Kaon’s strange feeling was soon noticed by Yvonne and Maurice as well, and their expressions immediately stiffened.
The recent snowfall and sudden drop in temperature created a harsh environment not only for people but also for animals. The forest, with its extremely limited light, was even worse off.
“Kaon, this is….”
“Yes, it’s monsters.”
Just when things had been quiet for a few days and he thought there wouldn’t be any trouble, it turned out they wouldn’t get away so easily. The creatures that had been waiting for the blizzard to stop were now starting to move.
“Everyone, get into formation!”
“Stay alert and keep your eyes wide open! Archers, fall back!”
Maurice and Yvonne each issued commands to their squads while drawing their swords. It was hard to believe that these were the same people who had been whining and grumbling moments ago; their faces now bore serious expressions.
Kaon, who had also drawn his sword, remained tense and kept Alessia within his protective range. With experience under her belt, Alessia calmly took her position without panicking.
The already dark forest was now shrouded in a thick mist, making visibility extremely poor. As Kaon focused his attention to sharpen his senses, he caught sight of several pairs of glowing red eyes.
“Wolves!”
Kaon immediately informed his comrades upon identifying the creatures. While they had somewhat expected this, it was still not a good scenario.
Transformed monsters often mimicked the characteristics of the animals they imitated. For instance, a bear that hibernates would rarely be seen in winter.
Wolves, on the other hand, were the most dangerous transformed monsters to encounter in winter. Due to their pack nature, these monsters also appeared in groups, making them difficult to deal with.
However, many knights preferred wolves over bears, as each individual wolf was manageable in combat.
“Growl….”
The wolf-like monsters, as if assessing the knights’ strength, didn’t charge immediately. Their low, threatening growls filled the forest, intensifying the eerie atmosphere.
It was unclear how long they stood in a standoff with the monsters, each holding their position.
“Awooo!”
The monsters began to tilt their heads back one by one, letting out chilling howls. It seemed like they were about to attack, but they still didn’t move.
The hair-raising sensation was ominous. Kaon, trying to shake off the strange feeling, gradually saw the situation more clearly. The number of scattered eyes seemed to have increased.
With a sharp gaze, Kaon observed the enemies and suddenly widened his eyes. What he saw was no illusion. The number of eyes, now dozens more than before, were all fixated on the knights.
“Did they call for reinforcements?”
“That can’t be. They don’t have that kind of intelligence.”
Yvonne immediately refuted. Her muttered words sounded uncertain even to herself, so it must have been even more so to the others.
“Yes, normally they wouldn’t.”
But the increasing number of lights filling the dark surroundings suggested otherwise. It was as if they were gathering enough numbers to ensure their dominance.
This was different from the usual monsters that instinctively mimicked animals without any intelligence. These creatures seemed to be moving with a clear purpose in mind.
“We can’t give them any more time.”
Kaon decided to take the initiative to disrupt their momentum. In an unfamiliar situation, understanding the enemy’s intentions was crucial.
The basic strategy to read the enemy’s tactics was to limit their actions. By disrupting their plans, the enemy would inevitably reveal their next move to achieve their goal.
“Yes. Those holding the front lines, fortify your defenses. Archers, fire your arrows!”
Following Yvonne’s command, arrows shot into the sky and rained down on the enemies like a storm. Each heavy arrowhead pierced through the monsters, eliciting howls of pain that sounded eerily like the cries of real animals dying.
At that moment, some of the creatures broke from the group and charged forward. All the knights, except for the few protecting the archers and Kaon who was guarding the mage Alessia, fought back the advancing monsters, cutting them down one by one.
“Growl!”
Without hesitation, Kaon swung his sword at a wolf-like monster trying to flank them. The sharp blade cleanly severed the creature’s head.
“Is this really a monster?”
Kaon stiffened as he decapitated the beast. Something felt off; his instincts were screaming that something was wrong.
Keeping Alessia within his sight, Kaon approached the corpse of the creature he had killed. What he discovered was shocking.
“This is a real wolf.”
The creature he had slain was not a monster but an actual wolf. The forest of monsters was known for its monstrous inhabitants, but it was still a forest where various animals lived.
These animals typically avoided both humans and monsters. When dealing with monsters, the oppressive aura usually scared off any nearby wildlife.
But now, real wolves were mixed in with the transformed wolf monsters. They were recognizing each other by their howls and responding to calls.
Communication between monsters and animals was unprecedented. Kaon had never encountered such a situation, nor was it recorded in any texts. Feeling uneasy, he tightened his grip on his sword.
***
“There are real wolves mixed in with the monsters! Those on the front lines, be cautious!”
While wolves were not easy to deal with, they were much more manageable compared to monsters. This made it even more crucial to be careful.
Wasting energy on wolves would deplete their strength, making them vulnerable to the monsters. Conversely, using only enough force to handle wolves would leave them exposed to counterattacks from the monsters.
“Yvonne! Maurice! Identify the creatures that are attacking first and report back!”
“Yes!”
Moments later, Maurice shouted first, followed by Yvonne with the same report.
“They’re animals! They’re all animals!”
“It’s the same here.”
Kaon stared at the red eyes that were still watching them. Was it just a coincidence that the real wolves attacked first? The situation was too suspicious to dismiss as mere chance.
“Could they be cooperating with the wolves? But if the wolves are their reinforcements, this kind of attrition is unnecessary.”
Facing an unprecedented situation, Kaon’s mind raced with thoughts. Monsters were believed to lack intelligence. The hard-earned lessons from countless battles seemed to be unraveling.
“Kaon, transformed monsters react to life force, right?”
“Yes.”
Lost in thought, Kaon nodded at Alessia’s calm observation. She then offered an explanation that seemed to read his mind.
“I think the monsters are using the wolves as bait to enhance their own strength while also depleting ours.”
“What?”
Kaon couldn’t believe what he was hearing and asked in a bewildered voice.
“Monsters have intelligence. They deduced that they gain power from life force. So, they’re deliberately calling animals with life force to see if they can become stronger.”
This theory seemed plausible only if all these assumptions were true. It defied all known logic about monsters.
However, there was no time left to ponder. As the knights continued fighting, the transformed monsters emerged from the darkness, now without any wolves attacking from the rear.
The grotesque monsters, each with a bizarre appearance, observed the knights who were busy fighting the wolves. Then, as if receiving a signal, they charged all at once.
The monsters, kicking off the ground, leaped high as if flying, charging ferociously at the humans. They were faster and stronger than the previous wolf-transformed monsters.
Knights, who swung their swords as they had against the monsters in their memories, were either flung away by sharper teeth or knocked to the ground by massive front paws.
Only the elite knights, including Maurice and Yvonne, who had exceptional skills, managed to find the right amount of force through several trials and errors to effectively combat the monsters.
However, the knights, already exhausted from dealing with dozens of wolves, were gradually being pushed back by the stronger monsters.
Simply cutting down the monsters would have been one thing, but fighting while protecting those behind them consumed even more energy. Considering the impact of life force on the monsters, they maintained a minimal number of personnel, making the situation even more challenging.
“Alessia, can you target only the monsters that are engaged with the knights?”
“…No, I can’t.”
Kaon, observing the increasingly unfavorable situation, asked Alessia. She shook her head with a gloomy expression. The magic controlled through her ring was not flexible like that of ordinary mages, who could manipulate it more freely.
The knights, taken aback by the evolved monsters, were disorganized, and many were injured, unable to gauge the enemy’s strength properly. Seeing the deteriorating situation, Kaon, ready to step in, asked with determination, “If I cut down the monsters to expose their cores, can you aim for those?”
“I think I can do that. As long as there are no people in front, probably.”
Alessia nodded with a slightly more assured expression. Kaon confirmed her position once more.
She was at the very rear, with several knights blocking the front, so it seemed unlikely that she would be harmed. He also checked the flanks, but no more threats were sensed from that direction.
Having made his decision, Kaon shouted to the knights, “I’ll move forward! Those in the rear, protect the mage!”
“Understood!”
After speaking, Kaon looked directly at Alessia. The certainty in his eyes, like the gray sky, instilled confidence in those who saw him. The red eyes that had been trembling slightly seemed to read him and gradually steadied.
Not missing the moment, Kaon spoke again, “We can do this. Don’t be nervous and watch me closely. You can definitely do it.”
Alessia’s eyes widened momentarily before returning to their normal size. Confidence, something she had never felt before, now shone in her eyes.
🍉🍉🍉
