Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 166 - 26: Wolf King_1

Chapter 166: Chapter 26: Wolf King_1

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"Captain, they are moving quite fast." An hour later, the mercenary company was already following the footsteps of the adventurers. To their surprise, the adventurers were moving much faster than before. Even though they didn’t have to closely trail the faint footprints like the adventurers, they could barely keep up with their pace.

"Perhaps something has changed," said Dora. Her high heels made the trek through the fallen leaves arduous so she decided to take them off. Now, donning only her tight-fitting giant lizard skin boots, she said, "There shouldn’t be any danger since they would surely stop if there were. Moreover, the Resonance Crystals that my mentor gave me hasn’t reacted, meaning they haven’t encountered any fights. Let’s keep going, who knows how much further we have to go."

"Captain, are these people reliable?" The Mole spoke up in a low voice beside Dora. During their previous encounter with the adventure team, in order to maintain Dora’s authority as a leader, the Silver Rank mercenaries never openly voiced their doubts. But now that the adventurers were absent, Mole finally had the chance to consult Dora on the matter.

"Three of them are Gold Rank, each of them as powerful as me. They could possibly hold their own against a Legendary Rank professional for a short amount of time if they work together," Dora shrugged and sighed with a hint of envy in her voice, "As for that Silver Rank, she’s too strange to evaluate."

"I don’t mean in terms of strength." Eyeing Elrad at the forefront silently leading the group, Mole lowered his voice even further and said, "I mean, can we truly count on them as trustworthy companions? We took a massive risk by coming here with only five people. What if they..."

"If I could only trust one person in this world, it would definitely be Catherine," said Dora solemnly, "It has nothing to do with personal relationships. Anyone who knows Catherine would feel the same, just like how people a hundred years ago would trust Kyle and Nellie unconditionally. Besides, they’re from Nellie’s adventure team, the team with the best reputation in the Guild. And by reputation, I mean their responsibility and attitude, not their mission completion rate. So, if something were to happen, it would only be because they encountered a situation they couldn’t manage, not because they were irresponsible. Remember this well and don’t worry about it anymore."

"Awooooooooo~~~~~~~~~" Suddenly, a sorrowful yet sonorous howl of a wolf echoed outward from a short distance away. The piercing sound of the howl resonated powerfully, permeating the thick forest and spreading far and wide, to a distance beyond their line of sight. The wolf’s howl was not singular, but wave after wave like a tumultuous tsunami. Each wave made the howl louder, with its sound reaching further and further. Despite their distance from the sound, the thundering howl seemed to be right next to their ears. Each of them subconsciously furrowed their brows, resisting the uncomfortable sensation brought by the vibrating eardrums.

Elrad, the guide who had been leading the way without ever stopping, abruptly halted. His face appeared somewhat pallid as he stared into the distance. However, all he could see was the dense forest and nothing more.

"Mr. Elrad," Dora noticed Elrad’s change in mood and asked with slight unease, "Why have wolves suddenly begun to howl? Is it coming from Catherine’s direction? Have they encountered a wolf pack?"

"I don’t know. It should be coming from their direction, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve encountered a pack." A young Elrad wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and nervously replied, "However, this howl is very unique."

Dora kept silent, looking at Elrad, waiting for him to further elaborate.

"It’s the howl of a Wolf King," Elrad asserted, "A very distinctive call."

"The Wolf King?" Dora asked in confusion, "You mean the alpha wolf?"

"No, not the alpha wolf, the Wolf King." Elrad’s tone was impatient, but he explained, "There are numerous wolf packs scattered throughout the forest. Large ones number in the dozens, while small ones may contain fewer than ten wolves. Each wolf pack has an alpha, but only one Wolf King would likely exist in an area spanning several thousand square kilometers. It is the king of all wolf packs within that region. It’s strange, there hasn’t been a Wolf King in this region for several decades, why would one suddenly turn up now?"

"Is the Wolf King very dangerous?" asked Dora, "Why does it make you so nervous?"

"The Wolf King is indeed powerful, but it’s rather easy to escape from it, as it usually travels alone," Elrad explained, "But it becomes terrifying once it summons numerous wolf packs."

"Don’t worry," Dora patted Elrad’s arm, "We’ll ensure your safety."

"You will?" Elrad retorted, a hint of mistrust in his tone, "I know all of you are Upper Rank professionals and quite powerful, but you might not be able to protect even yourselves when the time comes."

"Why would you say that?" Dora asked in surprise.

"When the Wolf King howls, all the nearby wolf packs will respond to its call," Elrad anxiously scanned the surrounding area, not daring to venture forward. He was afraid of bumping into a wolf pack, so he stayed put and said, "The wolf packs are spread out over thousands of square kilometers around here, totaling to over a hundred in number. Even wolves that are far away may not hear the call, but with the penetrating power of the Wolf King’s howl, it could rally at least 10 packs. That would add up to hundreds of wolves, and not the ordinary kind - they are magical beasts."

Dora was stunned. She knew that the wolf pack in the forest was mainly a mix of Bronze Rank and Silver Rank wolves, with Silver Rank wolves comprising at least a third. The thought of being surrounded by hundreds of such magical beasts made her scalp tingle despite her Middle Gold Rank power.

"Awooooo~~~~~~~~" The heart-wrenching howl of the wolves was heard again, its penetrating power even surpassing the first call.

"Move quickly." Elrad seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and immediately took a step: "Judging from the sound, they are moving in a direction away from us. It seems that they are not coming at us. Let’s leave this place now."

"Awooo~~~~~~~" From an invisible distance, a faint call came, seemingly echoing the call of the Wolf King.

"Indeed, that’s the call to gather the wolf pack." Elrad hurriedly followed the pace of the adventure team and moved forward, neglecting his usual meticulous exploration of the path: "Even if they’re not going our way, there might be wolves coming from behind us in response to the call. So, we must be careful."

In urgent situations, time always seems to pass quickly. An hour hurriedly passed on the road. During this hour, continuous howls of wolves came from all directions. Judging by the direction and location, at least eight to nine wolf packs were responding to the Wolf King’s call and were hurrying towards them. The surrounding wolf’s howls were getting closer and closer. Fortunately, however, Elrad’s concern did not become a reality; no wolf pack caught up with them from behind.

However, what Elrad and the mercenaries did not know was, matters were completely different up ahead just fifteen minutes away from them.

The adventuring team of four moved quickly. Diana, leading the group, seemed to instinctively avoid all the swamp traps and dangerous snakes and bugs. Moreover, her speed on all fours surpassed the others. Her whole body moved in unison, as if she was a real wolf disguised in human form. This discrepancy left the rest of the three torn between laughter and tears.

Ignoring the bewildered looks of the other three, Diana continuously let out almost terrifying howls on the way. It was hard to imagine that such a loud sound could come out of Lina’s slender body. The others too quickly heard responses from far off. As distance narrowed, the responding sounds got louder and more frequent.

"Um, Diana...sis..." Vivian also intuitively sensed the special nature of Diana. She had seen Lina’s friends using her body to help, but this time’s feeling was unprecedented. Both Vivian and Catherine felt a sort of...restraint in front of Diana. It was similar to the self-constraint shown by children when unexpectedly encountering a friend’s parents while playing. This peculiar feeling left Vivian feeling awkward, but also possessed a sense of inexplicable novelty and admiration: "Are you calling for help?"

"Yes." Diana was very fond of Vivian and didn’t glare at her like she did at Pannis. Instead, she gently said to Vivian: "Real wolves like to win by virtue of their numbers."

"But, but." Vivian’s young face was all scrunched up as she hesitatingly asked: "But don’t be angry, sis. Do you really have companions?"

"Hahahaha." Diana did not get angry but burst into laughter: "You don’t need to have met to be companions. We wolves obey and follow the Wolf King, a quality that’s deeply ingrained in our blood. It’s the same no matter where or what kind."

As a human, Vivian naturally found it difficult to understand Diana’s description, but she did not carry on with the questions, choosing instead to contemplate it alone.

"What you really want to ask isn’t this though, right?" As Diana walked, she smiled and said: "Actually, you want to ask why I can summon my companions if I don’t actually exist, right?"

"Hehe." Vivian shyly covered her soft hat on her head, using silly laughter to hide her embarrassment.

"Actually, I don’t know why either." Diana naturally lifted her right hand, licked it, and then shook her body vigorously: "But Catheria once said something nonsensical like we do not exist, but we exist to explain our situation. Those who serve the gods often speak in such absurd ways, I still don’t understand it. Anyway, why should we care? As long as it works, it’s more than enough, right? Listen, they are coming."

"Awoooo~~~" The howl of the wolves came from a very close location. Seconds later, a huge black wolf that was even taller than a human when standing upright appeared from the dense forest. It was a Silver Rank black wolf, whose fur was as smooth as silk. Its teeth were sharp and neat, its green eyes wide open as it looked at the female wolf king in front of it - who seemed completely different from the image it had in mind - with a curious and questioning gaze.

Behind the huge black wolf, about thirty black wolves emerged from the forest. Although they were smaller in size than the black wolf, they exuded a bloody and cruel aura.

"Roar." Diana seemed to have completely transformed into a real wolf. She emitted a terrifyingly low growl from her throat and moved towards the black wolf without showing any sign of weakness in her distinctive wolven gait.