novelraw Chapter 163 : Chapter 163
Chapter 163 : Chapter 163
Chapter 163: Zakarin (1)
Werewolf, or lycanthrope.
If there was a page in the monster encyclopedia that was the most worn and tattered, it was the one about this species.
They had been infamous for ages and were known as extremely dangerous beings.
However, despite their fame, they rarely showed themselves, making it hard to pinpoint their habitat.
Yet, here they were, encountering a werewolf in the heart of the Black Forest.
This was something even Evan, who was deeply interested in monsters, hadn’t anticipated.
‘…Could the werewolves be the Zakarin Tribe?’
He had assumed the Zakarin Tribe would be human.
The thought that they might be a non-human species hadn’t crossed his mind, especially since the author who wrote about them had lived among them.
‘It’s not impossible that they lived together. Werewolves are, after all, half-human. Unlike vampires, they’re generally friendly toward humans. But…’
If, as Evan suspected, the werewolves were indeed the Zakarin Tribe, the situation was far more complicated.
This was because of Gaiard’s presence.
Bringing a vampire like Gaiard here might have been a fatal mistake.
“You mosquito bastard…!”
As recorded in the encyclopedia, werewolves and vampires were sworn enemies, their hatred etched in blood over centuries.
After a war that determined the fate of their species, the two became irreconcilable adversaries, and their descendants were no exception.
“No wonder this forest felt so unpleasant… It’s because of these dogs.”
“Shut up! How dare you trespass here!”
As expected, despite meeting for the first time, they couldn’t suppress the hatred flowing in their blood.
And that hatred didn’t stop at mere growling.
It exploded into action as the werewolf charged.
―Boom!
The ground shook as the werewolf leaped with tremendous force.
A massive shadow loomed over Gaiard, its sharp claws slashing through the air toward his throat.
But.
“Stupid mutt. You think this is my first time facing an attack like this?”
The werewolf’s monstrous physical prowess.
It was a fighting style Gaiard had already experienced with Bakan of the Kandahr Tribe.
Recalling that day, Gaiard folded his wings and dove downward, dodging the attack.
“Grrrr…!”
“What? Didn’t expect that? That’s the intelligence of a mutt for you!”
Dropping low, Gaiard thrust both hands forward.
A blade formed from condensed blood energy flashed toward the werewolf.
―Swish!
But with unbelievable reflexes, the werewolf deflected the blade.
It even used it as a foothold, kicking off and landing gracefully back on the ground.
“Grrrr!”
The werewolf’s gaze, locked on Gaiard, shifted to the humans.
“Step aside, humans! Don’t interfere in this fight. Not if you want to live!”
“I don’t want to interfere. But let me ask one thing. Are you the Zakarin Tribe?”
“Yes!”
“I knew it! Then let’s talk this out. I came here to meet the Zakarin Tribe.”
“Shut up! I don’t care what you want. Not until I kill that thing!”
The werewolf’s intent was clear.
Its hostility was directed solely at Gaiard, the vampire.
It showed a sliver of mercy toward the humans, but Evan had no intention of abandoning his comrade.
“Sorry, but… I can’t do that.”
“Then die with him!!”
Now, Evan and his group were marked as enemies by the werewolf.
Evan, who had been observing until now, slowly drew his sword and issued a low warning.
“Be careful. Don’t let your guard down for a single moment from now on.”
At his resolute voice, Anton raised his head and asked.
“I believe we can take it down if we work together.”
“We could, sure. No matter how strong a werewolf is, it’s not as strong as Bakan.”
Evan narrowed his eyes and continued.
“But we absolutely can’t kill it.”
“Why not?”
Anton asked, and Evan pointed at the forest.
“If my guess is right, this werewolf isn’t alone in this forest.”
“You mean…”
“Exactly. One wrong move, and we could face the entire pack. And if they find their kin’s corpse…”
Evan didn’t finish his sentence.
But the same horrific image flashed in everyone’s minds.
Even the day they faced Bakan of the Kandahr wasn’t as chilling as this.
“So, even by mistake, don’t cut off the werewolf’s head. Not that it’d be easy anyway.”
“Got it. What’s the plan?”
“There’s a plan. Mei.”
Evan’s gaze turned to her.
“Your role is crucial. You brought the sleep incense, right? We need to use it to knock that thing out.”
“I have it, but… to use the sleep incense, we need to hold the werewolf still for a few seconds.”
“Don’t worry about that. Sir Anton and I will handle it.”
A short, simple plan.
Evan stepped forward slowly.
As if waiting, the werewolf bared its sharp fangs and charged.
“Grrrr!”
In the blink of an eye, the werewolf vanished.
Its movements were so swift, like teleportation, that even Evan tensed his senses.
―Thud! Thud!
A terrifying force surged from a blind spot.
Sharp claws whipped toward Evan’s head.
―Clang!
But the one he faced was Evan, a human.
A man forged through countless brushes with life and death.
Among humans, few could even be called his equal.
“Grrrr…?”
“You picked the wrong opponent. If you wanted any chance of winning, you should’ve gone for the weakest one first.”
In the brief moment the werewolf faced off with Evan, Anton, the knight of the swift sword, darted behind the werewolf like lightning.
―Swish!
His nimble sword aimed for the werewolf’s neck.
But the werewolf instinctively ducked, losing only a tuft of fur.
“I said don’t kill it!”
Evan shouted, and Anton, startled, withdrew his sword.
“Ah! Sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
As the two humans bickered, the werewolf’s eyes blazed red.
“You humans… How dare you!!”
Reflexes and speed.
Even if it was outmatched in those, its natural strength was beyond human reach.
With that judgment, the werewolf grabbed Evan’s sword with its bare hand.
Then, twisting the blade, it pushed Evan back with sheer force.
“Ugh?”
Evan, not particularly strong in raw power, was overwhelmed by the werewolf’s strength, sword and all.
At that moment, Jack appeared behind Evan.
He braced Evan’s back with both arms.
“Hrrgh!!!”
Having trained his legs throughout the voyage and mastered the flow of qi, Jack unleashed all the strength he had built up in that moment.
His legs pressed into the ground, his energy spreading like roots, holding firm.
For the first time, a flicker of panic crossed the werewolf’s eyes.
It couldn’t believe a human could withstand its brute strength head-on.
But the werewolf’s pride wouldn’t accept that reality.
With furious eyes, it reached for Jack behind Evan.
It aimed to grab him.
―Whoosh!
Then, a blood dagger flew out of nowhere, embedding deeply into the werewolf’s forearm.
It was Gaiard’s doing.
“You mutt, don’t ignore us like that. You think we’re doing this because we can’t kill you?”
The impact of the dagger made the werewolf’s arm flinch for a moment.
Seizing the chance, Jaina rushed in like the wind.
“Hah!”
Her sharply swung sword struck the werewolf’s arm.
It didn’t sever it, but it dug deep, drawing blood from the wound.
“You bastards!”
As the werewolf prepared to roar in fury, everyone stepped back several paces in unison.
“Everyone, move!”
Mei, who had stealthily approached, threw a sleep incense bomb right in front of the werewolf’s eyes.
―Boom!
In that fleeting moment, the smoke’s fragrance was sucked into the werewolf’s lungs.
It tried to hold its breath, but most of the sleep incense had already been inhaled.
“This… Grrrr…”
It flailed its arms instinctively, trying to resist, but soon it staggered, breathing heavily, and collapsed forward.
―Thud!
The organic teamwork had succeeded in capturing the werewolf alive.
“We can catch our breath for now.”
Mei looked down at the fallen werewolf, catching her breath, then spoke up, thinking about what to do next.
“What now? Should we tie it up?”
She pulled a rope from the backpack she always carried.
But Evan, after a moment of thought, waved her off.
“No. If we tie it up now, it might see us as complete enemies when it wakes.”
“Haven’t we already made it see us as enemies by knocking it out?”
At Mei’s words, Evan sighed softly and muttered.
“This is all because of Gaiard…”
At that, everyone’s eyes naturally turned to Gaiard.
A strange tension lingered behind him.
“What?! What are you all staring at?!”
Gaiard snapped, glaring back.
“Who was it that told me to come to the continent with you?!”
“If I’d known it’d come to this, I wouldn’t have asked you. But I don’t regret it.”
Evan’s voice was firm and unwavering.
“No matter if we’ve made enemies of the werewolves, we need you.”
Jack quickly backed him up.
“I agree with the young master. How reliable is the count?”
“Hmph! Like it matters what you say now…”
Gaiard bared his teeth, but his words trailed off.
His gaze shifted beyond the forest.
Evan, too, turned to the same spot with a hardened expression.
“Grrrr…”
“Grrrr…”
The rest of the group’s faces stiffened as well.
From all directions in the forest, werewolves began to emerge.
Dozens of them, massive in size, with the same howling breaths as the fallen one.
“Grrrr! Batian! That mosquito dared!!”
“How dare they harm our kin!”
Seeing their fallen comrade, the werewolves roared with murderous intent, glaring at Gaiard.
Their gazes also fixed on Evan and his group.
Mei, losing her fighting spirit, looked at Evan.
“…What’s the next plan? I didn’t bring that much sleep incense.”
Evan caught his breath and answered calmly.
“Rope…”
“What?”
Mei blinked.
“Should we tie up Gaiard and surrender?”
“…Sounds like a good idea.”
At that brief exchange, Gaiard’s eyes widened as he muttered.
“You bastards, really…!”
But the werewolves gave them no time to continue the conversation.
Howls erupted from all sides as dozens of werewolves charged at once.