TEB Ch 93

The sound was coming from the left. The distance seemed to be at least 200 meters. Although Suhyuk’s main job at the wildlife protection center was not rescue work, he had been involved in rescue operations quite often due to the shortage of personnel at the center. 

In such cases, the most important thing was his ability to find animals in need of help in the thickly overgrown forest. Even though the reported location was definitely here, the wild animals would hide like ghosts, as they perceived revealing their location to humans as a threat to their survival. 

“Thanks to that, it’s quite a challenge to find them.” 

The people who had been working there for a long time said they could immediately identify the type of animal and their movements just by listening to the sound. Suhyuk, however, had not reached that level yet. He had become familiar with directions and distances while helping Mr. Lambert with his lodge keeper activities, but he didn’t have those skills, he would have thought of the rustling of leaves shaking in the wind. 

“It might not be a monster, but just a regular wild animal.” 

Liev cautiously approached the direction where the sound was coming from, holding his breath. Renard also had a puzzled look on his face, but he followed Liev, completely concealing his sense of presence. Slowly, stealthily. If they made any loud noise by stepping on a branch, they would definitely run away. 

Monsters usually had the habit of living in groups. Some individuals lived alone, but most of them formed groups or packs, and the monsters that had appeared at their destination were also creatures that lived in groups. Since the sound they just heard could have been made by an individual that had temporarily separated from the group, it would be better to quietly observe and find out where the group was before subduing it. 

Crunch. 

Then, they heard footsteps and were able to pinpoint the location more accurately. 

“It seems to be over there.” 

Renard whispered as quietly as possible. Liev nodded and replied just as quietly, brushing his lips against his mouth. 

“Yeah, let’s not attack right away. We need to know where the group is to take them down all at once.” 

They slowly approached, trying their best not to reveal their identities, and through the thick bushes, they saw the reddish-brown fur of an animal. It wasn’t a monster, but just a wild animal like a rabbit, squirrel, wolf, or mountain goat? 

As he approached closer, Liev couldn’t help but be surprised at the appearance of the creature he had mistaken for a mountain goat. It was a young wolf with fluffy fur, peeking through the gaps between leaves. 

“Oh…wow” 

“…….” 

What was beyond the bushes was a baby wolf with a fluffy coat that looked like a puppy. For that moment, Liev was so surprised that he couldn’t help but open his mouth, and Renard immediately narrowed his eyes and glared at him. It was a look that seemed to be like a lover or a spouse looking at someone else. It couldn’t be helped. If someone was on high alert and suddenly came face to face with such a cute baby wolf, it would be hard for anyone to keep themselves from being distracted. 

Wow…

This was a rare sight that Liev had never seen before, even when he worked as a veterinarian, a mountain lodge keeper, or at the magical horse research institute. The wolf seems to be about two to three months old. Although it was still small, it was about the size of a medium-sized dog, possibly because it was about to enter adolescence. So, it was the size of a normal dog. 

It had a youthful look, but its arms and legs were long, and its balance was off due to growth. Its changing facial fur made it look like a monkey, which was too adorable to bear. Liev was so enraptured by the sight that he didn’t even realize that he was staring at it. Renard immediately complained. 

“What are you doing? Don’t we have to go catch it or follow him?” 

Liev suddenly came to his senses. Of course, Renard was right. As cute as it was, monsters are still monsters. The thought of these creatures hunting and eating people with their protruding teeth and sharp claws beneath their fluffy snouts sent shivers down his spine. You could immediately tell the difference between a normal wild animal and a monster just by looking at it. Unlike ordinary irises, the eyes are shaped like sparkling flames. Liev’s heart was drawn again to the common characteristics of monsters. 

“Oh, right. Of course.” 

He held his breath and waited for the creature to move. However, for some reason, it just kept shaking and sitting in the same spot without taking a single step. 

‘Why?’ 

Is there somewhere uncomfortable in your body? Liev took out the small binoculars he had put in his pocket. As he turned the small lens back and forth, he saw something shining in the light. On the back of his hind legs, it caught the light and sparkled. What is that? As he fixed his gaze on his ankle, hoping to get a better look at the thing, it appeared to be an identification tag in the form of an anklet. Even though it was not the right size, it still didn’t fit at all. 

“That looks really painful… 

It was a dog tag, which was a long, flat plate bent coiled into an ankle and squeezing the flesh on his ankle. Such identification tags were usually only given to fully grown individuals. Naturally, as the body grows, the tag tightens around the body part it is attached to, and if it hinders blood flow, it could even lead to necrosis in the worst cases. So, there were a few things that could be inferred from that dog tag. 

First, it is a creature that is being used by humans, but it is currently not being managed. 

Secondly, it was probably once under human control but is no longer. These two things were clear. At the very least, this creature was brought here under human control. Whether this place was originally their natural habitat or if someone brought them here by force, it was still uncertain. 

“What should I do first?” 

Should I capture it and take it with me to show his colleagues? While he was contemplating, the creature started whimpering. It must be a lot of pain. After standing and observing for a while longer, there were no other creatures approaching to take care of it. 

“Kkiing, ngng… kkeung…” 

As he turned his head to look at his back leg, the cycle of pain repeating itself as his ankle was bumped into became too much to bear. In the end, even if he were to defeat it, it didn’t feel right to leave it in such pain. 

“……” 

Liev thought for a moment before slowly walking towards the creature. Renard followed closely behind him and grabbed Liev. 

“Why? What are you going to do?” 

“I don’t know yet. I just want to release that ankle. If I can figure out what it is, it might be helpful.” 

If a creature has escaped from a publicly open laboratory like the Magic Research Institute, there would be a mark of the managing organization on the identification tag. If not, it meant that the creature was from a facility where only codes or numbers were written for simple identification, making it impossible to trace its origin. Even with just this information, it could be a clue to finding the cause of a series of monster disturbances. After calculating the possibilities, Liev revealed himself through the trees, and the creature immediately jumped up and wagged its tail like a puppy. 

“Kiiiing, keeeing! Grrrraang!” 

It was more of a cry than a bark, typical of a large dog that was still growing. As I approached to get a better look at its ankles, it started growling, as if it had sensed that I was a stranger. 

“It seems like this guy is familiar with people.” 

From a distance, He thought it would be someone who could help him, but as I got closer he became more guarded towards me, a stranger. Whether I spoke or not, my mind wanted to run away, but my body wouldn’t listen, and I just took a few hesitant steps and sat down. 

“Just stay still. I’ll at least let you go.” 

Liev grabbed the creature, and his hand slipped under its fur. The fur was so fuffy that I couldn’t tell from a distance, but I could feel it clearly as I touched it. Its bones were sticking out of its skin due to not being properly fed for a long time. 

“Growl, growl, woof!” 

Thinking that Liev was trying to harm him, the creature showed its teeth and tried to attack, but Renard stood behind Liev and stared it down, saying, 

“Don’t growl at Liev!” 

When he talked he sounded childish but a dragon was still a dragon. This guy had been hiding his presence all this time but due to the intimidation  of overwhelming pressure suddenly appeared, the wolf creature curled up his body in an instant and burrowed into Liev’s arms. 

“Kkeeing, kkeuk…kkeiiiing…” 

There’s no way this little one looks weak and harmless in front of a strong being. Liev swallowed his chuckle and took the opportunity to carefully hold onto the creature’s hind legs. 

“Kkeiiiing, grrrng..” 

There is no such thing as a strong being in front of Renard. Liev couldn’t help but laugh and carefully grab the creature’s hind feet.