8: Chapter 8: Hunting in the Snowfield! Deer and Silver-Blooded Wolf!

Winter had arrived.

The Mess Mountains in the northern part of Will Province stretched for thousands of miles, splitting the empire's northern frontier into two worlds.

The mountains were covered in primeval coniferous forests that had not faded for tens of thousands of years.

Spruces, firs, and larches maintained their dark green color even in the bitter cold, their needles draped with rime ice that never melted throughout the winter.

Beneath the sea of forest and snow lay another world that followed ancient laws.

Bear roars, wolf howls, and countless indescribable screeches echoed from the depths of the dense forest.

White Cliff Territory lay sprawled at the tip of one of the claws of this giant beast.

This was the periphery of the Mess Mountains; compared to the core dense forests deep within where even sunlight struggled to penetrate, the appearance of beasts here was considered mild.

But mild was only relative.

To Rowan, this mountain forest was an excellent whetstone for his sword.

And the most suitable grinding stone on this whetstone was the "Silver-blood Wolf" commonly found in the mountains.

This predator, widely distributed across the northern wilderness of the empire, generally had a shoulder height exceeding one meter, a sturdy frame, and was fiercer than any wolf species in Rowan's memories of his past life.

Their fur exhibited a unique silver-gray color, making them nearly invisible in the snow.

Their blood would shimmer with a faint silver luster under certain special lighting, hence the name.

Generally, they moved in groups of three or five, making them the perfect targets for actual combat in Rowan's eyes.

Based on his recent experience grinding his proficiency panel, real combat brought growth far more rapidly than boring, repetitive sword swings.

And the Silver-blood Wolf was just right.

It provided enough pressure without being fatal.

As for the true monsters deep in the mountains: the "Frost Sea Giant Bear" with strength comparable to a Senior Knight, or the king-level existences that even a Great Knight would need to treat with caution:

"Golden Horned Lion", "White-striped Bloodthirsty Tiger"...

Rowan had self-awareness.

He was just a newly promoted Official Knight and would not touch the forbidden zones of those powerhouses.

His goal was clear: small Silver-blood Wolf packs or lone individuals.

At this moment, he was lying in ambush behind a cluster of bushes covered in icicles.

About eighty meters ahead, in a forest clearing, a plump and sturdy snow deer was lowering its head to graze on the moss exposed beneath the snow layer.

It had a graceful figure, covered in thick grayish-white winter fur, and white mist puffed from its nostrils under the sparse winter sunlight.

This was a common herbivore on the periphery of the Mess Mountains and also regular prey for the territory to supplement its meat supply.

Snow deer meat was indeed delicious.

For the people of White Cliff Territory with low productivity, it was an invaluable source of fat in the winter.

Rowan was accompanied by his guide, Finn Hawk.

One of the most experienced hunters in the territory.

This taciturn middle-aged man had a face etched with the marks of wind and Frost; at this moment, he was lying on the other side like a stone, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding dense forest, alert for any possible accidents.

If it weren't for the lord's request, he generally wouldn't venture so deep into the mountains.

Rowan slowly drew the recurve hunting bow from his back.

The bow body was ice-cold, the bowstring taut.

He nocked a brand-new hunting arrow.

His Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique circulated slightly.

The snow deer was completely unaware, still grazing leisurely, occasionally pricking up its ears to listen to the wind.

Rowan held his breath.

His fingers released.

"Whoosh—!"

The arrow shadow passed through the gaps in the trees, piercing with absolute precision into the snow deer's ear and into its skull.

"Pfft!"

The snow deer let out a mournful cry, its limbs went soft, and it collapsed heavily into the snow, crimson blood flowing out.

"Clean and swift." Finn lowered his voice to praise, a flash of awe in his eyes.

The lord's archery was unbelievable every time he saw it.

Rowan put away his bow, his expression calm.

"Let's use it as bait. With the nose of a Silver-blood Wolf, it will soon be able to smell the blood."

He turned to look at Finn, "We're climbing the tree."

The two moved swiftly, using hanging vines and branches to climb up a sturdy spruce nearby.

The trunk of this tree required two people to embrace; its branches grew horizontally, and it was over ten meters from the ground, making it an excellent observation point.

Time flowed slowly in the silence.

The wind in the mountain forest seemed colder, carrying fine snow spray that stung slightly when it hit their faces.

Occasionally, the cries of some unknown birds came from the distance.

About half an hour later.

"Awoo—!"

A long wolf howl came from the depths of the mountain forest to the northwest.

The sound seemed to carry the excitement of discovering the scent of blood.

Immediately after, two or three wolf howls responded in succession from different directions, echoing each other and reverberating through the forest.

"Four of them." After listening intently, Finn's voice tightened, and his face turned somewhat pale.

Four Silver-blood Wolves were a fatal threat to any hunter.

He looked at Lord Rowan, his eyes filled with inquiry.

"Don't be anxious." Rowan shook his head, his amber eyes fixed on the direction from which the wolf howls came.

Before long, the first silver-gray shadow appeared at the edge of the forest clearing below.

It cautiously poked its head out from behind a cluster of dead bushes, its nostrils flaring violently, its dark green eyes flashing with cold and vigilant light.

Its shoulder height definitely exceeded 1.1 meters, and it was as strong as a calf.

Immediately after, the second, third, and fourth... four Silver-blood Wolves formed a fan shape, slowly approaching the snow deer carcass in the center of the clearing from different directions.

Their steps were light, their paws making almost no sound on the snow, with only their heavy breathing condensing into white mist in the cold air.

They didn't immediately pounce on the food but instead circled with extreme vigilance, constantly sniffing the scent in the air.

The wind blew, leaving only the strong scent of blood.

Finally, they confirmed it was safe.

The strongest alpha wolf growled, leading the way to the snow deer carcass and pawing at it.

Sharp teeth easily tore open the soft abdomen, and it began to gorge on the freshest internal organs.

The scalding scent of blood wafted out.

The other three wolves circled at a slightly further distance on guard; without the alpha wolf's permission, they dared not come forward.

The timing was right.

Rowan flicked his hand, and a thick hemp rope previously tied to the tree dropped down.

He grabbed the rope and jumped down without hesitation!

His heavy knight armor carried his body, slamming violently toward the ground!

"Boom—!"

The accumulated snow was blasted open by the huge impact, snow spray flying everywhere.

Rowan slightly bent his knees and landed steadily, the frozen ground beneath his feet emitting a dull echo.

The Silver-blood Wolves that were eating had their fur stand on end, almost simultaneously springing away, issuing threatening growls from their throats.

After a moment of confrontation.

The alpha wolf was the first to let out an attacking howl.

The other three wolves received the order and pounced toward Rowan from three directions without hesitation!

They were extremely fast, leaving a silver-gray afterimage on the snow.

If it were an ordinary hunter, they would surely die.

At this moment, Rowan moved.

"Clang—!"

The Frost sword was unsheathed.

He stepped, twisted his body, and swung his sword.

The movement was simple, without any flair, yet as fast as thunder.

Winter Oath-Keeper Swordsmanship · Vow of Frost!

The sword light was not a dazzling silver-white, but a deep, icy blue.

Where the sword edge passed, the moisture in the air was rapidly drawn away and condensed, turning into countless tiny ice crystals that circled the sword body and shot out with the momentum of the sword!

"Pfft!"

The Silver-blood Wolf rushing at the very front had the rapidly enlarging icy blue sword light reflected in its pupils, and it didn't even have time to make a dodging movement.

The sword blade directly swept across its neck, its momentum undiminished, slicing diagonally downward through its chest and abdomen.

Not severed, but cut open.

The wolf carcass split into two pieces while still in the air; warm blood, internal organs, and broken bone fragments splattered out, staining the snow into a mess.

[Winter Oath-Keeper Swordsmanship proficiency + 1]

The system prompt appeared in his mind.

The alpha wolf's roar came to an abrupt end, replaced by a short and terrified whimper.

In its dark green eyes, cruelty and greed were rapidly replaced by horror.

With its high intelligence, it instantly understood that this iron can in front of it was not prey!

Without the slightest hesitation, it turned and darted toward the depths of the dense forest!

The other two surviving wolves were stunned for a moment, then followed the alpha wolf, fleeing for their lives.

"You want to run after eating my deer meat?"

How could Rowan let them go?

Although Silver-blood Wolf meat was tough, it was also good meat containing magic energy.

The territory was too poor; without Sylvia's subsidies, every bite of magic energy ingredient needed to be carefully calculated.

Besides, these were walking proficiency points.

...