Chapter 292 Judgment
As the group of Magi ventured deeper into the forest, the sky overhead grew darker. The clouds swirled and churned with a gloomy energy.
Rainfalls during winter were scarce in the southern part of the Ulier Continent. The air grew heavy and oppressive, a prelude to the storm that was on the horizon.
Soon enough, the first droplets of rain began to fall, slow at first, but quickly becoming strong, splashing against the leaves of the towering trees. The rainfall intensified in a very short time, turning into a torrential downpour.
The group of Magi stopped, their robes damp from the heavy rain. Even though they took shelter under a large tree, it barely made a difference.
"This rainfall is going to make things quite difficult for us," Adam gazed through the canopy and spoke with a grim expression.
The sudden change in the weather would heavily alter the terrain, making it difficult for the Magi to fight the beasts.
"But it will also mask our scents." Alex glanced at the raven-haired youth with a smile. "There's always a silver lining, Adam."
"Well, that's true." Adam shrugged. "So what do we do now, Boss? Wait out the rain or advance?"
Alex glanced around at where they currently were with a solemn expression. After a while of pondering, he advised, "Let's slowly make our way in the direction of our objective. But our priority should not be to engage with the enemy, but to find a suitable spot for camp."
Everyone nodded in agreement. This was a fair judgment on Alex's part. Who knew when the rain would stop? If that was the case, they were better off finding a high ground and setting up camp.
There, they could wait out the rain. If the rainfall did recede earlier than expected, then they would go after the enemy.
Edward chimed in, "Boss, I know of a relatively safer place around this part. It's on a high ground as well. Maybe we can go in that direction?"
Alex hesitated. It would be better if he chose the place for the camp that would make it easier for his team to kill Adam and the rest earlier than he had planned.
But at the same time, he also wanted to appease the other team and lower their guards.
Thus, in the end, he nodded. "Very well, Edward, lead the way."
The two groups then made their way in a certain direction, being led by Edward.
Adam, who was situated at the rear of the group, coldly glanced at Alex's back, thinking to himself, Damn it, this rain's gonna make it difficult for us.
The next moment, his lips curled up into a faint smile.
But it's going to make things difficult for you too.
…
After two days of continuous heavy rainfall, the weather had finally improved, albeit slightly. Lightning danced across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds with an eerie light.
The group of Magi had set up camp inside the large tree. For the last two days, they had only been dealing with the feral beasts that approached this tree, looking for shelter.
Other than that, they hadn't ventured further away from the camp. The rainfall had made it extremely difficult for them to do so anyway.
Alex stood at the entrance of the camp, somewhere near the center of the tree trunk, and took a look around.
Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, its glutarral growl echoing through the forest. The blond youth couldn't help but gulp involuntarily, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end every time he heard the violent call of the storm.
"I believe we can head out now," said Alex, stretching out his arm and watching the drizzle lightly fall on his palm.
The weather had improved significantly in the last few days. Furthermore, looking at the clouds beginning to clear up in the sky, it seemed that the rain would stop soon.
"We aren't that far from our destination, are we?" Ivan, the burly Magus, came forward and asked.
"Hmm." Alex nodded. "It will take us two hours at most to arrive at the wolf den, considering?how difficult it would be to traverse the muddy terrain."
Kelley glanced at the blond, young man and smirked, "We can deal with the pests and return to camp by sunset if we hurry."
Alex deeply glanced at Kelley and then nodded with a chuckle, "True, I'm sick of living out here in the wilderness."
He then glanced at Adam and his team, who were busy packing their stuff. Staying together for the last two days, he was able to build a healthy rapport with them, slowly lowering their guard.
The young man warmly smiled, "Alright, guys, let us depart now. If all goes well, we can enjoy the warmth of our tents back at the eastern camp by nightfall."
"Whatever you say, Boss!" Edward replied with a toothy grin. Whereas Adam and Lisa also nodded in agreement.
"Good." Alex nodded. "Let's head out." With that said, he leaped off the tree, Ivan and Kelley following after him.
Meanwhile, Adam, Edward, and Lisa glanced at each other and nodded with solemn expressions before leaving as well.
As the group slowly made their way to the wolf den, their robes had once again become damp from the drizzle, making it difficult for them to traverse.
Of course, they could still use magic to warm themselves up or dry their clothes, but right now they were in enemy territory. Every bit of mana was precious.
The air was thick with the scent of moist foliage, and the sounds of unseen creatures could be heard in the distance, making the group of Magi alert and on edge.
Every step they took was treacherous, the ground was slippery with mud, and every now and then, tangled roots would seemingly reach out to them, trying to make them trip over.
Above them, the canopy of the forest formed a dense and clammy roof, blocking out much of the already dim rays of the early morning sun that had filtered through the nimbus clouds.
They ran with great caution, constantly on the lookout for any beasts that might suddenly attack them. As they ran past the trees, they could see luminescent fungi growing on the trunks, casting a spooky glow that illuminated their surroundings.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the group could hear the distant roar of a waterfall.
The wolf den that they were ordered to clear was situated in the vicinity of this waterfall. Knowing that they were about to reach their destination any moment now, both groups thought of the exact same thing.
We will use the wolf pack to kill you!
After all, who knew what contingencies the other party had? So both came up with the same plan to use a third party's strength to get rid of the other party.
But this plan of theirs was never meant to see the light of the day.
When they reached the wolf den, which was situated right beside the waterfall, they saw that it was empty.
Both parties were taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, to say the least. After investigating the surrounding area, they finally understood the reason.
Lisa crouched on the ground and touched the soil. She then turned her head to glance at the waterfall and confirmed, "The heavy rainfall must've caused this place to flood. The wolf pack has migrated to another region."
Alex and his team stood there in a daze, having realized that their plan had gone up in smoke.
However, that didn't mean they didn't have a backup plan.
Thinking of that, Alex came forward and smiled, "We can't return empty-handed now, can we?"
Adam and his team glanced at each other and then shook their heads.
"There's another wolf den that I know of," Alex began, "it isn't far from here. How about we—"
But before he could even finish, the ground started to suddenly tremble, sending shockwaves through the muddy terrain. At first, the group of Magi were unsure of the origin of this sudden disturbance.
However, when the trembling became intense as the seconds ticked by, they finally located where it was coming from.
The group simultaneously turned around, looking in the direction they had just come out from. The trees there were viciously uprooted when suddenly a colossal mammoth emerged from within the forest.
ROAR!
This towering creature stood at over seven meters tall, its fur matted with mud and rain. It had four tusks that gleamed with a sharp and cold light.
The mammoth's crimson eyes blazed with insanity and bloodlust as it let out a deafening trumpet that echoed through the surroundings.
When Adam's gaze fell on this titanic beast, his heart immediately sank.
"Iron Mammoth!"
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