Upon the party's arrival at the foot of White Stone Mountain, a scout hurriedly greeted them, providing an update on their investigation of the mountain.
"My Lord, I'm glad you've finally arrived," said the scout.
Leofric nodded in acknowledgment and asked, "What's the current status of the target?"
"Lord, the beast has been dormant somewhere on the mountain. We tracked it last night after it returned from hunting," the scout replied.
"Are you certain it hasn't left the mountain yet?" Leofric inquired.
"We aren't completely sure, as we didn't dare get too close to avoid alerting the beast. However, we've surrounded the mountain since last night, and there's been no sign of it leaving," the scout explained.
"Very well," Leofric responded, then added, "One more thing— which side of the mountain faces a water source?"
The scout hesitated briefly but answered, "I believe there is a lake to the north. It's not very close, probably more than twenty kilometers away."
"Hm, that's quite strange. Anyway, we'll start our search on the south side of the mountain. Send half of the scouts forward to gradually tighten the encirclement. If anything new turns up, report immediately," Leofric commanded.
"Yes, my lord," the scout replied with a bow.
"Everyone, let's form three groups," Leofric announced. "Bertram, you go with the other guards and my kids. Half of the knights will accompany Sir George, and the rest will follow me. We'll split up, but stay close to your respective groups. If you find the wolf or notice anything suspicious, send a signal immediately. Do not risk your lives unnecessarily."
"Yes, sir," the guards and knights then replied in unison.
After a few minutes, everyone began their search. Leofric and his team headed south, while Sir George and the other knights searched the southeast side. Meanwhile, Bertram and the guards took the southwest. This arrangement was also planned by Leofric, who positioned his team between the other two, since his team was the strongest. If anything urgent happened to one of the other teams, he could reach them immediately.
On Alexander's side, everyone had already dismounted from their horses. The mountain had no established trails for riding, forcing them to traverse the rugged, rocky terrain. At times, they had to climb over rocks or even jump from one boulder to another.
"Hell, this is way harder than I imagined," Alexander complained, panting as he finally managed to climb a tall rock, assisted by the other guards.
"Young Master, let's rest here for a bit before proceeding," Bertram said. He was also sweating from the effort.
Everyone then set down their belongings and sat on the ground. They took out their water to drink and began to relax for a moment.
"Uncle Bertram, I overheard Father and the scouts talking earlier. Why was Father looking for water? And why are we all searching near the south side of the mountain?" Sylvia asked.
Hearing her question, Bertram felt pleased. He was happy to share the skills he had learned during his time as a hunter.
"You see," Bertram began, "even though the bull-horned dire wolf has evolved into a ferocious beast, at its core, it's still a wolf, and many of its instincts remain. It needs water to survive, so it tends to stay near water sources. As for our search area, we're focusing on the south slope of the mountain because wolves prefer to have their dens in that region. The south side tends to be drier and warmer during winter due to the angle of the sunlight."
Sylvia was quite impressed by all the information Bertram was sharing. She continued asking, "Then how do we know what their den looks like?"
"We look for signs like digging under trees, large hollow logs, or possibly a cave," Bertram replied. "We also need to check for tracks leading to these places."
Meanwhile, Alexander had been listening to their conversation. Earlier, he had his navigator with him at all times, fearing that the wolf might sneak up and attack. However, when he heard Bertram's explanation, he realized he had forgotten to use his most important tool, the map. He could check all the caves within a one-kilometer radius. There were likely only a few caves large enough to accommodate such a massive wolf on this mountain.
He quickly opened the map and began searching for caves. After scanning the entire area, he found out that there were a lot of caves nearby, some of which they had already passed by but missed because the entrances were well hidden. He examined each one carefully until he identified a cave that fit the description. It was actually quite close, just a few hundred meters from their current resting spot. The entrance was small but still large enough for the wolf, and its interior was vast. From the entrance, there was a large passageway that, even within the range of Alexander's map, he couldn't see the end of.
After confirming the cave's direction, Alexander pointed out the location to Bertram. "Uncle Bertram, I think there's something over those trees."
Bertram turned to look in the direction the young master was indicating. He saw some trees in the area; although they stood out from the surrounding barren landscape, there was no clear sign linking them directly to the wolf. Nevertheless, since it was their young master who pointed it out, they felt obliged to check.
"Alright, we'll head there once everyone is ready," Bertram affirmed.
On the way there, Bertram was completely stunned. There, clearly visible in the area, were the tracks of the wolf. He began to wonder, "Has the young master's soul sense truly reached this level? He shouldn't have any cultivation in any Path yet, right? To be able to detect the tracks of the wolf from such a distance, his soul sense talent must be exceptionally high."
When they arrived at the area, Alexander initially pretended to search along with the others. However, after a few minutes, he pointed out the location of the cave. He kept the navigator turned on, so he wasn't too worried about getting too close to the cave. As far as he could tell, no other beings had been detected by the navigator aside from his group near the entrance.
Upon seeing the cave, Bertram began to inspect it. There, he noticed traces of blood and some fur, confirming that they had found the wolf's den. He immediately instructed someone to send a signal.
Everyone then stepped back from the area, and someone sounded a horn. After a few moments, Leofric arrived with his men. Shortly afterward, Sir George also arrived. They had found the den and were preparing to enter it.
When Leofric saw the cave, his brow furrowed. He realized that the cave was quite deep. His initial plan was to lure the wolf out of its den and fight it outside, but that was now completely out of the question. He was confident he could face the beast one-on-one in broad daylight. However, fighting in darkness would be a different matter altogether—this beast was ten times more dangerous in the shadows. Aside from its terrifying combat skills, it possessed another equally formidable ability: stealth and ambush.
Leofric then looked at Alexander. If there was anyone he believed could potentially save the situation, it was Alexander. Earlier, Alexander had been able to detect the bone-eating ghost wasps—something that required him to use a secret soul technique just to see them faintly. Moreover, Bertram had told him about the terrifying range of Alexander's soul sense. If anyone could detect the wolf before it attacks, it would be Alexander.
However, he hesitated. Alexander was his son, and he didn't want to send him into a dangerously unpredictable situation where even he himself was unsure if he could make it out alive.
Leofric called Alexander over to discuss the matter.
"Alexander, do you think you will be able to detect the wolf inside the cave?" Leofric asked.
Alexander hesitated for a moment. He was confident he could detect the beast, but he felt fear. He was a very cautious person when it came to his own life, believing in Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong will at some point go wrong." He was reluctant to take the risk. However, seeing everyone's determined expressions, he realized they would go in regardless of what he said.
He didn't want anyone to get hurt because of his cowardice, so he clenched his teeth and answered, "If it gets within a hundred meters, I will most likely be able to detect it."
Hearing his son's words, Leofric was internally surprised. "A hundred meters? His own soul sense range is only about thirty meters. No wonder he was able to detect those wasps when I couldn't."
Alexander hadn't yet grasped the full gravity of his statement and had inadvertently spoken the truth.
"That's good to hear. However, I won't force you or Sylvia to enter the cave, so please think carefully," Leofric said.
After a moment of consideration, Alexander made up his mind. Aside from the danger his family would face without him, he had another motivation: he didn't want to receive punishment from the system.
He swallowed his fear and declared, "I will go."
Sylvia, standing nearby, also proudly and confidently declared, "I will go in too."
Hearing her words, both Alexander and Leofric could only sigh. They both thought to themselves how this little girl truly knew no fear.
Leofric then took out a small sack and two cloaks. The sack contained a pungent-smelling powder used as a deterrent for wolves and other beasts, while the two cloaks were aura-concealment cloaks.
"Sprinkle this beast-repellent powder on yourselves," he instructed. "Then, put on these aura-concealing cloaks. The cloaks will reduce the amount of aura your bodies emit, making you appear weaker. The bull-horned dire wolf prefers to target strong opponents. With this, the wolf will likely focus on me and Sir George, rather than you and the others."
A few minutes later, they all entered the cave and began to traverse the passageway leading downward. They didn't forget to set up some traps near the entrance, just in case the beast tried to escape.
The cave was extremely dark, so they had to carry torches and proceed with caution along its jagged path. As they ventured deeper, they quickly realized they had underestimated the cave's depth. They had been walking for quite some time and still couldn't see the end of it.
After another thirty minutes of walking, they began to hear the sound of flowing water. Moving further ahead, they arrived at a large cavern with a flowing river. It was then that they understood why the wolf hadn't stayed up north near the lake.
Upon entering the room, they saw numerous other passages branching out in different directions, and they couldn't help but frown. They didn't know which passage would lead them to the wolf. However, Alexander, who had been studying his map the entire time, knew. There was only one passage that led to another cave room; the rest would only become narrower, and most likely, the wolf wouldn't be able to fit through those.
He pointed to a specific passage and said, "The wolf should be at the end of that one."
Hearing his words, everyone began to tense up. The fight against the beast was likely about to begin.
As they moved through the passageway, their certainty grew. Bloodstains marked the cave walls, and chunks of flesh were strewn across the ground.
The stench was overwhelming—foul and rancid. Alexander immediately regretted his decision to come and began to vomit. They had to pause for a bit because of this, which made him feel ashamed.
After walking a bit further, they arrived at a vast cavern. It was extremely dark, and even with their torches, they could see almost nothing. Their hairs stood on end; the wolf was most likely here.
Alexander, who was checking his navigator, noticed a deep orange dot approaching in front of them, though he couldn't see anything else ahead. A sudden bad premonition washed over him, and he looked up.
On the ceiling of the cave, he saw a black silhouette charging toward them, its glowing amber eyes glaring menacingly.
Then, a familiar notification sounded in his mind.
'Ding'
[ Mission Completed: 'Track down the Beast of White Stone Mountain'
Rewards Received: 250 EXP, 25 GP (Greatness Points), 1x Blocking Talisman ]