As Luke listened to the explanation as to why the gates were closed, he smiled audibly.
If the tormenting beast that prowled the Cardinal Realm was a strange animal like the lizard-monkey Luke had seen in the swamp near Oukiwa, the half-wolf could use it to finally end the rumors about 'The Beast'. This would also end the affair that caused the shed, where he lived with his friends, to be burned down by popular hysteria.
Luke Lange easily infiltrated the crowd of men who tormented the head ranger. When they saw the yellow-eyed half-beast, they immediately made way for him to pass.
As soon as Luke arrived in front of the knight in steel armor, the man straightened his spine and asked respectfully:
"How can I help you, sir?"
Luke arched an eyebrow, surprised, for the head guard was not acting so reverently even with his people.
"Is there a reward for the head of the prowling beast?"
"Yes, there is a reward of one gold coin, but the reward is only valid for adventurers certified by any of the five main guilds."
Luke knew that the five main guilds in the Broteforge Empire were from Oukiwa, Vasconcelos, Sheltered Halv?y, Forge Hill, and the Cardinal Kingdom.
"And no one dared to go and kill the beast? Someone once told me that the Cardinal Kingdom was home to most of the Seculars, S-Class and Sensory Mages in the entire Empire."
"That's the problem... most of the Adventurers here would rather spend days in the Dungeon than take care of outside problems, because it's more profitable. So, we've sent a troop of ten Royal Guardsmen to investigate the farm who claim to have seen the creature, but they're taking longer than expected..."
'Is a gold coin too little for these spoiled little people? I think I should move here...' Luke judged, disappointed that his path was obstructed by a bunch of overbearing adventurers. "I am an adventurer, is there anyone who can accompany me to the place the guards went? I want to kill the creature."
"Yes, but per standard procedure, can you show me your pendant, so I can verify that you are a legitimate Adventurer?"
"Sure..." Then, Luke pulled out the pendant of the Vasconcelos Guild from his overcoat and held it out to the royal guard.
'Huh?! An E-Class?' The head-keeper judged as he saw the necklace made of cheap metal. 'All right... maybe he'll die, but you never know...' He tried to contain his prejudice because he was rated as a B-Class.
However, unlike the man in steel armor who contained his expression of disappointment, the people expressed their feelings with whispers.
"I thought he was a Class-A by the clothes he wears..."
"Maybe he's having trouble finding a Party or a Clan in other cities, that's why he can't come up."
"The Cardinal Realm Dungeon is the deepest so far... he should be ashamed to come here being an E-Class."
The half-wolf was not surprised by the men's reactions, nor by the devaluations; after all, Luke would only be surprised if the news that he had become champion of the Tournament of Legends came so far in such a short time.
Besides, Luke knew well that the Adventurers in the Cardinal Kingdom and Sheltered Halv?y were higher than those of Vasconcelos and Oukiwa. Since the Seculars had already gone to the bottom of the Tower-type Dungeon of Oukiwa, Vasconcelos, and Sheltered Halv?y, almost all the bosses had already been defeated, and only those that eventually spawned from time to time were left. However, the Cardinal Kingdom Dungeon was different, because they had already passed eighty-nine floors, and it didn't look like they were anywhere near the end.
For these reasons, Luke shrugged and calmly followed the knight who was designated to guide him.
To Luke, this knight seemed a little too inexperienced. The helmet of his armor was wobbling on top of his head, the armor made an exaggerated noise, and the scabbard of his sword was not very well attached to his belt. But Luke didn't bother with this and followed him without protest.
When they approached the farm's surroundings, which was surrounded by some tall pine trees, the whipping wind brought the smell of blood to Luke. Immediately, Luke threw Atom's reins to the novice guard and shouted:
"Don't go anywhere!"
"But wha—" Before the knight could even question, Luke disappeared from his vision.
The half-beast quickly followed the scent of blood, hoping not to miss the faint odor. The smell of the farm was terrible, mostly due to the fertilizer used on the crops. But Luke needn't have worried about losing the trail, because as soon as he approached the barn, the smell of blood became stronger than ever, and he heard noises coming from the wooden building.
While approaching the barn door, Luke pulled the obsidian sword from the inventory, which belonged to Nebezial before Luke took it for himself.
The noises of tearing flesh could be heard clearly, and also a long trail of blood that followed into the barn. Nevertheless, all of Luke's stealth was suddenly interrupted by Bastet, who called out to herself.
"What do you want now, Bastet? Now isn't a good time." Luke whispered to the feline at his feet.
The Summoning always did that when it was hungry, and now was no different. However, he also noticed that Luke wasn't acting like he usually did, and he also smelled blood. Curious, he started running with his little legs towards the bloodstain in front of the barn door. Once Luke tried to catch him, the feline somehow became intangible and passed between his fingers.
"What the hell... Come back here, Bastet." Luke whispered and tried to pick up the Summoner again.
Before the half-beast could get the Summoning, Bastet looked to the side, saw the huge creature deep in the barn, and seeing dark, hostile eyes, the feline roared:
Roar~
His roar was low, hoarse, and fluffy, like a lion cub's, but it was still enough to get the creature's attention that was feeding in the darkness.
ROAAAAAAAAARRR!
The beast's roar in the barn made the ground shake like an earthquake, also spreading a terrible breath of entrails.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om