Chapter 77: The Great Hunt (3)

"Do you have a plan?" Beikan asked, his gaze fixed on the enormous serpent coiled atop its gigantic nest at the summit of the rolling hills.

"It must have been tough climbing up here. How about we eat something first?" Karyl suggested casually, showing no signs of tension like Beikan.

"..."

He nonchalantly started a fire and placed some dried meat on it, then handed Beikan a water flask.

"It's distilled liquor made from Katu fruits. Brought all the way from Azor, it's quite valuable."

"Aren’t you underage?" Beikan raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"In the North, we start drinking this kind of alcohol from a young age. If we don't, we'd freeze to death. It's not as warm as the South."

"..."

Beikan wiped the sweat from his forehead, scoffing at Karyl's cheeky description of the scorching heat as "warm."

"To think about food when our prey is right in front of us... A true hunter would never do such a thing."

"The Sand Serpent has a poor sense of smell, so it won't catch the scent. Plus, liquor made from Katu fruits has the effect of retaining moisture in the body. Think of it as preparation for the hunt."

"You do know that while it has a poor sense of smell, its hearing and vision are exceptional, right?"

"Of course," Karyl replied with a confident smile as he pulled out the cooked meat.

"It can spot prey from hundreds of meters away, it's likely that it has already seen us."

"Don't worry too much about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Its vision is not just good, it’s too good. So much so that direct exposure to the sunlight actually reduces its visibility during the day. That is why daytime is the best time to hunt it. We'll eat up and start right away," Karyl explained, tossing a piece of cooked meat to Beikan.

Thunk-

Beikan silently looked at the meat Karyl had thrown only to take a big bite out of it.

"The Sand Serpent's attack pattern is simple. Like any wild monster, it fights on instinct. But it has a special ability."

"Sidewinding," Beikan replied, his mouth full of meat.

"Exactly."

Sidewinding was the unique movement style of snakes moving in a zigzag pattern.

"Though it lacks limbs, making it similar to snakes, it’s also unique, due to that fact that..."

A low roar echoed from the distant nest with the towering pillars. Suddenly, something enormous surged up from the rolling hills, cutting through the clouds and gliding effortlessly.

"...It can move like that even in the sky."

As effortlessly as it slithered on the ground, the Sand Serpent effortlessly glided through the air with nothing to support it.

"Its visibility range is about 480 meters. But during peak sunlight, that drops to half."

"Hmm...."

"Beikan, what's the range of your bow?"

"Just over 250 meters."

"And what about the accuracy?"

"Anything within that distance."

Karyl chuckled. "Well, that’s better than the Flying Bow Tribe."

Drawing a serpent on the dirt, Karyl continued, "The reason it can float in the air is because it can move each scale independently. It uses sidewinding to push wind into the spaces between the scales."

"So?"

"Though sidewinding may seem straightforward, it actually creates a slight delay when changing directions."

Beikan furrowed his brows, wondering how Karyl knew all this. It wasn't that he didn't believe him, he was just confused.

How does he know all this? Even I, someone who was raised in the South, have never been close to the rolling hills.

Curiosity mixed with skepticism as he looked at the young boy before him.

"The hunting method is quite simple. Maintain a distance and attack with arrows when it moves in a straight line. Then, aim for the inside of the scales when it changes directions," Karyl said, pointing to the throat of the serpent drawn on the ground.

"Coordination is crucial, but merely piercing the flesh won't deliver a fatal blow. There’s a seventh scale inside. Like a dragon, it has a reverse scale that needs to be cut."

"..."

Having finished chewing the meat, Beikan wiped his mouth.

"Why are you telling me all this?" He asked, suspicious of Karyl’s intentions.

"I mentioned before we arrived, but I'd prefer it if we only brought back one corpse from the rolling hills. Plus, as you said, a hunter gives his all for the hunt. We'll determine the outcome after we catch our prey."

Beikan fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.

[You sure know how to put on a show, huh? “We’ll determine after we catch our prey.” So cute~ You don't really care about winning or losing, do you? You're just trying to win over the big guy.]

Please be quiet.

Karyl thought, though he couldn't help but smirk at Allen's astute observation, he seemed to see right through him.

Whoosh...

The wind, stirred by the serpent's graceful gliding movements, tousled their hair.

Karyl's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

***

"Damn... it's freezing!" Thomson cursed, his body trembling uncontrollably. He pulled his thick robe tightly over his head, trying to shield himself from the biting cold.

"This cold cuts through even body-warming magic. I’m going to freeze to death here."

Struggling through a blizzard on the northern hills, where visibility was reduced to mere inches, Thomson gritted his teeth as he silently watched the Sherpas leading the way ahead of him.

If it weren't for Master's orders...

The Heresy Extermination Decree had quite literally turned the North into a battlefield, making it extremely dangerous to search for immigrant tribes.

Debating whether to send someone more capable as per Karyl's suggestion or to take action himself, Thomson had pondered long and hard. Though officially, he held the title of guild master, the real authority lay with Karyl. And this was his first mission under Karyl’s command.

I must complete this mission at all costs. I can't entrust it to anyone else.

Thomson found it odd that he was going to such lengths just to impress a mere twelve-year-old child. Yet, he had a gut feeling, honed from years as a mercenary.

I need to stay on the Master's good side as much as possible.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt compelled to earn his keep in Karyl's eyes.

"Damn it... I'll never get used to this cold. Do all the immigrant tribes in the North live in such harsh conditions?"

Taking a swig from the bottle of alcohol stashed within his robe, Thomson muttered to himself, "Ah, so this was why Master told me to bring this. Alcohol works so much better than magic in weather like this, huh?"

The warmth of the alcohol coursing through his throat gave him a renewed strength to push forward a little longer. Suddenly...

"Argh!"

A sharp whistling sound sliced through the wind, followed by a piercing scream as one of the Sherpas leading the way fell to the ground.

In a panic, Thomson hurried to the fallen man's side.

"Ugh..."

Thankfully, the arrow had struck the man's arm rather than his heart.

Where did that attack come from?

Thomson quickly cast a detection spell, but the cold air of the North seemed to hinder his ability to sense any presence nearby.

"A sorcerer, huh?" Just then, a low voice came from behind him.

When did they...?

"Stop!"

The assailant had approached him silently, eluding his magical detection. They were clearly a skilled opponent.

"Blindfold him."

Before Thomson could even react, darkness enveloped his vision. The absence of sight only heightened his fear.

"Why has a central pig like you come all the way here? What new scheme are you empire folks plotting?"

"I'm not from the empire!" Thomson hastily objected—

"Eek?!" Only for the cold touch of a sharp blade to be pressed against the back of his neck.

"Quit your bullshit."

"No, I've come with a message from my Master, from Azor."

"Master? What message does your kind have for us? We have no dealings with you central lot."

"That's..."

Thomson hesitated, then spoke with a mixture of uncertainty and resolve, "Are you from the Wolf-Fox Tribe?"

"I see. You are wishing for death, huh? Don’t worry, you will get that if you don’t answer my question."

"Eek...!"

"Stop."

A sharper, commanding voice cut through the air, halting the tense standoff.

Thomson focused all his senses, realizing that the newcomer must hold a higher rank than the one who had threatened him.

Great, did I really find them? I can’t see a thing, damn it... I could escape using magic, but that would be utterly stupid. I must complete my mission, no matter what.

"Let me ask again. Who are you?"

"As I said before, I am Thomson, representing the Ulkas Guild based in Azor. I've bear a message from my Master."

"And who is this Master of yours? To have the gall to send a message to us?"

The question had changed, but even under threat, Thomson couldn't reveal the contents of the message without confirming whether they were indeed the Wolf-Fox Tribe.

However, he could at least mention the name.

"Kar-Karyl," he stammered, his voice trembling.

Instantly, the blindfold was ripped off and a rush of cold wind assaulted Thomson’s face.

Struggling to open his eyes, he focused on the blurry figure before him.

Red hair fluttering in the wind and amber eyes, resembling those of a fox, sharply staring at him intently. It was an unforgettable sight.

"What did you say? Say it again!”

***

The massive bow quivered, its bowstring on the verge of snapping. Beikan’s body, from head to toe, was covered in wounds. He clenched his teeth, enduring the searing pain that radiated from his shoulder. A mirage-like shimmer rose from his injured flesh due to the intense heat.

"Now!"

Beikan's gaze sharpened, and the bowstring released with a thunderous crack. The arrow sliced through the air currents, striking the serpent’s scales with pinpoint accuracy.

Although there was a brief moment of joy for the successful hit, it was short-lived.

"The dragon scale on the nape hasn't opened yet! Prepare for the second shot!"

Following Karyl's shout, Beikan pulled the bowstring again. He wondered why he, the one who was supposed to be competing, was following Karyl's commands in battle.

The sharp arrow shot out but narrowly missed the serpent's side.

"Damn it!" Beikan cursed, his mind filled with swirling doubts. But it was all irrelevant. Before he could even think about it, his body was already moving on instinct.

"It'll be difficult, but stay focused. We're close to breaking through its scales."

Beikan simply nodded, too fatigued to voice his agreement.

"You've been fighting non-stop for over a day and a half. You must be missing the last piece of meat you ate."

"Hmph."

Despite his fatigue, Beikan showed no signs of complaints. This was because although shooting the bow nonstop for over forty hours was grueling, it was Karyl’s role to lure the serpent within his shooting range.

"It's okay,” Karyl reassured. “Without you, this would have been impossible. It's incredible that you’re still standing."

Beikan felt a surge of irritation.

Incredible, you say? You haven't even skipped a single breath.

He swallowed the words he was about to say.

Soon, it would be noon again.

The critical moment when the Sand Serpent weakens..

. Even without an explanation, Beikan knew what was at stake.

Several arrows were embedded in the serpent’s body. From the second day onwards, although it appeared unharmed, it too was losing strength.

[What were you thinking? Did you intentionally miss that last shot?]

Yes

.

If Beikan had heard their conversation, he would have been shocked out of his mind.

[Huh? Why did you do that?]

It’s because Beikan needs to feel the strength of that creature.

[What do you mean?]

The reason the hill wasn't conquered in my previous life wasn't because we failed to capture the serpent.

[Then why?]

Karyl looked at the rampaging beast.

Because there was no need to conquer it, as by the time the Empire invaded the south, the owner of the hill had already disappeared.

[No way... Could it be...]

That’s right. When I return, I'll probably return sitting on top of its head. That's the real reason I proposed the Great Hunt.

Allen was flabbergasted, not having expected such an answer from Karyl.

Hunting the serpent isn't enough to subdue the tribes. To show an overwhelming and absolute difference in power, submission, not hunting, is more effective.

[Are you mad... You intend to tame that beast?]

Yes.

[Is that even possible?]

Karyl smirked at the question.

There's no reason I can't accomplish what I already did in my previous life. It's just that, I’m eight years earlier. It’s too much for me to do alone with an incomplete body.

[So you brought along that big guy along to fill in the lack of strength? You devious schemer. How many steps ahead are you even thinking?]

Karyl’s lips curled into a sly smile.

Is that a compliment?

"Wha? Haha... Yes. Yes, it's a compliment," Allen conceded, his sigh tinged with a hint of lament.

Karyl tightened his grip on his sword. "It's time to bring this to an end."