Chapter 46. A Night Walk.

After the elder's words, a pause formed in the conversation as Balron needed some time to digest the information thrown at him. And Weed took advantage of this pause to ask the village elder:

"Wait, there's one thing I don't quite understand. If the wolves attacking you are so strong, and their leader is at the ninth level, how can you even resist them? Why didn't the village fall during the first attack?"

Weed's questions threw the elder off balance and even seemed to frighten him slightly. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times as if unsure of what to say. It was only after a couple of seconds, apparently spent thinking, that he managed to squeeze out:

"Maybe I shouldn't talk about this... It's our village's secret. I can only say that we have the means to resist a ninth-level beast on our territory, but we cannot kill or even severely injure it."

Hearing this, Eyron immediately asked the elder:

" Is it because of this secret that everyone in your village is so malnourished and pale?"

The elder fell silent again, this time for almost half a minute, pondering how to respond.

"You are observant. Very much so. No wonder they say that the sect is full of geniuses… We keep this secret hidden only to prevent theft, but since you're from the sect, I am sure such things are beneath you. Moreover, our artifact is useless to anyone else…

Since you've come to help us, I'll tell you everything. You guessed correctly; the pallor of our villagers and our ability to resist the beast are connected. I think I'll even show you this 'reason,' follow me."

The elder stood up and led the novices to a small stone building with a metal door. Approaching the door, he placed a ring against the lock, and the door opened by itself. Behind it was a passage leading quite far down, which the elder guided them through. Halfway down, the elder began to speak again:

"The founder of our village was a powerful cultivator. We don't know where he came from because he didn't want to talk about his past. With him, we thrived and even planned to become a city in the future. But eventually one of his old enemies found him and severely wounded him in battle. The injury was so severe that he couldn't recover, and he had at most a year to live. Knowing that without him, the young village would face hard times, he decided to use a forbidden technique, giving all his remaining life force to create an artifact that could protect the village even after his death.

He succeeded, but in creating it, our founder gave all of himself: flesh, blood, Qi, and even a piece of his soul. He died at the moment the artifact was born.

Of course, with such an unconventional creation method, the artifact has serious flaws. First, it can't be too far from the place of our founder's death. Second, using it requires the blood of his descendants.

Upon activation, it creates a blood beast that can be partially controlled. But even this blood creature can't move too far from the artifact. Thanks to it, we manage to fend off the wolf leader; the blood beast even managed to wound him several times. But unfortunately, the difference in strength between them isn't too great, and as soon as the wolf finds itself at a disadvantage, it retreats with its pack."

The elder led the novices into a small underground room, located about thirty to forty meters deep. In the center of the room was a pedestal or rather a tombstone, with a scepter sticking out of it.

After spending a few minutes in the room and discussing the artifact's capabilities with the elder, the group returned to the surface, where Fara unexpectedly asked:

"What about the fox? Why didn't you use this artifact against it?"

This time the elder didn't hesitate and answered immediately:

"Against the fox? The cost of activation is high, and the chance of catching the fox would be low because it comes and goes very quickly, and creating the beast takes time. By the way, you reminded me, the fox still appears from time to time and steals our supplies. I have almost no idea why it didn't flee after the wolves appeared. Except for…" Saying this, the elder suddenly stopped, "Wait, you didn't come because of our request to destroy the wolves, but because of the fox, right?"

Balron saw no reason to hide the truth, so he replied honestly:

"Yes."

"Now everything makes sense. You wouldn't be sent on a suicide mission to kill the wolves. But hunting the fox isn't nearly as dangerous. It's strange, though, that knowing what's happening here, you were still allowed to come. Anyway, someone likely made a mistake. Let's make a deal: I'll voluntarily sign your mission sheet and even give you the head of a different fox caught by our hunters. That way, you won't have to chase that elusive creature. In return, you go back and honestly report everything that's happening here, doing everything in your power to send us help. How does that sound?"

Balron, understanding he couldn't make such a decision alone, even if he was nominally the leader of the group, asked the elder:

"Your offer is very interesting, but before we decide, let us discuss it among ourselves."

"Of course. Take your time, I'm not rushing you. My house is your house. In the meantime, I'll take care of the village's affairs," the elder said, then left the house.

After waiting a few seconds for the elder to be out of earshot, Balron whispered to the others:

"What do you think? Fighting the wolf pack is indeed beyond our capabilities, and the village needs help as soon as possible. Also, hunting the fox in this situation might be quite dangerous. Besides, if we believe his story, even the best hunters couldn't catch it; how can we do it? Even with the potion, our chances are likely to be slim."

"Indeed. Accepting the elder's offer might be the best solution," Fara agreed.

But Eyron immediately objected:

"Don't think that we can fool the Task Pavilion this way. The elder's option won't work; such a simple deception will be easily uncovered. We'll not only have to pay two hundred spirit stones, but we'll also be banned from taking missions for at least a few years. I'm not willing to do that."

After pondering Eyron's words for a few seconds, Balron said:

"But what should we do then? We need to report what's happening to the sect to prevent further casualties. I don't want to bear the blame, even partially, for their possible deaths if I could help them. Staying here is dangerous too; who knows when the next wolf attack will occur, and whether we'll become victims ourselves."

At that moment, Rand felt he had heard enough from Balron, so to quickly end this useless conversation, he decided to steer the group towards the "right decision":

"There's a simple plan where we can both catch the fox, fulfilling the mission, and report the situation here as quickly as possible. We just need to split up. Two will stay here and catch the fox, and three will return to the sect."

"Why not send one of us back while the rest stay here to catch the fox? Wouldn't it be easier to catch it that way?" Weed, who had been silent until then, contributed to the conversation.

But Rand was ready for such questions. He had plenty of time while Balron was chatting to think through all possible options. "The road back could be dangerous. I think we were just very lucky not to encounter wolves on our way here. I wouldn't rely on that luck a second time. So sending one person back would be too risky. I'll stay here and catch the fox. With Eyron's potion, if it's as good as he says, it won't be too difficult. In case of a wolf attack, I can defend myself and probably protect one more person. You have seen my power. But for hunting, I'll need another person; alone, my chances of success would be small. And no, Balron, you won't do; your injury makes you more of a hindrance than a help," Rand said, then glanced at Eyron.

"You're right; the road back could be dangerous. So as the second strongest, I'll need to protect the others on the way back and can't stay with you."

"I'll stay," Weed immediately volunteered, his face adorned with a wide smile, as if he had been waiting for the moment to be alone with Rand.

Balron, hearing no objections from anyone, sighed heavily and then addressed Rand:

"Your idea is good, but will you have the strength to catch the fox that even so many hunters couldn't handle? Even with Weed's help. Considering that its cultivation might not be low, even with your artifacts, it might be…."

"Even if I can't catch it, the fox won't be able to defeat me, no matter how strong it is. My master is an elder, and he left me with enough means for self-defense to not fear a fight with some beast."

"Alright, you've convinced me. So, Fara, Eyron, and I will return to the sect tomorrow, since it's too late today to start the journey with beasts prowling the roads. We'll try to come back with reinforcements as soon as possible. You two will stay here and attempt to catch the fox. Let's hope luck is on our side."

The novices then discussed the details of their future actions, including how to hunt the fox effectively, what to tell the senior members to get help for the village, and much more. As their conversation was nearing its end and they were preparing to find a place to sleep, Eyron asked Balron:

"What about the hunter? What are we going to do with him?"

"No matter how noble his motives, he broke the sect's rules and the empire's law. So he can't escape punishment. I'll report this incident to the enforcers, but I'll ask for his sentence to be mitigated, suggesting five years in the mines instead of death. But the elder doesn't need to know about this yet. Agreed, Oberin?"

"I don't care much. I'll leave the decision to you, Balron."

With that, their conversation essentially ended, leaving Eyron and Weed somewhat disappointed. Balron then called the elder and informed him of their decision. The elder was generally pleased with their choice but warned them of the dangers of hunting the fox, especially in the current conditions. He told them everything he knew about the fox and its likely den location. When asked about lodging, he offered them a stay either at his house or the inn. The disciples chose the inn. And after a brief dinner, everyone went to their rooms to rest, agreeing to meet at dawn.

At night, instead of falling asleep or cultivating, Rand focused almost all his attention on what was happening in the neighboring rooms, expecting one of his companions to take a walk at night. At the same time, he was replenishing his Qi reserves with a spirit stone, as this required little effort. Using a peak magical artifact twice had drained over half his dantian's energy.

For several hours, almost nothing of interest occurred — Balron and Fara ended up in the same room, and from Weed's room, he could hear him carving something out of wood. But a couple of hours before dawn, one of the group members decided to quietly, almost silently, leave the inn. However, he couldn't deceive Rand's senses; Rand heard him open the window and then jump out. And that person was, of course, Eyron. Rand waited a bit for the giant to move ahead, then followed suit: opened the window, jumped out, and moved in the same direction.

Eyron walked through the village streets, trying not to be spotted by the occasional village patrols. This wasn't too difficult, as their torches gave them away from a distance. He quickly reached the village walls. He didn't even try to sneak over them, as the watchmen were too well-placed for that to be possible. Instead, he used brute force, approaching one of the watchmen and, after a brief conversation, breaking his neck. He then hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder, climbed over the wall, and continued towards the forest.

But a few kilometers from the village, a familiar voice called out to him:

"Junior Eyron, decided to take a stroll, visit your wolf friends, and bring them a gift?"

Eyron turned sharply, dropping the corpse to the ground, and saw Rand standing a few dozen meters away.

"Oh, senior Oberin, I didn't expect to see you here. I must admit, you're quite good at staying unnoticed. Did you use some concealment technique?"

"No, there was no need. You're just not very observant and make too much noise. But I must admit, I'm slightly surprised you're not even trying to deny your connection to the wolves."

"Is there any point? After my family's fools decided to attack the village with wolves before my arrival, my connection to what's happening here became obvious. Only an idiot wouldn't understand that, and you're not one. But it doesn't matter for our agreement because I truly want to kill Weed. I just decided to kill two birds with one stone: get rid of Weed and complete the family's mission. So…"

But Rand didn't let him finish: "You're telling the truth about Weed, but you're lying about the number of birds. After all, you want to get rid of me too."

"You're mistaken. I already said I wouldn't dare harm an elder's disciple. Ah, I see, you think this because I forgot to mention that the smell of the Wolf's Bane potion is highly volatile and might affect you along with Weed. I remembered this after our conversation, but I knew you would find out everything about the potion yourself, so I didn't bring it up later."

"No, I think you want to kill me for reasons beyond that trivial detail. You omitted the mention of the scent so I'd focus on it and not consider that danger might still be lurking here in the village. If I hadn't stopped you now, within an hour, the wolves would have attacked the village in a much stronger force than ever before. There are actually two wolves at the ninth level in the pack, not just one. With their help, you would've killed me, Weed, and the entire village at the same time."

"Senior Oberin, it's not like that…"

But Rand, knowing what he would try to say next, interrupted him again:

"You irritate me. You're too fond of trickery, Eyron, but you're not as good at it as you think. I won't kill you; I don't want trouble with the sect. So I'll just beat you half to death, break your arms and legs, and leave you to be eaten by the forest beasts. But don't worry, I won't use the bracelet since you're not worth that expenditure of Qi."

Having said all this, Rand didn't wait for Eyron's response. Instead, he closed the distance between them with a run and kicked his recent companion in the stomach. Eyron had time to brace for the attack while Rand ran, and he managed to block, but the force of the kick made him stagger back several steps. Before he could recover, Rand was beside him again, aiming a punch at his head. Eyron's years of martial arts training kicked in, allowing him to raise his arms in a defensive stance and block the blow. But Rand's attacks kept coming, one after another. The speed advantage of a second-level cultivator was overwhelming. Rand gave Eyron no chance to retreat or counterattack. Within a minute, Rand had landed over fifty strikes. At first, Eyron managed to block them all, but as the fight continued, he began to miss more and more. The situation was worsened by Rand's armored gloves with small spikes, making each hit excruciatingly painful and leaving bloody marks on Eyron. Even the fact that Eyron had an incredible body and had already started practicing the body strengthening technique didn't help much. After just a minute, Eyron was standing, swaying, his entire body bruised. Defeat seemed imminent.

But Eyron wasn't ready to give up so easily. Suddenly, he started growing in size, transforming into the two-and-a-half-meter monster he had become during the arena fight. His arms lengthened, and his strength surpassed Rand's second-level power. Unfortunately, this didn't change the course of the fight much, as Rand still held an insurmountable speed advantage. The former prince kept his distance to avoid being trapped like Lucius had been in the arena, but because of this the effectiveness of his attacks on Eyron decreased.

After another minute, Rand landed a punch that nearly toppled Eyron and knocked out a few of his teeth. The giant removed a ring from his finger and threw it at Rand's feet, shouting:

"Restrict! Legs, arm with the bracelet."

The ring immediately started to "grow," transforming into a snake, and tried to coil around Rand's legs. He attempted to dodge, leaping back several meters, but failed. The ring-snake was too fast; it caught Rand mid-air and wrapped around his legs and the arm with the bracelet, immobilizing him and preventing effective use of the artifact on his wrist. As soon as Eyron saw his ring-artifact taking effect, he rushed at Rand, hoping to seize him in a hold similar to the one that had brought him victory over Lucius. However, the moment he took his first step towards Rand, a barrier of flames enveloped Rand, covering his armor. The ring, still trying to restrain Rand, hissed and began making strange crackling sounds, indicating it wouldn't last long in contact with the barrier. Eyron immediately realized that he had lost. The only strategy that might have won him the fight was now useless; he couldn't crush a barrier that was melting his artifact bare-handed. Therefore, Eyron decided to use the moment while the ring still held Rand and immediately turned to flee, simultaneously pulling a talisman from his pouch and infusing it with Qi. As soon as the talisman glowed green, he attached it to himself, which greatly increased his running speed.

Rand, looking at the back of the fleeing opponent, momentarily considered using the crown to tear off Eyron 's leg, preventing his escape, but dismissed the idea. He didn't actually want to kill him; otherwise, he would have done so from the beginning. A talent like Eyron could be useful if handled correctly. So Rand deactivated the robe generating the barrier, picked up the remnants of the snake- now turned back into a ring, and continued deeper into the forest, thinking, "He sure knows when to run. I doubt he'll return to the village after this. He'll either rush back to the sect or try to reach the people controlling the wolves. If he chooses the second option, he's out of luck."

Finishing his thoughts, Rand headed to where he left the Earth-Devouring Serpent. Upon arrival, he woke the beast and issued an order:

"Kill all the humans near the wolf pack, but try not to scare the dogs. When you're done, return here and wait until I come back with a human child. The wolves will attack him, and if they fail, your task is to kill him quickly with all your might. If I see you holding back, you'll be punished."

"And if the wolves sssucceed?"

"Then I'll consider the order fulfilled anyway."