Chapter 57: Prelude: Werewolf Under the Moon

"Is this... Filthy Blood?"

Audrey looked at the test tube in Blaze’s hand. Inside the transparent glass, the murky liquid sat quietly. She subconsciously reached out. The murky liquid suddenly surged, rushing toward her hand. At that moment, the Filthy Blood was like a Poisonous Snake, trying to take a vicious bite out of Audrey.

"Is... is this kind of dangerous thing inside Juliet’s stomach!?" Audrey’s face turned pale. Just then, a groan came from inside the cabin. Juliet had woken up.

"Juliet!" Audrey immediately hurried back indoors, supporting Juliet and asking after her with deep concern.

The relationship between Juliet and Audrey was complicated. Juliet was a wandering orphan from another territory. It was the young Audrey who had taken Juliet in, keeping her by her side as a maid. When Audrey Arcadia began her activities as Audrey the Singer, she had properly settled Juliet in Lai Kaion City. She never expected her to appear in Wolf Head Grass Village, let alone with a Werewolf.

Blaze tactfully walked away. Audrey was an earnest person; after a few words of concern, she would cut straight to the chase and interrogate Juliet about the Werewolf—or rather, Romeo. Audrey was the rational, sheltered young lady type. She would never understand the feelings between Juliet and Romeo, whose relationship had already progressed to the point of having a child. Juliet, nine times out of ten, would not reveal anything about Romeo. Her concern clouded her judgment; in her anxiety, Audrey’s tone would turn into an interrogation, which naturally would lead to an argument.

Blaze dared not witness the scene of two girls arguing. It was too easy to get caught in the crossfire, so he planned to go find Herbie.

SCREECH—

An ear-piercing Eagle screech rang out. Blaze’s expression hardened with God-like intensity. This was the sound Chicken made, meaning there was an emergency.

[Skill Level has increased]

[Visual Sharing F-E]

[Increased the maximum distance]

Blaze closed his left eye, connecting its vision with Chicken’s. Chicken was fighting with all its might. The enemy was... a Werewolf!

"He actually ran straight back!"

Blaze leaped forcefully onto the roof. Wolf Head Grass Village was not large, so he easily spotted that burly Silver Werewolf. Chicken was locked in combat with the Werewolf, while Herbie slumped on the ground nearby. Running over at this distance might take too much time.

[Learned Skill: Bow Skill F]

[Capable of hitting targets within a 300-meter radius]

[Equipment: Exquisite Hunter’s Strong Bow]

[Produced by the Fire Rabbit Forging House, a Hunting Bow specially prepared for seasoned Hunters. It has certain Power requirements for the user, but Power exceeding a certain limit will cause Destruction to the Bow itself, requiring extremely precise control.]

This was Blaze’s first time using a Bow as a Martial weapon. The moment he grasped the Bow, he felt a wondrous sensation, as if the distant Werewolf had been drawn closer. Blaze retrieved an arrow from his inventory, nocked it on the string, and executed a Ra pull to draw the Bow. The Werewolf was within range. Given this distance and his Strength Value, he was confident he could make the silver arrowhead in his hand deliver a Piercing strike right through the Werewolf’s heart.

Through Chicken’s eyes, he clearly saw the Werewolf’s state—panicked and completely at a loss.

"...letting Master Hade know about this will definitely make him unleash Thunderbolts."

The meticulously crafted arrow from the Fire Rabbit Forging House shot out, tracing a perfect straight line as it struck the Werewolf squarely in the chest. The Werewolf jumped in fright, stumbled back a few steps, then leaped over the village wall and fled back into the forest. Blaze watched the Werewolf’s departure, only lowering the Bow in his hand once the creature disappeared from his line of sight.

"Hey, Blaze! Are you joking? What is the meaning of this!" Herbie yapped incessantly like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on, waving the arrow in her hand.

That was the arrow Blaze had fired to save the day, yet shockingly, it had no arrowhead.

"I just grabbed a random arrow. I didn’t expect it to be a defective product." Blaze spread his left hand in a shrug, while his right hand slowly crushed the arrowhead hidden in his palm into a small round ball.

"That old man—one day I’m going to buy out his entire Forging House and make him forge farm tools all day long." Gripping both ends of the broken arrow, Herbie violently brought it down on her knee, snapping it cleanly in half.

"Ahem, setting that aside, where did you just go?"

"...To drink water," Herbie lied subconsciously. Then, she felt a gaze on her.

Chicken was looking at her, those eyes casting a Shadow that reflected her despicable lying figure.

"Is that so?" Blaze did not doubt her, merely patting Herbie on the shoulder. "Now you should go help Audrey."

"Help?" Herbie was incredibly sharp; she only paused for a second before understanding his meaning.

"It’s Audrey’s little follower, Juliet. Don’t worry, Juliet is a smart little girl, and she always listens to Audrey."

Just as they approached the wooden cabin, Blaze and Herbie could already hear the intense argument inside. More accurately, it was Audrey arguing one-sidedly, while Juliet remained in complete silence. Blaze gave Herbie’s back a push, but Herbie stood as motionless as if her feet had taken root in the ground.

"Blaze, I know it sounds a bit strange for me to say this, but I’m completely clueless about women’s issues. In terms of gender, I’m closer to neutral."

The underlying message was: she did not want to go inside and become the target of their concentrated fire.

Blaze shook his head, grabbed Herbie by the collar, and tossed her into the wooden cabin. Chaos erupted inside the cabin. Now, it was time to test Herbie’s capabilities. Blaze turned and left. Chicken descended from the sky, landing squarely on his shoulder.

"That profiteer..."

"She lied, I know. But I trust her." Blaze tugged at the Nemean Lion Skin. This piece of equipment had less than half of its usage counts left. He actually liked it quite a bit. What a pity.

Deep into the night, dark clouds shrouded the sky over the Arcadia Territory, obscuring the moon in darkness.

Wolf Head Grass Village had long since fallen into a tranquil atmosphere. A burly Shadow slowly emerged from the forest.

"Juliet..."

The Shadow twitched his nose, following the scent and Qi until he arrived at a wooden cabin surrounded by fresh flowers. He could see the Shadow of a young girl by the second-floor windowsill. Just the lonely silhouette cast in light and Shadow made his heart ache immensely.

"You really did come back."

A voice rang out from behind him, followed by something flying over at high speed. He subconsciously raised his arm to block it. However, it wasn’t an attacking item, but rather an exquisite device. The moment it touched his arm, it popped open, and sticky threads burst out, binding his hands. This triggered an Ejection of more Spider Silk, securing itself to the surrounding trees.

"The only Ejector Spider Silk Trap made from Level 45 Burrow Spider Silk. You won’t be able to break free."

Blaze slowly slid down from the tree. He had guessed that this Werewolf would definitely return, but he hadn’t expected to be waiting until nightfall. Blaze narrowed his eyes. No matter how hard he glared, this Werewolf only displayed the name [Arcadia Werewolf].

There was no Level, and there were no stats.