6: Saving The Red Wolf

With the three-tailed white fox curled in her right arm, Sue Terin landed swiftly at the bottom of the cliff.

She looked above. The mist that shrouded Fangs Ridge almost covered the top of the cliff where she jumped from, but Sue still heard the howls of frustration and malediction.

Who would not be frustrated? She had practically escaped when they thought she had nowhere to go!

Who in the right mind would ever believe that the seeming trash would dare to jump off the cliff?

No. Who in their right mind would ever expect that she could use her spiritual energy? She was a human! A human!

The looks of disbelief and wonder made Sue laugh as she 'fell' to the bottom of the cliff, only to float midway. Her laughter rang within her pursuers' minds until her figure vanished from their sight. The proud wolf beastmen of the Lupine Pack could only spit blood from frustration.

"System, continue the path you made for me." It was a swift command as if she had already gotten used to the System's existence.

The white fur ball opened its right away to glance at the woman that carried it.

The Lord System nodded in approval inwardly. 'This Lord System is satisfied with the host by twenty percent already. This woman's ability to adapt is commendable.'

Ping!

[WORLD VIEW SKILL RETRIEVING DATA...]

Ping!

[WORLD VIEW SKILL RESUMES!]

"Now, where are we going?"

On cue, the red arrow appeared when the transparent bluish window disappeared before her.

"Northwest? Hmmm. Northwest it is then. I cannot dally around here, especially since those hunting mongrels still chase me." Sue followed where the arrowhead was pointing.

'Lucca and Sabina want me to be sold off to an auction, huh? By the looks of those wolf beastmen, I reckon they are the spies to the Vampire City planted by the Lupine Pack under Lucca.' Sue thought in the back of her mind as she trudged to the area filled with canyons in Fangs Ridge. Though her steps were light, her speed was not to be trifled with since she was using the Killer Slash Skill's wind attribute to shorten her travel time. After all, time was both her friend and foe.

As soon as she entered the roar surrounded by gigantic canyons, a series of howls pierced through the chilly night.

"Persistent fuckers," Sue mumbled before she doubled the spiritual energy that she was exerting.

SHE ENTERED THE middle part of the area filled with gigantic canyons in Fangs Ridge. She had long vanquished the Killer Slash Skill's wind attribute since it took quite a toll on her body that was yet to adjust from her rebirth.

Occasionally, Sue Terin would hear the sounds of howls within the Fangs Ridge canyons area. It was safe to say that those pesky mongrels had already taken a whiff of her presence since the twelve wolf beastmen were already within her one-hundred-meter radius. But no matter how the damn wolf beastmen tried to intersect with her, they could not move within her restricted fifty-meter radius.

Why?

Because she got the World View Skill at her disposal, as long as the System detected the incoming danger from the pursuers, the arrow would change direction correspondingly.

Ping!

[HIDDEN QUEST ACTIVATES!]

Sue almost tripped when a window appeared in front of her. This made her halt her brisk jog. The 'ping' sound which alarmed Sue gave her a chance for a precise reaction time, making her avoid tumbling down the stone-filled surface.

Her eyes narrowed upon reading what was written on the bluish transparent window before her.

"Hidden quest?" Sue poked the three-tailed fox's head once, then twice. "Hey, wake up. Wake up!" She shook the sleeping fur ball in her arms.

"What?" The System snapped. "This Lord System is sleeping!"

Rolling her eyes, Sue did not budge from the grumpy fellow. She snatched the back of the white fox's neck and held it before her face. With squinting eyes, Sue nudged the window behind the white fur ball. "What is that? What do you mean by a hidden quest? Is that separated from the chain missions?"

The Lord System followed where its host was looking at. "Aah! You are one lucky woman indeed! As expected of the host recognized by this magnanimous Lord! Hahaha!"

Sue's gaze dimmed upon hearing the arrogance of the little fellow before her.

She poked the small head of the fur ball. "So what is it? Why did it appear when I was in the middle of completing my mission one of the chains of missions?"

The Lord System turned sour upon hearing the lack of reverence from its host, baring its pea-size teeth to Sue Terin, the Lord System in the form of a palm-size three-tailed white fox. But seeing its host not even showing an ounce of fear, its tiny ears shrunk.

'Forget it. It is hard to reason out with this brat.' The Lord System thought before he flicked one of his tails.

Ping!

[HIDDEN QUEST AWARD: SAFE ROUTE TO TERIN CLAN!]

Ping!

[HIDDEN QUEST AWARD: UNLOCKS SYSTEM'S HIDDEN FUNCTION!]

As expected of Lord System, when the set of awards for the hidden quest showed up in front of the frowning host, she immediately changed her countenance.

Sue could not help but gasp upon seeing the two awards. Although it was relatively lacking in terms of number compared to the awards the System gave from the chain of missions, the awards were relatively heaven-defying!

"Woah! Safe route to Terin Clan? This is basically a cheat to obtain mission one! Wow. I never thought that the System would be this generous. As expected of the omnipotent Lord System!" Sue started to sing praises to the fur ball.

"This Lord cannot feel the sincerity of your voice, ah. Are you treating this mighty Lord System as a fool?" The white fox tried to cross its paws to show dissatisfaction, but its four limbs were too short that they could not possibly meet over its protruding furry belly, making it less threatening in the eyes of Sue Terin.

To cajole the huffing and puffing Lord System, Sue Terin stuffed the white fox back in her right arm. "Alright, alright. It is my mistake to doubt the ever-omnipotent Lord System." She looked down at the fur ball in her right arm and smiled sweetly to coax the grumpy Lord System. "Now, will you tell me about this cheat and this hidden function?"

"Hmph! Hmph!" The Lord System tried its earnestness not to get swept by its host's captivating beauty, especially when the Lord System was such a sucker for Sue's immortal-like grace and facial features.

"What cheat? Do you really believe that this Lord System tolerates cheating? It is a hidden quest for a reason. The greater strength you covet, the bigger risk there is! Do not be fooled by these simple award titles."

A knot lodged between Sue's perfectly carved thin brows. "Th-Then this is dangerous, huh? What about the hidden function?"

"You will understand it once you complete the hidden quest. Will you accept it or not?" The white fox flicked one of his tails once more.

Ping!

[WOULD HOST, SUE TERIN, LIKE TO ACCEPT?]

[YES] [NO]

"The hidden quests, unlike the chain missions, have a set expiry period. I suggest you make a decision immediately." A tiny paw pointed to the bottom part of the window.

A timer with less than one minute was already there! A good moment passed by, and a series of howls rang again. Sue looked at the map below the bluish window. It showed that the twelve wolf beastmen had already entered within her seventy-meter radius!

'I certainly hope that these awards will be worth it.'

With a pounding heart, Sue answered the question when the countdown was finally down to ten seconds. "Yes. I accept the hidden quest."

On cue, the window before her vanished, which she did not mind. What made Sue eye the arrow with interest was when it changed the direction it was pointing, followed by a fluctuation of her surroundings.

"What is happening?" Sue held the fur ball on instinct as the placements of the canyons around her changed drastically.

No. To be precise, Sue was the one who had changed location. She was teleported when she accepted the hidden quest!

Ping!

[HIDDEN QUEST: SAVING THE RED WOLF STARTS NOW!]