Strange Wolves

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With previous experience, Seth now knows what this fishy smell meant.

It's the body odor of wild wolves!

Given the intensity of the smell, how many wild wolves could it take to produce such a stench?

Seth immediately drew the snake-scale revolver from his armpit, startling Leon with his sudden movement.

"Go!" Seth shouted.

"A large number of wild wolves are coming this way."

Leon was even more taken aback. Before he could say anything, he heard a rustling sound and saw the grass in front of him shaking.

The hunters stopped what they were doing, raised their shotguns, and pointed at the grass.

Suddenly, a black figure leaped out from the forest on the left. It moved so quickly that the hunters couldn't react. Even Leon could only widen his eyes as the black shadow appeared.

In the sunlight, an adult male wolf opened its mouth wide, its white fangs gleaming with saliva, and bit at the bearded man.

The wolf's shadow cast over the hunter, who was paralyzed with fear, unable to respond.

Boom!

A gunshot rang out, and the male wolf's head jerked violently. Fur flew, and a bullet hole appeared in its head, killing it instantly.

The wolf's corpse, propelled by inertia, still collided with the bearded man, knocking him to the ground. When he got up, he saw Seth standing nearby.

The young master of the baron's family had sharp eyes, and his arm held the revolver steady. With the sun behind him, he seemed enveloped in a golden glow, like a god descended to the earth.

Before the hunters could recover, two more male wolves jumped out from the grass before them. They bared their teeth and claws, green eyes glinting, and charged at the group.

Boom! Boom!

Two shots rang out simultaneously.

Seth's revolver and Leon's shotgun fired at the same time, and the wolves' heads exploded mid-charge, their bodies rolling several times before coming to a stop near the clearing.

Only then did Seth have time to observe the male wolves. He noticed these wild wolves were larger than the gray wolves he had hunted.

The muscles in many parts of the wolf carcasses seemed to have proliferated quickly, leaving patches without fur. This rapid growth also caused one or two bones to protrude through the skin.

Their claws and teeth were sharper and longer than ordinary wolves. The teeth, in particular, jutted outward, causing the flesh around their mouths to bunch up into deep creases.

"What is going on?" Leon asked, visibly disturbed.

"I've never seen anything like this before."

"Whatever they are, there are likely many more of them," Seth said, looking around vigilantly. Although he saw nothing unusual, he could hear soft sounds nearby.

There are still quite a few wild wolves like this circling. They weren't in a hurry to attack, but the oppressive atmosphere was unmistakable.

"Retreat into the cave!" Leon directed.

"If we only have to guard one entrance, the pressure will be much less."

After everyone retreated into the cave, a group of male solid wolves emerged from the grass and woods around the clearing. These abnormal beasts didn't rush to attack or roar; they observed the cave with green eyes.

Several male wolves then emerged and took away the corpses of their kind, tossing them into the pack of wolves.

The pack went wild, blood splattering everywhere as some wolves cannibalized their own. The gruesome scene left the hunters stunned.

Suddenly, a strange cry sounded from behind the pack: "Ho, ho ho ho—"

It wasn't a wolf's howl but more like a human imitating a wild animal. At that moment, two wolves charged at the cave entrance. Without needing Leon's reminder, the hunters raised their guns and fired.

The shotgun blasts echoed through the forest, turning the wolves into sieves, and they fell dead in the clearing.

"Ho ho ho."

The weird voice from behind the pack of wolves sounded again, like an order, urging another male wolf to rush fearlessly toward the cave. Naturally, it suffered the same fate as its predecessors.

"Something's not right!" Leon yelled, pressing down on his companion's shotgun.

"Those beasts seem to be deliberately making us waste our bullets."

His words were like a bucket of cold water.

Seth subconsciously checked his pockets. When he went out today, he only brought three cartridges.

Five were used to demonstrate marksmanship at the lumberyard, and two were used just now, leaving only eleven!

The others also had few bullets left, and it now seemed wasteful to have shot at the wolves earlier.

The bearded man swallowed hard. "Are you kidding? Wolves are smart but can't use tricks, can they?"

Leon didn't answer; the evidence was right in front of him. He crouched at the cave's entrance, observing the wolves, and said worriedly, "They aren't rushing to attack. It seems they want to trap us here."

"At night, when we're hungry and exhausted, they'll strike."

The bearded man took a bottle of wine from his backpack and drank to calm his nerves.

Seth walked over, took the bottle, and sniffed it. The liquid smelled strong, likely a strong alcohol. He was inspired and shouted, "We can use this to block the wolves temporarily and then make our escape."

Before Leon could respond, Seth tore off a corner of his shirt and pulled out a strip of cloth. He stuck one end of the cloth into the bottle and said, "Quick, someone light a fire."

The bearded man immediately removed flint, picked up a branch, and started a fire.

Seth ignited the cloth at the bottle's mouth, then rushed out of the cave and threw the makeshift Molotov cocktail at the wolves. His 'Hunter' powers allowed him to throw the bottle in front of the wolves easily. The bottle shattered on the rocky ground, and the flames formed a barrier, temporarily holding the wolves back.

Seeing this, Leon yelled, "Run!"

The hunters rushed out of the cave and headed towards the forest on the other side while the flames stopped the wolves.

Seth and Matthew followed closely behind Leon. They were unfamiliar with Mount Abury, and getting lost on the mountain would be troublesome.

Perhaps due to running too fast or because the forest was too dense, Seth soon realized that the other hunters were missing, apart from him, his servant, Leon, and the bearded man.

They slid down a grassy slope, and when they emerged from the grass, Seth stopped the two hunters about to charge ahead.

"Wait!"

He rushed to a nearby tree and tore off a few thick vines. "Those things have good noses and will catch up eventually. We can't outrun these four-legged beasts in the mountains. We need to make some trouble for them."

Seth got into the grass and used the tree vines to create several 'trip ropes.' The knowledge of these traps came from his potions. Even though it was his first time making them, he was as proficient as if he had done it hundreds of times.

Seeing this, Leon yelled to the bearded man, "Bear trap!"

The bearded man understood and placed the trap outside the grass so that if the wolves chased them, they would fall into the trap after being tripped. Unfortunately, they only had one trap. Otherwise, their setup would be perfect.

Seth thought momentarily and shouted, "Matthew, gather some branches, thicker ones! Mr. Leon, do you have any knives sharp enough?"