After Detonating........
HOWL... HOWL... HOWL...
Wolf howls echoed in the distance as a merchant caravan traveled through the middle of the night.
Rustle... rustle...
A man in a severely wounded state dragged his weak body toward the merchant caravan, desperately shouting for help.
"Anyone, please help me! My group... they... they're gone!"
The moment they heard him, the people of the merchant caravan raised their guard toward the poor man begging for help.
A tall man wearing a golden silk robe and carrying a sheathed scimitar approached the wounded man.
"What is your name, friend? What happened to your group?" The poor man pleaded in a hoarse voice.
"I am Gintian. Please, honorable master, help me. My group and I were scouting the area when suddenly a... a monster... a beast attacked us. It bit and tore my comrades limb by limb. I was the only one who managed to survive and escape this catastrophe."
The man sobbed uncontrollably as the man in front of him shouted an order to the servants of the merchant caravan.
"Everyone, take this man and treat his wounds. Feed him and give him some clothes."
The man was the leader of this merchant caravan—a Rank Three, 4th Tier Leaf Master. He looked at the bloody trail behind the wounded man he had just helped and shouted,
"I need four Rank One Leaf Masters to follow me! The rest of you, build a camp and guard the caravan!"
Everyone responded.
"YES, LORD XEVARH!"
"Let's go."
Xevarh ordered the four Rank One Leaf Masters and started moving toward the bloody trail.
This merchant caravan consisted of fifteen Leaf Masters, including their leader, Xevarh, a Rank Three, 4th Tier Leaf Master. There were also six Rank Two Leaf Masters and eight Rank One Leaf Masters, along with fifty servants and sixteen different log carriages.
While some of the servants tended to Gintian's wounds, the remaining Leaf Masters built a camp with the servants assisting them.
Xevarh and the four Leaf Masters followed the blood trail to the area of the incident. There, they saw the monster lying motionless on the ground, with no sign of life.
IT'S DEAD.
"Sir, this monster has the appearance of a wolf," one of the Leaf Masters said to Xevarh.
"Yes. This is a Lycan Mountain Rock Wolf," Xevarh replied with a disappointed expression.
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"We're out of luck. When a Lycan Mountain Rock Wolf dies, its body turns into something resembling a stone statue, making its flesh and blood unusable." Xevarh explained the situation to the Leaf Masters.
One of the Leaf Masters spoke in a grave voice.
"If we had discovered this earlier and killed the monster, we could have made some money from it."
While they were discussing the matter, another Rank One Leaf Master suddenly shouted,
"Everyone, look! Something is moving beneath the stone rubble!"
"Quick! Dig it up!"
After digging with their bare hands, the four Rank One Leaf Masters uncovered an unconscious boy, barely twelve years old. He was holding a bone knife in his left hand while clenching his right arm in pain.
"This kid is dying! Quick, take him to our camp and save him!"
Xevarh was visibly panicked when he witnessed the state of the poor child.
The boy's condition was horrifying. There was a huge wound in his left chest, wide enough for a man's fist to fit through. His ribs were broken, and fragments had pierced his lungs and other organs.
His lower limb was also severely broken, barely holding together as they lifted him from the ground.
Back at the caravan camp, Xevarh instructed everyone.
"I will personally heal him. Everyone, assist me and guard this tent."
Xevarh's decision to personally treat the boy shocked everyone in the caravan. After all, he was their leader—a Rank Three, 4th Tier Leaf Master.
"Why is Lord Xevarh taking action?"
"Why does he want to save this child who is already at death's door?"
"Who is this person?"
People could be heard talking everywhere, asking what was happening inside the tent. They had all seen it: a boy barely breathing and completely unconscious had been carried into the main tent, where more than five Leaf Masters were needed to assist Leader Xevarh in treating him.
A serious expression of panic could be seen on Xevarh's face.
Everyone was troubled, thinking:
WHY?
A moment later, a Rank Two Leaf Master hurried out of the tent, desperately searching for a medicinal substance. The people outside wanted to ask him what was happening, but after finding what he was looking for, he hurried back inside, clutching the medicine as if his life depended on it.
After an hour, the people outside heard a loud scream coming from inside the tent.
AAAAAARRRGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
A blood-curdling shriek pierced the night air from inside the tent.
................................
For a long moment, there was nothing.
Then, a violent gasp came from the Leaf Masters assisting with the healing.
Everyone was exhausted and gasping for breath.
In a low and exhausted voice, Xevarh muttered to himself:
"SUCCESS."
"The healing operation is a success! We did it! We've saved this child. Thank you, everyone, for your assistance."
Xevarh never forgot to thank his comrades before collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.
When Xevarh woke up, his body felt as though he had fought an entire army. Trembling, he slowly stood up and looked at the patient with teary eyes, filled with pity.
He was about to leave the tent when he heard a soft voice.
"I'm... I'm alive."
"How could this be...?"
Before the child could finish speaking, Xevarh suddenly asked,
"Hey, kid. What is your name? I'm the one who saved you with the help of my comrades." The child was stunned for a moment before speaking to Xevarh.
"Where am I? Why am I here?"
"Who are you people? Why did you save me?"
Xevarh replied,
"I am Xevarh, the leader of this merchant caravan. We rescued you at the fighting pits. You were completely crushed by a Lycan Mountain Rock Wolf."
"You were barely breathing and completely unconscious. Even during the healing process, we didn't know whether you would survive."
"All your friends died, except for one who sought help from us. He is also recovering in another tent."
"You asked why we helped you. The answer is simple: you're alive and well enough to speak to me."
"Now, back to my question. Who are you? What is your name?"
"I can't believe you managed to kill that Lycan Mountain Rock Wolf with this bone knife."
THUD.
Xevarh tossed the bone knife onto the mattress beside the child.
The child stared at the knife.
"I killed something with this knife? I... I can't recall what happened." He paused for a moment. "All I remember... My name is..."
Horuz.