Chapter 65

The Lightning Wolf was now standing upfront as if blocking my path. Wait, that lightning bolt was actually him?! Based on the sparks that were dancing around the Lightning Wolf, I could only conclude that the monster had some kind of ability to infuse his body with electricity. Most likely, it was a skill similar to my Shadow Augment or maybe even a higher version of it.

That is pretty damn powerful. If my guess was right, then I couldn’t possibly outrun this monster. After all, this wolf was probably moving near the speed of light in that state. And well, even the combination of Shadow Augment and Acceleration wouldn’t be enough to reach that velocity. So, I finally meet a monster that I cannot possibly keep up with.

Fortunately, the Lightning Wolf wasn’t showing any signs of hostility against me. In fact, the monster was still registered as a neutral party in my Sixth Sense skill. If I was not mistaken, that attack from earlier was just his way of saying to stop running away.

Whilst making sure not to provoke the Lightning Wolf, I observed every movement of the monster with the utmost caution. After all, there was no telling what the monster would do if I let my guard down. And more than that, I wouldn’t be able to dodge a preemptive strike from this monster if I didn’t do this much.

For quite some time, the two of us just stared at each other. And from some unknown reason, I got this weird impression that the monster seemed to be trying to gauge out my intentions. It was as if the monster was stuck in a dilemma, and that rendered him unable to make any decisive choice.

Because of that, the other wolves that had been chasing after us managed to catch up. Great. Now I’m surrounded. Upon seeing that none of us had yet to make a move, the wolves that have just caught up decided not to interfere and just sealed off my paths. With that, I was effectively stuck on my spot and was forced to face the Lightning Wolf. Though, of course, I still continued on with my wait and see approach.

Not long after that, the Lightning Wolf walked towards me with some clear caution in his steps. And upon coming to a stop just a little distance away, a sudden unfamiliar voice rang inside my head. “Can… you understand…?” A choppy voice asked.

Huh?! Confused, I looked around. But realizing that there was no one near our immediate vicinity, my head turned and gravitated towards the Lightning Wolf. Then, with a very careful tone, I inquired. Was that you?

Probably because of that, I saw a mixture of surprise and relief flashed on the Lightning Wolf’s face. “Yes…” He answered thereafter.

Upon confirming my suspicion, I couldn’t help but exclaim. Seriously?! How are you doing that?!

At that, the Lightning Wolf tilted his head and replied. “What… do you… mean...?”

Uhm… How do I say this? Following that, I proceeded to question the Lightning Wolf about how he was communicating with me. And from what I could gather on his replies, it seemed like it was possible to make a simple conversation if the alpha-class monsters were from the same species. Well, that was at least my interpretation based on his choppy sentences.

Now that I think about it, I saw those apes doing the same. During my time as a prisoner of the apes, I was pretty sure that I had seen the Gigarillon giving some kind commands to his most trusted servants; the Pronobo and Tronobo. Coincidentally, they are both alpha-class monsters as well.

Furthermore, on the last stages of my memories as that Young Wolf, there was also an instance similar to that. And if I was remembering it right, it happened just before the Tempest Wolf and the Frost Wolf clashed. At that time, before the fight began, the two of them had stared each other down as if conversing amongst themselves. Maybe, that wasn’t just an attempt to intimidate the other party.

Of course, without this information, I wouldn’t even guess this kind of possibility. Because to be honest, I really thought that the actions of those monsters didn’t mean that much. And considering that most of us could understand each other through body language alone, then it was only natural that I wouldn’t assume such a ridiculous conclusion. After all, the means of doing so leaned more towards the telepathic side of things instead of the common verbal route.

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While I was being hit by all that realization, the Lightning Wolf asked. “So… who’re you…? And after much effort, he continued. “And why’re… you here…?

Hearing that, I made an excuse on the spot. I came from another area and just happened to pass by. I replied with a fake sigh.

When I answered like that, the Lightning Wolf narrowed his eyes. “Then what… of the… other one…? He inquired whilst raising his guard up.

Noticing that, I responded in haste. You mean that ape? Well, we came here after escaping from another area. Hmm… How should I explain this? Acting as if I was trying my best to summarize my thoughts, I continued. To be more specific, a bunch of monsters chased us out.

“Monsters…?”

Yeah. A whole bunch of Anties species. I pointed out with certainty.

For about a split-second, I saw some change on the Lightning Wolf’s expression. But as if trying to hide that fact, the monster brushed that aside before interrogating me once more. “Then… where’s he…?” He asked in a forceful tone.

This time, I didn’t have to hide anything, so I decided to tell the whole truth. The ape? I don’t know. When I wake up, he’s already gone. I said in a snap.

“But why… run away…?”

Based on the context of his question, I immediately realized that he was talking about the two instances of me running away. Who wouldn’t? I mean, you and your wolves suddenly appeared. I explained without backing down.

With a look of understanding, the Lightning Wolf gave up. “True…” He said and then added. “What of… that cave…?”

You mean that cave from before? I asked in confirmation. When the Lighting Wolf nodded, I told him what happened. Like I said, we were chased by a bunch of Anties species. So, in order to prevent them from following, we collapsed the cave.

After hearing my answer, the monster’s nose twitched and the Lightning Wolf scrutinized my face. From what I could tell, the monster was trying to determine if I was telling the truth. So, in order to lessen the monster’s suspicion, I made sure to act with confidence while keeping my calm.

The Lightning Wolf did that for a couple of seconds. But probably because he didn’t detect any lies, the monster finally relaxed his tense posture. As a result, I noticed that his expression had softened when he looked at me again.

“I see…” The Lighting Wolf started. “Then, what’s… your plan…?”

Mustering up my most troubled expression, I began. To be honest, I don’t know. But this forest is big, so it might not be bad to stay here for a while. I said whilst faking nonchalance.

“No good…” The monster replied in an instant.

Why?

“Because it… might cause… problems…”

Following that, the Lightning Wolf went on to explain that there were three alpha wolves in this forest. Though, of course, that was something that I already knew. But what caught my attention the most was what he said afterwards.

According to him, the other alphas might not like our presence here so there was a possibility that we would end up fighting them. Furthermore, he also explained in passing that there was something unknown that was causing some disturbance in this forest. When I inquired about that, the monster said that he even assumed that we were somehow related to those incidents.

So, you believed me?

“It all… lined up…” The Lightning Wolf clarified.

Basically, it seemed like his conclusion was based on the fact that we have just arrived in this place. Most likely, multiple incidents had already happened, before we even chance upon this forest and that led him to believe that we weren’t related to it at all. In other words, the Lightning Wolf had already seen all the evidence for himself, and everything else was just him trying to confirm those facts.

If I can’t stay here, then, are you telling me to leave as soon as possible?

“No…you’re not… leaving…” He answered with conviction.

When I heard him, I tilted my head and asked back. I’m sorry, what?

“I said… you’re not… leaving…” The Lighting Wolf repeated in confirmation.

Narrowing my eyes, I asked in blank. Do you mean that you will dispose of me right here, right now?

Probably noticing the sudden shift in my atmosphere, the wolves that had been watching us from the shadows immediately revealed themselves. That’s what it is, huh? Seeing that, I gazed at Lightning Wolf in caution while preparing to activate my skills.

But in an unexpected turn of events, the Lightning Wolf signaled at his minion and they all stopped moving from their spot. “Not that…” The monster began. “What I… meant was…” After a brief pause, the monster continued. “You can’t… leave this… forest…so stay… with my… pack for… a while…” He said with an amicable smile.