The Heart Of Chaos

A few minutes after the departure of Group Eight, the scene shifted to the floating island in the center of the town—the Citadel.

An old man stood at the entrance of one of the Arcane buildings on the floating island, gazing down at the clouds and observing everything happening below in the forest. Judging by his attire, it was clear he was a mage, holding his staff, with a long beard and white eyebrows that reached his chest.

"I think trouble is brewing down there..."

He murmured to himself, only to be met with a voice from behind.

"Why do you say that, Elder?"

The old man was none other than the Wizard-King, Archmage De Valmont, a figure known and feared throughout the entire Arcane Land. His magical prowess was legendary, and all nearby towns and villages revered him for his terrifying abilities and Arcane knowledge.

"Oh, what brings you here, young Althea?"

He asked, acknowledging the presence of the young girl now standing beside him. She greeted him with deep respect.

"Elder, my father sent me to inquire about the special slaves he brought three weeks ago."

Elder Valmont continued staring down, his pupils glowing with a faint green aura as he stroked his long beard, smiling thoughtfully.

"Oh... the boy and the old man? They're doing quite well, though I must admit, I'm intrigued by them—especially the boy."

Althea followed the direction of his gaze, but all she saw was the vast expanse of clouds turning orange from the setting sun.

"Forgive my straightforwardness, but I'm lost. What exactly are you looking at? Or perhaps you're using enhanced magical perception?"

Elder Valmont nodded in approval, then turned to the young girl and tapped his staff twice. Out of nowhere, green energy formed a sphere between them, revealing a live video feed of what was happening in the forest below.

"That's the carcass of a Fire Tempest Wolf. Did those Slaves really manage to kill that myth? Unbelievable."

Elder Valmont shook his head.

"That's the hunt of another group. They just happened to snatch it. But it's not over yet. Look carefully, Althea. This is a battle between intelligence and brute force."

Meanwhile, in the forest, Group Eight remained hidden behind the boulder, just a few meters away from the waterfall. Sedric and his men had gathered long, thick pieces of wood and arranged them into a makeshift carrying board for the Fire Tempest Wolf.

Behind the boulder, Jane pinched her nose, grimacing from the horrible smell of the leaves they had rubbed over their bodies.

"Ugh... the smell is horrible. Why did we have to use this?"

Abaddon smiled at Jane before replying.

"This is the Purple Demon Leaf I took from the Demon Oak Tree while we were on the hunt. When squashed and applied, it can erase any scent. In our case, the last thing we want right now is the scent of the Fire Tempest Wolf on us."

"Why is that?."

Fatty asked in confusion.

"The Fire Tempest Wolf we killed is a cub from the main tribe of those wolves."

Abaddon explained.

"At adulthood, they're known as Blazing Wolves. As cubs, they are banished to live with their mother until they transform."

Orlan nodded as if recalling something, and then it hit him.

"Oh yes, I remember reading something about these myths when I was young. 'Nephew,' do you mean what I think you mean?"

Being called "Nephew" felt awkward to Abaddon, but he nodded. Jane and Fatty, however, were still not getting it.

"You guys are so dense."

"The mother of the Wolf should be returning by now. It will sense the death of its offspring and relentlessly chase down the culprit. That's why I erased the scent on us. It will track that scent, and when it does... Sedric and his men will be in grave danger."

Finally, Jane and Fatty understood the situation. The plan had been devised by Abaddon long before they even killed the wolf. Both were amazed by the boy's sharp intellect, but not everyone shared their admiration.

Jane, now feeling guilty for her earlier behavior, decided to apologize. However, Abaddon immediately silenced her.

"Don't flinch. Don't make a sound. The Blazing Wolf is here."

Just as he said those words, the most terrifying scene imaginable occurred.

A deafening howl echoed through the forest, reaching even the town, sending waves of alarm throughout the hunters and soldiers who were monitoring the groups' hunts.

At the Arcane Citadel, Althea was taken aback.

"That's a Blazing Wolf! A second-class Alpha from the Vermin Class-I myth. This would even give trouble to Silver star stage early Ranker."

The Archmage nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, back at the ravine, Sedric and his men were alarmed by the sudden, terrifying howl.

"What the hell was that?"

One of Sedric's men asked in confusion.

"Boss, could it be another Fire Tempest Wolf?"

Sedric shook his head firmly.

"No, the Fire Tempest Wolves were exterminated by the S.T.E.E.L. Organization years ago due to their classification as Alpha-tier threats in the Vermin Class-I category. This one—the one we just killed—was believed to be the last one in this forest."

He paused, a sudden realization dawning on him.

"Unless… unless there's something even more dangerous than a Fire Tempest Wolf."

Sedric turned to his men in an urgent tone.

"All of you, we need to leave this place now! The town is too far, and staying here at night is suicide. If something worse is lurking, we won't survive."

The group hastily prepared to leave, but before they could take a step, something horrifying emerged from atop the waterfall where the Tempest Wolf had fallen. A creature long forgotten in the darkest pages of the bestiary: the Blazing Wolf.

It stood on two legs like a human, resembling a nightmarish werewolf. From above, its blazing blue eyes pierced through the gathering darkness, sending a chilling wave of terror through Sedric and his men. They froze, paralyzed by the abomination standing above them.

"Go now!"

Sedric bellowed in desperation. The men, mustering every ounce of strength, began sprinting in the direction Group Eight had previously passed.

Before they could cover much ground, a massive blur image came crashing down in front of them with such force that the ground cracked and trembled. Trees within the impact zone bowed unnaturally, bending almost horizontally.

Amid the smoke and debris, an enormous figure emerged—a sight that could strip the very soul from its prey.

Standing twenty feet tall, the Blazing Wolf was a manifestation of terror. It had three glowing blue eyes that flickered with primal intensity, multiple flaming blue horns covering its body, and four massive bone-like arms. Instead of fur, its skin appeared to ripple with living flames.

"This… this can't be real…"

One man stammered, collapsing to the ground in sheer terror.

Sedric couldn't believe what he was seeing. Myths spoke of such creatures as harbingers of death, impossible for any normal human to escape no matter how hard one tried. Behind the boulder, Abaddon and his group watched in silence.

"By the gods… even though we're not the ones out there, what kind of abomination is that?"

Jane whispered, her voice barely audible. She was too terrified to blink.

Abaddon, however remained composed, observing the myth and taking into accounts.

'It's exactly as described on the ancient tombstones—a manifestation of the gods' own hideous crimes."

Above the clouds, Althea observed the scene unfolding below with unease, though she maintained her composure.

"This is serious trouble... Elder, permit me to intervene. If we don't act, the Slaves won't survive till dawn."

Elder Valmont responded calmly, stroking his beard.

"Oh, don't worry. When the time comes, I'll permit you. For now, just observe."

Althea nodded reluctantly, turning her attention back to the horrifying events below.

Below, the Blazing Wolf's fiery gaze shifted toward the Slaves. Its monstrous eyes locked onto the corpse of the Fire Tempest Wolf, now lying lifeless in the hands of Sedric, who clutched the soul-ore extracted from the cub.

Without warning, the creature released a thunderous roar, shaking the forest to its core. The sound carried far, reaching even the outskirts of the town.

In that moment, Sedric understood everything. The pieces fell into place, and the truth became painfully clear.

"This… this was all planned… by that brat."

he muttered in a trembling tone as he looked at creature in front of them.

Though there was no time to think. The Blazing Wolf opened its wide maw, revealing sharp, jagged teeth. Then, as if the moon itself was forming in the forest, it began gathering intense blue flames and released them in a fit of rage toward Seldric and his men.

"Get up, you fools! Dodge it!"

Seldric shouted.

In an instant, the fire engulfed everything, sending Seldric and the three men flying into the rubles. One of the men quickly regained his footing and began running away, screaming in horror.

"I don't want to die!"

His screams were cut short when Seldric turned to see his companion's upper body torn off. Terror gripped them all.

Seldric, enraged, rose to his feet.

"You mindless beasts, I'll kill you for that!" he yelled.

But he was silenced when the massive, flaming tail of the beast swept through the group, hurling him and the others into the trees behind them. The Blazing Wolf pounced on another of Sedric's men, devouring him whole. The only sound that could be heard amid the flickering flames was the sickening crunch of bones.

Seldric could do nothing but watch as the creature approached his remaining companion.

Taking advantage of it, he struggled to his feet and begun limping away but was once again swept away into nearby rocks by the myths massive tail.

It was as if toying with Sedric was its main goal, ignoring Seldric once again, it continued toward the last man. Its gaze was so terrifying that it pierced his very soul, causing him to pass out instantly.

Ready to devour him, the beast opened its maw wide. Just as it was inches from striking, a wave of sword energy tore through the clouds and slashed the creature with precision.

With a single strike, the blue flames of the Blazing Wolf extinguished, and the beast collapsed to the ground in two halves.

Abaddon and his team stared in awe as a figure emerged at the waterfall. It was Althea, wielding a sword resembling a scarlet flower.

She turned her sharp gaze toward the boulder and commanded

"Come out."

Without hesitation, Abaddon led his group forward as he stared intently at the person before them.

'A ranker... something that could take us months to defeat was felled in a single swing. This is true power.'

"How long do you plan to linger here? In a few minutes, the bell will sound, and you all know the consequences for missing curfew."

Fatty, captivated by Althea's beauty, stepped forward in admiration, but Orlan, ever the humble one, quickly intervened, bowing slightly as he expressed their gratitude.

"Thank you for saving us lowly hunters. We have nothing of value to repay your kindness."

Althea, saying nothing, strode over to the remains of the Blazing Wolf. She extracted its glowing blue soul-ore and placed it into her storage ring. Then, without looking back, she tossed a storage pouch toward the group, which Abaddon deftly caught.

"Use this to collect your hunts and return to town. It's getting late."

Her gaze lingered momentarily on the bloody carnage before she added.

"I'll handle the rest."

With that, Group Eight began their journey back to town, burdened but victorious. They had successfully hunted three formidable beasts: the Fire Tempest Wolf, the Blazing Wolf, and the Bone Claw Alligator. As an added reward, they now carried a rare and valuable soul-ore.