Chapter 257

Chapter 257: Just Hit The Weak Points. (2)

“Kaaaargh!”

The leader of the Owlbears let out an even more ferocious roar as it charged forward.

As the Owlbear closed the distance, Ghislain suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Thud, thud, thud!

His abrupt halt left deep marks on the ground as his momentum dragged him forward, sliding toward the Owlbear.

“Kaaaaargh!”

The Owlbear raised its claws high, preparing to slam them down on Ghislain as he approached.

“Hup!”

But Ghislain was faster. Before their bodies even collided, his greatsword traced a wide arc.

Shrrrk!

The charging monster’s head shot high into the air. Its decapitated body wavered briefly before collapsing to the ground.

Thud!

As the Owlbear fell, Ghislain turned back and flashed a bright smile.

“See that? Take off the head, and it’s over. Plus, the hide stays nice and clean. Most monsters die if they lose their head. Numbers are about even, so each of you take one as an opponent.”

“...”

The knights were at a loss for words.

Losing one’s head was fatal for humans, too. Actually, for most creatures, that was true.

If that was considered a weakness, then it was like saying even dragons carried their weak spots out in the open.

They wanted to protest, but there was no time. The Owlbears were already charging towards them.

Ghislain stepped back quickly and shouted.

“Alright, everyone attack! Aim for the weak points!”

“Tch! Let’s go! I can do at least that much!”

Kaor shouted confidently and rushed forward. When it came to fighting, he didn’t want to lose to anyone.

The knights followed closely behind him, raising their greatswords.

Each of them had trained extensively under Ghislain’s direction in various weapon techniques. While spears and swords were their primary weapons, they had also practiced with greatswords, so fighting monsters wasn’t unfamiliar to them.

Kaor swung his greatsword, packed with mana, at an approaching Owlbear.

Ka-ga-gak!

The swing was a bit rough, but he managed to sever its neck in one stroke. Cutting through the thick, tough neck of an Owlbear in one go was no small feat—it was a testament to his skill.

“Whoa!”

“That guy’s amazing too!”

“Maybe they really can take them all down?”

The porters who had been fleeing stopped to watch the scene unfold in front of them.

Two Owlbears had already been decapitated with a single stroke. Seeing that, they began to hope the remaining 50 knights could do the same.

“Argh!”

However, the knight who aimed his greatsword at an Owlbear’s neck failed to sever it completely and was struck, sent flying through the air.

The other knights didn’t fare much better. Some managed to cut halfway through the neck, while others couldn’t even penetrate the thick hide.

“It’s not cutting!”

“W-wait! Hold on!”

“What kind of monster is this!?”

For beginners, slicing through the moving neck of a massive monster was far too challenging.

“Keeek!”

The enraged Owlbears retaliated fiercely, their pain fueling their attacks. The knights, unable to land decisive blows, were struck repeatedly and sent tumbling to the ground.

“Run! We were wrong!”

“Get on the carriages! These guys are done for!”

The coachman and porters, who had been hiding their strength, began stirring the group into a panic, prompting everyone to scramble back onto the carriages.

At that moment, Ghislain re-entered the fray, slicing through Owlbear necks effortlessly while berating the knights.

“Tsk, tsk. I knew this would happen. That’s why I keep telling you—train like your life depends on it. Get up, now! We’ll start special training as soon as we get back.”

The knights scrambled to their feet, terrified by his low voice.

Fortunately, their armor, lined with Blood Python leather, had prevented serious injuries. Though shaken, they could still move.

“Haaahp!”

“Please, just cut!”

“Die! Die!”

The prospect of Ghislain’s dreaded special training spurred the knights to pour all their strength into attacking the Owlbears.

These knights were the least skilled and most complacent members of the group. Until recently, most hadn’t even been able to wield mana properly.

But despite releasing bursts of mana, they struggled to land precise blows. Instead, the area around the Owlbears’ necks was torn into a bloody mess.

“Kaaaargh!”

The Owlbears screeched in agony. The sloppy attacks didn’t kill them but caused immense pain.

Amid the chaos, Ghislain and Kaor repeatedly intervened to clean up the mess.

To be fair, the knights weren’t slacking. A direct hit from an Owlbear’s attack could easily leave them gravely injured or dead.

Ghislain supported those in dangerous situations while shouting instructions.

“Keep your stance straight! Hold your sword properly!”

“Your legs are weak! I’ve told you how to fix that—why are you still like this?”

“You idiots! What have you been training for all this time?”

It wasn’t that Ghislain had been slacking—it was just that he had been too busy lately to push them harder. When he decided to act, however, he did so with the decisiveness befitting his mercenary roots.

While severing the necks of Owlbears, he also delivered blows to the knights.

“Ugh! My lord! We’re in the middle of a battle... Kgh!”

“Can’t you hit us after we finish?!”

Even at night, the knights couldn’t rest. After fending off another pack of dire wolves, they finally managed to catch some sleep.

“Ah, we can’t carry all of this.”

Even though the hundred porters and knights loaded themselves with monster spoils, a lot was left behind.

“Well, nothing we can do. We’ll come back later.”

Ghislain seemed a little disappointed, but the porters and knights looked relieved. Barely a day had passed, but they felt as though they’d been hunting for a month.

The carts were gone now, and they had to carry the heavy loads themselves. But even so, they were just glad to head back.

When Ghislain and the group entered the fortress, those who saw them were wide-eyed with shock.

“Crazy... Is that what they hunted in just one day?”

Workers and knights entered with their backs laden with so much loot that it looked like a large merchant caravan had arrived.

Never before in the fortress’s history had a group hunted so many monsters in a single day—not even when larger groups went out.

People stared at the procession, dumbfounded.

One curious hunter, counting the incoming people, muttered in disbelief.

“Not a single one... died?”

People had already seen the porters bring in piles of owlbear hides. On top of that, it looked like they had slain hundreds of monsters in just a day.

Killing that many monsters with no casualties was unthinkable. To do so, they must have fought non-stop without rest.

When people fight without breaks, it’s normal for at least a few to die.

“Their numbers are the same as when they left. How is this even possible?”

“Yeah, but everyone’s covered in bruises... Why do they look like they were hit by people?”

“Maybe they ran into a lot of humanoid monsters?”

Listening to the murmurs, the knights suppressed their tears. It wasn’t humanoid monsters that had beaten them—it was a monster disguised as a human.

People looked incredulous at Ghislain and the knights’ exploits. But the unbelievable didn’t stop there.

The next day, Ghislain left again with a team of porters. By the time they returned, they had just as much loot as the day before.

“How is this possible? Even if they’re strong, they wouldn’t know the terrain or the monsters’ habits yet, right?”

“We knew they were tough, but wasn’t this their first hunt? Their speed is insane.”

“They’re like veteran hunters.”

Even seasoned hunters wouldn’t hunt so recklessly.

Experienced hunters usually avoided greed and stopped at a reasonable point. That was the way to survive.

But these newcomers acted like they didn’t know such things, annihilating monsters with brute force.

Even the porters began returning with proud expressions, as if they had contributed to the victory.

As this repeated several times, the hunters began to grow jealous.

“The amount they’ve hunted is enormous. Isn’t there some way to take it?”

“No way we can match them by force. Maybe if Doncard got involved, but he’s running the processing workshops.”

“Messing with the workshops wouldn’t do us any good either.”

For hunters, it wasn’t enough to just kill monsters; they needed to extract every bit of profit from the remains. That’s why the fortress had developed an advanced system for processing, tanning, and preserving the materials.

Most hunters avoided touching the workshops. Not only were they well-guarded, but attacking one would also mean no other workshop would work with them.

Ghislain smiled contentedly as he inspected the growing stacks of hides and bones in the workshop storage.

“Ha, nothing beats earning money while warming up.”

Seeing the piles of materials, including even organs that could be used for medicine or food, was impressive.

The knights, though exhausted from the daily battles, couldn’t help but gape at the sight of the storage.

“Wow, all of that is money?”

“Our lord sure knows how to get things done.”

“But we still have to hunt 100,000 of these...”

At those words, everyone’s faces turned gloomy. They finally understood why they were here.

For days, they had been pushed to the brink. Honestly, death would have been a relief.

Getting hit by monsters was bad enough, but getting hit by their allies? The knights had long since lost their faith in humanity.

‘But... our speed is improving.’

‘Is this really effective?’

‘It’s definitely faster thanks to the lord, but how could we maintain this on our own?’

Ghislain’s hunting speed was beyond imagination. No monster could protect its weak points from him.

The knights, though struggling to keep up, found themselves catching monsters faster and faster. Yet, this brought them no joy.

‘Our skills have improved, so why do I feel like crying?’

To catch 100,000 monsters, they had to risk their lives every day. This level of training was pure torment.

As Ghislain’s hunting frenzy continued, complaints began to arise among the hunters.

“That bastard is wiping out all the hunting grounds. At first, he kept his distance, but now he’s encroaching on our areas.”

“Should we teach him a lesson? Maybe kill him outside?”

“Who’s going to do that?”

It was like trying to bell the cat. Ghislain’s skill and track record made anyone hesitate to provoke him.

Ultimately, the hunters’ hope rested on the fortress’s strongest faction, Doncard, the King of Ironcliff.

“Doncard has to step in, right?”

“Yeah. No one else can handle them. They’ve got numbers too.”

“But why is Doncard staying quiet? Those guys haven’t even paid association fees.”

“They wiped out Arnold’s crew at the inn. Their hunting skills are famous. Even for Doncard, it’d be risky.”

“But he’ll have to act eventually.”

“Yeah, apparently they hit Doncard’s hunting grounds yesterday. A showdown is inevitable.”

Rumors spread throughout the fortress that Doncard, leader of its strongest faction, wouldn’t stay idle for long.

And the tension finally came to a head. Doncard couldn’t ignore the infringement on his hunting grounds any longer.

“Doncard’s here! Doncard has arrived!”

With a shout, a group arrived at the inn.