Chapter 77 - 72

'A thin body covered by a pitch-black shell, four blood-red eyes, and four sinister scythe-like arms. There is no mistaking it, that monster is part of the mantis-type species… More than that, based on its level and abilities, it is highly likely that it is the same monster that the Lightning Wolf is looking for.' I concluded as gazed in the direction wherein the monster had disappeared.

Now that the identity of the mysterious alpha-class monster was revealed, I couldn’t help but suspect that the Underclaw was just the evolved Hackclaw that I met before. Because no matter how much I think about it, every clue and evidence was pointing towards that particular possibility. That path, that we collapsed, the traces of sudden evolution and the supposed timeline of its first appearance in this area, all of it lined up.

'Right, I haven’t seen that guy with the monster survivors from back then.' At that time, because of the situation on that ant’s territory, I didn’t put much thought into the disappearance of that Hackclaw. After all, before I saw them again, I left those monsters to battle a whole swarm of ants so it wouldn’t be surprising if one or two of them had perished right there. Furthermore, the impression that I got from that Hackclaw was that of a borderline crazy monster; one that wouldn’t cooperate with others no matter how dire the situation was.

'Looks like I underestimate that monster’s persistence to live. Moreover, he is even lucky enough to stumble on that path and escape before all the chaos began.'

As I was about to turn back to meet the platoon of wolves, I sensed the presence of a monster traveling from above. Not long after that, something huge fell from the sky and it landed directly upfront. Oddly enough, the said object didn’t even make a sound nor created a disturbance, despite its size. And though the monster was excluding an oppressive aura, it wasn’t like the Underclaw who was completely hostile towards me. Well, it wasn’t exactly friendly either. But just to make it clear, the feeling was definitely mutual.

Looking at the familiar humanoid monster, I couldn’t help but sigh. 'So that’s the reason, huh? But why are you doing with that heroic landing pose and smug attitude? You’re freaking late! The monster has already escaped!' I complained inside.

Without being bothered by my criticizing gaze, the Gigarillon began to wipe the dust away from his fur. And from time to time, the monster would even give me a sidelong glance as if giving me an implication that I should be grateful for the save. It was, in every sense of the word, extremely irritating.

'You’ve got to be kidding me. You didn’t do shit! With my level, I’m confident that I can beat the heck out of that monster! In fact, all you did was scare it away thus wasting the freaking opportunity!' I turned away in a brisk.

Given the timing of the Gigarillon’s appearance, there was no denying the fact that the ape had been tracking and chasing that mantis all this time. I didn’t know if it was because he was trying to take responsibility for freeing such a monster, or if there were other motives behind it. Either way, I didn’t care nor I got anything to do with it so I just left the ape to do his own thing. Besides, it would benefit me if I kept the two of them busy since it would lessen the unpredictable factors when I started hunting that Tempest Wolf. So, all in all, it should be a win-win situation for me.

When I came back to the spot where I battled against the Underclaw, I found the platoon of wolves searching the surrounding area. From the looks of it, they probably noticed the disturbance on my end, so they all rushed in to check my situation. Despite that, it seemed like their sensory abilities weren’t that high so they didn’t notice the presence of the Gigarillon. In fact, I could tell from their behavior that it hadn’t been long since they arrived. This, of course, also means that they had sensed that disturbance far too late.

Upon seeing that I came back, one of the squad leaders nodded at me signaling that he understood the situation. Following that, he informed the other leaders, and they began their preparations to come back. After all, it seemed like the rear squads didn’t lose the harvest and it all should be enough. Furthermore, they were probably thinking that it would be quite risky to push through especially since they didn’t know if the monster would come back to attack. Of course, I know for a fact that their worries wouldn’t happen since the Gigarillon seemed to be chasing after that monster. But without giving any suggestion, I just went on with the flow and agreed on their plan. As for the weakened stray wolf from before, it seemed like it had already died but they were planning on bringing it back probably to let their alpha examine the corpse.

'I hope they aren’t planning on eating it or giving its meat to me.' I couldn’t help but worry.

***

Once we came back, the squad leaders and I went straight to the shelter of the wolf. And as usual, the leaders tried their best to explain what happened to their alpha. But since they weren’t present when I was attacked by the monster, all they did was report their findings and guesses based on what they saw on the scene. To be honest, it was also clear that the wolves were mixing in their own biases on their guesses and theories. In fact, they were even suspecting and criticizing me especially because the monster had escaped from me. In other words, the leaders were implying that I might be colluding with that bloodthirsty and semi-crazy monster.

'Sigh. Looks like there were quite convinced.' Of course, I fully understand where the wolves were coming from. After all, my position in this matter was basically a stranger who was intruding on their lives. Because of this, it wasn’t that surprising that they would think as such. And truth be told, I would probably think the same if I was put in their position. But even then, I still found the notion of colluding with that monster to be incredibly ridiculous. I mean, based on that monster’s behavior, was cooperation even possible?

The only saving grace, for now, was that the Lightning Wolf was quite sharp. So, even though the leaders have a unanimous opinion on that speculation, I believed that this alpha wouldn’t make a rash decision even if he was suspecting the same. In this case, I had no doubt that he would first listen to my side of the story which was the very reason why I chose to come back to this place. And while I still couldn’t understand the motives and motivations behind the Lightning Wolf’s action, I was at least certain that he was quite meticulous when it came to such small details. For a leader, this was a really good quality because I know for a fact that most truths hide inside those small and almost negligible details.

In contrast to the reports that I witnessed these past few days, this one, in particular, took quite some time. Mostly, it was because of the passionate explanations of the leaders about the possible dangers that I might pose. In all honesty, I found it oddly entertaining especially because the leaders were showing their desperation in trying to convince their ever-stoic alpha. Seriously, I even had an urge to cheer for them in the background. In addition to that, I also had an epiphany on why some people couldn’t resist their d.e.s.i.r.e to pamper their furball of a pet. Though in this case, I could also be considered as one of those furballs to spoil.

'Most likely, my current appearance will be quite a hit for those people who prefer cool-looking pets rather than cute and cuddly ones.' I imagined as I watched that scene.

At some point in time, the leaders had finished their report before my thoughts further descended in that strange direction. Upon coming back to reality, I noticed the dejected moods of the leaders as they passed by and walked away. Once they were gone, the alpha beckoned me to follow inside his shelter. Then after entering and taking a seat in front of the Lightning Wolf, I didn’t hesitate and went straight to the point.

'To clarify, I got nothing to do with that thing.' I stated with conviction. 'And even if I want to collude with that thing, doing so is pretty much impossible given how vicious and crazy it is.' I further explained.

“I know… I’ve sensed…its aura… before…” The Lightning Wolf replied.

I see… I said with a pause. 'By before, you mean after it evolved?' I inquired right after.

“Yes… it was… two days… before you… arrived…”

'… And it managed to escape?' I asked in surprise.

“It’s quite… a handful…” The Lightning Wolf answered without giving a confirmation.

From the way it looked, this alpha was quite frustrated about the incident. After all, given how powerful he was, there weren’t that many monsters that could escape from him. More than that, he might have also commanded his subordinates to search and hunt the monster at that time. But given the strange ability of the mantis, enlisting the help of some non-alpha wolves wouldn’t be of much help.

'As expected, it might be because of that ability.' I sighed in exasperation.

Well, about that…