her body was also deeply marked by Yharnam.

That place, she buried countless twists and madness.

She doesn't need anyone's rules to do what she wants!

Of course not.

Seeing the sharp aura emanating from Maria before him, Rob wisely took a step back, but his words were full of allure.

"I just have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you..."

"One sum... to end this chaotic business..."

Chapter Ninety-Six: How could Hunter listen to the words of his prey?

Columbia cannot be considered a country in the traditional sense.

At least, the people who come here are not actually a group of Columbia. To be more precise, the vast majority of them come from a place called Siracusa.

"There, my companions established families and began to compete with each other."

"Of course, I didn't have my own family back then... Don't you think it's ridiculous? A pack of wolves, deciding who's stronger in this way, based on some small, pitiful insects that can only survive under our claws?"

Rob added with a cold snort as he finished speaking.

He was filled with disdain for his companions' actions.

However, no matter how much he mocked such behavior, he knew he couldn't change anything.

Ultimately, he was just one of the slightly stronger members of the Wolf Pack.

"Because they're boring, that's why I came here... to Columbia."

"This is an abandoned territory; all the wolves that fail in the struggle come here..."

"But my companions have clearly brought their bad habits from Siracusa with them. Here, there are no Law, no rules, just like Wolf Pack without a alpha. They presumptuously control their remaining families, carving out this territory... and then continue playing that childish game."

"But I've had enough of this boring patience."

"I firmly believe that problems between wolves should be resolved with claws and teeth, not by dragging together a group of creatures far weaker than ourselves to decide the outcome. That would be ridiculous!"

Rob spoke, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Maria.

He has been planning and waiting all these years.

He clearly realized that even if his individual strength was strong enough to make him stand out among his fellow wolves, he still could not contend with the entire Wolf Pack, so he needed to find other help.

And right now, Maria, who suddenly appeared in Columbia, is the perfect choice!

Mysterious, powerful, elegant... most importantly, she doesn't possess the aura of any other Wolf Lord!

This is the kind of person he needs to help!

"I have no interest in participating in your games... I'll only do what I want to do."

Maria listened to the story of the creature named Rob before her without the slightest ripple in her eyes.

She was indeed rather uninterested in it.

She had no interest in acting as a righteous punisher, just as she had sheltered the Beastification patients in the past.

It's simply because she wanted to do it.

"I understand and respect your opinion, Ms. Maria."

Rob stepped back slightly and bowed to Maria in a servant's salute.

"It's just a suggestion... I believe that in the past half day, you've also grown to feel disgusted with this world that's completely free of rules, haven't you?"

"Murder, framing, siege, and that nauseating, hypocritical opera performance..."

"Perhaps we can reach a small cooperation agreement."

"Although I find those games played by my compatriots very annoying, I have to admit that it has become their habit. Even if I want to break this habit, I still need a suitable entry ticket at the very beginning."

"Perfect timing, I've found the right one... It's a completely new family, born in Columbia."

"I have unwavering faith that the person I've chosen has the ability and vision to lead this family to its peak, but it is still too weak right now."

"It is still very young, but the greedy beasts around it will not give it time to grow... It desperately needs a strong figure to act as its protector."

"When the time is right, I will lead the Wolf Pack back to Siracusa and show my fellow wolves what it truly means to be the Wolf Lord... And you will gain a vibrant city full of opportunities and a family loyal to you... This is a win-win situation for both of us."

Rob spoke, the offers he made were very tempting.

According to his plan, as long as he could cooperate with Maria would openly lead her family to deal with all the other Wolf Lord's families in Columbia, while he would secretly reorganize those chaotic Wolf Pack.

On the surface, he could support Maria, allowing her to become the uncrowned queen through her family.

Similarly, Maria can help him completely conquer the other Wolf Lord, making him the undisputed alpha wolf of the Wolf Pack.

Then the two of them will launch a counterattack on the entire Siracusa, and finally, they will decide which side belongs to the family and which city belongs to the Wolf Lord.

The only damage is that the execution of the plan is filled with brutality. Before everything is completed, there will be no shortage of killings and violence... This will be far more terrifying than what Columbia is showing now.

But... it didn't matter. He believed in Maria, believed that this mysterious woman would understand that this killing was just a storm before the rainbow.

This is a win-win plan...

Or perhaps, this should have been a win-win plan.

However, there is a small flaw in this plan.

"I've said it before, I'm not interested in what you call games."

Maria looked down and glanced at Rob casually.

But this glance was clearly different from the previous ones.

Those were eyes that were more savage, more cruel, and more imbued with the laws of nature than Rob's!

"I only do what I want to do. The so-called family and the so-called leader are just things you care about."

"They are utterly worthless, let alone served as bargaining chips..."

"I'm just a Hunter; I only know how to kill my own prey."

"I don't like you, but that doesn't mean I'll deny the fact that you're not beasts."

"But I hope you understand that I am not just a Hunter who slaughters beasts."

"The way you're playing this game doesn't please me... I hope you can end it gracefully sooner rather than later, rather than waiting until I really can't tolerate it anymore before I help you end it gracefully."

After Maria finished speaking, she turned and left Rob, whose face looked grim.

The hunt that Maria participated in involved lives far more dangerous than his.

In the midst of Outer Gods hunts that could potentially cause the collapse of the entire world, the ownership of one or two cities was truly insignificant to Maria.

In the span of half a day, she unknowingly protected some people and exercised some rights.

But that was simply what Maria wanted to do... Just as she herself thought, as long as she didn't want to, no rule in this world could bind her freedom!

Rob thought he was the wolf who controlled the city, but he clearly didn't realize it yet.