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[Hidden Quest has arrived!]
Objective: Eliminate all threats in the area.
Reward: 7,000 Gold
Penalty: ???
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Eve vanished in an instant.
Her body darted through the pack of wolves like a flickering shadow, appearing and disappearing before my eyes could even register her movements. Every strike was swift, precise, and silent. No screams. No snarls. Just bodies collapsing one after another.
Her footsteps barely left a trace.
And that was precisely what made her so dangerous.
So this was Eve's Silent Step skill.
A thin layer of dark substance, almost invisible to the naked eye, remained on the ground wherever Eve passed. Every wolf that stepped on it immediately staggered, its body weakening as the poison spread from its paws to its vital organs.
She wasn't just capable of disappearing. She could control the entire battlefield, too.
Her fighting style was completely different from Kael's.
If Eve embodied calmness, silence, and ruthless efficiency, then Kael embodied sheer resolve.
His sword swung without hesitation. Every slash was heavy and brutal, driven by an unmistakable killing intent. There were no unnecessary flourishes, no pointless evasive maneuvers. Kael simply charged straight ahead, cutting down anything that stood in his way.
Now I understood why Kael hadn't killed Eve, even though she was a member of the Ziert group.
Not only was she good at defending herself, but her combat skills were nothing to scoff at, either.
[Black Wolves Killed: 48/90]
Looks like this will be over sooner than I expected.
The wolves themselves weren't much of a threat. They were merely monsters that had fled from the First Calamity—weak, poorly coordinated, and creatures that should only have been active at night.
Should I do something, too?
[The effect of the title 'The One the Story Protects' has been activated]
[Creatures with low to moderate instincts will sense something unnatural about your existence]
The wolves suddenly came to a halt.
Their growls dwindled into short, uneasy snorts. Their massive bodies trembled, and their pupils narrowed. Their instinct to attack was overwhelmed by a fear that stemmed not from any physical threat, but from something they couldn't comprehend.
Eve and Kael immediately noticed something was wrong.
Without hesitation, they made quick work of the motionless wolves.
But just seconds later, the fear vanished.
Their growls changed. It was no longer fear that drove them, but rage. Their movements became wild and erratic, as though their very instincts had been shattered. They attacked brutally, without direction or strategy.
[Title effect canceled—target is no longer affected]
I see...
Now I understood why this pack had been attacking so recklessly in broad daylight.
It wasn't because they were fearless. Someone—or something—was forcing them out of their territory.
[Black Wolves Killed: 90/90]
Eve was breathing heavily. I didn't need to ask to know she was exhausted.
Kael was no different.
They had slaughtered more than half the pack without a moment's rest.
"Damn it... Why are there so many of them?" Eve grumbled before immediately turning and running toward me.
"Kim! You're not hurt, are you?!" she asked anxiously, gripping both my shoulders.
"I'm fine."
Eve let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness. I thought you'd jump into the fight again."
Honestly, I had wanted to.
But after seeing what they were capable of, whatever confidence I'd had vanished in an instant.
"Things didn't go quite as you expected, did they?"
Kael's cold voice reached me as he approached. His gaze was sharp, as though he'd been studying my reactions from the very beginning.
I offered him a faint smile. "Not really."
"Really?" he replied flatly. "You looked surprised just now."
I immediately turned my face away.
Damn. For someone who acted like he couldn't care less about anything, he certainly paid close attention to me.
"This just happened sooner than I expected," I finally admitted. "They're nocturnal hunters. It's strange for them to be active during the day."
Eve raised an eyebrow. "Nocturnal hunters? You mean those wolves?"
"Yes."
"Then something must have forced them out," Kael added.
As expected of my beloved Kael! He always got straight to the point.
"Exactly."
I looked at the dozens of wolf corpses scattered across the ground.
"O-our saviors have arrived!"
The sudden shout caught my attention. Somehow, the villagers had gathered around us, their faces filled with overwhelming gratitude.
"Thank you! You've saved our village!"
"Thank you so much!"
Eve immediately smiled and approached them.
"It's no problem! We simply couldn't stand by and let monsters hurt innocent people."
"Sir... Thank you so much..."
An elderly woman slowly approached Kael and took both his hands in hers. She seemed to struggle even to stand, yet she'd forced herself to come all the way over to him. Not even the slightest smile appeared on his handsome face.
Well, it was still too early to expect Kael to become a kind and gentle person.
The villagers no longer seemed worried, and every last wolf had been killed.
So why hadn't the system notification appeared yet?
---
The village we'd stopped at had no name. It was a small settlement located quite a distance from the nearest town hall.
Most of its inhabitants were elderly people and abandoned children—those who had been left behind, or deliberately cast aside.
The village had barely ever received any attention from the baron. It lacked even the most basic facilities and protection. The villagers had to rely on nothing but luck just to survive.
The place I'd entered was a large room being used as an emergency infirmary. All the villagers injured in the wolf attack had been gathered here.
Their treatment was equally inadequate. They had to make do with whatever medicine was available, worn-out bandages, and little more than desperate prayers.
There were around twenty-six injured villagers.
Thankfully, none of them appeared to be in critical condition.
[You have spent 3,000 Gold to purchase 30 Lv. 1 Healing Potions]
Although they were only low-level potions, they would be more than enough for this situation.
I had no intention of healing everyone completely. Doing so would only invite a whole new set of problems.
"Hey, Grandpa."
I approached an elderly man slumped on a wooden bed. His arm was covered in wolf scratches that hadn't fully healed.
"I made this potion myself. Want to give it a try?"
The old man clicked his tongue. "I've drunk so many potions I'm sick of them. What difference is one more going to make?"
I offered him a faint smile. "We'll never know unless we try, right?"
He fell silent for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle.
"You're right. Besides, it's not like I have any other choice."
He became the first person to drink one of my healing potions.
If it worked, everything would go smoothly from here.
One second.
Two seconds.
I sensed a change in his body, as though a warm current had begun flowing through him. The wounds on his arm slowly faded before disappearing completely, as if they'd never been there in the first place.
The old man's eyes widened.
"H-How is this possible...?!"
I flashed him a broad smile. "Told you, didn't I?"
The room immediately erupted into an uproar.
The other villagers must have been just as shocked by the effects of my potion. Just as I'd expected, they quickly crowded around me, all clamoring for one.
"L-lady! I want to try one, too!"
"Wait! Me first!"
"That potion... Please, give me one!"
I maintained my sweet smile as I handed out the healing potions one by one.
Their wounds healed, their exhaustion faded, and hope returned to their eyes. Words of gratitude followed me all the way as I made my way toward the kitchen.
"E-Excuse me..."
A small hand tugged at the hem of my clothes, making me turn around. A little girl stood before me. Her clothes were tattered, her hair was a mess, and her face was smeared with dirt and tears.
"I-I... want... that potion, too..." Her voice trembled violently. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes were filled with fear.
"Of course," I said gently. "Would you like one?"
The girl quickly shook her head.
"N-No... It's not for me... It's for my father... He's hurt..."
"Where is your father now?"
"H-He's... in the forest..."
The forest?
"P-Please... Save my father..."
Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her breathing came in short, uneven gasps. She was clearly trying her hardest to hold back her tears.
I let out a quiet sigh.
"All right. I'll help you. Show me where your father is."
Her face immediately brightened.
"R-Really?! F-Follow me!"
Without waiting for my answer, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the village, running straight toward the forest.
Only then did I realize that the sky had already grown dark. I'd spent far too long inside the infirmary.
The forest was pitch-black. I could barely see anything in front of me.
Strangely enough, however, the girl walked without hesitation, as though the darkness didn't bother her at all.
"Is it much farther?" I asked.
"N-No... My father is over there..."
She pointed toward a large cave in the distance.
"How did your father get hurt?"
"My father... He was hunting and took me with him... Then, all of a sudden... the wolves came..."
Her sobs were unmistakable.
We finally stopped right in front of the cave entrance.
All I could see was darkness.
"Your father... is there?"
There was no answer.
I instinctively turned around.
The girl had lowered her head slightly, but I could still see the corners of her mouth curling into a crooked smile—a smile no child her age should ever have worn.
"I'm sorry."
A deep, rumbling roar shook the air.
An immense pressure surged from within the cave, making the ground tremble and the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
[Special Skill 'Reader's Protection' activated!]
Long roots burst from the ground, coiling around my body before I could even react.
The girl looked at me and smiled brightly.
"I'm sorry."
Then, my body was dragged into the darkness.
[You have entered the territory of the Dryad]
[Special Skill 'Reader's Protection' activated!]