Two days went by in a blur. Demonic Beasts rushed to tear Wolf apart no matter where he went. Even if he stood still, trying to rest, a Demonic Beast or a pack of them eventually stumbled across him.

Some of these Demonic Beasts were creatures Wolf had only read about, others he had fought before. Even though he paid a lot of attention to it, Wolf found no outward difference between Demonic Beasts and their Monster Beast counterparts.

Wolf felt like they were tougher, but that could be because of the trash equipment.

However, lack of distinctive physical features didn’t mean there were no differences. Demonic Beasts were vicious, often disregarding their own lives when attacking. Their unnatural aura irritated Wolf, but the feeling was mutual. Just like Wolf knew his enemies’ direction, they sensed him without fail after he entered their detection range.

These factors made fleeing from Demonic Beasts difficult and time consuming, while avoiding them was impossible. Wherever Wolf went, waves after waves of monsters suicidally fell upon him. This uncanny ability to detect each other across distance was frustrating.

Wolf, who often relied on superior intelligence and senses, felt that he had lost the natural advantage of stalking his enemies. Coupled with the frustration from inferior weaponry, the whole situation ticked Wolf off even more.

He tried his best to hide his presence, but no matter what he did, Demonic Beasts found him without fail. The silver lining was that Wolf was getting used to Van Dale’s curved sword, but the weapon’s quality was still inferior to his silver-hilted sword. At least the way it was before the Pureflame smashed it. Wolf estimated this sword would break when fighting Seventh or Eighth Order Monster Beasts without Internal Energy support.

After two days of constant battle and harassment, Wolf felt fatigued in body and mind. There was no safe place for him to rest, and he finally gave up, returning to the cave with the teleportation Spell Formation.

The youth first went to sleep, to let his mind recover. Then, after four hours, he woke up feeling refreshed. He didn’t bother getting up, nor opening his eyes. His body still needed rest, but he could meditate and think about how to handle Demonic Beasts.

“My usual adventuring spells revolve around stealth, scouting, enhancing myself and debilitating my enemies,” Wolf’s Mental Aspect said as the youth considered his situation.

He’d already realized where the problems lay. Under these circumstances, stealth and scouting were pointless. Spells focused on enhancing Wolf’s power and close combat ability were just as useless. Extra power meant weapons were likelier to bend or snap, meaning Wolf wasted a portion of his power.

Lethargy was the only spell which still displayed its full effect. However, these monsters weren’t worthy, so Wolf temporarily removed the spell from his toolbox.

Elemental Weapon still had its uses, but even that was only because it replaced Internal Energy to keep a weapon whole. Considering it would be used to preserve a piece of junk, Wolf readied only one, just in case.

As for the rest of his arsenal, Wolf focused on damaging spells. For utility he had two Folded Spaces to rest and refresh his spells, as well as a single Subtle Swiftness, just in case. For the first time in ages, Greater Fleet of Foot became redundant.

Having prepared his toolbox, Wolf checked his body and found that he was still tired. This stunned him. The youth believed his stamina was infinite.

“Must be from constantly swinging all those oversized weapons,” Wolf’s Mental Aspect said. “At least I’m increasing my proficiency with heavy weapons, and I think I’ll soon be able to scan my Ring of Holding for two items simultaneously.”

And even though he didn’t want to admit it, Wolf was having fun. Trying to figure out the optimal weapon to use and take out while considering the timing, terrain and enemy layout felt like a game.

After resting for half a day, Wolf left the cavern.

It was still dark outside. Even though it was the middle of the winter, crickets and night birds chirped, and the forest was lively. Wolf suddenly thought how seasons were a strange thing. While he stood there, snow blanketed most of Northshield. Meanwhile, Silver City was cold, but rarely had snow. Winters in the city meant less daylight and lots of rain, but that’s it. In the Demon Forest however, the weather was somewhere between summer and fall.

I wonder why that is? Wolf thought as he headed north-northeast, towards the center of the danger zone.

Wolf covered the distance which took two days to fight his way through in less than two hours. Partly this was because he knew the terrain, but mainly it was because he had already wiped out the Demonic Beasts native to this area.

Five more days passed in exploration. Wolf confirmed that the strategy focused around destructive spells was much more viable than the one revolving around his original set.

As Wolf ventured deeper into the Demon Forest his enemies grew tougher. By the fifth day of his excursion, it wasn’t all that uncommon for Wolf to encounter Seventh Order Demonic Beasts, or groups of Fifth and Sixth Order ones.

Fortunately, Demonic Beasts acted much like Monster Beasts. While different species tolerated each other to an extent, heavy animosity between insectoids, mammals and reptiles remained. If Wolf’s luck was good and he maneuvered multiple “enemies” to merge, a chance existed they would fight amongst each other.

For example, the group of Ironback Razortusks he’d just slaughtered had gone through a skirmish before fighting Wolf.

Running away when surrounded by different Monster Beast groups is a valid combat tactic. It made my life easier here, Wolf thought, harvesting Monster Cores. These guys look no different from the ones in Mirkwood, and yet they seem to be more dangerous and agile. It’s probably because they live in a more competitive environment, or it could be because of their berserk state.

Before Wolf collected all the Monster Cores, he felt another enemy bolting towards him. When he first entered Demon Forest, Wolf wasn’t able to determine the enemy's speed, or power by relying on this irrational hatred which gnawed at his sanity.

However, after several days of getting used to the feeling, Wolf learned how to exploit it. The detection radius was roughly a kilometer, and based on the intensity of the sensation Wolf could estimate enemies’ speed and Order, give or take an Order.

The approaching Demonic Beast was at the peak of Sixth Order, and based on its speed, it would reach Wolf in half a minute.

It’s flying, or moving through tree branches. Once the Demonic Beast drew close enough Wolf felt it was at a higher elevation. I can’t fight a flying enemy in melee.

With that thought Wolf waited until the enemy was some five seconds away. He then began muttering the chant for Arcane Storm.

*Roar!*

A juvenile Manticore dove towards Wolf, but before it got within ten meters of the young Mage, dozens of shimmering purplish darts pierced its head and neck.

The Demonic Beast entered grandly, ready to fight to the death. However, all it managed to do was squeal, then die like a dog before even reaching its hated enemy. Most of the darts shattered when they struck the skull, but some struck the monster’s eyes, while others sank into the soft spots on its neck.

Order of an adult Manticore is anywhere between Eight and Ten. This one was rather mature, it likely reached the Seventh Order. Wolf examined the leonine body and its scorpion tail at a glance.

As the embers of that hateful aura slowly dissipated, Wolf realized he’d already seen something similar. It’s like Snow Petunia, just more potent. Is there a connection?

Other than a somewhat similar effect, there were no common points, and Wolf soon dismissed the idea. However, that didn’t stop him from trying to crack this mystery. Based on Wolf’s rough estimate, a Mage had to be two to three Orders above Monster Beasts they fought to shrug off the surging frenzy attempting to influence their emotions.

Wolf wrapped up with his butchery before moving on. He harvested the Monster Cores and precious body parts, like Manticore’s venom sack.

Just as Wolf considered creating a folded space to rest and refresh his spells, an oddity happened. Wolf felt a presence in the distance, but it didn’t immediately charge over. Wolf stood on his spot, and the distant enemy didn’t move either. It seemed to wait for Wolf to seize the initiative. This was the first time a demonic presence didn’t bolt towards him to commit suicide.

Is it an ambush predator? Wolf wondered. But that Jadesilk Tarantula was also an ambush predator which doesn’t stray from its den, and yet it charged out to attack me. Is it wounded or dying?

Wolf had no way of estimating the Demonic Beast’s condition, just like its actual combat strength. The only thing he knew about his enemies was their direction, while everything else he extrapolated based on experience.

It’s just Fifth Order, he thought. Maybe it’s stuck.

Just like with any manling meeting something which didn’t conform to the norm, Wolf felt a slight unease, but also a great curiosity. Immobilizing these monsters would make things even easier.

Various thoughts clashed against each other in his mind, and after several moments he advanced towards the Demonic Beast. As Wolf approached he was surprised when no new enemies appeared even after five minutes passed.

Is this area more dangerous somehow? Wolf increased his vigilance and half-awakened his senses while slowing down.

It took twenty minutes of skulking for Wolf to cover that one kilometer. The enemy’s direction remained unchanged the entire time. Wolf stopped several times, each time he confirmed that the lingering hatred didn’t change as long as he stood motionless.

After Wolf covered one kilometer and a hundred meters, there was still no sign of his enemy. The feeling is already stronger than when a Fourth Order Demonic Beast is right in front of me. He realized. Was I mistaken?

Wolf analyzed the feeling. It was as if a Fifth Order Demonic Beast was a hundred or so meters away, or a Sixth Order one at three to four hundred meters away.

Wolf willed Van Dale’s sword into his hand, and crept forward even more cautiously. After all this time, no Demonic Beasts appeared. Wolf bit his lips anxiously and fully awakened his senses.

He sensed some distant Demonic Beasts, which hadn’t noticed him yet. They stood in place, perfectly still. Wolf heard small critters and insects making quiet sounds of weaklings surviving. Leaves rustled in the faint wind, and as Wolf took in a deep breath, he smelled the familiar and complex fragrance of the forest.

However, there was a faint undertone of decomposing flesh in the air, and the sound of something large chewing and gnawing on something tough.

It’s close, Wolf thought, getting ready for battle.