Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

13.2. Subjugation! Rock Wolf

The first day’s hunt ended far too smoothly, thanks to Elsa’s contributions.

Nord, who nearly let his guard down, steeled himself for the upcoming hunts, but the cooperation with Elsa in their party continued to function effectively.

“If I’d known this would happen, maybe I didn’t need to bring such a heavy load?”

Elsa’s joking remark was one that Nord couldn’t help but agree with.

While there were more Rock Wolves than expected, the hunt progressed smoothly. Thanks to Elsa’s skill, many of the pelts harvested from the Rock Wolves were in excellent condition.

Though the pelts from the Rock Wolves were not particularly valuable as materials for armor, they could still provide a nice supplemental income. Nord felt that if things continued this way, he might be able to pay Alec well before the deadline.

However, that sense of ease was soon to be shattered.

It was the fifth day since they began the hunt.

Nord and the others were once again engaged in battle with the Rock Wolves.

While they had encountered them three times on the first day, they had only fought once on the second and third days. On the fourth day, they spotted a small group from a distance but didn’t engage in any combat.

That said, they had completed the hunt for a total of twenty-five Rock Wolves. Although that was more than reported in the request, encounters were gradually becoming less frequent, and Nord believed they would finish the hunt in another two or three days.

He and Elsa were discussing this at their campsite.

──But what happened next!?

Nord and Elsa fought against the Rock Wolves, backing each other up.

By now, they were being attacked by a pack of more than thirty Rock Wolves.

They managed to take down a few, with their bodies collapsing against the rocky terrain, but the numbers didn’t seem to decrease at all.

“Damn it!”

Nord swung his sword to deflect an attacking Rock Wolf, but his strike was too shallow. The tip of his sword merely grazed the armor of the Rock Wolf, failing to inflict any significant damage.

In contrast, taking advantage of the opening, a Rock Wolf from the opposite side lunged at Nord.

Anticipating the attack, Nord used the shield on his non-dominant arm to smash the Rock Wolf, disrupting its stance.

With a vulnerable spot exposed, he swiftly struck with his sword, taking down another one.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of Elsa out of the corner of his eye.

She was skillfully using her spear and seemed to be adding to their tally in the heat of battle.

However,

“This place is bad! We’re getting surrounded!!”

Elsa shouted toward Nord.

They had completely fallen into a trap.

What they thought were a few remaining Rock Wolves led them to an open rocky area, but it was all a ruse.

They had been lured into a large pack of Rock Wolves that had been hiding cleverly among the rocky shadows.

(I let my guard down!!)

Having already defeated the expected number of Rock Wolves stated in the request, Nord had recklessly assumed there were hardly any left.

He hadn’t anticipated such a large pack—but then again, he should have considered the possibility.

There had been numerous instances where they encountered hunting targets that differed significantly from the pre-hunt information or encountered large groups that weren’t mentioned in the reports.

Nord had surely heard this from his senior adventurers.

The spot they were lured to was an open space halfway up a rocky mountain.

It was on a large slab of rock, with cliffs descending toward the base, but there were paths leading into that space from both sides. They were at the entrance to that area, having just finished climbing one of the paths.

Fortunately, thanks to Elsa noticing the lurking wolves early on, they weren’t completely surrounded, but it was only a matter of time before that changed.

“Alright… Elsa! We’ll use that. Can you run!?”

“Yes, I can do it…!”

They attempted to flee from the Rock Wolves.

First, Elsa took down one of the beasts in the passage to create an opening. At the same time, Nord intercepted another that was about to attack Elsa, slamming it to the ground.

“Alright… go!”

They dashed down the rocky slope.

While being attacked by the Rock Wolves, they swung their swords, thrust with their spears, bashed with their shields, and even knocked them back with their stone tips.

Dodging the relentless pursuit of the attacking Rock Wolves, they kept running.

However, it was a given that humans would be outrun by wolves, especially since Nord was in heavy armor, making him slower than Elsa.

Therefore,

“Ugh… ah!”

Nord crashed to the ground with a loud thud, rolling down the slope and hitting his body against the rocks.

His armor absorbed some of the impact, but the combined force of the armor and his weight was still considerable.

Air escaped his lungs, and pain surged through his body.

“Nord!?”

The culprit was, of course, a Rock Wolf.

One had leaped onto Nord’s shoulder, successfully breaking his stance.

“Damn it… I’m sorry.”

Thanks to Elsa’s assistance, the pursuing Rock Wolf that was about to pounce on the fallen Nord was hindered. Gritting his teeth against the pain and cursing under his breath, Nord stood up again.

Taking advantage of the opening created by Nord’s fall, the pack of Rock Wolves caught up to them.

They let out fierce, threatening growls, as if to say, “You’ve made this a hassle.”

Compared to the exhausted Nord and Elsa, struggling to run on unfamiliar rocky terrain, the Rock Wolves appeared entirely unfazed as they dashed down the mountainside.

They were surely in their own backyard.

“But finally…!?”

“Nord!!”

Once again, like dancers protecting each other’s backs, Nord and Elsa formed a defensive stance.

At that moment, Elsa’s voice took on a tone of urgency.

Looking where Elsa directed his attention, a large wolf emerged, cutting through the pack of Rock Wolves.

This wolf was more than twice the size of the others.

With wise eyes and an aged appearance, its body was entirely covered in a pitch-black armor, distinct from the Rock Wolves.

“…This is the worst!”

“…Absolutely…”

Nord agreed with Elsa’s first curse since they had formed their party.

Armored Wolf.

That was the name of that creature.

The armor of the Rock Wolves is made from their fur, which thickens with age and broadens over time.

This holds true even for the experienced individuals who become leaders of the pack, but the most crucial one to watch out for is the Armored Wolf.

Its armor is not just thick but has a texture that feels more like iron than rock, covering everything from its face to its paws and tail.

Because of the thick armor that covers its entire body like a shield, it was referred to as the Armored Wolf, a superior individual among the Rock Wolves.

And this is where it gets important.

The Armored Wolf is treated as a separate entity due to its strength, distinct from the Rock Wolves.

Its difficulty level is so high that it’s designated as a “Quest for Promotion to Crystal Rank Adventurer.”

The adventurer who had told Nord about this had cheerfully remarked, “Well, it’s hardly ever spotted, so there’s nothing to worry about, ha ha!” but now they were facing that very situation.

The Armored Wolf was trying to surround Nord and his companions, leading the pack of Rock Wolves like a king.

“Ah, what terrible luck.”

Nord and Elsa’s expressions twisted as they struggled to resist the pressure of the pack of magical wolves led by the Armored Wolf, stepping back.

“Yes, truly. Absolutely.”

Their retreat was abruptly interrupted with a light thud.

──Grrrrrrr!!

The growls of the magical wolf pack echoed even louder against the rocky mountain, as if to say, “We’ve finally cornered you.”

Nord and the others stood with their backs against the steep rocky wall. They stopped standing back-to-back with Elsa and lined up against the rock.

“I thought we wouldn’t need to use this…”

As he said this, Nord pulled on the rope tightly, which he had been holding behind him.

In the next moment, the magical wolf pack surrounding them was engulfed in a whirlwind of flames.