Witch Hunter Rhapsody

The forests outside Otham are mainly deciduous broad-leaved forests, and it is summer now, with all sorts of strange creatures living in the lush forests.

The human-faced spider is actually the most dangerous thing an ordinary person can encounter when entering the forest, because apart from suicides and mercenaries working for a living, no one will continue to venture deeper into places where there are no roads.

Vitas had already put on his armor; the discomfort caused by the heat was far less important than the sense of security the armor provided.

Moreover, the forest was unusually noisy in the summer, with the screams of insects, especially the chirping of cicadas, enough to drown out the loud noise Vitas made as he walked.

He opened the map and, according to the information provided by Declan, he could enter the so-called activity area of ​​Guros after walking a short distance.

"Vitas, wait a minute!"

Helena, Leon, and several other skilled members of the Flying Eagle Knights also came along.

This was not a formal hunting operation, but a reconnaissance mission, so not all members were mobilized. They were mostly wearing leather armor and carrying short knives.

Vitas suggested they travel fully equipped, but the Eagle Knights felt they didn't have the stamina, so they ultimately chose to sacrifice protection for greater mobility.

Then, Helena and Leon witnessed a rather embarrassing situation: even in light armor, they couldn't keep up with Vitas, who was clad in heavy armor and carrying a two-handed longsword.

"Vitas! Are you a monster? You weigh hundreds of pounds, how can you walk so fast? Is there magic involved in that armor?"

Vitas said with considerable pride.

"How can so-called magic compare to my unwavering will and my well-trained body?"

Vitas's bold statement left Leon in awe.

"Could you please reconsider our physical condition? We really can't keep up."

"I see. Then you definitely need to train. Being a mercenary isn't about finishing a mission and calling it a day; you can't just coast along. You need to constantly train yourselves and become stronger. You don't just want to stay at the mercenary level, do you?"

Everyone looked at the spirited Vitas with a sense of helplessness.

I never expected Vitas to become so passionate after setting off.

Vitas eventually increased his speed, and it was at this moment that he noticed some unsettling movements in the distance.

He stopped and warned.

"Don't move, there's something ahead."

Where?

The scouts in the group raised a question.

How can you be a scout if you can't even see this?

"Didn't you see that bat-like sheep hanging in the tree?"

"Oh My God!"

It looked like a monster, the offspring of a bat and a sheep, hanging there in the tree.

Vitas has basically figured out the problems that the Flying Eagle Knights currently face.

Their biggest problem is that they don't know their current skill level.

In a small city like Ortham, they might be considered top-tier, but on a broader global scale, their abilities are no better than children playing house.

Vitas signaled to the group not to move forward.

He approached the bat-goat alone.

This creature has the head of a sheep, abandoning the feel of a bat and the docility of a sheep, achieving a bizarre combination.

It is about one meter long, with a slender humanoid body, arms connected to the body by a thin membrane, and a sheep's head.

Immense strength and lightning-fast reflexes—that's how Vitas described himself.

"We have to go help Mr. Vitas!"

"Shut up, Helena. I know you really want to help right now, but don't go. We'll only cause trouble for Mr. Vitas."

For once, Leon was surprisingly rational.

"If we were all here, dealing with this monster would be a piece of cake, but right now we don't have enough people, so we can only avoid a direct confrontation for now."

"but……"

"Helena, don't let your passion interfere with Lord Vitas's battle at a time like this!"

Vitas paid no attention to the noise behind him; he had to focus his attention on the enemy in front of him.

The bat-goat begins to move, relying on a combination of hearing and sight to determine the location of its prey.

It stretched out its hands, its huge wings spread open, and its gray patterns and black flesh began to tremble and become eerie.

Vitas watched the bat-goat cautiously. Suddenly, it pounced, so fast that even Vitas couldn't react in time.

Vitas's body reacted first, his two-handed sword drawing a beautiful arc as it slashed into the bat-ram's body. The tough skin was cut through by the two-handed sword, but it still couldn't completely stop the bat-ram's advance.

The bat-like creature crashed into Vitas, and even though he was wearing heavy armor, the powerful impact still forced Vitas back two steps.

Vitas used the force to fling the bat-ram backward, slamming it to the ground, and then smashed it into the ground with his two-handed sword, pinning it to the ground.

Then, Vitas released his sword, grabbed the bat-ram's legs with both hands, and pulled them apart forcefully, tearing the bat-ram in two.

Blood splattered on Vitas's armor, the scent of blood spreading out, a stench that made people feel inexplicably irritated.

"Let's go. This thing's blood will attract other creatures around here. We're not on a hunting mission right now."

Vitas urged everyone to move forward quickly. He drew his longsword. What could the others say? Such a brutal fighting style. They really didn't know Vitas very well.

……

"Look, it's Guros!"

After walking for several hours in the area where Guros was active, the group finally saw the creature that could bring them wealth at Vitas's call.

Guros was even taller than Vitas had imagined. Its fur was visibly sharp and grayish-white, a color that stood out in the forest, proclaiming Guros's unquestionable power.

"Is there only one? I'm afraid it won't sell for much."

"One Guros should sell for five gold coins, isn't that enough?"

Leon was puzzled.

"Did you bring your entire group here just for five gold coins? Wait, have you conducted similar capture operations before?"

"No, Your Excellency."

"Then use your common sense to think about it. How much money would it cost for dozens of you to eat, drink, relieve yourselves, fight in the wild, and stay in the wild every day? Moreover, hunting these kinds of wild animals requires time for tracking, fighting, and carrying. The initial reconnaissance and finding the prey's tracks often consume a lot of the hunter's energy."

Vitas never expected that one of the best mercenary groups in the city had never carried out a mission to hunt wild monsters.

What he remembered most clearly was his knightly order going to kill the sand serpent on the great plains of the Levin Alliance.

The entire Order of Sin followed Vitas across the arid regions of the Great Plains for two whole months, even running out of food and fresh water.

If it hadn't been for a sudden downpour, Vitas wouldn't have known that the sand serpent only emerges from the ground after a heavy rain.

"Alright, you can go back now."

"Huh, why?"

Helena was surprised that Vitas would suddenly say that.

"You guys have no experience at all. I might as well do the reconnaissance myself. Besides, we know nothing about Guros, so having more people will only hold us back."

"But……"

Helena found this completely absurd.

"You're our comrade! How could you let your comrade leave?"

"ha?"

Vitas found it a bit strange.

"Aren't we in an employer-employee relationship? When did I ever say I was your partner?"

Helena felt as if something had hit her head; she bit her lip and lowered her head.

"Yes, Mr. Vitalius, you are right."

Leon understood this feeling; rather, he was quite pleased to see it.

Helena admires Vitas, but she doesn't understand him, and that's the worst kind of mentality.

Leon felt it was time for him, as someone from the same village as Helena and also the leader of a mercenary group, to mend their relationship.

"Well, Helena, Vitas has his own considerations; however, Vitas, could you leave two people behind to learn? As you said, we really lack experience."

Vitas glanced at Leon.

What's wrong with this guy? Didn't he dislike me? Why is he acting like a human now?

And Helena too, is it really that hard to understand what she's saying? They don't understand anything, aren't they just dragging the team down by staying here?

In the end, Vitas relented.

"You and Helena stay here. The rest of you retreat first. There shouldn't be too many enemies nearby."

There was nothing anyone could do but accept this reality.

Helena and Leon stayed with Vitas, who carefully followed Guros and observed its habits.

"Remember this: every creature has subtle differences in its habits. Mercenaries who are hired by hunters must behave even more professionally than professional hunters."

Vitas also fulfilled his obligations as an employee.

He personally taught the two how to pay attention to their surroundings, including fallen leaves and what animals the traces of mud might represent.

These are all experiences that Vitas has accumulated throughout his combat career.

Gradually, Helena's anger dissipated.

As dusk approached, the three prepared to set up camp. Helena and Leon were just about to set up the camp when they saw Vitas remove his gauntlets.

Helena couldn't help but glance at the ring on his right ring finger.

"I summon you, Vitas's Hut!"

The Laar's Hut spell was triggered, and with thousands of beams of white light converging, a small villa appeared before the two.

Vitas put his gauntlets back on, shouldered his longsword, and said, "No need to set up tents anymore. Just focus on the external defenses."