Chapter 448: The Wolf Pack

The distance between Leaf Town and Greenfield City was significant, typically requiring a full day by cart.

Helag and Aed followed the main road, walking for four hours without encountering anything unusual.

The surrounding area was a mix of forests and wilderness, with no human settlements.

Due to the presence of demons, there were no small villages here anymore. At the very least, people lived in small towns for safety.

By the afternoon, the two finally came across a damaged cart.

The cart had tipped over, with fruits, fabrics, and other goods scattered around.

The horse that had been pulling the cart was gone, and the ground was stained with blood and showed signs of something heavy being dragged away.

Helag inspected the cart but found no trace of Andal. No one was there.

“This is Uncle Andal’s cart,” Aed said grimly, recognizing it immediately.

Helag examined the bloodstains, touched them, and brought his fingers to his nose. “There are three types of blood here: horse blood, human blood, and another kind that seems to belong to an animal, though I can’t be sure.”

“There are also footprints…”

Helag pointed to the ground, where a set of small footprints could be seen.

The animal that left them wasn’t large, but there were many of them.

“These are wolf tracks,” Aed identified them.

“But there shouldn’t be any wolf packs in this area. Maybe they recently migrated here,” Aed speculated.

“Let’s follow the trail,” Helag suggested.

They followed the tracks, which led off the road and into the nearby grasslands.

There were also drag marks, likely from the horse and possibly Andal being pulled away.

Seeing this, Aed became visibly upset. He had grown up with Andal, and they were as close as family.

“I have to find Uncle Andal,” Aed said, summoning his black sword, his expression hardening.

Helag could see the anger in Aed’s eyes, knowing he wanted revenge for Andal.

Without saying much, Helag followed the trail into the forest.

The forest was quiet, save for the occasional chirping of birds.

Helag and Aed followed the tracks deeper into the woods, and after about an hour, they reached a flat grassy area.

In the middle of the clearing, a wolf pack roamed. Some wolves were lying down, while others wandered aimlessly.

Helag quickly spotted a pile of remains in the distance, likely the horse’s carcass, now picked clean to the bone.

“Damn wolves!” Aed shouted, charging at the pack with his black sword raised.

Helag didn’t have time to stop him.

He had a feeling something was off about this place. The wolves weren’t the real threat—they could be easily dealt with.

But Aed, young and angry, had let his emotions get the better of him and rushed in without thinking.

Helag sighed and followed, keeping a close watch on their surroundings.

By the time Helag caught up, Aed had already drawn the wolves’ attention.

The alpha wolf howled, and the pack charged at Aed and Helag.

But ordinary beasts were no match for the two of them. After the first wave of attacks, the ground was littered with wolf corpses.

The alpha wolf and the remaining seven or eight wolves turned and fled.

Aed chased after them, cutting down the wolves one by one until the pack was completely wiped out.

He wasn’t just avenging Andal; he was also eliminating a future threat.

The wolf pack’s proximity to the road posed a significant danger to the people of Leaf Town, so it had to be dealt with.

“I wonder where this wolf pack came from. At least the threat is gone now,” Aed said.

Helag, however, wasn’t convinced. “Not necessarily. We haven’t found any human remains.”

“Maybe they were completely eaten?” Aed suggested.

Helag shook his head. “Bones can’t be completely eaten, and even if they were, there should be bloodstains here. But I haven’t found any human blood.”

Helag’s sensitivity to blood was acute, and he hadn’t detected any human blood in the area.

“Then where’s Uncle Andal?” Aed asked, confused.

Helag looked toward the distant mountains. “I’d say he’s over there.”

Aed followed Helag’s gaze and saw a large black gorilla standing on a hill, staring back at them.

“A demon!” Aed immediately recognized it wasn’t an ordinary animal.

The black gorilla was covered in what looked like black armor, but upon closer inspection, it was actually its own muscle tissue.

“It seems to be controlling the wolf pack,” Helag noted.

From the layout of the area, it was clear that the wolves were stationed just outside the gorilla’s resting place.

The wolves had been acting as guards for the gorilla. The noise from the fight had likely woken it up, prompting it to investigate.

The gorilla showed no fear upon seeing Helag and Aed.

When it noticed the dead wolves, its face twisted in anger, and it let out a thunderous roar that echoed through the forest.

Dropping to all fours, the gorilla charged down the hill with immense power, heading straight for Helag and Aed.

“A high-tier demon!” Aed exclaimed in shock.

High-tier demons were equivalent to high-level exorcists. Aed was only a regular exorcist, far from reaching that level.

Helag had spent the past month learning about the local power structure and had compared it to the wizard plane’s system.

High-tier demons and high-level exorcists were roughly equivalent to liquid or crystallized wizards in terms of combat strength.

Helag stood his ground and said, “I’ll engage it head-on. You find an opening to attack from the side. With your black sword’s properties, you can hurt it. But be careful—this beast looks strong.”

Aed nodded and moved to the side, avoiding a direct confrontation with the gorilla.

He knew his physical strength couldn’t match the gorilla’s, so he had to rely on his agility to find an opportunity to strike.

The gorilla was incredibly fast, and with the momentum from running downhill, it reached them in no time. It leaped into the air, swinging its massive fists toward Helag with great force.

Helag didn’t budge, his eyes locked on the gorilla’s movements.

As the gorilla’s fist came within range, Helag’s muscles tensed, and he threw a punch of his own to meet it head-on.