'As Expected'
ROAR.
"Surround it quickly!" one of the soldiers barked.
Five soldiers and their wolf companions had cornered a massive polar bear. Vio watched from his hidden vantage point, eyes widening at the creature's size.
'What do these animals eat in this world to grow so large?'
Even by polar bear standards, this beast was a giant. It reared up on its hind legs, revealing powerful chest muscles and eyes that blazed with defiance against the humans encircling it.
The soldiers raised their hands in unison, ice shards materializing in the air around them while their swords remained sheathed. Their wolves crouched low, growling, ready to strike.
"Now!" commanded their leader, who stood perfectly still as if he were merely an observer.
Ice shards flew toward the bear from all directions, only to shatter against its thunderous roar.
ROAR.
The bear lunged at the nearest soldier, but the man quickly backstepped, barely avoiding those deadly claws.
BOOM!
The bear's swipe sent nearby rocks flying like projectiles. Even Vio doubted he could survive such a blow.
One wolf darted in, sinking its fangs into the bear's hind leg. When the beast turned to deal with the threat, another wolf clamped down on its other leg, forcing it to divide its attention.
More ice shards rained down, striking the bear's thick fur harmlessly but slowing its movements enough for the wolves to retreat to their masters' sides.
This deadly dance continued for several minutes.
None of the soldiers engaged the bear directly. Instead, they maintained their distance, hurling ice shards while commanding their wolves to dart in for quick strikes, slowly bleeding their massive opponent.
What fascinated Vio was their coordination. The soldiers weren't just standing around randomly—with each provocation, they moved in a specific pattern, gradually repositioning themselves.
'Are they herding it toward a trap?'
The bear's frustration mounted. How could it not, when its enemies refused to face it honorably?
It slammed both paws against the ground.
BOOM!
The earth trembled beneath the impact.
"Now," the leader commanded.
As if injected with liquid fire, the wolves' muscles bulged, and they charged the bear with reckless abandon.
The bear had learned from previous encounters. Instead of just turning its head, it spun its entire massive body, backhanding a wolf that ventured too close. The creature slammed into a boulder with a pitiful whimper.
ROAR.
The sound wave knocked the remaining wolves off their feet, sending them tumbling backward.
As the bear's roar faded, ice shards flew like arrows, pelting its hide. Though they caused no real damage, their purpose was clear—distraction.
While the bear struggled to regain its bearings, something landed on its back.
The leader, who had been standing far from the action, somehow leaped from a nearby tree and drove two ice swords deep into the bear's spine.
ROAR.
The unexpected attack stunned the massive predator. As it thrashed, trying to dislodge its rider, a large ice block struck its left eye, blinding it on that side.
Enraged beyond reason, the bear threw itself against nearby rocks, desperate to crush the human clinging to its back. But the leader held fast to his embedded swords.
Whenever the bear deviated from their desired path, the wolves would scratch at its ribs and thighs, forcing it back on course through pain and harassment.
"Here!" shouted a soldier at the front, a large pack strapped to his back.
The leader released his grip and leaped gracefully toward his subordinate. The maddened bear charged straight after them, driven by pure instinct to destroy its tormentors—especially the one who had dared to ride it.
But instinct couldn't account for human cunning.
The moment the bear's massive paw touched a specific patch of ground, the earth beneath transformed into explosive ice blocks.
BOOM!
ROAR.
The explosion tore away the bear's front leg in a spray of blood and bone.
With their prey crippled, the soldiers drew their swords. Both men and wolves abandoned caution, rushing in to slash and bite the fallen giant.
The bear collapsed, its breathing labored, wounds covering its once-magnificent body.
But they didn't deliver the killing blow.
Everyone stepped back, making room for their leader, who smiled with cold satisfaction.
He approached the dying beast methodically, drew his sword, and placed the blade against the bear's throat. With deliberate, agonizing slowness, he drew the steel across flesh and bone, cutting deep enough to sever the head completely. The massive skull rolled across the blood-soaked ground.
Vio studied the leader's expression throughout the execution.
Without a shared language, he had to rely on body language and facial expressions to understand these people. During his first encounter with the soldiers in their tent, he'd sensed hostility toward his metallic form, leading him to believe humans in this world weren't friendly toward unfamiliar species.
Once outside, his ability 'Boy, Life is Tough in Alam' had made him appear completely human, and that hostility had faded. What remained was anger, which Vio interpreted as a natural reaction to territorial intrusion.
But now, the leader's expression told a different story.
Vio quickly glanced at the other soldiers to confirm his observation.
They were all smiling—not with bloodthirsty madness, but with the pride of warriors who defeated a superior opponent through skill and teamwork.
When the execution finished, the leader's face relaxed as he turned to address his men.
"Get to work!" he ordered.
The wolves departed as a pack, their part in the hunt complete.
One soldier stepped forward, opening his large pack to reveal an array of skinning knives in various shapes and sizes. These weren't combat weapons—they were precision tools for butchery.
Each soldier selected a blade and methodically skinned the bear. They worked with practiced efficiency, carefully wrapping the precious pelt before loading it onto an ice cart the leader had crafted.
'I'm not sure I could beat him.'
Vio wasn't certain whether his focus on their tactics had prevented him from sensing the leader's stealthy movement through the trees. What he did know was that this commander was the strongest soldier he'd encountered so far.
As for the bear itself, Vio had no illusions—his chances against such a creature were practically zero. The soldiers had only won through superior tactics and flawless coordination.
[The hero has obtained new information.]
[The information is being evaluated...]
[Evaluation completed: 93%.]
As Vio processed what he'd witnessed, the system quietly calculated the value of his discoveries.
'Let's test my theory.'
His eyes focused on the bear's pelt. The soldiers wore robes and feathers, yet they treated the bear hide with such reverence.
'Don't tell me they make their tents from bear pelts. System, the temperature inside that tent was much warmer than outside.'
[Correct.]
Vio nodded, convinced that these pelts were what allowed the soldiers to survive the mountain's brutal nights.
[The hero has obtained new information.]
[The information is being evaluated...]
[Evaluation completed: 142%.]
The system appeared to confirm his deduction
The leader's relaxed posture suddenly shifted as he turned toward a specific direction.
'What's he looking at?'
Vio followed his gaze. At first, sensed nothing, but soon detected something approaching through the air.
'Owl.'
The bird landed on the leader's outstretched arm, carrying a message.
'As I suspected. He's stronger than me—he sensed it long before I did.'
"NAVIR!" the leader bellowed, his voice echoing off the mountainside.
All the soldiers flinched. The one called Navir looked particularly shaken, swallowing nervously as he approached his commander.
"Commander," Navir stammered.
The leader shoved the message against Navir's chest with enough force to make him stagger backward.
"I... I..." Navir mumbled, reading the contents with growing horror.
"Commander Zaves, what's wrong?" another soldier asked, speaking for the confused group.
"Your 'brother' here told us this was a hunting order," Zaves announced loudly, causing every soldier to scowl. "But according to this word, we were supposed to capture the beast alive."
The reaction was immediate and explosive.
"Are you kidding me?"
"What?! All that effort for nothing?"
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Wait, why did they want it captured?"
"Who cares? I only left Uncle's order because this seemed easier. How are you going to compensate us?"
The soldiers bombarded Navir with angry questions and furious glares.
"No... no, there's been a mistake! I swear the order said..." Navir protested, sweat streaming down his face. He understood exactly how much the reward meant to all of them.
While chaos erupted around him, Vio kept his attention fixed on Zaves. Despite the commander's cold demeanor, there was something in his eyes that Vio recognized all too well.
'A psychopath. But what exactly is he planning, and why?'
After letting the confrontation escalate for a moment, Zaves stepped in to restore order.
"Enough," he said, pushing the angry soldiers away from Navir. "He'll transport this carcass to the storage place while the rest of us check on the rat situation."
"Commander," one soldier objected, "Hamim's order ended before it even started. All that's left is helping Uncle find that rat's corpse—it's a waste of time."
"Exactly. Thanks to Navir, Uncle probably already found it."
"He hasn't found it yet," Zaves said calmly. "We'll investigate. There's nothing to lose anyway. As for you—" He pointed at Navir. "Get to work."
The group dispersed, following Zaves toward their next objective.
Vio didn't follow them. Instead, he remained hidden, watching the disgraced Navir muttering to himself, still refusing to admit his mistake.
Vio decided to trail Navir for one obvious reason: the soldiers valued this 'cargo' highly. Wherever it was being stored would likely be a lightly guarded facility, especially during peacetime.
'They think I'm already dead. Of course, they'll still search for my body.'
Putting himself in their position, if he ruled this mountain and an infiltrator had escaped without being captured alive, he'd at least want to examine the corpse.
'Bodies always tell information. Whether complete or fragmented, information is power.'
As his thoughts settled, a sudden realization struck him like lightning.
The old man often said these words.
'Is this your game, old man?'
He couldn't help but think back to how his missions seemed centered around discovery. The more he learned about his surroundings, the stronger he became.
[The hero has obtained new information.]
[The Mountain Kings' hunting methods have been discovered.]
[Evaluation completed: 178%.]
"Mountain Kings," Vio murmured. "Is that what their names are? No... it sounds more like a title."
[The title of 'Baniaasif' has been revealed.]
[Evaluation completed: 189%.]
"So their clan name is Bani Aasif?" Vio wondered aloud.
[Evaluation completed: 199%.]
When Navir finally finished loading the cart, he began pushing it along a winding path. Vio followed silently, weaving between trees until they reached their destination.
The moment Vio saw it, suspicion bloomed in his mind. His intuition proved correct.
[A village has been discovered.]
[The map has been updated.]
[The information is being evaluated...]
[Evaluation completed: 209%.]