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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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After buying my supplies, I returned to the blacksmith. Luna, having diligently prepared during my absence, had traded her pretty dress for a form-fitting leather armor.
“…How do I look?”
“Good.”
Her tail wagged. Compliments were always appreciated.
Even though she wasn’t the main heroine, she looked the part in that leather armor. It was a little distracting.
I was glad my first party member wasn’t some creepy dude.
Imagine having a muscular guy in tight leather armor as your companion.
And having to look at that every day?
“Ugh…”
“What’s wrong?!”
“Nothing. Just… indigestion.”
The mere thought made me nauseous.
No male companions. Ever.
Then, I noticed the daggers at Luna’s hips.
“…Wait, you use daggers?”
“Yes.”
My first companion, my first harem member, was a rogue.
A dual-wielding rogue, no less.
I remembered playing games where the rogue, claiming to be a DPS god, would die first and ruin the raid.
“Have you considered other weapons?”
“Is there something wrong with daggers…?”
There was everything wrong with daggers.
Seeing my dubious expression, Luna spoke up.
“Don’t worry. I’ll prove myself today.”
She sounded like a con artist, but…
She can’t be weaker than me, right?
She seemed confident.
And she could use magic.
If she was weaker than me, a magicless nobody, then she wasn’t harem material.
“Tsk… whatever. Do your best.”
I would have preferred dual swords, but she had already bought the daggers. It was too late to change now.
“Let’s go before it gets late.”
We left the blacksmith and headed towards the forest.
I recalled Adela’s instructions.
War Wolves were found deeper in the forest than goblins.
Monsters had a hierarchy, and their territories were based on strength.
War Wolves, being stronger than goblins, occupied better territory. And crossing territorial boundaries often led to fights.
“Luke! That’s not the way!”
“Oh, really?”
I had heard the explanation, but I wasn’t sure.
It was strange that Luna could navigate the forest so easily after hearing the directions only once. It wasn’t my fault I was lost.
“How do you even know the way?”
“I think you’re just directionally challenged…”
What was I supposed to do?
There was no Google Maps here.
Going from having GPS to not having it was a bigger adjustment than I thought.
“So, how much further?”
“Almost there.”
As if equipped with an internal GPS, Luna walked forward confidently.
Soon…
“Luke, I think I found a marking.”
“Really? Let me see.”
I examined the tree she pointed at.
There was a subtle discoloration near the roots, barely visible even with close inspection.
“Wow, how did you even see that?”
“I’m a wolf beastfolk. My sense of smell is very sensitive. I could smell it.”
Oh… so she wasn’t just a rogue. She was an excellent tracker.
I would have been wandering around all day without her.
“Good job! You’re the best!”
I patted her head. Her tail wagged happily.
“So, this is probably their territory. What’s the plan?”
“What plan? We lure them out.”
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“Lure them out?”
Luna was puzzled.
“Yeah. Why bother searching for them?”
He always fought on his own terms. Going to the enemy’s territory was foolish unless absolutely necessary.
Besides, searching was a hassle.
Just like with the goblins, they could search all day and not find anything. And even if they did, it would take much longer than luring them out.
He couldn’t stand inefficiency.
“How are you going to lure them out?”
Thwack.
Luke stuck a branch into the ground and answered.
“Before we lure them out, we need to find more markings.”
“What…?”
They had already found one marking. This whole area was probably the War Wolves’ territory. Why did they need to find more?
She didn’t understand.
But Luke was always unconventional. He probably had a reason.
She decided to follow his lead.
“Oh, wait a second.”
“…?”
Luke looked back at the branch he had planted.
Ziip.
“Kyaaa!”
Luna screamed.
Luke had unzipped his pants and… exposed himself.
Out of curiosity, she had been watching him, and now she had seen it all. It was her first time seeing a male’s… anatomy, so her reaction was understandable.
“Whoa! Why did you scream?”
Luke, however, was unfazed.
He was more startled by her scream than by his own actions.
Screaming won’t work. This is why rookies are useless.
The forest was vast.
Screaming wouldn’t attract attention.
What he had done with the goblins had worked because he had screamed right in front of their lair.
“W-why did you… take that out?!”
“To lure them out.”
“What does that have to do with luring them out?!”
Luna quickly turned away, but the image was seared into her memory.
She had always thought he was a bit strange, but today was especially… out there.
“Do you really not understand?”
“You’re the only one in the world who would think of that.”
Were people in this world really that dense?
He had to explain everything.
“Okay, listen. Imagine a burglar breaks into your house while you’re away. Then, you come home and find them. What would you do?”
“…Capture or kill them.”
“Exactly!”
“…?”
She still looked confused.
“Look, this is their territory, right? It’s their home. We’re burglars, breaking into an empty house.”
He urinated on the War Wolf’s marking.
Tinkle.
“Territory Expansion.”
He was marking over the War Wolf’s territory with his own.
He was a burglar, breaking into their empty house and claiming it as his own, while the homeowners were away.
And now, one of their markings was gone. They would be suspicious.
It was like robbing a house while the owner watched on CCTV.
What would the owner do?
They’d either call the cops or come and deal with the burglar themselves.
His method was the latter.
“Alright, one down. Let’s find another one, Luna.”
“…Okay.”
Luna, still bewildered, but unable to argue with his confidence, followed his lead.
They searched for more markings near the first one.
They found another one on the ground between two trees.
“Here’s another one.”
“Okay.”
Luke unzipped his pants without hesitation. Luna, anticipating his actions, had already turned away.
They repeated the process a few more times.
The markings, increasingly pungent, became easier to spot, even without Luna’s help.
They were getting closer.
“Keep watch. I’ll be quick.”
“…Okay.”
Luna, wary of Luke’s… vulnerability during his ritual, turned away to keep watch.
Then…
Aawooooooooooooooooo—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Got ‘em.”
“…”
A monster had appeared, but Luna couldn’t bring herself to be excited.
That actually worked…?
The War Wolf’s howl was close, yet she felt no sense of danger or urgency.
She was simply stunned that his absurd method had actually worked.
Everything she knew about hunting felt useless.
“Luna, what are you doing? They’re here.”
“Oh, right…!”
Slap! Slap!
She slapped her cheeks.
Focus. It’s time to prove myself.
She remembered Luke’s dubious look at the blacksmith. He clearly doubted her skills.
She had to show him what she was capable of.
Dark shapes began to emerge from the direction of the howls, materializing into…
“Luke… I think your lure was a little too effective…”
“Yeah.”
The homeowners, apparently enraged by the territorial violation, had brought friends.
*Grrrr…*
Four War Wolves, each twice the size of a large dog, flanked them, their gray fur bristling.
Behind them, a larger, darker War Wolf with a scar across its left eye stood, seemingly the leader of the pack.
“What do we do now?”
Luke thought.
Double experience event?!
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