Cautiously moving through the forest, Gundric occasionally gave his team of Hunters a few instructions here and there.
Hunting down the Behemoth was their primary objective, but that didn’t stop them from remaining vigilant.
The strange corpses scattered throughout the forest had already put everyone on edge. Whatever had caused those wounds was clearly powerful, and the oppressive spiritual pressure lingering deeper within the forest only made the situation worse.
"Stay close. Don’t wander off alone. If you notice anything unusual, report it immediately."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep your weapons ready. I don’t want anyone caught off guard."
"Already done."
"Watch the trees as well. If something managed to tear through those corpses, it might not be limited to the ground."
"I’ll take the rear."
"Good. Make sure nothing follows us."
"Understood."
"And keep your voices down. We don’t know what’s listening."
The Hunters lowered their voices just like that.
Gundric nodded in satisfaction, then glanced toward the only female in the group. She had remained silent ever since they entered this part of the Direwoods.
"Is something the matter?"
"Hm?"
"I’m asking if you’re okay. You’ve been quiet since you joined us."
"Oh, nothing of the sort."
"Ah. I see. If you notice something, please let me know."
"Mm-hmm."
The laid-back woman, who went by the name Jenny, nodded along to everything he said, causing Gundric to furrow his brows.
’As I thought. She’s really weird. And what’s with those casual responses? Is she the type who doesn’t take anything seriously? Even so, I can’t seem to deduce what she’s thinking. What a strange fellow.’
Gundric had dealt with all kinds of people during his time as a Hunter.
Some were overly cautious, others were reckless, and there were even those who became completely paralyzed by fear when faced with a powerful monster.
But this fellow was different from the usual bunch, that’s for certain. She didn’t even seem particularly interested in their surroundings. It was almost as though she were taking a leisurely stroll through a park.
’Maybe she’s simply confident in her abilities.’
That was certainly possible. After all, he had never witnessed her fighting before.
The only thing he knew was that she possessed a rather unusual weapon and had been recommended to him through one of his contacts. Still, there was something about her that bothered him.
Since they had left the fortress, Gundric had been plagued by a vague feeling that someone was watching his every move. That someone was this nonchalant woman.
’...Creepy. She gives me chills. Should I just send her straight to Hell?’
He seriously considered it.
Alas, their objective took priority over some irrational fear.
They continued deeper into the forest, following the Tracker’s directions while carefully avoiding the corpses scattered along the way. The farther they went, the heavier the atmosphere became.
Even the little critters, such as insects and birds, were nowhere to be seen, as though they had all vanished at once.
Eventually, they arrived at what they presumed to be some kind of open lair.
Monsters could be surprisingly particular about where they made their nests, with stronger creatures often claiming territories that provided them with sufficient food, shelter, and room to grow.
But there was nothing here. Not even the remains of smaller creatures that could have served as food. Instead, the trees surrounding the clearing had been completely flattened, leaving behind a vast expanse of trampled earth.
Or rather, it was more precise to say they had been "annihilated."
Regardless of where they shifted their gazes and rested their eyes, faint traces of burn marks could be seen across the barren landscape.
Some sections of the earth had been scorched black, while others were covered in patches of hardened soil that looked as though they had been melted and subsequently cooled, as well as several places where the ground had been torn apart, leaving behind deep trenches that stretched across the clearing.
However, nothing could have possibly prepared them for what they saw next.
"...W-what... W-what the hell..."
Gundric spat out a dumbfounded utter, his face turning pale.
Dominating the majority of the open lair was a huge creature sprawled across the barren land. Its body was covered in thick, dark scales, seemingly from polished, lustrous metal. Now, however, those scales were cracked and shattered, exposing the burnt flesh beneath. Four massive limbs were strewn across the clearing, each ending in claws large enough to tear many lesser creatures apart with ease. One of its hind legs had been bent at an unnatural angle, while another was buried beneath its own enormous carcass.
Several meters away from the nearest Hunter rested the creature’s head, as large as a five-story building, startling the poor fellow.
The creature’s jaws remained slightly open, revealing rows of enormous fangs stained black with dried blood. One of its eyes had been completely destroyed, leaving behind a hollow cavity filled with darkness while the other was still open, staring toward the sky with an empty, lifeless gaze.
None of the Hunters needed to be told the obvious. The terrifying monster in front of them was long dead.
But this was also the very creature they had come here to hunt.
"T-The Behemoth... is dead?"
"How could that be? Did someone already get here before us?"
"Impossible. We would have noticed another Hunter Group in the area."
"Still, though... this is insane! Look at all those cracks on its shell. Did someone beat this poor bastard to death? Ha! Ha!"
"You! How could you laugh right now?!"
"What other choice do I have than to laugh? Isn’t this ridiculous?!"
Four weeks.
They had spent a total of four weeks tracking this damn creature. Four weeks of gathering information, following its movements, studying its habits, and preparing themselves for the possibility that even a single mistake could result in their deaths.
But all that effort had been rendered meaningless.
As if to crush their hopes and dreams, some unknown party had swept in ahead of them and slain the Behemoth before they could even land a single blow. It was the equivalent of a group of pirates finally finding and opening a legendary treasure chest, only to discover that another cunning pirate had already stolen all the precious loot.
"Son of a..."
Gundric, upon being dealt this cruel hand, desperately resisted the urge to curse.
He possessed the vigor of an aspiring King of the Sea but also the patience of a greedy, run-of-the-mill pirate. Still, beneath his frustration and anger at having all his carefully laid plans ruined was something far more troubling.
Who — or what — could have killed a Behemoth like this?
"...!"
Suddenly, amidst his quiet contemplation, Gundric felt another presence and shuddered. He slowly lifted his head.
There was someone sitting on top the dead Behemoth, staring them down from high above.
With jet-black hair, pale skin, and a height of 1.75 meters, the young male looked no older than twenty-four. He was dressed in a soft, black garment with long, fitted sleeves and a simple design that accentuated his build and understated appeal. His aura, however, was perhaps the most unnerving thing about him. There was nothing particularly imposing about his appearance. But the fact that he had been there without anyone noticing him was enough to make every one of them tense and uneasy.
Moreover, there was a nasty frown on his brows as if glaring at the rude intruders.
"...!"
Gundric’s eyes opened wide.
The other Hunters reacted immediately as well, their relaxed attitudes vanishing in an instant as they turned toward the stranger, murmuring among themselves.
Questions such as ’When did he get there?’ and ’How did we not notice him until now?’ raced through their minds.
But the most plausible answer was also the most absurd.
’This guy... he killed it by himself!’
Even a fool wouldn’t be blind to the obvious.
Regardless, this was quite humourous. They had made extensive preparations precisely because they couldn’t defeat the Behemoth in a one-on-one confrontation. But this fellow had apparently done exactly that, and not only had he defeated the creature alone, he made quite the huge mess at that.
Before any of them could speak, however, the mysterious stranger narrowed his dark grey eyes and coolly asked:
"...Who are you lots?"