Inside the house, still excited from Yarl's "super" recovery, Wolf caught the sound of footsteps approaching.
He signaled the two children to stay quiet.
The obedient siblings silently clamped their hands over each other's mouths.
The sight brought a faint smile to his face, but Wolf clenched his jaw tight.
He stepped outside.
Two men shambled toward him—disheveled heads, poorly maintained gear. Spotting Wolf with sharp eyes, they hoisted swords onto their shoulders and jutted their chins up in threat.
"Well, well. Came back to see if there was anything worth taking, and all we get is one old geezer?"
"Nah. I heard kids' voices too. They're definitely inside."
"Guess we missed a few. Heh."
Wolf reached for the sword at his waist.
The men, who'd been approaching casually, stopped dead at the motion.
"You're the bandits who attacked this village?"
"That's right. What're you, a traveler? Or some adventurer come to take us down?"
"That's gotta be a joke. One guy against us, the [Ash-Eating Bear-Slayers]?"
"The Grem Grizzly..."
A famous bandit crew, known even to village children.
Their power rivaled that of a small nation. The subjugation quest rank was set at either A or S.
Looting valuables was a given—but their real target was people. They'd raid entire villages, trafficking their captives through back channels to the black market. That was the [Ash-Eating Bear-Slayers]' signature MO.
Rumors of their destruction would circulate, only for them to resurface again—earning them the nickname the [Undying Bear-Slayers].
(Why would a bandit crew like that be all the way out in the boonies...?)
They were said to operate all across Straval. Not all their members would be gathered here in the borderlands, of course.
Regardless, if the Grem Grizzly was involved, he had to rescue the villagers fast. Once they were sold into the black market, tracking them would be nearly impossible.
These guys weren't beginners. They were professionals.
And with clients to supply, they were likely collecting captives in bulk.
"Where did you take the villagers?"
"What's it matter to you?!"
"Playing hero, old man?!"
The two bandits charged.
They split left and right, attempting to flank Wolf.
They were fast.
But Wolf could see them clearly.
He drew his steel sword.
In an instant, he struck the first bandit's flank.
The crack of bone echoed.
The man screamed, arching backward.
"Coming from behind!"
The second bandit attacked from Wolf's rear, swinging his blade down.
Wolf casually sidestepped the straightforward slash.
Then he drove a full-force punch straight into the man's face.
The bandit flew back as if hit by a thrown log, crashing into a nearby stable.
He didn't stir again. Probably knocked out cold.
"Owwwwwwwww!!"
The first bandit, his side smashed, writhed on the ground.
Wolf grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up.
"Take me to your friends."
After extracting the location from the bandit, Wolf left Neri and Yarl in the village and made his way to the bandits' hideout.
At the base of a sheer cliff yawned a massive cave mouth. A bonfire crackled nearby, and a sentry stood watch, looking half-asleep.
Night had fully fallen, and the surrounding forest was pitch black. Getting this close had been easy, but from here onward was the tricky part. The entrance appeared to be the only way in.
He could always force his way in, but first he needed to confirm the hostages' location.
"Guess I've got no choice. Not my preferred approach, but..."
With that, Wolf walked toward the sentry.
Naturally, he was spotted.
A bandit came at him, swinging a sword.
"Who the hell're you?"
"Give back the hostages!"
Wolf shouted.
The sentry lunged. Wolf put up a token resistance but allowed himself to be easily captured.
The sentries were so weak that pretending to lose took real effort. Holding back was surprisingly difficult.
His steel sword was taken, and his hands were bound behind his back.
"Was gonna kill you, but you've got a decent build."
The bandit appraised Wolf's body, sizing him up.
If he were a woman, maybe—but that's not something you want to hear from another man.
"Plenty of perverts out there who'd love a guy like you. They'll treat you real nice."
"Get moving. Walk."
Another bandit shoved Wolf from behind.
He entered the hideout.
Infiltration successful. Hardly subtle, but he'd calculated this method had the highest probability of success.
The [Ash-Eating Bear-Slayers] didn't kill.
What they stole were people.
They might rough them up, but they'd never damage valuable merchandise.
Besides, no matter how badly he was beaten, Wolf still had Reminia's Time-Limited Recovery active. The injuries from that earlier skirmish had already healed. He'd been sweating bullets hoping the bandits wouldn't notice.
As planned, he'd infiltrated the hideout.
It had a two-tier structure—ground floor and basement.
Wolf was led to the basement and thrown into a cell.
The small cage held no one who looked like a villager.
"Where have you taken the hostages?!"
"Hah! Like you'd make a difference if you knew."
After locking the cell, the bandits returned to their posts.
Silence. Not even the sound of breathing—not a single mouse squeak.
Were the hostages in another room?
Or had they already been sold off?
If it was the latter, he'd have to escape immediately and chase after the villagers.
Either way—first, get out of this cell and rescue the captives. Depending on the situation, he'd have to fight the bandits. Nearly a hundred of them...
The ropes were easily snapped with brute strength.
But his hands were trembling.
It wasn't about numbers.
It meant cutting down that many people. Kind-hearted Wolf hesitated.
"Now, now. No need to be in such a rush, young one..."
The voice came from within the cell.
Wolf turned.
Standing there, as if merging with the dim darkness, was a single thin old man.
A worn, long pointed hat.
A robe of black thread that looked like rags.
Like his appearance, the old man was emaciated, his withered hands like rotten wood.
But behind his unkempt white hair, his eyes gleamed with vitality.
Wolf hadn't sensed him.
Thanks to Reminia's enhancements, Wolf's presence-detection ability had become remarkably sharp. If he searched seriously, he could probably count the number of beasts on the far side of the mountain.
Yet he hadn't noticed until the old man spoke.
(This old man... not ordinary.)
"And you, my friend, are not ordinary either."
Wolf's eyes widened.
Mind reading? The old man had spoken as if he'd seen straight into Wolf's thoughts.
"However, that power is not innate to you. ...Hmm. Unusual. Excessive power typically carries a sinister aura, but yours is somehow warm. It envelops you protectively."
"You can tell that, old man?"
"Heh heh heh heh... Hit the mark, did I? My old bones' intuition still has some life in them yet."
The old man stroked his white beard and laughed.
Wolf studied him again.
Everything about him screamed shady. He looked like a street fortune-teller from the back alleys of a big city.
"A fortune-teller, eh? Well, you're not wrong. I've been a fortune-teller, an adventurer, a doctor, a blacksmith, a strategist—done it all."
More and more suspicious.
His doubts only deepened.
"And no, I'm not their boss. Wasn't ever one, so don't worry."
The old man showed his missing teeth and grinned like a mischievous monk.
"Then why are you locked up? You're clearly not a villager."
For a kidnapped villager, his clothes were far too ragged. If anything, he looked like he'd been living in this cave for years.
"I'm not exactly 'locked up.' I was sitting here in meditation when those fellows barged in and built this cell around me. This cave was originally my dwelling place."
"So you ARE locked up. Whatever. I'm here to rescue the villagers who got taken. You know anything? Like where they're being held?"
"Did I not say? No rush. More importantly, I'm interested in your power."
"I'll tell you later. So—"
"You are being pulled along by that power. Your body... and your heart..."
"......!!"
"It is likely not something you desired. And now you are uncertain how to use it."
Wolf found himself listening to the old man's ramblings.
Because this ragged old man before him was the first person who'd ever cut this close to his heart.
"Let me give you one piece of advice."
"What?"
"Do not lie to yourself. Do exactly what you feel you must."
"...Become an adventurer again..."
The words slipped out naturally.
Wolf had been wrestling with this for a long time.
Ever since he'd discovered this power.
With it, he could restart his adventurer career. And make an even more brilliant name for himself than in his prime. His rank would rise, he'd live a significantly better life than now. Maybe he wouldn't have to scrape by gathering herbs anymore.
But—
This wasn't his power.
It was his daughter's.
Reminia hadn't given it to him hoping he'd become an adventurer. Quite the opposite. It was to protect him.
Could he really use a power born from such a pure wish for gold and glory?
Wolf had been turning this over in his mind endlessly.
"That is merely one option. Is not the important thing your own conviction?"
The old man had risen without Wolf noticing, pressing a finger to his chest.
Along with the air in his lungs, Wolf found himself exhaling the truth.
"I want to help people in need."
"There is something you regret, is there not?"
"Back then... I couldn't save that woman..."
Even now, he wondered.
If he'd been stronger, could he have saved her?
Could Reminia have lived a happier life?
"Old man..."
"Hm?"
"Is it okay for me...? I'm forty-two. Just some old geezer. Am I allowed to do something like this?"
The old man laughed.
A hearty laugh that echoed through the bandit hideout. Like a demon's voice roaring up from hell.
"What nonsense. Compared to me, you're a mere chick."
The old man touched his ear.
A pointed elf ear, jutting horizontally.
Wolf clenched his fist.
His trembling had stopped without him noticing.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah... I've got people to help."
"The hostages are in the main room upstairs. But you cannot avoid a confrontation with the bandits."
"Even so—I'm doing this!"
Wolf wound up his fist.
He slammed it against the iron bars with everything he had. With a loud metallic clang, the cell door flew off its hinges.
The noise must have alerted them—suddenly the hideout erupted in commotion.
"Here. A farewell gift."
The old man handed Wolf his steel sword—the one the bandits had taken.
Wolf knew that asking where he'd gotten it would only get him deflected. He bowed his head and hung the sword at his waist.
"I never caught your name."
"Wolf of Nikaras. And you?"
Wolf turned around. The old man was gone.
Vanished like smoke, without a trace.
He shook his head and searched, but there was no presence to be found.
Only the faint echo of the old man's voice reached him.
"Wolf of Nikaras... I shall remember that name."
===
Next: "And Thus, the Legend Begins."
The "One Hundred Man Slayer" arc concludes in the next chapter.
Summary:
Wolf defeats two bandits outside the village and extracts the location of their hideout. He deliberately allows himself to be captured to infiltrate the base and locate the kidnapped villagers. In the cell, he encounters a mysterious elderly elf who reads his thoughts, challenges his self-doubt, and urges him to follow his true conviction.
Trivia:
The Grem Grizzly's true goal is human trafficking, not just looting valuables.
The bandit crew has been reportedly destroyed multiple times but always resurfaces.
Wolf's power comes from Reminia and was given to protect him, not to advance his career.
The old man is an elf, revealed by his pointed ears.
The old man claims the cave was originally his dwelling before the bandits arrived.
Wolf's Time-Limited Recovery healed his earlier injuries without the bandits noticing.
Wolf is forty-two years old and considers himself too old for adventuring.
The hideout has a two-tier structure with the hostages held upstairs.
The old man can vanish without leaving any presence or trace.
Wolf hesitated because he feels using his daughter's power for personal gain would betray her pure intention.
Notes:
• Wolf - A 42-year-old former A-rank adventurer now operating at SSS-rank levels, he retired to Nicalas Village to raise his daughter, Reminia, as a humble farmer and craftsman. Though soot-stained and calm, this protective, curly-haired father possesses immense, beyond-human strength. A pragmatic, understated mentor, he leads by example, balancing quiet devotion with the quiet authority of a seasoned guardian.
• Yarl - Neri's younger brother. Suffers from a chronic respiratory illness and was left behind when the village was raided. Weak and frail, but shows remarkable resilience after receiving Reminia's medicine.
• Neri - A young girl from a nearby village that was raided by bandits. Traveled alone through dangerous wilderness to seek help from Anri. Brave, determined, and deeply caring toward her sick younger brother, Yarl.
• Reminia - Fifteen-year-old Great Hero of Straval and researcher of the Double World Theory, this willful, intelligent girl sports striking red hair, amethyst eyes, and a slender build. A dedicated protector of her father, Wolf, she balances a tomboyish exterior with immense, limited-use magic—including holy relics and teleportation. Her speech shifts between analytical precision and deep devotion to him.