"Then why are you acting crazy like him?"

  "Hmph! That’s exactly what I mean by you barbarians being simple-minded! Listen carefully—what’s Terra’s ultimate goal in sending us here? To resolve the crisis in the North!"

  "And that crisis is closely linked to that Rank 6 creature. In other words, no matter how we address the problem, we’ll eventually have to face it head-on."

  "So since we can’t avoid it, we might as well use it as a breakthrough. Beat it soundly—once it’s subdued, it might just tell us the cause of the problem directly."

  "Oh~!"

  Sylph and Galamand nodded in sudden realization.

  "So that’s how it is!"

  "Huh, who would’ve thought you’d actually have a brain under all that arrogance, Scherfil~!"

  "The arrogance isn’t unnecessary!"

  "If that’s the case, the mission’s simple—find it and beat it up! Avery, can you locate it?"

  "You two......"

  Avery nodded silently.

  He knelt down, pressing his right hand against the snow.

  A moment later, a river of mana emerged from underground, swirling around his body.

  Before long, Avery looked up in a specific direction.

  "Found it."

  ......

  Inside a frozen canyon.

  A giant wolf emanating black aura lay crouched on the ground.

  "This is the one?"

  Several figures descended into the canyon.

  Avery nodded.

  Everyone stared intently at the giant wolf.

  For some reason, Hulim felt a sense of familiarity.

  Wait a minute...... This creature,

  isn’t it the Forest Giant Wolf?!

  As an old adversary she remembered vividly, Hulim was quite shocked.

  She knew Forest Giant Wolves were among the few creatures capable of advancing in rank, but she never imagined one could reach S-rank......

  "Why is it staying in its true form? Can’t it shapeshift into a human?"

  Staring at the crouched wolf, Sylph asked in confusion.

  "Avery, can you tell what’s wrong with it?"

  Avery shook his head, then warned:

  "Abnormal. This life form’s aura is extremely dangerous."

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  "Dangerous? I don’t feel a thing!"

  Galamand dismissed it casually.

  "Let this lord test its mettle!"

  With that, he leaped forward.

  "Hey, you—stand up for this lord."

  Sensing the threat, the giant wolf rose to its feet.

  Boom!

  A deep, muffled sound echoed as its four paws pressed against the ground.

  A pair of scarlet eyes fixed on Galamand, filled with endless killing intent—no trace of reason remained.

  "This lord is asking you—what’s with that aura on your body?"

  "Roar——!!!"

  A terrifying howl scattered the blizzard, halting the snowfall entirely.

  "Huh? What’s your problem?"

  Galamand glared at the wolf in annoyance.

  "Can’t you even speak?"

  Boom——!

  The Forest Giant Wolf had no intention of communicating. It charged forward directly.

  Galamand flew into the sky, dodging the attack.

  "You bastard!"

  "If that’s how it’s going to be, this lord will teach you to talk with fists!"

  Boom——!!!

  A crimson beam of breath crashed down from the sky.

  "Roar——!!!"

  The Forest Giant Wolf howled toward the heavens. The black aura on its body spread rapidly, sending waves of dark energy rippling outward with the howl.

  When Galamand’s breath collided with the black waves, it was instantly neutralized and scattered.

  The scattered flames even turned pitch black.

  This sight made everyone’s expressions change.

  "This creature is definitely not right......"

  "Do not touch that aura!"

  Avery looked up and warned.

  "Got it, this lord will be careful!"

  "Everyone, let’s go help too!"

  Aurora spoke up, then flew forward.

  Holy light radiated from her body, illuminating the entire canyon in an instant.

  "Alright! Let’s move!"

  The rest of the group quickly joined the battle......

  "Come."

  Drawing on her instincts, Hulim channeled all the water elements in the canyon.

  In the next moment, several water dragons tangled with ice shards surged toward the Forest Giant Wolf.

  "Roar!"

  The Forest Giant Wolf unleashed waves of pitch-black energy, instantly neutralizing and shattering all of Hulim’s magic.

  Boom!

  At that moment, the ground beneath the wolf’s feet churned, throwing it off balance.

  The Forest Giant Wolf quickly lifted one paw and slammed it down.

  The black aura seeped into the ground, restoring calm.

  But before it could finish reacting, spells of wind, fire, light, and darkness came crashing down on it relentlessly......

  After some time.

  Where there had once been a canyon, there was now a flat plain.

  Boom——!

  A loud crash rang out.

  The Forest Giant Wolf fell to the ground, showing no signs of life.

  After its death, black particles drifted away from its body, eventually dissipating into the air.

  "What the hell was wrong with this thing......"

  Everyone stared at the wolf’s fallen form, unsure how to put it into words.

  It had acted as if it knew no fear of death, ignoring its wounds entirely. Even when on the brink of collapse, it had fought with all its might.

  Faced with such a foe, they had no choice but to fight back with full force.

  Ordinarily, when a creature is near death, its bodily functions decline, making it easier to subdue. But this Forest Giant Wolf was different.

  It was as if this body didn’t belong to it.

  Like a puppet—even if torn to pieces, it would be driven until it could no longer move......

  "Now what? It’s dead. Did we mess up the mission?"

  Everyone exchanged glances.

  Only Avery’s expression remained unchanged. He walked silently toward the wolf’s body and knelt down beside it.

  "......Avery?"

  All eyes turned to him.

  After a moment.

  Avery stood up again, looking in a specific direction.

  "Found it."

  ......

  In a sunken basin surrounded by mountains.

  Hulim and the others arrived at their destination.

  As soon as they got there, they spotted an eerie object in the center of the basin—no attempt had been made to hide it.

  "......What in the world is that?"

  In the center of the barren basin stood a small hill.

  The entire hill was covered in black vine-like veins. At the top of the hill rested a heart-like object, and they could even hear its "thump, thump" beating.

  Avery stared at the heart, as if sensing something, and spoke slowly: "Hatred, fear, death, corruption...... This thing is a twisted collection of all the world’s negative energies."

  "???"

  Everyone exchanged confused looks.

  "Semiris doesn’t understand a word Avery is saying."

  "Uh, cough! N-no wonder you’re the Spirit of the Ley Lines—even if I don’t get it, it sounds really impressive."

  "This lord gets it! In short, that thing’s the root of all trouble, right? It looks disgusting! This lord will destroy it now!"

  Galamand raised his right hand, ready to attack.

  "No."

  Avery stopped him.

  "Huh? Why not?"

  "Destroying it this way won’t work. Its life form is vastly different from ordinary creatures."

  "Then what do we do?"

  "Seal it. Then hand it over to Lady Terra for disposal."