The Witcher: Grinding Proficiency Starting with the Witcher

Li Wei lifted the tarpaulin, his gaze sweeping over the corpse, and softly read out his observations.

"His head was gnawed off, and there was a very deep scratch on his chest..."

As he spoke, he reached out his gloved hand and pressed it against the corpse's chest.

A stream of murky blood immediately gushed from the wound.

"His ribs were broken and pierced his lung; this monster was incredibly strong."

Aite stepped forward, held up his right hand above the wound, narrowed his pale golden cat eyes, and said in a deep voice, "This claw mark looks a bit like a black bear, but black bears don't come into town to cause trouble."

"Look here."

Mavis's cold voice rang out, and her finger pointed to the mud-covered right hand of the deceased Dylan.

Upon hearing this, Li Wei looked over, and his pupils suddenly narrowed.

He bent down, carefully lifted Dylan's wrist, and pulled a gray hair from between his tightly clenched fingers.

His gaze then fell on the deceased's fingernails, where dark red marks remained.

"There was blood under his fingernails. He struggled desperately before he died, but he couldn't break free from the monster's control. This hair must be the one he forcibly ripped off the monster."

Li Wei brought the hair to his nose and smelled it; a strong, pungent odor hit him.

He then handed it to Aite.

Aite first examined it carefully, then held it to his nose and sniffed it, a knowing look flashing across his face.

"Butler, are there any other bodies?"

The butler standing to one side nodded solemnly: "Yes, it's right ahead."

The group followed him forward, and the butler once again lifted a gray oilcloth.

"This is Lucas Campbell. He was found in the woods three days ago."

Li Wei stepped forward. This time, he couldn't find any hair between the deceased's fingers, but instead found a small tuft of the same gray hair in a black scab that had already congealed on the deceased's right thigh.

He took it off, sniffed it briefly, and setting aside the strong smell of blood, the unique stench was exactly the same as what he had just smelled.

"There's no mistake," Aite asserted in a deep voice, "This smell...it's werewolf."

"Werewolf?"

Li Wei was startled.

Mavis continued, "Werewolves are powerful cursed creatures. In terms of both strength and speed, they are among the most difficult monsters to deal with."

"Ahem..." The butler behind them coughed, interrupting their discussion. "It seems you gentlemen have some leads. I'm sure the Baron will be happy to hear this news. Please come to the main hall for a chat."

As he spoke, he turned to the side and gestured for him to enter.

Li Wei felt a slight displeasure at the sudden interruption, but he did not show it.

Aite took a breath and said in his usual lazy tone, "Let's go, we can't keep the Baron waiting."

Please come with me.

The butler turned around and led the way, and the group returned to the castle hall.

Baron Olsen remained standing there, his gaze fixed on the window, his fists clenched, as if deep in thought.

Upon hearing footsteps, he immediately turned around and looked at the crowd with a kind gaze.

"Gentlemen, have you found any clues? This monster has kept me from getting a single good night's sleep for the past month."

Aite gestured to Levi, who understood, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Excellency, we have ascertained the monster's identity; it is a werewolf."

Baron Olsen's face showed surprise. He then paced back and forth in the hall, muttering to himself, "No wonder, no wonder we couldn't find it... It's actually the werewolf from the bounty hunter legend."

He abruptly stopped, a strange light flashing in his brown eyes, almost with a hint of joy, as he said, "Witchers! This monster has invaded my territory and slaughtered my people. I, Raymond Olsen, hereby formally issue you a commission to hunt this monster!"

He emphasized each word, saying, "If you can bring its corpse to me and restore peace to my territory, I'm willing to pay you fifty flake gold coins as a reward! Remember, it's killing it!"

Fifty gold coins—this is an extremely generous reward, enough to buy a decent shop on a bustling street in a major city.

Aite suddenly spoke up: "Your Excellency, hunting werewolves is no easy task. I think we need a quiet room to discuss our strategy."

Baron Olsen spread his hands and readily agreed, "Of course."

He then instructed, "Butler, escort the three distinguished guests to the private room to rest."

"Yes."

"Witchers, I look forward to hearing good news from you."

Baron Olsen's gaze swept over the three men, his smiling eyes revealing an undeniable sharpness.

Led by the butler, the three entered a quiet room.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the carved windows, and fresh flowers and fruit were laid out on the round wooden table.

"Gentlemen, if you need anything, please open the door and call me. I'll be waiting nearby."

After the butler finished speaking, he left the room and gently closed the heavy wooden door. Aite's ears twitched slightly, and after confirming that the butler outside the door had gone far away, he lowered his voice and said, "Werewolves, cursed creatures, are usually transformed from men on the night of a full moon, possessing superhuman senses of smell, sight, and hearing."

"Their muscle density far exceeds that of a normal male, making it difficult for even ordinary steel swords to cause substantial damage. The only things they fear are silver swords and flames."

He paused, then continued, "If I were the only one receiving this commission, I would leave without hesitation. But now..."

His gaze swept over Levi and Mavis. "There are two witchers and a beautiful and respectable sorceress present. They are not without a fighting chance."

Li Wei also attached great importance to his first formal demon-hunting commission.

"Uncle Turka prepared some high-grade curse oil for me when I hunted the petrified chicken snake last time. I still have three bottles in my bag."

Aite's eyes lit up: "This is great! With high-grade cursed oil, the chances of killing it will be much greater."

Mavis found a stool and sat down, calmly analyzing the situation: "Werewolves are extremely fast. We can set traps at their usual feeding spots."

"For example, your Otto sign can effectively restrict its movement."

"That's right."

"Wait a minute..." Li Wei stroked his chin and asked, "I have a question."

"As a cursed creature, a werewolf's birth must originate from someone's curse, and the transformation of a werewolf usually only occurs during a full moon."

"Judging from Baron Olsen's demeanor, he doesn't seem like someone who knows nothing about werewolves. Why doesn't he try to find the one who cast the curse, but instead deliberately emphasizes 'killing' it?"

Mavis paused for a moment upon hearing this, then fell into deep thought: "Indeed, there are probably some hidden reasons behind this. However, werewolves don't necessarily have to wait for a full moon to transform; certain special circumstances can also stimulate their mutations."

Aite waved his hand: "Gentlemen, now is not the time for pity. If we don't subdue this werewolf quickly, there may be another victim tonight."

Levi and Mavis exchanged a glance and nodded.

We'll deal with whatever comes our way, but we'll have to wait and see what happens when we actually see the werewolf.

They went outside and informed the butler, officially accepting the demon-hunting commission.

The butler bowed politely: "Your Excellencies, this is indeed a wise choice. On behalf of the Baron, I thank you."

Afterwards, Levi and Ett went to the castle's stables to retrieve their respective equipment, and then followed Harvey to the redwood forest to the south.

That's where werewolves feed.

After surveying the surrounding environment and ambush locations, Levi and Ett returned to the castle and began making final preparations, waiting for nightfall.

As dusk approached, Li Wei and his two companions were ready.

Just as they were about to leave the castle and head to the redwood forest to the south, there was a gentle knock on the wooden door of the room.

A clean-faced young maid dressed in servant's attire stood at the door.

She lowered her head, not daring to look directly at the three people's faces, and said timidly.

"My lords, the Baroness requests your presence."