The sound of shovels digging into the ground could be heard around the camp.
An hour after breakfast, Thirteen ordered all the slaves to start digging, with the exception of Jasmine and Ariel, who were under Cristopher’s command.
Adira watched all of this with amusement because she still thought that this was just a waste of time.
The boy didn’t even bother to cover the holes on the ground, and she believed that no sane monster would fall into the four-meter-deep holes that the other party had ordered to be dug.
As usual, Thirteen had other thoughts in mind.
What the Drow thought wasn’t wrong.
In fact, she was right.
But she was only right when it came to individual hunting.
The purpose of the holes wasn’t just to trap animals, but to serve as their line of defense if things went terribly wrong.
Not all places around their temporary camp were dug out.
Thirteen made sure that there was an undug path wide enough to let two wagons travel side by side, which was left like that on purpose. Just in case something unexpected happened, this could be used to make their escape.
According to Vassago, he had spotted several Golden-Eyed Hyenas five miles away from their location.
These were the Jinns whose territory bordered the Furvus Grasslands.
Five miles might seem like a great distance away, but when it came to Monsters hunting in packs, this distance could be covered in just the span of a few hours.
Thirteen didn’t want to take any chances, so he was making a hundred-meter defensive line, littered with four-meter-deep holes.
In normal circumstances, Monsters wouldn’t fall into these holes.
But, in not-so-normal circumstances, these uncovered traps, which Adira believed to be just a waste of time, would help stall the Monsters while they made their escape.
It was perfectly normal for the Drow to think that she could escape easily. After all, she was a Champion.
However, Thirteen and Cristopher were Wanderers who still hadn’t attained the Rookie Rank.
They were very vulnerable, especially when facing Rank 2 Monsters and above that often hunted in packs.
If it was just one Monster, Thirteen could still deal with it.
But a Hunting Pack was another matter.
Even with Giga Chad on their side, the seven-year-old treated his enemies as cunning individuals who couldn’t be underestimated.
“Young Master, there are monsters over there,” Cristopher pointed in the distance where three Black Rhinoceros were gathered. “Should we hunt them?”
Thirteen glanced in the direction where Cristopher was pointing and rubbed his chin.
The two adult Rhinoceros were both Rank 3 Monsters, and the baby was a Rank 1 Monster.
‘If my guess is right, these Rhinoceros fall under the category of Brute Monsters,’ Thirteen mused.
However, after seeing that they had a baby in their group, the boy decided to let them be.
He had a soft spot for children, even if they were Monster children.
“Don’t bother targeting them,” Thirteen stated. “According to Lady Adira, she only has six more cages left. We should focus on hunting the Warsor Black Hounds instead.”
Cristopher nodded in understanding.
Since his Young Master said that they shouldn’t hunt the Rhinos, then he would do as he says.
Half a minute later, Vassago landed on top of the first Wagon and started to speak a bunch of nonsense.
Everyone who heard it thought that the dumb bird had finally gone crazy, but Thirteen was deciphering what the Pocopoco was trying to say.
“Rhino, Jaguar, Hounds three, seven, two.”
“Eight, none, one.”
“Child, old, adults, fight, eat, sleep. Danger, stranger, safe!”
“North, south, north east, south west.”
“Many, none, few!”
“Taiga red butt Baboon!”
“Shut up you dumb bird!” Percival shouted angrily before throwing a stone at the Pocopoco, who managed to evade it in time.
“Ack! Murder! Murder! Help!” Vassago shouted before circling high in the sky, out of reach of Percival’s stone throws.
Thirteen pondered a bit after hearing Vassago’s report. They had agreed that if there were many people around them, they would speak in codes.
To not make things difficult, they decided to make every three words the real message that the Pocopoco needed to convey.
In short, what Vassago’s message was.
Hounds, two, one, adults, sleep, safe, north east, few.
This meant that there was one Black Hound, who was sleeping, two miles away in the Northeast direction, and it was safe to go because there were few Monsters in the area.
The Taiga red butt Baboon part was just a smokescreen, and Vassago’s way of messing with the Tigerkin, who was no challenge to anger.
The reason why Thirteen was here in the Furvus Grasslands was to capture a Warsor Black Hound, which was a Rank 3 Monster.
He knew that these monsters were very smart, and would run away as soon as they perceived a serious threat to their lives.
Because of this, bringing a large group in order to hunt them was a very bad idea.
The moment the Black Hounds saw a group of Monsters or people coming in its direction, it would immediately run away without a second thought.
It only fought battles that it had a high chance of winning, so capturing them was extremely hard and frustrating.
“Giga, come with me,” Thirteen ordered. “The rest of you, continue digging and protect the camp while I am away. I will just go on a patrol to make sure that the area is safe.”
Adira watched the seven-year-old climb on the back of the Chad Skunk before leaving their camp to head Northeast.
After pondering for a bit, a smile appeared on the Drow’s Face as she sneakily followed the seven-year-old, who mentioned that he was only going out on patrol
The Drow had already labeled Zion as a very mysterious boy who was full of surprises.
She believed that there was a deeper meaning behind him going on patrol.
The boy only brought Tiona and Giga with him, which didn’t seem like a safe decision, especially in the Furvus Grasslands.
Although the Pocopoco seemed to be following the boy from the sky, Adira believed that Zion was up to something, and she wanted to know what that something was.
Half an hour after leaving the camp, Vassago whistled, telling Thirteen that someone was following him from behind.
The boy didn’t need to turn around to know who it was because this was all part of his plan.
He knew that Adira was paying close attention to him, so he decided to go alone.
If there was a Champion following him, then he would have an easier time surviving if something unexpected came up.
Also, Adira could easily take him to safety if he ever found himself in danger. Because of this, he took the best course of action and only traveled with Giga.
The fewer people with him when he did his hunt, the more protected their camp would be against outside threats.
Giga Chad would often glance in the sky to check the direction where the Pocopoco was flying.
Using the bird as a guide, the Chad Skunk walked confidently across the grasslands.
Thirteen was only using his bow and arrows this time because the mounted crossbow was too heavy for him to carry.
Even so, he believed that with proper planning, he would be able to take down his target before anything else came his way.
—————————————
Several miles away from the Furvus Grasslands, a five-meter-
tall Golden-Eyed Hyena opened its eyes.
The Hyenas around it started to make excited chuckling sounds. They were hoping that their Leader would give them the order to raid the surrounding areas in order to bring more food to their den.
The giant Golden-Eyed Hyena was a Rank 5 Overlord, which was a Rank weaker than the Purple-Furred Honey Badger.
Even so, it was still a very terrifying monster and was as strong as a Champion.
The Overlord of the Jinns cackled, sending the other hyenas into a frenzy. It then stared towards the East and narrowed its eyes.
It had sensed a powerful presence wandering along the borders of its Domain.
There was only one creature in the entirety of the Warsor Plains who could move unhindered wherever it wanted.
Although the Purple-Furred Honey Badger was stronger, the Golden-Eyed Hyena wasn’t afraid.
The members of its cackle were over five hundred, with twenty Rank 4 Monster under its command.
There were also dozens of Rank 3 Monsters and hundreds of Rank 2 Monsters.
With a small army at its beck and call, the Overlord of the Hyenas had nothing to fear.
The Purple-Furred Honey Badger, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about the disparity in numbers.
It went wherever it wanted to go, and those who blocked its way either became its food or food for the group of scavenging Vultures that was following it in the sky, ready to get a free meal, without having to dirty their beaks and claws in the process.