Legendary Mercenary

Chapter 5: The Monster

Typically, a scout's reconnaissance range is about three to five kilometers from the convoy, depending on their abilities. However, Kiki was no ordinary scout. As a member of the Cat People, she was naturally agile and possessed the talent [Spirit Wind], which made her incredibly fast, allowing for a broader and quicker scouting range. She proudly called herself an elite scout because of this.

In no time, Kiki had covered an eight-kilometer stretch, carefully surveying her surroundings and confirming there were no signs of danger along the way. This part of the route was still within the protection zone of Seaside City, where the city's patrols ensured safety. Few dared to cause trouble here.

With this in mind, Kiki continued her advance, sprinting ahead until she finally left the protection zone. However, just five kilometers beyond the zone, she encountered a threat: a group of foraging tusked wild boars.

These tusked wild boars were a common type of magical beast found across the continent, widely distributed and typically reaching the Brass level once fully grown. Occasionally, some individuals could reach the Silver level, depending on their size.

Among the herd, Kiki noticed one particularly large boar.

“Meow, that big one must be at least Silver level!” Kiki muttered to herself, hiding in the treetops as she observed the situation.

This was clearly a large family of boars, with about twenty to thirty members. The largest one stood over two meters tall and had silver stripes running down its back, a sure sign it had reached the Silver level. There were also seven or eight other boars that had likely reached the Brass level, while the rest were smaller and probably hadn't yet reached that stage.

Although this herd of wild boars didn't pose a direct threat to the convoy, there was one potential problem: their attack method, known as the [Boar Rush]. The convoy's guards could handle the boars, but if even one of them accidentally crashed into a wagon loaded with goods, it could cause a lot of trouble.

Kiki decided it would be best to lure the boars away, as long as they were far from the trade route, the convoy could pass safely.

With her plan in mind, a green glow surrounded Kiki as the wind picked up around her. In a flash, she dashed out and appeared right in front of the large boar, tapping it lightly on the forehead with the hilt of her short sword.

“Thud!”

The strike wasn't too hard, but it was enough to annoy the big boar, successfully angering it.

“Come on, chase me, you silly pig!” With a playful smirk, Kiki stuck out her tongue at the boars, then turned and dashed off.

The big boar let out an angry grunt and immediately led its family in pursuit of Kiki.

Kiki slowed down just enough to keep the boars trailing her. After leading them several kilometers away, she suddenly accelerated, leaving the herd behind, and circled back to the trade route.

With the boars dealt with, she resumed her scouting mission.

Brave Kiki, never afraid of challenges, charging forward with determination!

Kiki took brisk steps, leaping nimbly between the tree trunks at a very fast pace. However, just then, a gust of wind blew towards her, and Kiki's small nose twitched as she frowned.

She caught the scent of blood.

Something seemed to have happened up ahead.

The brave Kiki decided to investigate. She passed through the woods, climbed over a grassy slope, and finally saw the source of the smell.

Suddenly, Kiki's small mouth dropped open in shock.

On her side of the grassy slope, the landscape was lush and green, dotted with white and yellow flowers—very beautiful. But on the other side, the earth was stained with blood, and several large cattle lay scattered across the ground.

The sight made Kiki hesitate. She didn't dare get too close and instead observed from a safe distance.

These cattle, likely raised by herders, had leather tags on their ears, and some had bells hanging around their necks. Judging from the wounds, it seemed they had been attacked by a powerful creature.

Kiki's heart raced as she tried to make sense of it. The size of the wounds indicated that whatever had attacked them was large and dangerous.

However, something felt off. Normally, when magical beasts hunted, they took only what they needed and left quickly. This scene was different, and that difference made Kiki uneasy.

Magical beasts are aware of the dangers posed by humans and would never foolishly linger at the scene to feed, knowing full well that humans would seek revenge.

Yet before her, the entire herd of cattle had been torn apart. With a rough estimate, there were at least thirty to forty of them. Although the bighorn cattle were merely Bronze-ranked domesticated magical beasts, their sheer size alone was intimidating. When threatened, they would gather and charge as a group. A collective charge from a Bronze-ranked herd was something even a low-star Silver-ranked magical beast would hesitate to confront head-on.

But here, it was clear that the cattle had been utterly crushed and slaughtered.

Kiki speculated that this might have been the work of a Silver-ranked magical beast that had gone berserk for some reason—or perhaps even a Gold-ranked beast!

A Gold-ranked magical beast... Even Captain Geoff was only a Silver Nine-star. Although Kiki had heard before joining the guard squad that Captain Geoff had successfully led his team to hunt down a Gold-ranked magical beast, it had come at a great cost.

Three team members were lost in that battle, including the previous scout Kiki replaced after he died in the fight. So, if they were really up against a Gold-ranked magical beast, Kiki thought it would be best to avoid a direct confrontation if possible.

However, making the final decision was the captain’s job. Kiki figured she should return and report the situation first.

A sense of foreboding had been gnawing at Kiki, so she decided it would be wise to convince the captain to take a detour. Though it would make the journey longer, it would greatly reduce the chance of encountering whatever terrifying creature had shredded the cattle.

Just as she was about to turn back, a sudden foul wind swept towards her. The fur on Kiki’s tail instantly stood on end, and her pupils contracted sharply. Almost instinctively, she leapt into the air.

The next second, the ground where she had just stood bore a massive claw mark, with dirt and soil scattered everywhere.

Without pausing after landing, she sprang back again like a coiled spring, retreating several dozen meters before stopping.

Her chest heaved rapidly as she stared at the entity before her, eyes filled with terror.

Before her stood a three-meter-tall monster, rearing up on its hind legs, its body covered in black fur as sharp as steel needles. A blood-red "X" scar marked its chest, and its oversized head was that of a wolf, with a mouth so grotesquely wide it seemed to stretch back behind its ears. Jagged fangs protruded from its maw, and blood-tinged saliva dripped slowly from between them.

What kind of creature is this?!

A werewolf?!

But werewolves don't look like this!

Kiki had encountered werewolves before—they were a type of beastman—but none of them were anywhere near as terrifying as this. The creature before her wasn’t like any beastman; it resembled a standing magical beast, exuding a menacing aura.

The wolf-headed monster seemed slightly surprised that its first strike missed, but more than that, it appeared to be amused. That look in its eyes made Kiki's already bristling tail fur stand even straighter.

She understood the meaning behind that gaze.

It was filled with a bloodthirsty desire, a craving for slaughter not driven by the need to survive but by pure enjoyment of the kill!

As the creature’s grotesquely wide grin stretched even further, almost as if it would split the back of its head, Kiki could feel her scalp tingling from the terror. The twisted "smile" it revealed was so horrifying it sent chills down her spine.

There was no way she could fight this thing. Not a chance...

Without making any sudden moves, Kiki started to edge backward, as if putting more distance between herself and the creature might offer some safety.

And indeed, for the moment, it seemed to be working. The monster didn’t move, but its eyes remained locked on Kiki.

Suddenly, the creature shifted its foot slightly, and in that instant, Kiki didn't hesitate—she turned and bolted.

Blue light shimmered around her as she pushed her magical energy to the limit, fleeing at top speed!

As Kiki dashed away, the creature roared and lunged after her, but once again, she was too fast, narrowly escaping its grasp.

After missing twice, the monster's rage intensified, and it dropped to all fours, pursuing Kiki with a frenzied determination.

Kiki didn’t dare to slow down, pushing herself to the brink, drawing on every ounce of her magic and blood energy to run even faster.

"I'm done for, meow!"

"I'm going to die, meow!"

"Captain, save me, meow!"