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Gliding? She thought about it for a moment. There really didn’t seem to be anywhere she could use such a thing. Still, it never hurt to hold on to a few more of these strange items.

On the other side, Zane stared at the black beetle in his palm, no bigger than a pen cap, unsure what to say.

The Sacred Scarab! With such an imposing name, one would expect something formidable, yet in reality, it was just this tiny little insect. He was genuinely worried he might accidentally crush it with the slightest squeeze.

Its attributes matched its minuscule size perfectly. Its stats were pitiful, even weaker than the little butterfly from a summoner’s base skill, with worse growth potential to boot.

‘This thing… isn’t it beyond saving? Sigh…’

Sensing the disappointment in its master’s gaze, the tiny beetle lifted its head, raising the curved horn on its forehead high as if to appear imposing.

‘Well… at least it looks decent. And, if nothing else, this is my very first pet… No, wait… it doesn’t even count as a pet. It can’t go into the pet space, so if it dies, that’s it. Ugh, what a headache of a reward.’

***

After clearing the Forgotten Tower, everyone seemed worn out. They decided to find somewhere less demanding to train, so they split into two teams as usual and went to level at Cragstone Rise.

The monsters at Cragstone Rise were level 23 to 24, still giving them a fair amount of experience. And with their own levels now higher, the level suppression effect had mostly worn off, so the fights weren’t as taxing anymore.

They had also gone through a good number of Heartsteady Pills in the earlier battles, and the potions that DumbCitrus had distributed earlier were almost entirely used up. They urgently needed to gather more Mindstone, while also helping DumbCitrus push for level 4 Alchemist.

However, Cragstone Rise was already seeing a surge of players. As their levels caught up, it was only a matter of time before others discovered the Mindstones. That meant they had to make the most of the remaining time to farm as many resources as possible.

As for Zane and Starry, they wouldn’t be joining in.

For one, they were already completely familiar with the rock golems’ fighting style and could easily train on their own. For another, with Zane at level 24 and Starry at level 26, Cragstone Rise wouldn’t yield much experience for them anymore. It was time to look for a new hunting ground.

Starry sat atop the Gray Wolf, while the tiny beetle quietly clung to the top of her head. Oddly enough, despite its master being ridden by this woman, it remained surprisingly calm.

Zane had tried killing a few small monsters to help it level up, yet its experience bar didn’t budge an inch. Worse, it even looked eager to leap out into the fray, only for Zane to snatch it back in time.

‘Who is it kidding? With only 3 HP, a jump like that would probably kill it on the spot!’

They wandered around the city for a while. There were plenty of available quests, but almost all of them sent players to the surrounding low-level maps. It seemed higher-level quests weren’t so easy to come by.

‘Speaking of which, it had been a while since we last visited the Gray Wolf Alpha. I wonder how many times it has been slain by players by now.’

The Grayridge Plains, being the closest training ground to Wynwater City, had drawn ill intentions toward the Gray Wolves since day one. That was almost a week ago now, and a level 15 Rare-tier boss hardly posed any threat anymore. By the time it respawned, it would surely be swarmed by a massive hunting party.

Ten minutes later.

Zane carried Starry to the Grayridge Plains. The place was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with players. The Gray Wolf’s skill to call for reinforcements had become useless, every time one appeared, it was instantly hunted down in a frenzy.

Suddenly, a deep growl sounded from behind. “Emberveil! I’ve been waiting for you!”

Zane jumped in surprise. Turning around, he saw it was Mick, the Gray Wolf. The very one who had once warned him not to enter the forbidden zone.

“It’s you?”

“That’s right. Thanks to you freeing the forbidden zone, the ominous voice in my head has finally faded,” Mick said, his tone full of weary emotion.

‘So I’d been right all along, he really was the traitor. But judging from the way he looked now, he seemed to be back to normal.’

“Do you know where that guy went?”

Of course Mick knew exactly who he meant. “As for that… on that day, I sensed his power growing fainter as he headed northwest.”

“Northwest? What’s out there?”
“…That, I don’t know. I’ve spent almost my entire life in the Grayridge Plains and have never gone farther.”
“I see…”
“Enough about that. I came to find you because there’s something important.”
“Huh?” Zane wondered if he’d heard that right.
“To be precise, the chief himself has business with you.”

***

They passed through several unremarkable earthen mounds until no other players were in sight.

“The chief is inside. You’ll have to go in alone,” Mick said nervously. He would stand watch here, if humans found their lair, it would be over.

“Alright!” Zane nodded.

Looking at the surrounding rocks, arranged so cleverly, one would never guess something lay hidden beyond them without coming closer.

“Child… you’ve finally come.” The Gray Wolf Alpha’s voice was steeped in age, lacking the commanding strength it once had when leading the pack.

“Chief, what happened?”

A long, helpless sigh escaped him. “We Gray Wolves have occupied the Grayridge Plains for too long… far too long. I thought we could stand against the humans. But… I was wrong. These damned adventurers have nearly slaughtered our kind to extinction!!” The Alpha’s eyes blazed with fury, only for the fire to fade moments later.

“…” Zane felt a pang in his chest. This wasn’t going to turn into a PK quest, was it? Attacking regular players wasn’t his style.

“Your pet is not what she once was. I can sense the terrifying power within her. Sadly, not every Gray Wolf has your skill.”

“So—”

‘Is he about to issue the quest? Wait… I saw a bunch of Rainflower players here earlier, all in organized training groups. If that’s the case, they’d be perfect to make up the numbers.’

“With the authority of the chief, I ask you—help our Gray Wolf Clan find a new land where we can survive!”

‘So it really is going to be a PvP quest? Alright, I’ll acce… Wait, the hell? This isn’t the right script at all!’

‘…S-rank quest?’

“Chief, aren’t we going to teach those adventurers a lesson first?”
“No. They are vast in number and strength, far beyond what a lone wolf like you can oppose.”

‘I can, though!’

“The Grayridge Plains are still far too close to the human city. I believe if we can find a new place to live, our situation will greatly improve,” the Alpha said thoughtfully.

“Even if you put it that way… where exactly am I supposed to look?”

“I’ve heard of a human village to the west that has been polluted. The undead creatures there have already left. I don’t know why, but I’m certain this is fate giving us a chance! You can try your luck there!” the Alpha declared passionately.

‘Damn it! That village is the one I cleared out myself!’

“If… you do not wish to accept, that’s fine. But the Gray Wolf Clan may cease to exist…” His expression was steeped in grief.

‘Oh, playing the sympathy card now? As if you don’t respawn!’

!!

Zane quickly pulled up the forum to check. ‘The Gray Wolf Alpha’s respawn time is… 6 hours! Meaning… we only have two and a half days left?’

Suddenly, the sound of players shouting erupted from behind. “See! I told you there was something here! So this is where the boss respawns…no wonder no one’s seen it for over six hours!”