Chapter 137. Engagement – Snow Horned Deer
“Groo! Grooooh!”
In a snow-covered forest. A beast slightly smaller than Noguhwaho, but twice the size of an ordinary horse, roared in a muffled, low tone.
With its dull roar, branches burdened with thick snow snapped, sending snow cascading down.
It was a reindeer known as ‘Snow Horned Deer.’
Five people who had traveled southeast for three days with two loaded horses watched its grandeur from a distance.
“Wow… Is that a spirit beast? It’s a complete monster.”
Lena clicked her tongue.
Leo, having seen spirit beasts a few times, wasn’t as surprised but thought this hunt would be tough.
It is rather small in size. For a spirit beast.
Nonetheless, Leo eyed the beast’s horns warily.
The horns were like ice, semi-transparent. They seemed to have a frosty texture, as if frost had settled on them, and despite it being winter, a faint, chilling mist emanated from them.
“How about it? Isn’t it magnificent? Such a beast is worth risking your life for, isn’t it?”
Lan spoke excitedly.
Feeling eager, she got off her horse and brandished an axe and a shield.
“Wait!”
“Wait! Huh?”
Two people shouted simultaneously. Lena and Leo glanced at each other.
“You go first. Whatever it is.”
“Um. They say you shouldn’t just charge at a beast like that. Instead of trying to catch it in one go, it’s better to engage multiple times to understand its behavior… Someone said that.”
“Behavior?”
Lena shared her father’s advice, passed down from her mother.
“Beasts each have unique strengths and follow specific patterns. In critical situations, they tend to repeat their usual behavior. Knowing when to retreat is also a kind of courage. Instead of trying to catch them in a single attempt, it’s better to engage several times to understand their behavior.”
Lan, Ann, and Urok nodded.
Advice from a battle-hardened warrior was invaluable. Though warriors often think courage means never backing down, they respected Lena’s words as they clearly came from Dehorman.
“So, what should we do? Should we observe it first?”
“I think we should engage it at least once. What do you think? If it gets too dangerous, we can flee.”
“Would it let us escape? Reindeers are fast.”
After tying their horses at a distance and setting up a small camp, they debated for a while.
How should they catch that monster?
Poison and traps were, of course, forbidden. That meant they had to tackle it physically, and there was no way that massive creature, nearly the size of ten adults, would quietly let them.
“I think how we deal with its horns will be critical.”
Leo spoke up.
“I’ve seen… I mean, I’ve heard that they are usually very large. This one seems to use its horns primarily as its weapon.”
“It’s huge though.”
“It’s really big.”
“No, what I mean is…”
Groan-
Leo pondered how to explain.
Every beast he had hunted so far had distinct traits.
Noguhwaho moved with an almost mystical lightness. Despite its massive size, it leaped high into the sky and deceived its prey’s attention like a fox.
Apohandon, with a pig-like body, was ponderous.
Born as ‘Migas,’ it possessed a house-sized body and rolled down like a landslide in its final moments.
So what about this beast? Its horns made it likely to charge head-on, but was that all?
For its size, it seemed rather unimpressive compared to other beasts.
‘There must be more to it. But since I don’t know much either, I can only follow Dehorman’s advice to engage it multiple times and find out.’
Hoping it wouldn’t flee like Dohokpoma ─ Leo abandoned the attempt to explain. This was something only those with experience could intuitively understand, and it was hard to articulate.
Since he couldn’t claim to have beast-hunting experience, Leo casually shifted the conversation.
“Let’s secure an escape route first. I think digging deep into the ground would be a good idea. A cave where the beast can’t enter would be ideal.”
“Digging in this winter ground is a bit tough… A cave sounds good. Its horns won’t let it enter. And if it blindly charges in, it would be a blessing.”
Agreeing, Ann pointed out an issue with folded arms.
“But it has to be a cave close by. We don’t know right now, but if it’s too far, it won’t be useful. We’ll need a way to lure the beast.”
“True. So digging near here, even if it’s tough, would be…”
“I know a way to lure it.”
All eyes turned to Urok Einarr, who had been silently listening. He continued in a low tone.
After a moment’s pause, hearing Urok’s words, Lena exclaimed.
“Really? Wow! As expected of Urok.”
Urok, the future chief of the Einarr tribe and an excellent hunter, knew a lot.
Though there was an age gap and he belonged to a different team led by Dehorman, making interactions with Lena rare, he was a highly regarded person to lead the tribe.
“Alright! Then my brother and I will search for a cave. Lena, you go to the nearby village and get that. And Urok, Leo… since it’s better suited for men, I trust you to handle it well.”
Lan ended the discussion with a mischievous smile. With all plans set and everyone energized, they were assigned their tasks and dispersed.
At the camp, only Urok and Leo remained. As they drank water, they chatted casually. The hunt seemed likely to go well. However, Leo couldn’t fully enjoy the conversation as he was worried about what would come after the hunt. Urok, not being from the Einarr tribe like Leo, didn’t engage in more conversation than necessary, so they drank their water quietly.
– Grooook! Grook… Grook!
The mournful cry of the Snow Horned Deer echoed through the winter forest.
* * *
“They are coming. Get ready.”
Five people held their breath at the mouth of the cave. A Snow Horned Deer was approaching, pushing branches aside with its antlers.
The creature was licking the snowy ground, and when Lena saw it, she scrunched her face in disgust. “It’s really licking the pee.”
Urok Einarr had suggested using pee to lure the Snow Horned Deer. Wild animals always sought salt. All living things needed salt; it made their hearts more resilient, helped digestion, and prevented inflammation and diseases. Freshwater fish often suffered from various ailments, while saltwater fish rarely got sick due to the presence of salt. Terrestrial animals also desperately needed salt, especially herbivores. Carnivorous animals obtained their salt from the entrails of their prey, but herbivores could not.
This was why agile creatures like ‘Erakta’ would leave their ideal grasslands to climb cliffs to lick rock salt. What about the Snow Horned Deer? Urok had surmised that it would also want salt. Large creatures like the Snow Horned Deer, which couldn’t easily climb cliffs, would have a strong desire for salt. Simply placing a lump of salt on the ground wouldn’t guarantee that the Snow Horned Deer would find it, so they used pee. The smell of urine, surely containing salt, would be unmistakable.
Leo and Urok, having drunk a lot of water, collected urine and spread it around the cave that Lan and Ann had found. The Snow Horned Deer, licking the urine, discovered the lump of salt Lena had brought and let out a long cry. It was calling its companions.
Deer (Cervidae) didn’t rush to gobble down found food. They first called their group members to share. However, even after crying for a long time, no other deer showed up. The Snow Horned Deer soon lowered its head and began licking the salt.
Urok spoke.
“We can’t use this method a second time. If we fail, we’ll have to come up with another plan.”
“This time we’ll get it, no worries.”
“No, let’s not be too greedy. If it gets dangerous, we’ll retreat to the cave and try again later. We’re not in that much of a hurry. Besides, it’s not like it’s going anywhere.”
Ann said, gently calming her sister.
The five then took up their weapons and exited the cave. They cautiously approached, getting close to the creature, but the Snow Horned Deer didn’t run away. It kept its head down, licking the salt, and watched them.
“It’s really not running away? Well, I guess that bulk wouldn’t be startled by humans…”
Urok looked at Leo in surprise.
He had suggested surrounding the creature to prevent its escape, but Leo insisted that wouldn’t be necessary.
Monsters didn’t typically flee from humans. Even the timid dompoma initially showed fighting intent before deciding to flee upon being struck.
Leo shrugged, relieved that his prediction was accurate.
“Be careful. It might charge at us. Let’s maintain some distance.”
At that moment, he felt something strange. Just as when he had acquired the {Combat Arts}, Leo instinctively knew what needed to be done.
“Lan and Ann, move to the left. Urok and Lena, circle to the right. I’ll take the front. Follow my lead and don’t attack all at once.”
[ Quest: Warmonger 10000/10000 – {Command} ability has increased by one level. ]
This ability was acquired from the army led by Marquis Harvey Guidan at Nevis.
Lan, Ann, Lena, and Urok followed Leo’s instructions without protest. It likely wasn’t just because of the {Command} ability but also the influence of the {Blood of Kings} ability.
– Groooook! Grook!
As the five revealed their lethal intent, the Snow Horned Deer reacted. However, it didn’t seem overly threatened and continued licking the salt.
“Left side, attack first!”
Simultaneously with his shout, Leo dashed forward.
Determined to cut off its antlers in one strike, he made a diagonal slash and brought his sword down forcefully with the momentum of five running steps.
Then,
– Groooook!
“Whoa!”
The antlers grew longer, sprouting rapidly in all directions like bamboo shoots in the rain, and started glowing blue.
Cold. Leo felt a chill as he struck the antlers. It was only natural for it to be cold in the winter, but the temperature dropped even further. Frost formed on his sword during the clash, but Leo pressed the antlers down with all his strength to prevent the creature from raising its head.
For some reason, the others hesitated to attack, so Leo shouted.
“What are you doing?! Attack now!”
“Look! Look at the ground!”
It was Lena’s shout.
But Leo had no time to assess the situation.
As the Snow Horned Deer charged with all four legs, his feet slipped and skidded across the frozen ground.
– Grawr! Gawr! Graaawr!
“Hey! Get lost!”
Leo pushed hard against the reindeer’s antlers.
The beast was weak.
It seemed fragile compared to the strength one would expect from such a large creature.
“What are you doing, not attacking…”
Having gained a brief moment of respite, Leo glanced around and finally understood the situation.
The ground had frozen over.
Though snow was piled up, the ground had never been this frosty. That explained why his feet had slid earlier.
The blue-glowing four hooves.
Not only did the cold emanate from the antlers, but the Snow Horned Deer spread a white wave with each step it took, covering the ground with a layer of ice.
“Lena! Are you okay?”
“Yes! I’m fine. My feet are just stuck. I can get free…”
Lena shook her body.
When she leaned to the side, her shoe separated from the ground. As she managed to lift one foot, she struggled to free her other foot, similar to the others.
Everyone groaned as they wiggled their bodies side to side.
‘Damn it. No wonder it’s so calm… I should’ve seen this coming.’
The Snow Horned Deer, having passed Leo, looked at them haughtily.
It nodded as if to ask, ‘Want some more?’, fixing one of its clear eyes on Leo.
Leo carefully stepped back.
Watching the beast’s short, mocking snorts, he gathered his comrades.
“Let’s retreat for now.”
He supported Lena first.
Though it wasn’t hard to pull her feet free, each time she lifted one leg, the other would get stuck again, making her progress slow and awkward as she leaned on Leo.
Even so, she pulled on Uruk’s hand, and Lan and Ann supported each other as they retreated.
Fortunately, the Snow Horned Deer did not pursue us. It merely watched us as we fled to the cave, then resumed licking the salt blocks on the ground.
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