Chapter 63

Night of the Hunt

“Are you going camping or something?”

Katya asked that question after seeing all the gear Aiden had wrapped around him.

“We’re going hunting.”

More precisely, he planned to head out early to the entrance of the Void Zone, where the beasts would first pour out when the rampage began, and set up camp there.

Katya tilted her head at that answer.

“Not camping?”

“……”

Fair point.

Rope, a tent, a hammer, and stakes to drive into the ground.

He had asked Duke Aslan to provide all of them, but just looking at the combination, it wouldn’t be strange to mistake them for camping gear.

“This should be enough, anyway.”

And it really was.

After all, Aiden’s goal wasn’t to kill anything there.

“Is that so? If you say so…”

As Katya shrugged and said that, Noel naturally approached Aiden and began to share the supplies he was carrying.

It was simple manners—to help carry something heavy. She clearly had no intention of drawing attention to the gesture.

“……”

But Katya, quietly watching the scene, narrowed her eyes.

It was the look of someone who just realized she’d been beaten to an idea she hadn’t even thought of herself…

“…Give me some too.”

“Pardon?”

“I said give me some. I’ll carry it too.”

“There’s really no need—”

Before Aiden could even finish his sentence, Katya pouted and came over, snatching a few things from his hands.

Her body then tipped—wobbling under the weight.

Unlike Noel, she had clearly never carried anything like this before and had no idea how heavy it would be.

Staggering a few steps back, she finally managed to steady herself with a heavy stomp of one foot.

…Her face was completely flushed.

“That’s actually pretty hea—”

“Shut it.”

“Just give them to me. I’ll carry them.”

“I said I’ve got it.”

Noel, quietly observing the scene, brushed her hand along the corner of her mouth.

She looked like she was holding back a laugh.

“……Why do something you’re not even used to? Just pass them to me. I’ll help Mr. Aiden.”

“I said I’m carrying it. Try to take it from me and I’ll burn you.”

Katya glared with wide eyes as she said that, and Noel chuckled as she turned away.

Then, as if a thought had just struck her, Noel spoke up.

“By the way, Mr. Aiden. Wouldn’t it be better to bring someone from House Aslan for support?”

The Aslan Ducal House was the greatest martial family in the Empire. Her point was, whatever Aiden was planning, he should have at least one person to assist him.

“No need. The three of us are enough.”

When Aiden answered firmly, Noel wiped just under her nose.

She clearly suspected that he was up to something absurd again.

However, Aiden had his reasons for not asking for support personnel as well.

Mostly, for reasons similar to what Noel was probably thinking.

‘How the hell am I supposed to explain gaining Affection Level from beasts?’

He meant it.

Aiden's plan, in any case, was to extract skills from that side too. Considering that, his actions were likely to be extremely difficult to understand from the perspective of an ordinary human.

The good news was that he already had everything he needed for it.

Specifically, the two Skill Copy Tickets he received from Duke Aslan.

-System Message

▶ Copying ‘Skill: Tracking’.

▶ Copying ‘Skill: Iron Will’s Instinct’.

-Skill Info

◆ Tracking

By combining clues and the surrounding environment related to a target, you can deduce information about the intended subject. As long as there’s a trace, it can be used on any target, regardless of type.

◆ Iron Will’s Instinct

Humans who have survived the battlefield for a long time possess unparalleled situational awareness. The more dire the situation, the quicker their reflexes become.

The main advantage of stealing someone else's skill wasn’t just copying powerful supernatural techniques that exploded in the heat of battle.

It was also that he could copy techniques that were “honed and internalized through experience” like these.

If Aiden had tried to learn such techniques himself, he would have needed to spend decades risking his life grappling with beasts nonstop. But with Duke Aslan having taken a great liking to him lately, he could just snatch up these top-tier skills like candy.

‘……In some ways, this might be more helpful than supernatural powers.’

They didn’t have dazzling or flashy effects, but when it came to ‘strategy’ and ‘survival’, their effectiveness was absolutely top-class.

And certainly—

“Sir Noel, would you mind following me for a moment?”

“Yes?”

“There’s something I need to set up.”

In a situation like this, it was clear that this would be far more helpful than any supernatural power.

“…Sir Noel.”

“Yes.”

“Why have you been staring at me like that?”

“I just think you always enjoy doing odd things.”

“……”

He let out a sigh through narrowed eyes and said it, but honestly, even Aiden couldn’t find a proper retort to Noel’s response.

He was doing something inexplicable—tying a rope to the edge of a cliff, climbing down, and driving stakes into the crevices between the rocks.

Trying to explain what it all meant would be just as difficult.

Noel had offered to help several times, but each time Aiden had firmly waved her off, saying it was something he had to do himself, making it hard for her to insist.

“……”

“……”

In the silence, only the sound of Aiden hammering echoed—clack, clack.

But even for Noel, who was merely watching, it wasn’t exactly a comforting sight.

‘…He always works so hard.’

She, of course, never stopped wondering what his “true identity” might be. After all, not long ago, this man had lived the life of a petty con artist.

Since she’d forcibly brought him in, his entire life trajectory had changed—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that.

…She’d even recently witnessed just how much his family missed him. It made her reflect on what she had done.

And yet, here she was, still digging into his past. Still actively doing it.

Though Aiden hadn’t shown any particular reaction to it, every time Noel remembered that fact, she felt her insides burning with guilt.

“Mr. Aiden.”

“Yes, Sir Noel.”

And so, when she suddenly blurted out a strange question—

Even to her, it was a half-impulsive action.

“Have I made your life miserable?”

Aiden paused for a moment at the seriousness of her voice.

“…Sorry?”

His flustered response snapped Noel back to her senses, and she quickly looked down at him.

“…Ah, no, never mind. Just forget it. That was a weird thing to—”

“I’m not unhappy.”

Though his body stiffened slightly, the reply came immediately.

“……”

“I’m not unhappy, Sir Noel. I think it was a good thing that I met you.”

“……”

“Otherwise, things could’ve really gone badly.”

Well.

Unhappy, huh?

‘There were times I thought that way, sure.’

He still felt a bit unsettled about not being able to see his family.

But in a world without the Protagonist, he was the only one who knew the future.

If Noel hadn’t forcefully pushed him into the main scenario, there would’ve been no one to stop the apocalypse that was steadily unfolding. That much was certain.

In that sense, he truly meant it when he said he thought it was a good thing.

“A good thing…”

“Yes. I think it was a good thing.”

“A good thing…”

“…Yes. I just said that.”

“That is, yes, a good thing… yes…”

“……”

“Heh… hee, heehee…”

Watching Noel mutter the same thing over and over with a silly smile like she was broken made Aiden feel slightly dizzy.

And then, just as he sighed and was about to resume his work, he suddenly froze.

Noel tilted her head at the sight and called out to him from above the cliff.

“Mr. Aiden? Is something wrong?”

To her question, Aiden replied with a puzzled look.

“No. It’s just… I suddenly felt a sort of vibration.”

It was strange. He had thoroughly checked all his gear before leaving.

“A vibration… you say? I didn’t feel anything at all.”

“It’s probably just my imagination. More importantly, Sir Noel, I’d appreciate it if you could keep a close watch.”

That was, after all, a major reason he’d brought her along.

“Keep watch…? I doubt I’d fail to notice if a beast approached.”

“That thing probably has something like optical camouflage.”

“……”

“If something like that gets close and strikes a vital point, anyone would be in danger.”

“……”

Noel fell silent for a moment at Aiden’s firm tone.

Well.

It was true that she’d never actually fought a beast before.

But still.

“…Optical camouflage?”

“Yes.”

“…Are you saying it can turn invisible?”

“Yes.”

“How would a beast even do something like that? It’s not like they can use supernatural powers…”

“They weren’t created through natural evolution. They were influenced by dark energy. It hasn’t been scientifically explained, so trying to measure them by evolutionary standards is a stretch.”

Just like Duke Aslan had suspected, if this particular beast was intelligent, it was a given that it possessed several unimaginable traits.

And according to the ecology he’d analyzed while walking here using the ‘Tracking’ skill—

By analyzing the remains of multiple beasts that had been ‘hunted’ without even realizing they’d been approached, it was already concluded that the creature likely had such abilities.

Aiden subtly turned his head to glance at the small ‘Tracking’-related window, displayed like a side note beside the system window.

‘…This skill.’

It seemed far more useful than he’d expected.

It analyzed and compiled environmental data in real time, almost like having an extremely sharp private detective at his side.

As he thought that, Aiden frowned again, seeing the rope start to tremble.

What was it? Did he actually mess up the gear check somehow?

The equipment quality seemed fine…

“Based on predictions, it should be a fairly large one. Still, there are several telltale signs. With the right indicators, it’s not completely undetectable.”

“Indicators…?”

“The most obvious would be echolocation. Some creatures determine the position of their targets not by sight but by reading features in the air. Think of a bat—makes it easier to understand.”

“Mr. Aiden.”

Noel spoke in a voice that clearly conveyed disbelief.

“How do you know all of this?”

“……”

“…I studied really hard.”

That’s what he said, but truthfully, it was all thanks to the skill.

Even now, thanks to the Tracking skill, real-time information about the beast likely prowling nearby was pouring in without him lifting a finger.

In truth, he didn’t even know what echolocation really was. He had simply recited the lines that appeared in the system window to Noel.

‘So there are creatures in the world that sense things through vibrations…’

If anything, it had just expanded his general knowledge. He’d grown smarter thanks to the system window…

And as he was chewing over that thought—

His hand suddenly froze.

The rope securing him began trembling in an unmistakably abnormal way, and his expression stiffened.

This time, even without the system window, a scientific principle he already knew flashed through his mind.

When there is both cold and warm air, sound refracts toward the colder air. That’s why, during the day when the sun is up, sound tends to rise upward. But at night, the opposite occurs, and sound spreads downward.

In other words, it was currently night.

If there were indeed any vibrations, he’d be more sensitive to them than Noel, who stood above the cliff.

Then, he subtly turned toward the system window—

…And the speed at which the ‘Tracking’ skill was updating its information about the target was absolutely alarming.

It had become visibly faster than before.

“……”

—And a certain hypothesis surged in his mind.

To verify it, he asked in a trembling voice.

One of the lines currently displayed in the system window.

“…Excuse me, Sir Noel.”

“Yes?”

“Do you see anything like white powder falling right now?”

“How did you know? It’s been falling near me for a while now.”

A chill, like his entire bloodstream had frozen over, ran through Aiden.

He rapidly scanned his surroundings. The vibrations in the rope were growing more intense. If that was the case…

“My lady. I have something to tell you.”

Noel tilted her head at the sudden shift in his tone, looking down at him from the cliff.

“…Mr. Aiden? What’s going on all of a sudden…?”

“There’s actually another trait I haven’t mentioned.”

He drew a knife from his belt and carefully examined the rope’s structure with his eyes.

Because—

He needed to find a way for both himself and Noel to survive.

“There’s something like a pre-attack signal. Especially with the one I mentioned earlier.”

“A pre-attack signal…?”

Aiden took a deep breath and raised the knife.

‘…Ah.’

The sigh escaped on its own.

Because now, he had to do something he never thought he’d have to in his entire life.

“The one I’ve been talking about releases a white powdery substance from its body… right before it hunts.”

“…Pardon?”

“So, basically—”

One second. The meaning of the sentence registered in Noel’s head.

Two seconds. She tilted her head, confusion wrinkling her brow like she’d stuffed it with three question marks.

Three seconds. Her face went deathly pale.

Four seconds.

“Jump down. Now.”

With those words—

* * *

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A monstrous roar tore through the entire forest, erupting from above the cliff.