"What an awful smell!" Freya commented as she covered her nose. Being a werewolf, she had strong senses that made the stench even more unbearable for her.

Aron nodded in agreement. He could relate to that because he was also suffering from the same degree of stench, squinting his eyes as he tried to make out the surroundings in the dimly lit underground tunnel. The air was heavy and filled with the musty odor of dampness and decay.

The group cautiously proceeded forward, with Aron at the front. Behind him was Scarlett, with a torch in her hand. Since she's more accustomed to the life of an adventurer, Aron wanted to use her experience plus one of her skills: 'Scout'.

A useful skill that can be used to detect the movement of any living thing within a certain range Very useful aseptically in an underground tunnel where the eyes are almost useless.

Scarlett had a calm and composed expression on her face. Her red eyes gleamed with determination, and she seemed ready to face whatever challenges awaited them.

Behind her was Kasumi, with her hand on the hilt of her katana, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Her sharp violet eyes scanned their surroundings, searching for any signs of danger.

Luna, still clutching onto Kasumi's arm, looked up at Aron with wide, curious eyes. She seemed fascinated by the underground tunnels for some reason, and surprisingly, she was enjoying this 'trip', if you can call it that.

Pethra, who was slightly behind her, smiled at Luna's innocent curiosity. Finally, at the tail was Freya. Since she was the strongest one in the group, Aron specially placed her at the back to prevent anyone from sneaking behind them.

As they continued down the tunnel, the sound of dripping water echoed in the distance. The path was narrow, forcing them to walk in single line.

Aron glanced back to check on the rest of the group. Freya seemed to be handling the unpleasant smell better than before, her werewolf senses allowing her to adapt to the environment. Scarlett maintained her vigilant stance, her torch casting flickering shadows on the damp walls.

Kasumi's grip on her katana remained firm, her eyes darting around as she stayed alert. Luna, still clinging to Kasumi's arm, seemed to have slightly overcome her initial shyness and was now observing their surroundings with a mix of curiosity and wonder.

Pethra was holding her staff with both hands, ready to summon an earthen wall at any moment.

After some time, they came across two branching paths, one to the right and one to the left. Aron turned to Scarlett and asked her.

"Which path?"

Scarlett opened Vincent's map of the underground. Aron gave it to her since she had the most experience in this field. Then Scarlett glanced at the two paths; her red eyes glowed for a second before answering.

"Left"

Aron nodded, then led the group to the left path. The group followed the left path as instructed by Scarlett, and after some time, the tunnel gradually widened, allowing them to walk side by side if they chose to.

As they continued, the sound of faint footsteps echoed from up ahead. Aron signaled everyone to stop and remain silent.

"!!!" Immediately, everyone obeyed him and pressed themselves against the tunnel walls, waiting to see who or what was approaching.

Seconds later, Aron spotted a torchlight in the distance. The light slightly grew closer, then stopped. Aron was confused for a moment. He couldn't see clearly due to the dim lighting, but he could sense a presence. He turned around and signaled Freya to come closer to him.

"Can you see them, Freya?"

Freya focused her enhanced senses on the area where Aron indicated and squinted her eyes, trying to discern any figures in the darkness. After a moment, she nodded and whispered back to Aron.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Yes, I can see two men... in beggar clothes, sitting on a box. They seem to be talking with one another."

Aron nodded and relayed the information to the rest of the group in hushed tones. They all crouched low against the walls, remaining hidden as they observed the two men from a distance. Freya's keen senses allowed her to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation. The men seemed to be engaged in a heated discussion.

"Boss, they look drunk, and they are angry about not getting paid."

Aron narrowed his eyes. He leaned close to Freya and whispered in her ear

"Can you hear anything else?"

"!!!"Freya almost jumped out of her hiding spot, surprised by Aron's sudden approach. This was her second time interacting with him, and like the first time, she struggled to control her emotions.

His face, aura, scent, strength, and on top of that, his gentle side—all of it made every fiber of her soul scream, "I want this man". Freya even surprised herself by not jumping at the man right away.

She took a deep breath, trying to regain composure and focus on the task at hand. Closing her eyes momentarily, she used her werewolf senses to listen more attentively to the conversation between the two men.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and whispered back to Aron, her voice barely audible. "They're complaining that everyone is having a good time in their leader's place. They're also wondering when they'll get rid of the slaves."

Aron widened his eyes, then turned to Scarlett. "Is there anyone close to us besides them?"

Scarlett shook her head. "No, only them in a 300-meter radius."

Aron nodded and glanced back at the light. "Alright, we should capture one of them and make him spill what he knows."

Freya immediately turned to Aron with excitement in her eyes.

"Let me do it, Boss."

Aron narrowed his eyes, seeing her enthusiasm. "Sure, go ahead, but remember to keep one alive, okay?"

Freya displayed a wide smile, happy for the chance to show Aron what she could do, even if it was a small thing.

She handed him her steel Greatsword, which Kasumi had previously bought for her, and stretched her muscles a bit. Then, she lowered her center of gravity, placing both hands on the ground, and slightly bent her legs.

Fixing her gaze on her prey, Freya's eyes glowed with blue light, and her fingernails grew longer and sharper. Gathering strength in her legs, she launched herself with incredible speed, leaving Aron unable to keep track of her with his eyes.

'Damn!! She's fast'

…

"This is bullshit, man!....*Glub, Glub*... Why do we have to do guard duty while the rest are having a good time?" A man in rugged clothes complained to his companion as he drank from his cup.

"Yeah, yeah! Man... he didn't stop at not paying us, Noooo!... He fucking sent us to guard this shit place... FUCK!" The other man was furious and kicked the wooden box he was sitting on.

If you look closely at the two men, you can see a tattoo of a Rat on their right arm beneath their rugged clothes.

"Maybe he'll pay us when he closes the deal with those strange hooded men." The other one tried to be more optimistic.

His friends glanced at him with furious eyes.

"Stop your dreams! It's been more than a week since we brought those slaves. Usually, this deal would only take a couple of days, but not this time."

"What are we going to do?"

"Do I look like I fucking KNOW? But I'll tell you this: if our boss doesn't get rid of those slaves soon, I'll kill each and every one of them. I don't care about his order not to harm them, but I can't stand their cries every night."

"Okay, okay! I understand; stop shouting," his friends quickly agreed, knowing how easily their companion got angry.

'I bet you don't have the balls to say this to his face,' he sighed inwardly as he took a sip from his cup.

Then, suddenly, the torch's fire started behaving strangely.

The skinny guy, who was half-drunk, glanced at the torch for a moment before standing from his place and walking toward it. He kept gazing at the fire, paying little attention to his angry friend, who continued to mumble in a low voice.

Suddenly, he felt something pass behind him at high speed. He turned around immediately but saw nothing.

Fear started crawling into his heart, causing him to break into a heavy sweat as his drunken state faded instantly. He took a few steps away from his spot but then came to a stop when he noticed something strange.

His angry friend was calm—too calm. He froze in place and didn't dare to turn back. At first, he thought he was imagining things, but...

'Shit, shit! I can't hear a thing.'

The only sounds he could hear were his heavy breathing and the racing of his heartbeats.

Badump. Badump.

Holding his breath, the skinny guy forced himself to turn around, searching for his friend. But what he found inside made his heart stop.

A fearsome-looking woman with long silver hair, blue eyes, sharp teeth, and long fingernails shaped like claws was covered in his friend's blood. His friend lay on the ground with claw marks on his throat.

"Hiii!" The skinny guy screamed like a little girl, drawing the woman's attention to him.

The woman smiled and instantly leaped toward him, covering his mouth with her hand and digging her claw-like nails into his cheek.

"Shhhh, this isn't the time for screaming. My boss has some questions for you, and you're going to answer them, right?" The woman smiled 'gently' at him.

"Hmmm!" The skinny guy nodded instantly. The woman's smile was anything but gentle, so it came as no surprise that his pants were all wet.