Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 588 A Grand Welcome Ceremony! A Dilemma!

A strong wind blew, rippling the grass and rustling the hawthorn bushes and tall nettles.

Clouds drifted across the moon's surface, and moonlight occasionally spilled onto the quiet meadow.

Everything is asleep.

The calm was shattered by the arrival of an orange-red vortex.

A witcher wearing a black hood and carrying a long sword emerged from the vortex.

Black leather boots crunched on the uneven grass, turning a clover blade into a green sap with a squeaking sound.

The quiet meadow was instantly awakened from its slumber and came to life.

Countless scarlet eyes sprouted from the surrounding dense forest and spread to every corner within sight, greedily eyeing the only alien creature in the area.

The witcher paused, looked around, and raised an eyebrow: "Is the welcoming ceremony this grand?"

"Roar--"

A terrifying and frantic howl tore through the night sky.

Countless dark figures greedily darted out of the woods, smashing through slender trees and uprooting hawthorn bushes and nettles they scraped against.

next second.

"Qiang~"

The silver blade was drawn from its sheath, like silvery moonlight descending from the sky in an instant.

In a flash, the Witcher stomped the ground, connecting monster after monster with sharp, dazzling silver threads.

Warm, scarlet, and foul-smelling blood spurted out and splashed onto the grass.

Incandescent flames burst forth from his palm, illuminating the world.

"boom--"

"boom--"

"boom--"

The violent explosions stirred up strong winds, snapping weaker shrubs and overgrown weeds.

When the hidden manipulator sensed something was wrong and tried to retreat, there wasn't a single monster standing on the empty grassland.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The monster, covered in black spikes, swallowed in fear, its heart pounding like thunder.

It could not understand why its vast army could be so easily wiped out in an instant by a small prey.

Do not!
That's not prey! That's the hunter!
It... is the prey!
However, by the time he realized this, it was too late.

"Tap tap tap~"

Death is approaching.

With a "whoosh" sound, it felt a chill on its neck, and then the world spun before its eyes.

The witcher twirled and flicked his sword, shaking off the bloodstains on his silver blade before sheathing it.

A red line of blood appeared on the dark green grass.

He stood up.

The surrounding scenery was both familiar and unfamiliar.

This is deep within the Pasolong Forest.

Severely injured by the self-destruction of the Wild Hunt's Parnois, Erin managed to retrieve the "Fragment of the Ade Gais Gate" and the "Guide Stone of the Ade Gais Gate" before using the portal to arrive here.

Then, while he was unconscious, the good girl carried him back to the Temple of Meriteli.

The Wild Hunt fought Ban Adler, the sorcerer, and the place where he profited was about three kilometers away from here.

"I never thought the coordinates I left behind would come in handy at this time..."

Erin surveyed the meadow with a sigh, finding no trace of the "good girl" from back then; instead, the ground was littered with the corpses of ghouls.

"The coordinates of the teleportation portal really can't be left in the wild. No one knows what will happen after the next teleportation to this safe location."

Erin thought to herself that she missed the "good girl" who was "on maternity leave".

If the good girl were still here, there's nowhere in this northern continent she couldn't go.

But it will be soon. The mental connection with the good girl in my mind makes me more excited every day than the day before.

My maternity leave will be over soon.

He didn't rush to the Freedom Camp.

In an unfamiliar forest, surrounded by towering trees, it is not only difficult to discern directions, but sometimes it is even difficult to tell whether one is going uphill or downhill.

He squinted, observing the twinkling stars in the sky—Capricorn, Kettle, Sickle, Draco, and Maiden of Winter—while recalling the shapes of the continents, the density of the jungles, and the depth and width of the streams he might cross…

Demon hunters who travel the continent to vanquish evil inevitably walk in the dark, but the stars will always guide the way for every righteous person.

This was the knowledge that Vesemir had imparted to him.

"Ding!"

[Slay the Lv59 "Giant Ghoul" Monster Horde!]

[Rewards Settlement: Victory over the Enemy, Base Rating D, Decapitation Intimidation +3—C, Outnumbered Victory +3—B, Bullying the Weak -9—E]

Final rating: E

[Loot obtained: Giant Ghoul Heart Essence*2, Ghoul Heart Essence*27, Carrion Demon Heart Essence*12]

[Ding! Hunting Quest: Ghoul II (Kill 250/250 Ghouls), Pending Completion!]

[Ding! Hunting Quest: Carrion Demon II (Kill 100/100 Carrion Demons), Pending Completion!]

[Hunting Quest: Giant Ghoul II (Kill 17/20 Giant Ghouls)]

……

The cold system notification interrupted his thoughts.

"If I had known, I would have used the fraud privileges here..." Erin sighed softly.

An E-rank raid rating yields no treasure chests or experience orbs, while an F-rank, the lowest rating, will deduct all essence and leave no heart.

However, since the fraud was used just recently, it can't be considered a waste.

Fraud

……

[Effect: Can be erased once per Spirit Month, and can be evaluated once in any event during the subjugation event.]

Because the cooldown of "Fraud" is different from that of "Celestial Conjunction," it doesn't go into a 30-day cooldown after you use it once.

Instead, it is fixed on eight Elven months, with the end of each Elven month, namely the New Year, Winter Solstice, Candlemas, Spring Equinox, May Day, Summer Solstice, Harvest Festival, and Autumn Equinox, being fixed dates.

The quota for each month of the game will not be used up and will not accumulate to the next month; instead, it will be refreshed directly.

Coincidentally, today is September 22nd, and tomorrow... no... in about four hours, it will be the Autumn Equinox.

However, Erin didn't actually think he would experience a major battle.

According to the information Francesca left in the Lovebird, although Ban Ade's army of 10,000 men sounds terrifying, the free elves initially fought Ban Ade to a standstill, and even had the upper hand.

It was only later, when Ban Ad defied the Warlock Brotherhood's prohibition and used large-scale necromancy, resurrecting the dead and summoning controllable wraiths, that the Free Elves' defenses crumbled. So…

What he needs to do now is not to help the free elves defeat those ten thousand soldiers; even a witcher like him can't do that.

All he needs to do is disrupt the battle and bring the two sides back to their original balance.

However, if the alien fusion is released in the right place, it may not necessarily prevent Ban Ad from suffering heavy losses.

"Hmm, this is the east..."

Ailin discerned his location and headed into the dense forest.

Behind him lay corpses strewn across the field, the stench of blood filling the air.

But he doesn't intend to do anything.

Nature will naturally conceal all traces of him, just as it did with the imposing presence and footprints left by a great griffin...
-
The Pasolong Forest is not only not far from Ban Ade, but it is even located to the east of Ban Ade, directly connecting to the Blue Mountains.

Therefore, the place where Erin teleported from should be very close to the camp of the free elves.

Crossing the Lexilas River, which originates in the Blue Mountains and meanders through Ban Ade, Ade Kale, and the elven ruins of Sairavede, we then pass through a small forest.

A huge valley blocked their way.

However, he was not in a hurry to find a path across the valley, because the dense, scattered firelight in the valley illuminated a huge camp that occupied the entire valley, making it as bright as day.

Switching to the elemental perspective of the wolf emblem, an invisible blue magical barrier enveloped the entire camp.

Further away, at the mouth of the valley, obscured by mountains, an ominous, eerie green magical glow, like the smoke of war, was rising.

A mountain breeze began to rise, and a putrid, rotten smell wafted in along with faint shouts and screams.

"The number of people is not quite right."

Erin squinted, observing the layout of the camp.

Although the military camp was ablaze with fire, neither the number of patrols nor the number of tents was what an army of 10,000 should be.

Erin looked at the camp in the valley, then at the green smoke rising from the canyon in the distance, and struggled with his thoughts.

Releasing "international fusion" directly in this place should also be effective.

Cutting off the enemy's food and logistics is a very practical tactic in warfare, regardless of the era.

The problem is that while the alien fusion will certainly damage the current camp and kill some of the soldiers left behind, thus affecting the morale of Ban Ade's army, forcing them not only to return to their posts but also to be distracted and unable to fight again in the short term.

However, the monsters summoned by the interdimensional fusion will destroy the camp and may not even touch the remaining food and supplies, and will soon scatter and run away.

Even if a fusion of different realms summons a hundred demons and scatters them throughout the vast Blue Mountain Range, it would still be nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Unable to break through Ban Ade's blockade, the free elves will also meet the same fate once the army has finished its reorganization.

It's possible that this celestial conjunction will attract even more attention and hostility.

but……

Venturing deeper into the military camp and following Ban Ade's army to find their next encampment would be even more dangerous.

do not forget.

Although this army was described by Francesca as a rabble, after so many night raids by the mountain people, they must have been experienced in infiltration and night raids, and were heavily guarded.

Even considering the mountain people's superior magical talent compared to ordinary humans, and the existence of encyclopedias like Ada Emin and Himles Fantabe.

The Ban Ade army, which has managed to hold out until now, must have strong leaders and extraordinary strength.

The bright firelight was reflected in the blue cat eyes, and the Witcher, caught in a dilemma, had an uncertain expression.
-
the other side.

A similar orange-red portal suddenly appeared at the foot of Kaer Morhen Mountain, at the end of the Killer's Trail.

After two figures dressed in black robes and with their faces covered walked out of the portal, they immediately waved their hands to disperse the portal and cast a spell to become invisible.

Then he slipped into the bushes beside the assassin's path and observed intently, holding his breath.

The mountain wind rustled through the grass.

Under the bright moonlight, the assassin's path, hidden by trees, remained deserted for a long time.

“Master Shaquille, I told you there couldn’t be any danger,” a young male voice suddenly rang out from the bushes. “I checked before I came. All the Witcher schools only have Witchers returning around the winter solstice.”

"At this time of day, Kaer Morhen will only have a bunch of old, crippled witchers and apprentices..."

The sorcerer known as Shaquille remained silent, glancing left and right at the darkness at either end of the Killer's Path before emerging from the bushes, dusting himself off, and revealing his form.

"Valerian, do you know what kind of magic I'm good at?"

Shaquille glanced to the side, and the nonchalant wizard suddenly asked a question out of the blue.

Valery paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "Tracing and divination. Everyone at Ban Ade Academy, even the apprentices, knows that you are skilled in tracing and divination. You are a master in these two areas."

"Did you know that tracing and divination have one thing in common?"

Valery scratched his head: "What characteristics?"

“They’re all likely to die.” Shaquille said expressionlessly.

Valery remained silent.

Those skilled in divination and divination are indeed unlikely to live long. Divination and predicting fate shorten one's lifespan, while divination carries even greater risks in terms of career path.

"Do you know how old I am now?" Shaquille asked again.

Valery shook his head blankly.

“Two hundred and thirty-one! I’ve lived for two hundred and thirty-one years!” Shaquille jabbed Valery’s chest. “There are wizards who are better at divination and tracking than me, but there is absolutely no sorcerer who is good at divination and tracking and has lived longer than me!”

"not a single one!"

"Valerian, the reason I've survived until now is because of my caution!"

"So, if you also want to live a good life, to live to my age, and then continue living, you'd better listen to me, understand?"

Valery looked at the pair of eyes filled with murderous intent revealed through the black cloth covering his face, eyes that seemed to say, "If you disagree, I'll kill you right now to prolong my life." He instinctively swallowed and nodded.

“Very good!” Shaquille patted him on the shoulder, suppressing the murderous intent in his eyes. “Let’s finish this damn mission and then go back alive.”

"Now follow my lead, and don't make a mistake."

"The Killer's Trail is full of traps."

Just say it.

Regardless of whether Valery followed or not, Shaquille chanted a few incantations at the ground and then carefully made his way up the mountain, one step at a time.

Valery, regaining his composure, cautiously followed closely behind.

After walking for a while, Valerius couldn't bear the eerily quiet atmosphere any longer and couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Master Shaquille, the academy clearly has the coordinates of Kaer Morhen, so why not just bypass the Killer's Trail and teleport to a closer and safer place?"

Shaquille didn't turn around: "The most dangerous place is the safest place."

"Dead traps pose no danger to us, but once the spatial fluctuations of the portal are detected by the living..."

He glanced back and asked, "Can you withstand the Witcher's inhuman speed and steel sword, or can I?"

Valery suddenly realized what was happening and was about to ask another question.

Shaquille, as if he had expected this, interrupted him without even turning his head:
"Stop talking nonsense, Kaer Morhen is just ahead!"

(End of this chapter)