Chapter 35: Assassin

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Assassin

Midnight. All was silent.

The predators of the night ruthlessly reaped lives, or were themselves reaped by even more powerful enemies. The natural Law of survival of the fittest was on full, vivid display in the darkness.

Not far from Vili, a Hunter was leaning against the wide trunk of a tree, fast asleep.

Suddenly, a chill ran through the sleeping Hunter. He opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings, feeling as if something was wrong.

’Is it just my imagination...’

The Hunter muttered to himself. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, uneasy, he heard the rustling of leaves right above his head.

He instinctively looked up, only to see a figure dropping down from above.

The figure held a short blade, his gaze sharp and cold.

"You..."

The Hunter reached for his knife, but he was too slow. With a single wave of his hand, the figure slashed the short blade downwards, from the Hunter’s throat to his chest. Blood splattered everywhere.

The Hunter let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell straight from the tree trunk to the ground below.

He twitched a few times, his eyes filled with panic and resentment, before he finally stopped struggling and lost his life.

The figure on the branch then dropped down from the tree. He reached out a finger to check for the Hunter’s breath. After confirming the Hunter was truly dead, he stood up and walked into the darkness, searching for the next target.

Beneath the starlight, his eyes were ice-cold.

"Hm?"

Inside the tree hollow, Vili’s eyes snapped open.

Just a moment ago, in his sleep, he thought he had heard a strange sound.

’It sounded like someone screaming...’

Vili recalled the faint sound. It was just like the wail of someone on the verge of death.

"Did a Hunter die?" Vili’s brow furrowed. ’Was he attacked by a nocturnal predator? Or did he find a trace of the Snow Pattern Deer and get killed?’

At this thought, all sleepiness vanished.

The Hunter who had screamed wasn’t far from him. If he went back to sleep, he might become the next target. Rather than wait for that, he might as well go investigate. If the Snow Pattern Deer was truly responsible, he might even find some clues.

With that in mind, Vili gathered his belongings, climbed out of the tree hollow, and headed in the direction of the scream.

Vili moved cautiously through the darkness. His rich hunting experience allowed him to move with ease, even in the dead of night.

’It should be just ahead...’

Vili observed the terrain and surrounding plants, then continued forward.

’The smell of blood...’

Vili caught the scent of blood and immediately became more cautious.

Ten minutes had passed since the scream. The corpse might have already been devoured by wild beasts, and those beasts could still be nearby.

Vili crept forward bit by bit. Sure enough, he saw a lone gray wolf gnawing on a corpse that had been ripped open. By the starlight, Vili recognized the mostly intact face. It was indeed a Hunter he knew.

’This Hunter... was he killed by this lone wolf?’

A trace of doubt appeared in Vili’s eyes.

This didn’t make sense. First, an experienced, fully armed Hunter was unlikely to die at the hands of a lone wolf; the wolf shouldn’t have even been able to get close. Second, Vili saw no signs of a struggle around the wolf and the Hunter. This was even more illogical. Even if the Hunter had been ambushed, he wouldn’t have just allowed himself to be slaughtered. And even if he hadn’t moved from this spot, there should have at least been drag marks.

The only explanation, then, was that the Hunter had been killed first, and the lone wolf had come to scavenge the remains.

Thinking this, Vili took out his longbow and an arrow.

He nocked the arrow and drew the string, pulling the bow into a full moon.

WHOOSH! The arrow shot out, pierced the lone wolf’s eye socket, and exited through the back of its skull. The powerful momentum sent the wolf’s body flying, slamming it against a tree trunk behind it. The wolf let out a single, short yelp, twitched a few times, and then fell silent.

Vili didn’t linger. He walked straight forward to investigate. He needed to be quick, or the smell of blood would attract other predators.

Vili cautiously scanned his surroundings as he approached, then knelt before the Hunter’s corpse.

Normally, Vili wouldn’t have felt anything, as his Junior Hunter Ability allowed him to remain calm in dangerous situations. But as he got closer to the Hunter’s body, he suddenly felt a wave of nausea. This was the first time Vili had been so close to a corpse, and his Human instincts made him deeply uncomfortable.

Vili looked up, took a deep breath, and only looked down again after he had calmed himself.

"Huh?!"

However, when Vili got a clear look at the gruesome state of the Hunter’s body, his pupils constricted violently.

He found a long wound on the Hunter’s body. It ran from the neck to the upper chest, caused by a sharp weapon. It was the fatal blow.

’How could a wound like this exist? This was clearly man-made!’

Vili was certain. A beast could never make such a clean wound. Even the Snow Pattern Deer, with its Supernatural Abilities, wouldn’t kill like this.

’Why would someone kill him... Who could have done this...’

A chill crept over Vili. The atmosphere in Bole Forest seemed to drop ten degrees in an instant.

Bole Forest, already fraught with crisis, had just become even more dangerous. It wasn’t just home to man-eating beasts, but also a homicidal executioner.

’Could another Hunter have done it?’

Vili’s eyes narrowed. He wondered if two Hunters with a grudge had entered Bole Forest, and one had taken the opportunity to strike a fatal blow where no one could see.

If it was just a vendetta between Hunters, that would be one thing. But what if it wasn’t? That would mean all the Hunters could be targets.

Vili’s sense of unease grew stronger.

’I can’t stay here any longer...’

Vili stood up. He was ready to give up on the search for the Snow Pattern Deer. At the very least, he had to report this unusual situation to Bamos and let him decide what to do.

Vili hurried toward the edge of Bole Forest.

However, after only a few steps, Vili suddenly felt a prickling on his back, as if something dangerous had locked onto him.

In that instant, Vili trembled. It was the sixth sense granted by his Hunter’s instinct.

Danger!

Vili dodged out of the way, acting almost purely on instinct.

The moment he moved, a figure dropped from the trees, a short blade slicing through the air with a whistle.

Someone was trying to kill him!

Vili spun around and saw a thin, pale-faced man. He was about thirty years old, with cold, severe features and undisguised killing intent in his eyes. After his first attack missed, he unhesitatingly launched a second strike.

Vili quickly drew the Hunting Knife gifted to him by Baron Kels from his lower back and moved to block.