At first, the road ahead appeared relatively quiet, but the environment had changed considerably compared to the areas they had passed through earlier in their journey.
Traceless immediately became more cautious as he observed the surroundings... He could tell that they were getting close to the town, but they had to be more careful because of it.
’This looks like a good place for beasts to hide.’
Several minutes passed without anything happening, but then a loud roar suddenly echoed through the forest...
"Roar!"
The caravan immediately came to a halt.
The guards raised their weapons and looked around cautiously, while the merchants began glancing at one another in concern.
"What was that?"
Before anyone could answer, another roar came from the opposite direction.
Then another.
Traceless’s expression slowly became serious as he realized that they were surrounded.
’Several of them.’
He quickly scanned the forest, and soon, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard approaching from between the trees. The merchants immediately began to panic as a massive creature suddenly emerged from the forest.
It was a huge horned beast covered in thick fur, with two curved horns extending from its head.
[ Level 20 Horned Ironhide Beast ]
’Whoa~ Level 20.’
Before Kai could even consider what to do next, another beast emerged from the opposite side of the road, followed by another one from deeper within the forest. There were several of them, and the situation immediately became dangerous.
The guards quickly formed a defensive line around the wagons.
"Protect the caravan!"
The horned beasts suddenly charged.
The first one crashed directly into the defensive formation, forcing several guards backward from the sheer force of its attack.
Traceless immediately moved forward to help them.
"Don’t fight them alone! Work together!"
As he spoke, he activated Titan Step.
The ground trembled violently beneath his feet as the tremendous force generated by the Gene Skill disrupted the beast’s charge. Its massive body staggered from the sudden impact, giving the guards the opening they needed.
"Attack!"
The guards immediately took advantage of the opportunity. Spears struck against the beast’s thick hide while crossbow bolts flew through the air, forcing the creature to roar angrily as it swung its horns toward the people surrounding it.
These creatures were much stronger than the mutated wolves they had encountered earlier, and a single mistake could easily leave one of the guards seriously injured.
However, Traceless soon realized that the beasts had one major disadvantage compared to the rogue adventurers they had fought on the previous day.
They lacked intelligence.
’They’re powerful, but they don’t know how to work together.’
As long as the guards coordinated properly, they could deal with the beasts one at a time.
"Focus on one!"
The guards immediately concentrated their attacks on the same target, while Traceless summoned Specter Edge and moved forward with them.
Just like that, the guards continued their assault, repeatedly striking the same creature until it finally collapsed.
[ You have defeated a Level 20 Horned Ironhide Beast. ]
[ Experience Points gained. ]
Traceless’s eyes immediately lit up.
’Good.’
There were still several beasts remaining, and the sight of one of their companions falling seemed to enrage the others. The remaining creatures charged toward the caravan together, forcing the guards to tighten their defensive formation around the wagons.
Still, the guards had already learned how to work together, and Traceless had also become familiar with their fighting style. Together, they slowly began bringing down the powerful beasts one after another.
Soon, more and more of them were killed.
[ You have defeated a Level 21 Horned Ironhide Beast. ]
[ You have defeated a Level 20 Horned Ironhide Beast. ]
[ You have defeated a Level 23 Horned Ironhide Beast. ]
[ You have leveled up! ]
As soon as he leveled up, Traceless felt excited.
After all, he already learned that every 3 levels here would give 1 Skill Point!
Thanks to that, he was able to level up his new skills!
The battle continued for several more minutes as the caravan guards fought together while Traceless supported them whenever necessary. Although the Horned Ironhide Beasts were individually stronger than the guards, the caravan had enough manpower to deal with them as long as everyone maintained their formation.
Eventually, the final beast collapsed.
The forest finally became quiet once again.
***
Traceless looked around the battlefield and saw that the caravan had survived the encounter. A few guards had suffered injuries, but nobody had died, and the merchants were still safe inside the wagons.
Julius soon approached him.
"That was the last danger we should encounter before reaching Leonine."
Traceless raised an eyebrow.
"Should?"
Julius laughed.
"Nothing is ever certain on the frontier."
Traceless couldn’t help but smile at the answer.
That was probably the most appropriate response he could have expected from someone who regularly traveled through dangerous territory.
The caravan soon began gathering the loot left behind by the defeated beasts. Their bodies had disappeared in the usual game-like manner, leaving behind horns, thick hides, meat, and several other materials that could apparently be collected as rewards.
Traceless also received his share of the Experience Points.
He immediately opened his status window.
[ Level: 9 ]
[ Experience: 91% ]
Traceless blinked when he saw the number.
’I’m almost there.’
He only needed a little more Experience Points to reach the next level. Unfortunately, the remaining beasts hadn’t been enough to push him over the threshold, but he wasn’t particularly disappointed.
After all, he had still gained a considerable amount of Experience Points from the battle, and he was now only a short distance away from reaching Level 10.
The caravan eventually resumed its journey.
This time, the remaining trip passed peacefully, and there were no more encounters with dangerous beasts or rogue adventurers.
After another hour of travel, Traceless finally saw the massive walls of Leonine Town appearing in the distance.
His eyes immediately brightened.
’Finally.’
After spending three days on the road, they had finally reached their destination.
The caravan slowly approached the city gates, where the guards inspected the wagons and checked the people traveling with them before finally allowing them to enter.
The moment the caravan passed through the gates of Leonine Town, a familiar notification appeared before Traceless.
[ Mission Complete! ]
[ Mission: Guard Caravan en route to Leonine Town. ]
[ Duration: 3 Days ]
[ Rewards: ]
[ 1,500 Experience Points ]
[ 5 Gold ]
[ Rare Item Chest x1 ]
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