novelraw Chapter 86 : Clues
Chapter 86 : Clues
Chapter 86: Clues
Sometimes, arson also required a bit of skill.
For instance, you had to drag the corpses together, then douse them all with fuel, and finally set them ablaze……… Of course, in this kind of environment, it wasn’t so easy to burn them all into ash, but with a few more bundles of firewood, it wasn’t impossible either.
Levi had even generously donated a few white phosphorus incendiary grenades — now that he had a car, the amount of equipment he carried with him had naturally increased as well.
The flames roared skyward, tearing through the pitch–black night.
Levi stood beside his car, silently watching the wooden cabin in the distance as it was consumed in a blazing inferno.
The fire lit up the surrounding darkness, painting everything in a glaring crimson glow.
For Levi, this case felt somewhat unusual — the ones he had encountered in Mist City before were basically all monsters born out of rumor and hearsay.
But this one, right now, seemed more like a local specialty.
“Detective, sir, what do you plan to do next? I–I mean, how am I supposed to explain this to everyone?”
“Either tell them the truth, or say that they died heroically in a fight against the black wolf and were burned together into ash. The choice is yours.”
Levi lifted his chin, gesturing toward the burning cabin before them.
“B–but, what if there are still some left……… what should we do then?”
“You can test with this.”
Levi took out a silver bullet and handed it to the Village Chief.
Earlier, he had already tested it on the corpses of the black wolf and Charlie’s group.
The moment their skin touched silver bullets, it reacted as if corroded by sulfuric acid.
Clearly, werewolves still had weaknesses.
The only uncertainty was — what exactly was going on with this local werewolf………
He still needed to go investigate that Wolf God’s cave.
For Wolf Head Village, this night was one of chaos.
They had suffered a monster’s attack, then sat in vigil at the square for half the night, only to see a brilliant blaze erupting from the distance.
The villagers were left both mentally and physically exhausted, yet they dared not speak out, only huddling together, trembling, and waiting — until the Village Chief finally returned, his face weary.
The lying and cover–up were his business, not Levi’s.
Once the small wooden house had completely burned down to charcoal, Levi returned to the village.
As for the remaining werewolf corpse — once a vagabond named Mick — it too had long since been hoisted onto the fire by the villagers and burned away, leaving not a trace.
It had to be said, fire was a wonderful thing.
Now, whenever Levi encountered monsters, his method of dealing with them was simple: if uncertain, burn them first.
After all, no matter what kind of monster it was, as long as you burned it down to ash, there was no risk of it crawling back out to cause more trouble.
Plenty of horror films had offered that lesson — bury the monster, or sink it underwater, and odds were, after the end credits rolled, a hand would crawl out of the ground, or the corpse submerged beneath the water would suddenly open its eyes.
Levi had no interest in producing sequels.
Even if he couldn’t burn them all to ash, reducing them to nothing but bones was also an acceptable outcome.
He didn’t believe for a second that bones could get up and cause mischief again.
In short, as far as Levi was concerned, the cleaner the burn, the lower the hidden risk.
The other way around — leave things undone — and chances were you’d be dragged into shooting a sequel.
Next, he and the Village Chief used silver bullets to test everyone in the village.
Thankfully, no one else showed signs of mutation.
The Village Chief finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But Levi did not relax.
To him, this was not the end.
It was the beginning.
“Here it is……………”
Carrying a gas lamp in his hand, Levi walked through the dim cave, eyes scanning the surroundings.
This cave lay halfway up the mountain outside the village.
Normally, climbing such a height would have exhausted Levi to death, but now he had a way around that.
He controlled his puppet bird to fly to a stable ledge higher up, then used 【Shadow Step】 to directly transfer both himself and the puppet bird there.
After repeating this process several times, he naturally avoided the exhausting climb.
It had to be said, after his 【Puppeteer】 profession leveled up to three, Levi felt much safer.
The power of 【Shadow Step】 was simply too convenient.
Now, even venturing alone deep into a cave, he wasn’t afraid of accidents.
He had stationed puppets outside the cave as guards; even if the entire cave collapsed, Levi could instantly swap himself with a puppet using 【Shadow Step】.
To complement this ability, Levi had even asked Irene to craft several miniature puppet toys.
Just like the small pull–along animal toys made for three– or four–year–olds in modern marketplaces, except smaller — at most the size of a button or a watch.
As long as Levi placed these tiny puppets somewhere safe, and they remained within his control range, he could return instantly from anywhere.
And since these toys were cheap, losing them was no loss at all.
For instance, the one Levi had tossed at the cave entrance now was a coin–sized insect puppet, its string mechanism allowing it to twitch and move slightly.
Left in the mud, no one would notice it.
Caves were dangerous places.
Even though Levi had already used 【Soul Sight】 to confirm no beasts were inside, caves themselves posed risks.
Many were riddled with twisting passages; once inside, it was all too easy to lose track of the entrance and suffocate to death.
If not for the puppet “eye” stationed outside, giving him an escape route, Levi wouldn’t have dared enter.
The cave interior was a mess, but Levi quickly found what he needed — Little Red Riding Hood had apparently been here before.
Her footprints were easy enough to spot, and following them, Levi pressed onward deeper into the cave.
After several turns, he finally reached the deepest chamber.
And this, was his destination.
“So this is where the Wolf God lived, huh.”
Levi raised his gas lamp high, illuminating the chamber.
Thirty years had passed, and little remained.
Only scraps of cloth and decayed tables and chairs.
What stood out most was a tin teapot and cups placed in one corner.
It seemed this Wolf God had at least some taste for life.
Levi stepped closer, examining the items on the table.
Most were human things — plates, cutlery, tea sets, even some books.
But the books were in terrible condition, so decayed that they crumbled to pieces at the slightest touch.
“Hm……………”
Levi stared silently at the cave remnants.
If not for the villagers’ certainty that this had been a wolf, he might have suspected a human lived here……… or perhaps it originally was a human?
After all, Charlie and the others could switch between human and wolf forms, and Little Red Riding Hood could freely transform as well.
Whoever lived here could easily have lived as a human most of the time, only transforming into a wolf when necessary.
And unlike legends, werewolves here did not revert to human form upon death, but remained in their killed shape.
Perhaps that explained the origin of the wolf’s head?
But then came the question: if this being could live as a human, why live in isolation? Why not simply blend into the village — or better yet, into Mist City? In a big city, it was far easier to stay hidden.
Unless one howled every night to disturb the neighbors, it was nearly impossible to be discovered.
Or perhaps, there was a reason they had to live apart……… Hm?
Levi rummaged through the table.
Suddenly, from a hole in a drawer, a glint of metal caught his eye.
Carefully, he reached in and pulled open the drawer, which was nearly rotted away, leaving only its base.
Inside lay a badge, quietly resting.
The badge was filthy, but still intact.
Levi picked it up and wiped it with a handkerchief until most of the grime came off, revealing the design beneath.
A round badge, its center bearing a vertical blade, gripped by a claw, its tip stabbed into the ground.
Around it twined vines and figs.
This was…………… Levi’s gaze froze slightly.
He recognized it as a family crest.
Normally, he wouldn’t have known which, but by coincidence, before leaving Mist City, he had seen this very design.
It was the crest of the Baskerville Family.
At that moment, a system notification flashed before Levi’s eyes.
【Quest “Exploration” complete】
So this was the hidden secret of Wolf Head Village?
Levi frowned at the quest completion notice.
It seemed all that had happened here could indeed be traced back to this cave — and all of it was tied to the Baskerville Family……… Which meant the next step was heading to the Delicat Region to investigate the family itself.
Silently pocketing the badge, Levi checked the evaluation results.
【Time Spent: A】
【Investigation Efficiency: S】
【Impact: A】
【Overall Evaluation: S】
Time and Impact both dropped a grade — likely because he took too long.
A top–tier detective might have solved everything the very first night.
But Levi was calm: what mattered was, he had resolved the matter, and he was still alive.
That was enough.
Then came the rewards………
【Lifespan +40, Bonus +10】
Fairly low, only a bit over a month, but better than nothing.
【Special Skill Selection】
【Keen Smell / Rapid Sprint / Disguise Transformation】
These were clearly Little Red Riding Hood’s skills.
Levi examined them.
【Keen Smell】 was simple, like a dog’s sense of smell, able to detect countless odors — but Levi dismissed it.
He’d rather just keep a real dog.
Besides, going around sniffing like a hound hardly fit his style.
【Rapid Sprint】 was a speed skill, temporarily increasing Levi’s speed by 120%, in all actions.
【Disguise Transformation】 was the same as Little Red Riding Hood’s ability.
However, unlike her, Levi did not need to devour someone to transform.
As long as he had the target’s data, information, and belongings, he could assume their form, becoming indistinguishable from the original.
The more detailed the data, the more perfect the disguise.
Levi discarded 【Keen Smell】 immediately.
He hesitated between 【Rapid Sprint】 and 【Disguise Transformation】, and finally chose………
【Disguise Transformation (LV1): By collecting target data, transform into their appearance. The more detailed the data, the more complete the disguise. Cost: 5 minutes per second】
This one.
Levi silently confirmed his choice.
【Rapid Sprint】 was essentially just speed, something he could already compensate for with 【Eye of the Reaper】.
But 【Disguise Transformation】 was invaluable — disguise was an essential tool for detectives in investigations.
Levi normally stood out too much, attracting attention wherever he went.
With this ability, he could conceal his identity and act unnoticed.
Excellent.
As 【Disguise Transformation】 was added under 【Disguise】, boosting his 【Disguise】 stat by 10, Levi nodded in satisfaction.
The matter here was settled.
Next, it was time to see what awaited with the Baskerville Family.