32 A Shrewd Plo

After the oath has been taken, the trio stopped holding their pinkies.

"Well, that was one cringy oath," commented Shesmu. "But it's good enough. Since now we're brothers, we gotta look out for each other."

"Of course." DepressedRyan looked at Shesmu with a radiant smile.

"Yeah, that's the point of being brothers. If we don't look out for each other, then what's the use," added Leo.

Looking at them being so excited, Shesmu sighed, "You guys really say these things way too easily. Anyway, we still have things to do. I asked you guys before about your sense of direction, remember?"

"Yeah, and we told you not to worry. What's the deal anyway?" DepressedRyan asked.

"Well, you remember how we fought goblins before finding the goblin den, right?"

The duo nodded at Shesmu's words.

"Well, this is just a theory but... I think that it's the same here. I think that this is the territory of the wolves and that there might be a dungeon around here."

"Oh, so you want us to go around and look for it. But how will we know if it's the dungeon or not, plus remember how hidden the goblin's den was, how are we supposed to look for that?" Leo asked.

"Well, we're talking about wolves here, so it must be a cave, right?" DepressedRyan responded.

"I think so too, Ryan. In any case, we don't lose much. And, in the case where we do find the wolf dungeon, we will be so much ahead of the curve that any time we waste here will be worth it. Also, remember that this is just the beta. We need to explore as much as possible so that we use that knowledge once the live game hits," Shesmu concluded.

"Makes sense. You're right, Shesmu, that's a good idea," said DepressedRyan.

"Well then, let's split for now. Leo, you explore the right part, Ryan, the left. I'll check forward."

With these words, the trio split up, each going in one direction.

At the same time, in the battlefield that hosted the goblin and fox army, the Goblin General stood. Next to him were many of his advisors and subordinates, each of which was respectful and kept their hands behind their backs.

"Grr,"

General Chrome looked up at the direction of the sound. In front of him was a chained beast, with poles penetrating its body. These poles were engraved with symbols that glowed golden, illuminating the dark surroundings.

"Fox king, what a pitiful sight. To think that an evolved species like you would reach this state, you really underestimated us."

"General, with the power of the seal that was granted to us by the faes and our blacksmith's prowess, even if it was an evolved beast it couldn't resist that might. In the end, it's just one monster who still hasn't learned how to speak after all."

The words of the kneeling advisor behind his back brought a smile to the Goblin General's face. For the whole time, he was worried about the outcome of the battle, but seeing the firefox falling prey to the trap as planned relieved him from stress.

After looking at the Fox King for two seconds, General Chrome's smile turned shrewd as he thought about something. He took a few steps towards the beast in front of him until he could feel its hot breath on his face. The General then taunted.

"How do you feel now? Seeing the face of the one who killed all of your brethren. Does it hurt? Does it make you despair?"

The tired eyes of the Fox king glinted with a cold light.

"Awwooo!"

The beast howled with all of its might and tried raising its paw. However, the chains blocking its shoulders and the pole that rooted its paws to the ground remained unyielding. It then opened its mouth, fire gathering at the tip of its tongue, before it dissipated into ember before dealing any damage.

"Haha! Keep struggling Fox King. Your body has been chained and your magic has been sealed. If you think that with your puny power you can break the seal, then dream on! Of course, that's unless you evolve again."

The Goblin General finished with a low note. He was having fun giving hope to the beast then shattering it right after. Both of him and the Fox King knew that there was a 0% chance of a second evolution as the firefox already reached adulthood.

The firefox glared at the Goblin General in front of it with fury engulfing its eyes. But it knew that it was of no use. Its clan was already decimated and its power was dwindling. With all of the injuries it had accumulated, the only reason it still hasn't died was because of the amazing natural recovery of the firefoxes.

The Fox King no longer cared about what will happen to itself. The beast already lived a long life and it had no regrets. It made the fox clan reach a level of dominance thought of as impossible before, in this internal area of the forest. Its only worry was its child, but it already made sure to an escape path for it before being caught.

"Haha! Well, enjoy these last few days, because they will be your last."

The Goblin General then turned and signaled to his attendants to follow him out. He already had his fun and there were still many things he had to attend to.

The Goblin General left and the Fox King just lied on the ground with its eyes closed. However, what none of the participants knew was that there was another being in the room looking at the scene. For the longest time its eyes were fearful, but as the Goblin General kept taunting the Fox King, its eyes burned in anger. By the time General Chrome left, the stealthy being's eyes were cold.

"Huff, puff,"

Shesmu breathed in and out while standing on a tree branch. Jumping for half an hour from one tree branch to another would tire anyone who hasn't specced in agility and vitality. While Shesmu did indeed have good endurance due to his improved lungs and high agility, the feat of jumping from one tree to another to cross long distance was not something a low level was supposed to do anyway.

After calming his breath, Shesmu looked down. The branch was 15 feet above the ground, so he could see whatever was happening down there clearly.

Few wolves roamed the area. Only two were entering a cave with meat on their mouths.

Thought it would be hard to find the dungeon in the middle of the night. Who would have thought that you two will guide me all the way?

**********

I'm adding this clause here because I noticed that some websites had been pirating my story. Please, if you're not reading Re: Sword Emperor on moonquill, royalroad, webnovel, wattpad, or teamdreamless, check out one of the official releases. The content is free and you can support the author by doing so. (Plus you don't risk downloading an adware, as pirate sites are notorious for those)