After returning the weapon to Aila, I decided to resume the hunt.
"Well, shall we go for some wolf hunting? Aila, is there anything I need to be careful about?"
"They usually move in groups of 2 to 5. Additionally, they use skills frequently and occasionally accelerate, so you need to be cautious. However, like 'Swift,' they need to decelerate when not moving in a straight line, and their speed is constant. If you pay attention to these points, there shouldn't be any problems."
"Got it. Since this is my first time dealing with wolves, if you think it's dangerous, it would help if you could reduce their numbers."
"Understood."
With that, we stepped into the hilly area.
It's hard to see, but this hilly area seems to have a crater-like depression in the center, and the packs seem to form around it. If my guess is correct, rare monsters might spawn there. However, according to the map information, there are regular monsters there as well.
If I think negatively, this rare monster might have to fight alongside the common ones.
"Let's start with those three."
Using the 'Iron Knife' I picked up on the way, I tried to lure out the monsters.
"Here goes!"
The 'Iron Knife' was sucked into the forehead of a Hills Wolf, and it turned to smoke with a single strike.
"Growl!"
"Bark! Bark!"
The two Hills Wolves nearby charged at me, but they were slow. Compared to the 'Murder Rabbit's' 'Swift,' there was a world of difference in speed. It was easy to track their movements with my eyes. By placing my sword where the charging Hills Wolves would move, they turned to smoke on their own. Dealing with them one by one, the battle ended easily.
"Excellent job, Master."
Aila, who had somehow already collected the drops, stood beside me. In her hand was an 'Agility' skill orb.
"Oh, it already dropped. With 'Luck' at 1000, the drop rate is around 10%, but now it's 1100, so it's 11%. ...Hmm, it's probably just a margin of error."
"It's a good start, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I'll use four 'Agility' orbs, so Aila, you can use the fifth to seventh ones to make 'Agility II.'"
"Thank you, Master."
With that, we continued the hunt without any major issues, and the consecutive 100 Hills Wolf hunt went smoothly.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
Then, when I defeated the third wolf in a pack of five, it appeared.
The sign of a rare monster's appearance.
"Oh!"
Seeing it, I calmly disposed of the remaining two. I hadn't tried this before, but the two additional monsters I just defeated turned to smoke immediately, so they probably didn't affect the rare monster's smoke. I'll also test whether I need 98 more or 100 in total.
The smoke expanded as expected when it reached the center of the crater.
"Aila, have there been any reports of Hills Wolf rare monsters in other dungeons?"
"Yes, there have been."
"If it's the same name and species, let me know."
"Understood."
From the smoke, a wolf larger than a Hills Wolf appeared.
＊＊＊＊＊
Name: Boss Wolf
Level: 23
Strength: 150
Dexterity: 270
Toughness: 110
Agility: 250
Magic: 300
Intelligence: 150
Luck: None
Equipment: None
Skills: Swift, Leadership
Drops: Boss Wolf's Fang, Boss Wolf's Fur
Magic Stone: Medium
＊＊＊＊＊
Its level is between 'Murder Rabbit' and 'General Goblin,' but since it has a medium magic stone, it's clearly weaker than 'General Goblin.' Especially, its 'Strength' and 'Toughness' are only about half of 'Golden Bug's.'
"Roar!!"
"Growl"
"Bark!"
"Bark Bark!!"
The Boss Wolf's roar gathered the Hills Wolves around the crater.
"Whoa, really?"
Thanks to hunting around the crater, only about 7 to 8 Hills Wolves gathered. They haven't all respawned yet, but I'm still completely surrounded. This might be why its base stats are low. Unlike the previous rare monsters, this one attacks in a team.
"The action patterns, names, and appearances are the same, but the levels and skills differ."
"I see. So it's a troublesome one in other places too."
Fortunately, I'm not alone now. I have a reliable companion.
"Aila, can you handle the Hills Wolves?"
"Leave it to me."
Having a companion is a huge help.
Well, let's do this!
"Agility II"
"Growl!?"
This is just a wolf with fur like 'Murder Rabbit.' I won't fall behind at this level.
"Bark!!"
The Boss Wolf tried to bite with its large fangs, but I easily dodged and countered with ease.
"You're slow!"
"Slash!"
"Yelp!?"
Due to its high level, without a 'Strength' boost, my attack didn't finish it in one hit, but I managed to inflict a near-fatal injury.
"Finish it!"
With a follow-up attack, the Boss Wolf turned to smoke.
【Level Up】
【Level increased from 9 to 30】
After easily defeating the rare monster, I felt a strange silence.
"Aila is...?"
"Over here."
I was worried about Aila, but it seems my concern was unfounded. She was standing nearby. A few Hills Wolves couldn't even slow her down. They all turned to smoke.
Well, there were no drops, though.
"You're amazing."
"Thank you, Master."
We praised each other and then looked at the smoke again. Since it was a high-level opponent, it might take about 10 minutes for the smoke to disappear.
We decided to observe from a distance as the timer counted down.
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