Chapter 250: Marked as Prey
The curious head whined until Alexandra tapped her nose.
"You chased an imaginary snack, so don’t complain."
Her ears drooped. Beside her, the middle head had already rested her chin on the stone, apparently too tired to defend her own performance.
"You kept my HP climbing while I fought," Alexandra told her. "Sleeping through half the morning still costs you first place."
She offered the first strip to the winner, who accepted it with perfect composure and chewed slowly while the other two watched every movement of her jaws.
The usually bored-looking head seemed far too pleased with herself.
When the curious head tried to steal the final bite, the winner snapped her mouth shut and pulled away. Kumoe’s body twisted as the sleepy head shoved between them, apparently deciding that waking up entitled her to a share.
Within seconds, all three were tangled together.
Alexandra laughed and separated them with both hands.
"Stop. Winning means she eats first. It does not mean you two go hungry."
She broke two more strips apart and fed the other mouths, ending the argument immediately. Once the food was gone, the curious head licked her palm, while the sleepy one lowered Kumoe’s body across Alexandra’s boots. The winner leaned against her knee and pretended the affection had been her own idea.
Alexandra scratched all three.
"Martin will cook something better when we get back. You can show Angel how much you’ve grown too."
Every head lifted.
Kumoe released a howl that rolled along the stream and bounced between the cliffs. Alexandra smiled until a flock of birds burst from the distant trees.
"Perhaps not that loudly."
Three tongues hung out in matching grins.
Rain began before they reached the Endless Rain border. A light drizzle touched Alexandra’s hair and shoulders at first, then settled into a steady fall that darkened the surrounding trunks and turned the road silver.
A water-gathering tower rose between the trees ahead. Alexandra recognized it from Martin’s report. Dark blue stone formed the tower’s body, while a crystal sphere hovered above it and drew in the rain. Droplets curved toward the orb instead of falling to the ground, gathering in slow rings of swirling water.
Kumoe stopped and stared up at it with all three heads.
"Beautiful, isn’t it?"
The left head tried to steer their body closer. The middle watched the moving water, while the right turned toward the road ahead.
Alexandra checked her map. The official academy route continued beyond the tower and led toward Endless Rain’s Auction House.
She expected crowded listing boards, inflated prices, and sellers who described every scrap of junk as a treasure. Fortunately, she could afford a few mistakes.
Martin would probably complain if he saw what she spent.
The thought made her smile.
A low growl came from Kumoe’s right throat.
Alexandra’s smile faded as the other heads reacted. The sleepy middle straightened fully, while the curious one lowered her muzzle and tested the air.
"What is it?"
Kumoe faced the trees beside the road.
Nothing moved, but the forest had gone quiet. Alexandra could no longer hear birds, small animals, or distant monsters. Rain pattered against the leaves, and nothing else answered.
Kumoe backed against Alexandra’s leg.
Keeping one hand on a sword hilt, Alexandra checked the map again. The road was still marked as an official academy route. They had not entered a dungeon, hostile academy territory, or a contested guild zone.
There had been no warning.
A dark object struck the ground behind them.
Alexandra turned and found a short black stake buried in the wet soil. It resembled an oversized nail, with red markings glowing along its sides.
Three more impacts followed. One stake landed to their left, another struck the road ahead, and the last buried itself among the trees on their right.
Red light ran between them until the lines joined and closed around Alexandra and Kumoe.
A system notification filled her vision.
[Warning: An active Beastslayer has established a hunting territory.]
[You have entered a Beastslayer Zone.]
Alexandra opened Kumoe’s pet menu at once.
"Return."
White light wrapped around the three-headed wolf, but it shattered before the recall could finish.
[Pet Recall has failed.]
[San Kumoe has been marked as prey.]
[Bonded beasts cannot enter their personal sub-space while marked by a Beastslayer.]
Rain ran through Kumoe’s white fur. Every trace of sleepiness, curiosity, and boredom disappeared as the three heads pressed close together. Six eyes searched the trees while low growls rolled from three throats.
Another notification appeared.
[Normal bonded-beast respawning has been disabled within the Beastslayer Zone.]
[If San Kumoe is killed before leaving the zone or defeating the active Beastslayer, she will be permanently lost and her bond with Chaosgraphy will be destroyed.]
Alexandra read the final warning twice.
Martin had named Kumoe, cooked for her, and talked about her growth as though he had always belonged in that part of Alexandra’s life. She had wanted him there.
She was not losing Kumoe on an empty road in the rain.
Alexandra stepped in front of her and drew both swords.
"Kumoe. Stay behind me."
The three-headed wolf did not obey. The curious head watched Alexandra’s left flank, the sleepy middle remained close to her back, and the right stared into the trees with her lips pulled away from her fangs.
Alexandra nearly repeated the order before she understood what Kumoe was doing. Each head had chosen a different angle.
Kumoe was guarding her too.
She was no longer small enough to hide behind Alexandra’s legs.
"Fine," Alexandra said as she lowered her stance beside her. "Stay close, and don’t chase anything alone."
All three heads growled in answer.
A man’s voice drifted through the rain.
"I was told Night Espresso had two valuable beasts."
Alexandra searched the trees as he continued.
"The turtle would have been troublesome. Lucky me, you brought the wolf out alone."
Kumoe bared three sets of teeth, and Alexandra tightened her grip on her swords.
Then the right head, today’s winner, barked sharply toward the darkness on Alexandra’s left.
Something moved between the trees.