Chương 123: Chapter 119. Werefolks

Rayne soon found himself seated at one of the wooden tables inside the guild, a mug of cold ale in his hand. The drink was better than he had expected, smooth and slightly bitter, with a coolness that cut through the fatigue still lingering in his body from the journey. Across from him, Jason leaned back in his chair, already halfway through his own mug, while Bran sat beside him, drinking at a slower pace. Kesh returned a moment later, sliding into the empty seat with a slight frown on his face.

"They told me I can't take on any of the quests," he said, glancing between them.

"Not officially at least." Jason snorted lightly.

"Of course, we aren't registered with the guild." Kesh shook his head.

"They did say they can make an exception since I'm part of the Valerian army, but there are conditions." He paused briefly before continuing, "If I take a quest, the guild will take a bigger commission, and they'll also be the ones selling whatever monster materials I bring back that aren't part of the quest." Bran took a slow sip of his ale before responding.

"They'll also make you sign a paper," he added.

"Or rather, put your thumb on it. It'll state that you're taking the quest on your own will, and that the guild didn't request help from the army." Kesh blinked at that.

"Why?" Bran shrugged slightly, as if it wasn't worth thinking too deeply about.

"Neutrality," he said simply.

"The Adventurer's Guild doesn't take its stance lightly. If word gets out that they're working directly with a kingdom's army, even in small matters, other kingdoms will start pressing them." He took another sip before continuing, "It's better for them to keep things clean. Independent adventurers, independent actions." Kesh nodded slowly, though his expression showed he wasn't too interested in the details.

"I never liked politics or paperwork," he muttered, lifting his own mug. Jason let out a short laugh.

"Who does?" He said, then turned his head slightly, glancing at Rayne with a faint grin.

"Other than Rayne, maybe." Rayne shot him a flat look.

"You will have to deal with it one day too if you want a leadership position." Jason immediately shook his head, his expression turning more serious for a moment.

"I'm better off not taking one," he replied.

"I don't think I like being responsible for other people's lives." There was a brief pause as he took another sip and added, "Either way, it doesn't matter right now. We won't be risking our lives for a while, hopefully." His tone turned more relaxed again as he leaned back.

"I just hope our next orders come as late as possible," he continued.

"If I can avoid fighting monsters for a bit, I'll gladly take it." Kesh gave a small nod at that, clearly agreeing, while Bran simply drank in silence. Rayne didn't say anything. His fingers tightened slightly around his mug as his thoughts drifted back to the job board, and more specifically, to the newly posted quest. He had never heard of lycans before, but the name alone told him a few things. They sounded like some form of werefolk, a type of creature he had at least some vague knowledge about.

From what he understood, such beings were both intelligent and violent, capable of shifting between forms and often living in packs. In the Valerian kingdom, a real problem, and were second only to necromancers in terms of how much attention they drew from the crown. The Crown's Hand itself often dealt with them, hunting them down when they were spotted in an area. But more than their nature, they almost always have the ability to enter into a state of frenzy which gives them increased strength for a short time.

It wasn't exactly the same as what Rayne had claimed to have, but it was close enough. A temporary boost in strength, speed, and aggression. But the question remained. Did lycans have that same ability, or were they something else entirely? Rayne frowned slightly, his fingers tapping lightly against the side of his mug as the conversation around the table continued without him. In the end, he decided there was no point waiting.

"Do any of you know what lycans are?" he asked finally. The table quieted down as the words left his lips, and all three of them turned toward him. Jason frowned, his brows pulling together, while Bran narrowed his eyes slightly, studying him.

"Where did you see one?" the veteran asked. Rayne shook his head.

"I didn't," he replied.

"There was a new quest posted about them a while ago. I was just curious." Jason glanced toward the job board in the distance before letting out a short breath.

"They're bad news," he said.

"I pity whoever's stupid enough to take that job. Especially if it's a whole pack." Kesh raised an eyebrow, picking up on the same thought Rayne had.

"Why?" he asked.

"Are they that dangerous?" Bran leaned back slightly in his chair, exhaling as if deciding how to explain it.

"They're not hard to kill," he said slowly.

"Not compared to some other monsters. Their fur doesn't offer much protection, and they are bipedal with basic proficiency in weapons, even if they use their claws most of the time, so you can treat them like human warriors in a fight." He paused briefly before continuing.

"But their base agility is something else entirely. You don't want to come across that." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Jason agreed with a grunt.

"Once I came across three of them while moving through a forest, and they were clearly underlevelled compared to me, but it took me ten minutes to land a hit on one of them, and kill it. They were that fast. Fortunately, the two others ran, seeing their kin die, or I might have gotten severely injured."

"Yeah, and if it's a whole pack of them, then think of dozens of such beasts moving, being able to jump over you, and move past you before you know what's going on." Kesh let out a long breath, leaning back slightly in his chair as he shook his head.

"And here I thought dying to a necromancer was bad." Jason laughed at that, though there wasn't much humor in it.

"Lycans are worse," he said.

"At least with a necromancer, you know at worst you're gonna turn into an undead, but it will be quick. These things…" He shook his head lightly.

"If you aren't careful, they'll rip off your arm or leg before you even realize what's happening. And then they'll leave you there, bleeding out." The words settled heavily over the table. For a moment, none of them spoke. The earlier casual mood faded, replaced by a quieter, more somber atmosphere as each of them took slow sips of their ale. The noise of the guild continued around them, but at their table, things grew still. Rayne lifted his mug, taking a measured sip before setting it back down.

Then he looked between Jason and Bran.

"Are they like werefolk?" he asked.

"Do they have any special abilities other than being fast?" Bran snapped his head towards him, and frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at him.

"Why are you so curious?" he asked. His tone wasn't harsh, but there was a clear edge to it.

"We're in the city to rest before heading to the capital. You know what's waiting for you there." He leaned forward slightly.

"So why are you suddenly so interested in lycans?" Rayne's fingers tightened slightly around his mug. For a moment, he didn't answer. He bit lightly on his lip, his thoughts moving quickly as he tried to find something that made sense, something that wouldn't raise more questions than it answered. But nothing came easily. In the end, he exhaled quietly and said, "Just tell me what I asked first." Bran held his gaze for a second longer before sighing. He took another slow sip of his ale, then gave a small nod.

"They are werefolk," he said.

"But closer to monsters than an actual race. They don't mix well with others, and most of them don't try to." He paused briefly before continuing.

"And yes, they do have skills of their own. From what I know, the reason they're so fast is also because of a skill other than their base stats. It gives them a short burst. A rush that pushes their speed higher for a brief time, but I don't know how it works exactly." Rayne felt relief wash over him at the words. He kept his expression steady, but a part of him almost wanted to smile. This was what he had been looking for.

Even if their skill would only give him increased speed, it was close enough to solve his problem. A part of him had really expected that his secret would come out in front of the truthsayers, but for the first time in days, it felt like he had found a real path forward. If there was a lycan pack nearby, then he had a chance. His thoughts began to move ahead immediately, already trying to piece together how he could hunt then—"Now tell us why you are so interested in them?"

Kesh said suddenly, breaking through his thoughts. Rayne blinked once, his focus snapping back to the present. All three of them were looking at him now. Jason's expression had turned more serious, Bran's gaze was steady and sharp, and Kesh was watching him with open curiosity. Rayne didn't respond right away. For a brief moment, he considered staying silent, brushing it off, or giving a vague answer. But then an idea came to him.

"I was thinking about training," he said finally.

"And lycans seemed like a good option for that." The reaction around the table came exactly as Rayne had expected. Kesh groaned almost immediately and rubbed his face like he had just heard the worst possible idea. Jason, on the other hand, simply stared at him for a second, his brows furrowed as if he was trying to figure out whether Rayne was joking or not. Bran was the only one who didn't react right away, but even he wasn't as calm as he looked.

A faint nerve twitched along his jaw as he lifted his mug and took a slow sip, as if trying to rationalize his words before responding.

"You do realize what you're saying," the old man said finally, his tone measured.

"We just came out of a dungeon, and not a normal one either. There was a master necromancer involved." He set the mug down before continuing.

"And since then, you've been training every single day. Even the rest of us have been keeping up with basic drills along the march." Kesh nodded quickly in agreement. Jason followed a moment later, his expression still caught somewhere between disbelief and concern.

"But I haven't used my new skills in actual combat," Rayne said calmly.

"Not properly. And I believe this is the right time to do it before we move to the capital." He paused briefly before adding, "It also shouldn't take more than a day. We go, deal with the pack, and return." Kesh let out another breath, this one heavier than before, as he scratched the back of his head.

"Nate told me you might be a little suicidal," he muttered.

"But this is too much. You're talking about hunting lycans. And not just that, dragging us along with you.. They're not undead. You can't just cut them down in a swing and be done with it." Jason nodded at that, his tone turning more serious now.

"They'll be around level twenty-five to thirty," he said.

"And if there's an alpha, it'll be at least ten levels higher than the rest. It's a bad idea. No matter how I look at it." Rayne fell silent. For a moment, he just sat there, his fingers resting against the side of his mug as he let their words settle. None of them were wrong. If anything, they were being reasonable. He actually would have gone alone. It would have made things simpler, and cleaner. He would have had a better chance of getting what he needed without interference.

But even with his effective level pushing into the sixties because of his inflated stats, he wasn't foolish enough to think he could take on an entire lycan pack by himself. Not without risking his life far more than he was willing to. He needed others to handle the numbers, to keep the pressure off him, especially when the alpha appeared. His party was the best option he had for that, but he couldn't put them in a dangerous situation for his own gains. That would be wrong.

Rayne's gaze lowered slightly as his thoughts churned in his mind. Was there a way they would be willing to come with him on their own? They didn't need coins. None of them were desperate enough for money to risk something like this—Maybe other than Nate—and the guild would also take a cut of whatever they earned. He also doubted they could get valuable materials from lycans, maybe other than their fur. So what reason could make them accept something like this?

His mind turned over the problem again and again, searching for something, anything to give them a reason— And then it clicked. Rayne's eyes sharpened slightly. Without hesitation, he pushed mana into his eyes, activating [Analyse]. The familiar flicker passed through his vision as he looked at the three of them one by one, taking in what he already knew. Then he spoke.

"I believe you all should consider it too since a fight against them might push you all closer to the first wall. And maybe even help you break past it."

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