"The Thunder Wolf King…?" Sol repeated slowly, confusion evident in his voice. "But how? Didn't I kill it?"
Annabel's expression darkened. "That's the thing. It's not just one."
Sol's eyes narrowed.
Annabel continued, her voice low. "There are multiple Thunder Wolf Kings. They've been spotted all over the surrounding forests—not just in Direwood, but in every region around us. It's like they appeared out of nowhere."
"That's… impossible." Sol muttered. "Even if more beasts like it were to show up, it wouldn't be this soon. It's only been a few months since I killed it."
It wasn't like in dungeons where monsters respawned after some time. They had to be born and grow, just like any other creature.
"I know." Annabel agreed, crossing her arms. "And what's worse is that they're all at least level 60, making them officially B-Rank beasts with three talents."
"But can't a well-prepared C-Rank party still take them out?" Sol asked. "So why is everyone so on edge? Are they each followed by a large pack of Dire Wolves, or have they grouped together?"
Annabel shook her head. "While some are followed by Dire Wolf packs, the real problem is how many Thunder Wolf Kings there are and where they're appearing. So far, we've spotted over forty Thunder Wolf Kings, and they're all over the place. Every forest, every region surrounding this town. We're lucky they haven't claimed any of the main roads as their territory yet, but it's only a matter of time. Until this is handled, most people won't risk leaving town. That's why the guild is practically empty. No one's willing to accept any quest that requires venturing outside with the high chance of stumbling into one—or even two—Thunder Wolf Kings. Still, we've issued an urgent quest to gather all C-Rank adventurers so we can fortify the town's defenses. With how many Thunder Wolf Kings there are and how territorial those beasts are, they'll eventually set their sights on the town, and we need to be ready to defend ourselves."
Sol's expression tightened. The situation was worse than he thought.
"Then why hasn't Guildmaster William done anything about it?" Sol asked, disbelief creeping into his tone. "He's an A-Ranker. A couple of B-Rank wolves shouldn't be a problem for him."
Annabel opened her mouth to respond, but Sol suddenly raised a hand, his head turning slightly toward a seemingly empty corner of the room.
"No offense, Anna." He said, his gaze fixed on the blank wall, "but I'd rather hear it from the man himself."
Annabel blinked in confusion. "Huh? What are you—"
A low hum echoed through the room.
From the empty air near the wall, a figure seemed to peel itself into existence, as though stepping out from behind a curtain of air.
Guildmaster William.
His towering, seven-foot frame appeared imposing, arms crossed over his broad chest, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Well, well. You've grown ridiculously fast if you can already sense me hiding." William rumbled, his deep voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Took you a while to call me out, though."
Sol's lips curved into a faint smile, not bothering to inform him that he had known the moment William arrived. It was easy for him to see through stealth skills, as long as they weren't at the level of law techniques.
Annabel, however, scowled. "Dad! Were you seriously spying on us?"
William raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't spying. I sensed a disturbance near the storage room and thought it might be thieves trying to steal from our inventory. So I came to… apprehend them."
"That's your excuse?" Annabel huffed, folding her arms. "You could've just shown yourself when you got here!"
William chuckled. "Well, I didn't want to interrupt your little reunion."
"Well, it's weird now that I know you were watching the whole time!"
Despite her complaints, Annabel was internally relieved she hadn't said anything too embarrassing in front of her father.
Sol cleared his throat. While he wasn't a fan of being spied by William, there were more important things to discuss. "Now that you're here, Guildmaster, mind explaining why you haven't handled the Thunder Wolf Kings? If they're just oversized wolves, you could wipe them out and be done with it."
William's smirk faded, replaced by a grim expression.
"It's not that simple." he said slowly.
Sol's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
William glanced at both Sol and Amber, then back to his daughter.
"These aren't just typical Thunder Wolf Kings. Something is off about them. Their movements might appear wild, but if that were the case, they'd be fighting each other over territory. But they're not. In fact, when one Thunder Wolf King sees another in battle, it joins in to help. And more importantly…" William's voice dropped lower.
"They shouldn't exist. Not like this."
Sol's expression hardened. "What do you mean?"
William sighed. "I've fought monsters for decades, and I know when something's not right. I believe they were… created."
Sol frowned. "Created? You mean summoned?"
"Maybe. Or bred. Whatever it is, this isn't normal."
"But why aren't you out there dealing with them?" Sol pressed.
William gave him a hard look. "Because killing them might make things worse."
Sol's frown deepened. "How so?"
William unfolded his arms, his tone serious.
"They're appearing in local areas all at once. If I start killing them, they might swarm toward the town, or worse, something bigger might show up. I need to figure out why they're here before I make a move."
Sol considered this carefully.
"You think someone's behind this?"
William nodded. "I'm certain. And if I take the bait and charge in blindly, I might walk right into their trap."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Sol exhaled slowly. "Then I guess I'll help figure out what's going on."
William raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think you're ready for that?"
At the question, Sol let out a small chuckle and turned to Annabel.
"Anna, have you told him yet?"
Annabel smirked and shook her head. "You wanna tell him?"
"Nah, you can go ahead."
"No, no, it's about you after all."
Watching the two casually pass the responsibility back and forth, William's face twitched in annoyance.
"Just tell me already, you brats!" he barked.
Both of them burst into laughter, savoring their small revenge for William's spying.
Annabel, deciding not to push her luck further, finally said, "Dad, Sol's an A-Ranker."
William's eyes widened. "Huh?! Already?!"