Chapter 9

To deal with the Gang Wolves, we need a generous supply of weapons capable of exterminating the pack.

Siege warfare is not good. If it turns into a test of endurance, I won't be able to procure water or food, and eventually, I will lose.

Using 'Replication,' I might be able to hold out for a month, but if the original food spoils, it's game over the moment that happens.

I replicate the Yaso Maki and create Yaso Maki replicas, placing them behind each barricade.

This spear is powerful enough, but because it has a return on the tip, it takes time to pull out after it's been thrust.

It's better to discard the spears after use rather than try to retrieve them.

I also need to gather strong-smelling wild herbs that repel animals before noon.

I filled my backpack with wild herbs while being careful not to venture too deep into the forest.

If they attack, it will be at night.

Since scouts have come, the main force should be arriving soon.

They might even come tonight.

I return to the lodge, sit on the floor, and immerse myself in work.

I replicate towels, layer them with crushed wild herbs, and create bands that can be wrapped around my arms and legs.

Wrapping them around my arms, legs, and torso will provide cushioning against claws, and if the wolves bite, the strong smell should damage their sense of smell—hopefully.

I make them as thick as possible while ensuring they don't impede my movements.

"...I never thought they would come this far into the countryside."

This area has become a vast forest, but it was originally a depopulated town.

It's unusual for the Gang Wolves, who usually live near the ancient city, to come down to human territory.

Something bad must have happened in the ancient city.

Or perhaps,

"During a hunt."

Saying it out loud, it feels like the right answer.

The prey that escaped from the Gang Wolves' hunt might have fled this far into the countryside.

The prey must have had the ability to escape the Gang Wolves and be worth hunting outside their territory—an enemy that invaded their territory.

If it's a bear-type monster, it could cause damage on our side as well.

If that happens, I'll need even more preparation.

Damn, I don't have enough weapons. I wish I had heavy artillery.

I need to prepare more—

Clank, clank.

"!?"

The sound of metal pieces clashing.

Something has caught the vines set up to detect intruders.

I quickly grab the Yaso Maki and stand up.

It's still early in the day. It's not night yet.

Since I haven't extinguished the bonfire, it's unlikely that monsters like Horn Pigs would come.

Is it the Gang Wolves attacking before nightfall, or some other threat?

I cautiously open the lodge door a crack and check outside.

"---Huh?"

I rush out of the lodge.

There, entangled in the intrusion-detection vines, was a blood-soaked girl lying on the ground.

---

Before I knew it, it was night.

I replicated towels and repeatedly applied them to the girl's wounds, tightly binding them. If I hadn't replicated 'Medical: C,' I would have panicked.

It's good to have experience with everything.

She has abrasions all over her body, but her side is particularly bad.

I feel very sorry for having to undress her, but her injuries were so severe that I couldn't think of anything else.

Three parallel cuts run across her side, clearly claw marks.

No doubt about it.

The prey the Gang Wolves were chasing is this girl.

I've laid her on a makeshift bed made of cloth and am keeping her still.

She occasionally coughs painfully, but she hasn't regained consciousness.

If I can deal with the Gang Wolves, I'll carry this girl to A University Village.

Even if I, who have been expelled, can't enter, I should be able to ask for help for this girl.

There, they have people with 'Medical' skills and plenty of bandages and medicines.

I considered going there when I found her, but I decided against it because she could be attacked during the transfer.

The Gang Wolves must remember the smell of her blood.

"...The problem is whether I can handle the pack of wolves."

The sleeping girl's face, though furrowed in pain, is composed and beautiful.

Her long black hair reaches her waist.

Her blood-soaked, torn school uniform is a traditional sailor-style.

She's a high school girl, younger than me.

She's an incredibly beautiful girl, but the bandages and blood-soaked wounds make her look pitiful.

"Sorry, this is all I can do."

I sigh and stand up.

I put on two layers of tracksuits. They're a bit puffy, but they don't hinder my movements.

I wrap the herb bands around my arms and legs, especially the areas with major blood vessels, without impeding my joints.

I also wrap them around my neck and forehead, and after making sure everything is in place, I pick up the Yaso Maki.

My favorite weapon, which I've grown accustomed to over the past week, returns a cool, hard wooden feel to my palm.

"Here goes."

I quietly psych myself up and open the lodge door.

A full moon hangs in the sky, and starlight pours down.

Barricades and bonfires surround the lodge.

I close the door behind me and stare into the darkness of the forest.

They're there.

The wolves slowly appear.

A pack of wolves, each as large as a large dog, with many pairs of glowing yellow eyes staring at me.

There are more than ten of them... maybe even more hiding.

I hoped it might just be a lone stray wolf, but this is definitely a pack of danger level B.

The girl fled here covered in blood, so the pursuers must be nearby.

There's no choice. I steel myself and reposition the Yaso Maki in front of me.

"Come on, you mutts. I'll take all of you down."

One of the Gang Wolves howls loudly.

It's a larger individual with a scar on its ear.

That was the signal to start the battle.

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