Chapter 48: Arcadia Werewolf

[Arcadia Witch Hunting]

Foreigners, please save the people of Arcadia!

The werewolves in the Arcadia Territory have acquired a terrifying shapeshifting ability. They hunt innocent Arcadians, transform into the exact likeness of their victims, and infiltrate our society with Stealth, hiding behind masks of gentleness and Kindness.

Go and root out the evil werewolves!

Pierce their hearts with Silver Needles! Smash their skulls with Iron Hammers! Leave their filthy blood Boiling and let their wicked bodies rot!

Hunt down these heretical beings!

For every werewolf killed, you will receive a medal. The top ten medal earners will be bestowed the title of Arcadia Knight, and the Hero who kills the most werewolves will receive Arcadia’s Secret Treasure!

...

ID Destroyer

[Help, help! I can’t find a single werewolf in the wild anymore!]

ID Unicorn

[Obviously. Knight is one of the few Special Professions with publicly known unlock conditions, and it serves as an omnipotent fusion material. Many players who haven’t reached Full Level yet desperately need this Profession. They’re definitely grinding werewolves with Madness to get into the top ten.]

[You should just be glad the Advanced players don’t need the Knight class anymore.]

ID Observer Bald Head

[The wild monsters’ AI is pretty smart too. If you push them too hard, they’ll migrate to a new habitat.]

ID Louis

[Go look for the hidden werewolves in the villages or towns. It’s almost impossible to find them out in the wild now.]

ID Destroyer

[You mean the ones classified as Arcadia Werewolves? Honestly, those werewolves are a lot weaker than the normal ones. They even talk and beg for mercy.]

ID Louis

[That’s probably just to cater to the newbies. There’s no way a beginner could beat a regular werewolf, which averages around Level 50 for a Monster.]

ID Vegetarianism

[Those hidden werewolves are a huge pain. They don’t use a Skill to transform, so you can’t expose them using Identification.]

ID Mouse Rice

[If they hear a bear’s roar, they’ll transform and attack. The problem is that some NPCs will protect those werewolves. Killing them will tank your affinity with a ton of NPCs.]

[But I have to admit, those werewolves have pretty good taste. They only pick hot guys and beautiful girls to mimic.]

ID Greenland

[Just target anyone who’s good-looking.]

ID Inspector SNIS

[Maybe those Arcadia Werewolves are story-based monsters. As long as you root them out, it might count as completing the quest.]

ID Destroyer

[Ah, that makes it tough. I don’t like making enemies out of NPCs. I’d better just go look for normal werewolves in the wild.]

ID666 Beast

[This event is pretty malicious. Killing those werewolves in towns will raise your Vice Value. Once your Vice Value gets too high, forget about triggering quests—the NPCs will become downright hostile.]

[According to an inside source, if you want to trigger unique or Special Professions, it’s best to build an emotional connection with the NPCs. If they hate you, it’s going to be extremely difficult to trigger anything.]

ID Beastman Control

[Speaking of which, is there any way to transform into a werewolf? I really want to be a fluffy canine.]

[We can already choose Beastman as a starting race. Are werewolves not considered a Beastman Species?]

ID Animal Observation Log

[Probably because werewolves are completely hostile creatures. Aside from those Arcadia Werewolves that can disguise themselves as Humans and say a few words, all other werewolves will just bite you on sight.]

...

Monsters were not entirely incapable of communication.

The Great Dragons, beings on the same level as Titan Giants, would bestow trials upon the brave. Among the Beastman Species, there were also highly intelligent types that built tribal Kingdoms and did business with Humans as Merchants. There were even Foreigners who belonged to the Beastman Species.

However, werewolves had always been an exception. They seemed to possess their own Faith, yet they were completely incapable of communication. Bloodthirsty and ruthless, they were the living embodiment of frenzied Wild Beasts walking on two legs.

Now, this pack of werewolves had mutated the ability to take human form. If they could disguise themselves as Humans to infiltrate villages and cities, it would be no different from locking a fierce tiger in a pen with sheep. In just a single night, an entire village could be left strewn with corpses.

"Rather than relying on a Skill to take human form, could transforming into a Human actually be their racial ability? This new breed of werewolves should be classified as a Sub-human Species, just like Elves and Dwarves." Hade stroked his beard, viewing the matter from a scholar’s perspective while marveling at the wonders of Life. "I’ve heard that the Intelligence of these new werewolves has increased significantly. They can even use weapons and deceive people with words. Who knows, maybe one day God will have a lapse in judgment and bestow a Blessing upon them."

Blaze wiped a Silver Needle with a cloth and placed it on the table. There were fifty Silver Needles in total. Considering that Silver Needles were consumable items, the vast majority of their Silver Coins had been melted down to make them. The rest were forged into arrowheads and a dagger.

"Monsters capable of resurrection no matter how many times they are killed... Having a few of those so-called Regional Bosses is more than enough," Blaze said. He took a step back, making room for Hade to inspect his work. Hade picked through the pile; there were a few defective ones, but most met the standard.

An apprentice from Fire Rabbit Forged Items walked over, carrying a bundle of slender wooden shafts. The next step was to attach the arrowheads, while Blaze stepped aside to test the Bow that Hade had brought over.

"Those mutated werewolves aren’t actually the thorniest issue. With Foreigners around, there’s no need to fear any amount of Monsters. The real trouble is the Deputy Lord." Herbie cupped her chin, interjecting into Hade and Blaze’s conversation.

As a Merchant, Herbie always evaluated situations based on whether they could yield a profit. Therefore, her immediate reaction to the Witch Hunting occurring in the Arcadia Territory was that someone was using it to reap benefits.

"Is it a usurpation?" Blaze guessed. When Audrey had mentioned she was an illegitimate daughter, his mind naturally drifted toward the classic aristocratic tropes commonly gossiped about by commoners.

The previous Lord was dead. Now, the Deputy Lord—Audrey’s uncle—was managing the territory, and people who acquired power rarely relinquished it easily.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Arcadia Clan, Audrey was nothing more than a shield, thrust forward to deflect the rumors other Lords spread before the King regarding the Arcadia Clan’s bloodline. Although the Arcadia Territory wasn’t large, bordered the Hundred-Womb Ganges, and harbored dangerous Monsters like werewolves within its borders, a Lord was still a Lord. Why would anyone willingly give that up?

"Is it really necessary to make such a massive spectacle out of a Witch Hunting, though?" Blaze asked.

"It’s just an excuse to cause trouble," Herbie replied with a cold laugh. "This is a *Witch* Hunting. Isn’t it obvious who they’re targeting? Among a crowd of ugly freaks, what else could the prettiest girl be but a Witch disguised by a werewolf?"

"But the heir of Orthodoxy on paper is still Audrey. As long as this Witch Hunting hasn’t escalated to the point where people are indiscriminately accusing anyone of being a werewolf just to claim the Deputy Lord’s reward, Audrey can still return to inherit the title. Then, as the Lord, she can put a stop to this absurd Witch Hunting."

"Which means..." Herbie showed a rare expression of embarrassment, scratching the back of her head, unable to finish her sentence.

"Which means I can’t just escort you to the Arcadia Territory; I’d better stick around until Audrey has securely claimed the Lord’s seat." Blaze sighed, finishing Herbie’s thought for her. "Do you remember that I originally only planned to escort you to Balkan City?"

"W-Well, quite a few unexpected changes happened along the way, right? I promise I’ll definitely repay you in the future. Pretty please~" Herbie pressed her palms together, winking one eye as she feigned innocence.

"I know. But like I said before, I can only do my utmost to protect you all. I can guarantee that I’ll die before you do, but after that, you’ll have to hold out until my resurrection." Blaze smiled easily. Unfortunately, he was wearing a helmet, so there was no way to convey the smile on his face to Herbie.

"You really don’t have to go that far..."