Chapter 111: Moon Wolves

Roderick also found it difficult to believe what he had just witnessed. However, he soon recovered and walked towards Adrian.

"Can I take a look at your weapon?"

Adrian didn’t object. He reached for his revolver and handed it to him.

Roderick carefully examined the weapon from different angles. He checked its barrel and the other parts, trying to see if there was anything unusual about it.

After a while, he looked at Adrian.

"Does this weapon have any special functions?"

"No. It doesn’t have any special functions. I can only infuse my mana into it."

Roderick continued examining the revolver for a few more seconds before returning it.

He couldn’t find anything unusual about the revolver. It didn’t even have any special functions that could help Adrian aim or hit the targets.

The entire performance had been based on his own accuracy.

"Impressive. Very impressive."

Roderick shook his head slightly.

"I’ve seen many skilled ranged fighters, but I’ve never seen anyone do something like that with a single bullet. You have excellent control over your weapon."

"Thank you," Adrian replied calmly.

Roderick then turned towards Ethan.

"Your team has proven that they can handle themselves. There’s no need for you to stay behind the main group."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"You can follow us during the patrol and participate alongside my soldiers. However, I still expect everyone to follow my instructions. We may encounter dangerous beastfolk out there, and I don’t want anyone acting on their own."

"Understood," Ethan replied.

Roderick nodded.

"Good. We’ll be leaving in a few hours, so use the remaining time to prepare yourselves. Make sure you have everything you need before we set out."

Lydia approached Adrian with curiosity written all over her face.

"Adrian, how did you do that?"

"Do what?" Adrian asked.

"That shot! You destroyed all fifteen targets with just one bullet. How is that even possible?"

Adrian answered.

"Practice. I’ve spent a lot of time practicing my shooting."

"That’s all?"

"Yes. What else would it be?"

Lydia looked at him with a doubtful expression.

"You’re making it sound so easy. I’ve never seen anyone do something like that before."

Adrian nodded and placed his revolver back at his waist.

"Well, I still have a lot to learn."

Lydia wasn’t sure whether to believe him. He had just done something that even an experienced ranged fighter found difficult, yet he was acting as if it wasn’t a big deal.

The others also found his explanation hard to accept, but none of them questioned him further. They knew everyone had their own secrets, and Adrian probably had his reasons for not explaining everything.

...

Several hours later, Ethan and the others returned to the gathering area where Roderick’s patrol unit was stationed.

By then, the soldiers had finished their preparations.

Roderick was standing near the entrance with a few soldiers when he noticed the students approaching.

"You’re here. Good."

He looked at the group before turning towards the soldiers beside him.

"Since we’ll be moving together, I’ve decided to divide everyone into smaller groups. Each of you will be assigned to one of my soldiers. This way, you’ll have someone experienced working alongside you during the patrol."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Adrian, you’ll be with our archer. Since you both specialize in ranged combat, I believe you’ll work well together."

He then looked towards the other students.

"Lydia, you’ll be assigned to one of our support soldiers. Gareth and Victor will work with the frontline fighters, while Bran and Kael will be assigned to the remaining groups."

After giving the assignments, he turned towards Ethan.

"As for you, you’ll stay with me. Since you’re the captain of your team, I want you to have a clear understanding of how the patrol operates."

Ethan nodded.

"That’s fine."

Roderick looked at everyone once more.

"Make sure you listen to the soldiers you’re assigned to. They know this area better than you do, and I expect you to cooperate with them."

He then turned around.

"Alright. We should get moving."

Roderick led the group out of the gathering area, and after a while he began explaining the situation.

"The mining route we’re heading to has been experiencing some problems recently. Several miners have reported seeing beastfolk around the nearby hills and forests. There have also been reports of strange sounds coming from the area at night."

"What kind of sounds?" Ethan asked.

"Some people claimed they heard strange laughter coming from the forest, while others reported hearing the growling of large beasts."

Roderick paused briefly.

"Based on those reports, I suspect we might be dealing with Laughing Fiends and Moon Wolves."

Both were notorious beastfolk, and neither was particularly friendly towards humans.

"The Laughing Fiends are already troublesome enough," Roderick continued. "But the Moon Wolves are even more dangerous at night. Under the blessing of the moon, their physical strength and speed can double. Fighting them during that time is something we should avoid unless we have no other choice."

He looked towards the students.

"Our job is to search the surrounding area, confirm their numbers, and find out whether they’ve established a camp nearby. We also need to make sure the mining route remains safe for the miners and supply carts."

Roderick’s expression became a little more serious.

"Don’t forget that we’re not going there to fight them. If you discover their location, report it to your assigned soldier. Don’t attack them or do anything that might expose our position. Unless we’re forced to defend ourselves, I don’t want anyone engaging the beastfolk."

The students nodded.

"Good. We don’t know how many of them are out there, so stay with your assigned groups and don’t wander off."

After walking for a while longer, the group finally arrived at the mining route.

Several carts were parked along the road, while a few miners could be seen working nearby. Beyond the road were several hills and a large forest that stretched into the distance.

Roderick turned towards one of his remaining soldiers.

"Send out your beast. Let’s see if it can pick up anything."

The soldier nodded and summoned a small four-legged beast with a long snout. It lowered its head and began sniffing the ground before slowly moving towards the forest.

"This soldier is a Summoner," Roderick explained to Ethan. "His beast has a very good sense of smell. It should be able to pick up the scent of anything that has passed through this area recently."

A few moments later, it suddenly stopped and raised its head towards the forest.

"It seems to have found something."