Morning sunlight filtered through the leaves.
I went out to forage as usual.
Near a patch of bushes, I discovered a Burrow Rat's den.
Fresh dirt mounds at the entrance, clear claw marks on the muddy ground nearby.
"Right around here."
I crouched by the den waiting, not immediately releasing Waspy and Brownie.
Before long, the Burrow Rat emerged from the hole.
[Burrow Rat]
[Level 8/20]
[HP: 120/120]
[MP: 40/40]
[Strength: 15]
[Defense: 8]
[Speed: 12]
[Luck: 6]
[A burrowing magic beast that lives underground, sharp front claws, fierce temperament, actively attacks weak magic beasts]
I pretended not to notice it, continuing to rummage around the den.
Could feel its gaze on me, assessing whether I was easy prey.
I deliberately turned my back, feigning focus on digging.
The Burrow Rat moved.
It quietly approached, then burrowed underground.
The ground transmitted faint tremors.
I pricked up my ears to sense carefully.
Left side? No...
Right side!
"BAM!"
Dirt exploded as the Burrow Rat burst out from my right, front claws aimed straight at my flank!
I instantly leaped away.
The Burrow Rat missed, landing and immediately turning to attack again.
Just then—
I released Waspy and Brownie!
The Burrow Rat was clearly stunned. How did it suddenly become three?
Waspy seized this opportunity to use Mental Disruption.
The Burrow Rat's movements faltered.
I immediately pounced, biting toward its neck.
"SLASH—!"
The Burrow Rat cried out in pain, front claws wildly counterattacking, sharp claws slashing toward my face.
I released my bite in time to dodge—the claws scraped past my ear.
Close call.
Brownie had already pounced from the other side, firmly biting the Burrow Rat's hind leg.
The Burrow Rat tried burrowing underground to escape, but Brownie's bite was too tight—it couldn't move at all.
I pounced again, this time aiming for the throat and biting down hard!
"CRUNCH—!"
The Burrow Rat struggled violently, front claws flailing wildly, carving a wound in my foreleg.
[HP: 140/155]
It hurt, but I didn't release my bite.
Waspy used Mental Disruption again—the Burrow Rat's struggles slowly weakened.
I bit through its throat with all my strength.
The Burrow Rat's body finally stopped struggling.
[Defeated Burrow Rat]
[Multiple participants detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 15 Experience]
I released my mouth, gasping for air.
"Huff... huff..."
"Gray, you're hurt." Brownie came over, worriedly looking at the wound on my foreleg.
I glanced at it—not deep, just broke the skin.
"It's fine, minor injury."
Brownie still insisted on using "Vitality Bestowal" to heal me. Warm green light enveloped the wound, and the pain quickly disappeared.
I put the Burrow Rat's corpse in the space.
"Thanks for the hard work, you two go back and rest."
Waspy and Brownie returned to the space.
I moved the just-injured foreleg—completely fine. Brownie's healing ability was really useful.
Looking toward the forest depths, today's gains weren't enough yet.
I continued along familiar routes, planning to check another area where Thorn-Tail Rabbits often appeared.
But as I walked—
The fur on my back suddenly stood up.
An instinctive alertness—something was watching me.
I whipped my head around!
Nothing in the woods, just the rustle of wind through leaves.
But that feeling of being watched was real.
I warily observed my surroundings, finding no abnormalities.
"...Maybe I'm too sensitive."
I continued forward, but the uneasy feeling never left.
Evening came, and I returned near my tree hollow.
Just as I was preparing to go in and rest, that watched feeling came again!
And stronger than during the day!
I instantly turned—
This time I saw it.
A black shadow flashed through the woods, very fast, much larger than me.
"What was that?!"
The shadow had already disappeared into the forest depths, but the air held a heavy beast scent.
This smell...
Forest Wolf!
My heart tightened. Why would Forest Wolves be active in this area?
I didn't immediately enter the hollow but carefully searched the surroundings.
Soon found paw prints under a tree.
Very fresh, much larger than my paws, four claw tips deeply embedded in the soil.
These were definitely Forest Wolf prints.
And there was more than one spot.
I followed the traces and found two more sets of prints in different directions.
"At least three..."
A chill ran down my back. Three Forest Wolves were active in this area, and judging by the freshness of the prints, they'd come today.
Damn...
I immediately returned to the hollow, and though Waspy and Brownie were in the space, I still told them the situation.
"Forest Wolves?" Waspy's voice grew tense.
"Yes, at least three, active nearby."
"Will we be targeted?" Brownie asked worriedly.
"Don't know, but we must be careful recently. If we encounter Forest Wolves..."
I didn't finish.
But we all understood. Forest Wolves were pack predators, intelligent, knew how to cooperate, and were much larger than us. If we really encountered a wolf pack, we'd be completely outmatched.
"Be careful tomorrow, try to avoid dangerous areas."
Night grew deeper.
I lay in the tree hollow but couldn't sleep at all.
That uneasy feeling kept circling in my mind.
Suddenly—
"AWOOOO—!"
A howl came from the distance.
Forest Wolf!
I was instantly alert, entire body tensing.
Another howl came from a different direction.
"AWOOOO—!"
Then a third, fourth...
Coming from all directions.
Forest Wolves were howling, and not just three—more!
They were communicating, howls rising and falling, lasting several minutes before slowly stopping.
The forest returned to quiet.
But this quiet was more terrifying than the howls.
I stayed awake all night, constantly vigilant.
---
Dawn broke.
I emerged from the hollow—the forest looked the same as usual.
But I knew something was wrong.
The air held a tense atmosphere.
I carefully searched near the hollow and soon found more traces.
More paw prints, fur, and scent markers.
And some were right near my hollow, less than twenty meters away.
"They came last night..."
My heart raced. Forest Wolves had been nearby last night, possibly standing under the tree, watching my hollow.
Thinking of last night's howls, those weren't ordinary calls—they were exchanging information.
"They're surrounding this area..."
I suddenly realized the Forest Wolves weren't passing by coincidentally—they had a purpose.
And that purpose... might be me.
Why?
Why would a wolf pack target me?
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
I returned to the hollow, checking the supplies in the space. Still had some food and meat from previous hunts.
"If I really get surrounded..."
I took a deep breath.
"At least survive."
All day, I didn't go hunting but observed the surroundings near the hollow.
Found more traces—paw prints, fur, scent markers.
Forest Wolves had left numerous traces in this area, all very fresh.
"They really are surrounding."
This wasn't coincidence—the wolf pack was moving in an organized manner.
I had to leave.
I immediately began planning escape routes.
East? Rocky terrain there, but complex geography—easy to get cornered.
West? That was deeper forest, more dangerous.
South? Open ground—nowhere to hide once spotted.
North...
I remembered there was a thorny thicket to the north, narrow terrain that large magic beasts couldn't easily traverse.
"If I'm really chased, run that way."
I mentally prepared myself.
Evening came, and I released Waspy and Brownie.
"Situation's bad—the wolf pack is surrounding us. I'm planning to leave tonight."
"What do we do?" Brownie asked fearfully.
"You stay in the space. I'll try to avoid them. If I really get surrounded, I'll immediately release you to fight together. But if we can't win..."
I paused.
"Run toward the northern thicket."
"Understood." Waspy nodded.
I put them back in the space.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened.
I didn't stay in the hollow.
While there was still light, I had to leave immediately.
I quietly slipped out, moving north.
Making as little sound as possible.
Leaping between branches, avoiding ground traces.
Night grew denser.
I sped up.
Suddenly—
Footsteps in the distance.
Very light, but I heard them.
More than one.
They were coming.
And heading toward my original hollow.
I held my breath, continuing north.
Had to gain distance before they discovered my escape.
More and more footsteps.
Then—
"AWOOOO—!"
A howl suddenly rang out.
From my hollow's direction.
They discovered I was gone!
Immediately, more howls responded.
From all directions.
They were communicating, searching.
I slowed down, making as little sound as possible.
Moving through shadows, using trees for cover.
Howls rose and fell.
They were expanding their search range.
I cautiously advanced, every step careful.
Suddenly—
Rustling sounds from the bushes ahead.
A massive figure emerged from the darkness.
A Forest Wolf!
It saw me!
"AWOOOO—!"
It immediately howled.
Damn!
I immediately ran at full speed.
No longer caring about noise.
Speed was most important now!
Urgent footsteps behind me.
More than one.
More Forest Wolves were rushing toward me.
They were catching up!