Syl-Chapter 257: Familiar Hunting

Crossing the barrier did nothing to Vee or me, and we entered the forest's more "untamed" section. Although compared to the forest I started in, it was still remarkably prim and proper, as it seemed like the trees were grown and nurtured in a clearly orderly fashion.

If that wasn't enough, there were even walkways with not even a single bit of wear and tear from invasive weeds. Clearly, the elves knew their stuff when it came to controlling the plant life in the surrounding area.

Paeris offered to guide me toward some monsters, but I declined, wanting an opportunity to flex my various sensory traits in addition to my often neglected [Tracking] skill.

I still wasn't entirely sure of the elven butler's actual class, and he hadn't revealed anything beyond the [Roleplay] skill, which he had already maxed, and now an offer to locate monsters for me. My gut instincts pegged him as some kind of spy or assassin, tracking down threats towards his mistress and blending in where needed.

I'd even tried the obvious by simply asking him, but he merely chuckled and said he was prohibited from sharing such details as "my mother" ordered.

When my senses picked up some movement, I immediately began stealthing, which Paeris easily replicated and only further fueled my assassin spy theory. We encroached on the area, and to my surprise, I found a pack of blade wolves!

Talk about a blast from the past!

They were currently eating the remains of what I assumed was a bear-type monster and had clearly worked together to take down the larger foe.

"Merely some runts," Paeris muttered. "We can follow their tracks to their pack leader for a better hunt. But feel free to warm up on them."

I refrained from mentioning that a blade wolf used to be strong enough to lead an entire pack where I originally came from. I simply nodded and expressed my desire to take them out. Food was food for me, and I was desperate to regain enough slime mass to reform Alpha without worrying about depleting all my reserves.

Let's see… I want to level up my Air affinity and magic, so let's stick to that for now.

I first used [Elemental Shift] to align myself and my [Sub-Cores] to Air and began preparing. Thanks to [Subtle Afflictions] combined with [Magical Subterfuge], I easily applied the [Windswept] debuff to all of the blade wolves present.

Paeris took note of my actions but didn't say anything, which meant that casting my elemental debuffs was still acceptable.

I would have preferred casting them on one monster and spreading them with [Contagion], but I had better not push my luck there. No way I could hide that as anything but [Corrosion Magic].

With the blade wolves all debuffed, I began orchestrating the multicasting of [Wind Cutter] spells with my [Sub-Cores], excluding the four newbies who were still disconnected from the network.

The transparent blades of wind were actually ideal for such sneak attacks. I even caught Paeris raising an eye, likely over the amount I was controlling without applying a projectile-splitting concept to the spell. My [Sub-Cores] were still one of my biggest trump cards, only revealed to Vee and Trixie so far.

With a mere thought, the execution of the spells went off in perfect sync, blades of magical wind firing out from impossible angles thanks to breaking through my Mana aura. By the time the blade wolves noticed the attack, it was too late, as the cutting winds were all aimed at their necks. In near-perfect silence, I had decapitated half a dozen blade wolves; my past self, who struggled to kill even a single one, had to be smiling right now!

"Clean kills," Paeris said; it almost sounded like praise.

"I'm thrilled I finally broke through my own Mana aura," Vee commented. "That really shows how crazy you can get with it."

"You've broken through? Excellent," Paeris commented.

I could feel the smugness radiating off of Vee at her receiving a better compliment. I shrugged it off and collected my spoils, pretending to throw them into my bag.

Paeris frowned ever so slightly as he looked at my waist, where a replica of the golden oak bag was. At this point, I had formed it out of habit, as it was my excuse to hide [Core Storage], but he didn't voice any complaint, even telepathically, so I figured it was fine to continue doing so.

I'm not big enough to really dissect them inside myself right now since their corpses are so intact. I have far too many [Sub-Cores] inside me now, and Sylthaeryn's form is far too lithe. Although, I guess I could eat their heads, at least.

I extracted their heads individually, using my usual [Dissection] procedure to save the fangs and dissolve everything else. I couldn't help but smile with satisfaction at seeing some well-deserved slime mass, even if it was only from a few heads.

Next, we followed their tracks, hoping to lead to their den. Meanwhile, Paeris finally commented.

"Your magic contains significant power and control but seems a little basic if I may offer some critique, Lady Sylthaeryn."

"I only have [Air Magic LV 5]," I explained. "I've not used it much, I'll admit."

"I apologize if I've offended you," Paeris quickly responded. "It's just that I thought the Elementalist class could produce results similar to Aeromancer, Hydromancer, and so forth."

"Can you elaborate?" I asked. "I know a Pyromancer, and while it's been some time since I saw him, I think I've surpassed him even if he has reached his next level in [Fire Magic]."

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"Yeah, please don't speak in riddles because I can't say either of us has seen too many of those classes in action," Vee added.

"Forgive me, I forgot you spent some time amongst humans," Paeris replied. "It's just that I've seen elven Aeromancers beckon and control the winds with a mere thought, not even needing to cast a spell."

I frowned, not really understanding what he was getting at. I couldn't see the comparison if this was meant to be a subtle jab at my ineptitude. The only thing I could vaguely think of was he was referring to the various kinesis spells, of which I had only unlocked [Geokinesis].

I cast the spell and controlled some nearby rocks, having them float in front of me and swirl in some intricate patterns.

"Is this what you are referring to?" I asked.

"No. I'm not talking about [Aerokinesis], although I can say the effects are similar," Paeris admitted, stroking his chin curiously. "If I had to describe it, it would be like wielding the element as if it was your own body, without the need to cast a kinesis spell. You could say they replicate the effects of spells without actually casting them, merely by exerting their dominion over the element."

I immediately started trying to figure out what he was talking about. My mind rushed to the elementals and the amalgamation trait that they used to create their bodies, but that would be too strange for an elf to get.

What also came to mind was using a combination of [Mana Manipulation], [Mana Infusion], and [Mana Reinforcement], but that also seemed unlikely or at least not creating the effects he was describing.

I did consider that Paeris was perhaps just trying to unsettle me, throwing out some lies and absurdities, but I couldn't see any logical reason why he would do that. If he was trying to sabotage me, then he would have been better off remaining silent about it, so I made a fool of myself in front of an elven elemental mage.

My gut told me he was trying to help me in his own strange way but lacked the knowledge to do so. It at least confirmed that Paeris was likely not a spellcaster and merely had some common and superficial knowledge about them.

"I'll have to speak with Llewel and ask him about this," I said, sighing.

"Indeed, I apologize for not being able to resolve your curiosity," Paeris said, sounding genuine.

By this time, we were nearing the end of the trail. My senses picked up numerous wolves patrolling, but we easily circumvented them physically. But I knew the wolves had powerful noses, as I had borrowed their trait many times, so for extra precaution, I cast [Zephyr Shroud] on each of us before venturing deeper into their territory.

That should counter their noses by keeping our odors contained to ourselves.

Paeris nodded approvingly and accepted the buffing spell, while Vee didn't even flinch as she was very used to receiving it. I wasn't sure I'd gain many benefits from it myself since I was already almost odorless, but I did it for appearance's sake anyway.

Once we'd removed their leader, I'd mop up any stragglers, assuming I was allowed to—the elves might have some rules about not wiping out an entire species so that they can still thrive without needing to be spawned in via essence.

I could sense something large and full of essence ahead and knew we had found our target. I cautioned everyone that we'd reached it, and we slowed down our approach.

I toyed with the idea of showing off a lightning spell or something else visually impressive. Still, I ultimately decided not to—Paeris sought something achieved without casting a spell. But to be a bit cautious, I flipped over a [Sub-Core] each to earth and water since those needed to get to level six for my "equilibrium" theory.

Nestled in a clearing were four wolves, one of which was absolutely massive compared to the other three and most likely the pack's leader. Although compared to the wolves I had killed earlier, even the other three were much larger.

<Dire Blade Wolf [III] LV 25 Elemental Affinity: Air, Earth.>

<Dire Blade Wolf LV 11 Elemental Affinity: Air, Earth.>

Okay, so they evolved again, adding the Dire mutation. But the larger one is strange… It's way bigger than the other three despite being a lower level.

"Dire Blade Wolves," I said telepathically to the other two.

"All four of them?" Vee replied, her confusion evident in her tone. " Because surely that big boy is further evolved? Unless monster wolves are supposed to have such massive dimorphism?"

"No, something's up with it," I agreed. "I can't see its monster tier, and it's a lower level than the other three. But [Identify] is saying they are the same species, so there's got to be something funny going on."

Vee looked at Paeris expectantly, but the elf said nothing.

"Well, if you want to fight the strange one, can I keep the other three occupied?" Vee offered.

"An excellent idea to demonstrate your teamwork," Paeris suddenly said. "I will form a protective perimeter to prevent any strays from wandering in and disturbing you while maintaining my observations."

"Great, sounds like a plan," Vee chirped.

I nodded in agreement, I didn't have to personally kill everything, and I could claim the bodies afterward for harvesting. My [Dissection] skill always proved its worth.

Oh, wait… actually, I think I forgot to tell the elves about that. I guess it will be one more surprise for them!

Vee used [Warp] to teleport from my shoulder to a better vantage point, appearing in the nearby trees. Paeris simply vanished like he was never there; it was so sudden that it even took me a while to notice.

Wonderful, another elf assassin! Well, at least this one is contractually obligated to be on my side! I don't think he'd like to lose half his levels for attacking me… I hope.

Since the pack of wolves had still not spotted us, I took the opportunity to debuff all of them. Even though the big one was my target, I might as well help Vee at the same time.

Let's see… I've not really used these spells; let's give them a shot!

"Get ready for my signal!" I informed Vee.

I began a coordinated casting of [Sand Pit], [Shatterquake], and [Cyclone]; I had my [Sub-Cores] join up to properly enhance each spell, and when all three were at their crescendo, I cast them in succession.

[Shatterquake] was first, causing an enormous, unexpected tremor and sending the wolves to the ground in a tumble. [Sand Pit] was next, instantly transmuting the ground beneath the wolves into the rugged terrain. Before they could even think to react, [Cyclone] went off mere moments after, sucking the Air towards the center and kicking up a storm of all the sand and obscuring the wolves.

This was more of a crowd control approach than an assassination like previously. Seeing the three spells work together to achieve my desired outcome was great, but I had no room to slack now as I began rapidly casting consecutive [Wind Cutter] spells into the giant trap. I nearly squealed with glee when I saw the spells reach the area of [Cyclone], be drawn in, and significantly sped up.

At the same time, Vee cast [Acid Dart] spells into the cluster.

"Gee, leave some for me!" Vee teased. "Why did I even bother offering to help? I should've just sat down for some tea."

Our laughter was interrupted by a ferocious howl, so loud and fierce that it broke through and dismantled the [Cyclone] spell and sent projectiles, sand, and all sorts of other debris flying outwards.

My slime shuddered, and I was pretty sure I even gained a level in [Sonic Resistance] from that inhuman screech. That was when the source of the howl was revealed, and the true nature of that large wolf became apparent.

The large wolf was now standing bipedally. Its upper torso had enlarged to massive proportions, while its front legs were both extended and buffed out to look like the arms of a bodybuilder. Where hands should have been were long black dangling claws, and its vicious maw was snarling and snapping violently.

<Dire Blade Werewolf [IV] LV 11 Elemental Affinity: Air, Earth.>

"Holy shit, it's a werewolf!" Vee yelled in surprise.