Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Mission-Exclusive Equipment!
Having accepted the story mission, Li Kainan had originally planned to go deal with the werewolf right away.
A transcendent evil creature?
Pfft, still just a body of flesh and blood.
The werewolf had already been forced by Li Kainan to tear off its own arm and flee in disgrace—what was there to be afraid of!
But Branny's grandmother stopped him, took out the cake and red wine that Branny had brought along, and asked Li Kainan not to be in such a rush—they could have lunch first and rest a little.
The werewolf had been seriously wounded by Li Kainan earlier, and was surely hiding somewhere in the forest right now, licking its wounds.
Eliminating it with Li Kainan's martial prowess wasn't difficult—but finding the werewolf's trail in a forest that vast was no easy matter!
Branny's grandmother had previously written to her friend, the old hunter, asking for his help, and he would arrive this afternoon.
The thing hunters excelled at most was tracking and hunting down wild beasts!
As long as they waited for him to arrive and join forces with Li Kainan, even a werewolf as cunning as this one wouldn't stand a chance……
Li Kainan accepted this suggestion, feeling it was better to be more thoroughly prepared.
After lunch, he asked for a whetstone and set about sharpening the knight's sword at his waist.
There was no belt grinder here for sharpening, so this was simply what he had to work with.
It was tiresome, yes—but his physical condition right now was absolutely terrifying, and he could achieve remarkable results through sheer brute force!
What a pity Li Kainan hadn't known he'd be transmigrating, or he wouldn't have brought this unsharpened "display piece" either.
His weapon collection back home contained several properly sharpened swords……
……
Li Kainan waited all the way until the afternoon, and Branny's grandmother's old hunter friend finally arrived.
The old hunter was tall and broad, looked to be somewhere in his 50s or 60s, and his features carried the weathered look of a hard life.
But with a longbow across his back and a hunting knife at his hip, he cut a remarkably imposing figure!
When the old hunter walked with practiced ease into the small courtyard, all he saw was Li Kainan sitting in the yard with his head bowed, focused intently on polishing his sword.
The unfamiliar silhouette gave the old hunter a violent jolt—it even made him fear he had arrived too late……
The thought of a certain grim possibility crossed his mind, and the old hunter's breath caught. His eyes turned red, and the weathered lines of his face twisted into something ferociously dangerous!
The ruthless, predatory ferocity radiating off the old hunter—honed from years of bloodshed and slaughter—made Li Kainan's head snap up.
The desire for battle engraved in his very bones meant that Li Kainan was not in the least intimidated by the old hunter's fierce aura. If anything, his eyes grew burning hot with excitement.
Unconsciously, he ran his fingers along the sword in his hand a couple of times. The magnificent knight's sword with its beautiful feather-patterned blade swayed slightly, its freshly sharpened edge catching the light in a scattering of cold, sharp gleams……
The next moment, a terrifying, overwhelming pressure—utterly unreasonable in its dominance—radiated outward from Li Kainan's body!
Feeling the godlike, oppressive might emanating from Li Kainan, the old hunter's body couldn't help but tremble faintly.
Even so, the old hunter did not choose to flee. He gritted his teeth and stretched out his trembling hand, reaching to draw the hunting knife at his waist.
In a world where the wilderness was rife with all manner of transcendent races and evil creatures, a man who had survived long enough to become an old hunter was no ordinary existence—whether in combat strength, willpower, or temperament……
And just as it looked like the 2 men were about to come to blows, Branny's grandmother finally walked out of the cottage.
The moment he saw that Branny's grandmother was alive and unharmed, the old hunter—who moments ago had been ready to fight to the death driven by grief and fury—felt all the intensity drain out of him at once.
A look of surprised joy spread across the old hunter's weathered face, and he said with immense relief:
"Bona, you and Branny are alright!"
Branny's grandmother realized the 2 of them had apparently fallen into a misunderstanding, and quickly introduced them to each other.
When the old hunter, whose name was Balen, understood what had happened, his face flushed red and he became flustered and at a loss.
He quickly bowed deeply toward Li Kainan and stumbled through an apology:
"Esteemed lord, please forgive my rudeness……"
It was plain to see that the old hunter was no man of words—he could manage nothing more than variations of asking Li Kainan to forgive him, without a single polished phrase to his name.
Li Kainan was not a petty man either, so he naturally didn't hold it against him, and reined in the killing intent he had been putting out.
Because his combat instincts were telling him that this old hunter named Balen was formidable—not much weaker than the werewolf in the forest.
Well, even though no system prompt had appeared.
Still, this was the first combat-type NPC talent he'd encountered. Why not try recruiting him?
Li Kainan immediately expressed his forgiveness and flashed the old hunter a warm smile.
Gazing at Li Kainan—clad in his magnificent armor, imposing and noble yet warm and approachable, his entire being radiating extraordinary charm—the old hunter couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion in his heart.
To think I'd encounter a lord this noble, valiant, and incomparably merciful……
Li Kainan also took the opportunity to use Eye of Insight on the old hunter before him.
【Balen】
There wasn't even a "?" after the name—just the name itself, in green, indicating he was a friendly unit.
Strange. So unless the system recognizes someone as a story character, the Loyalty Value won't show?
Tch, the Eye of Insight skill was feeling pretty useless……
……
With the old hunter finally arrived, Li Kainan—who had already been itching to complete the mission—immediately proposed setting out into the forest right now to track the werewolf's trail.
If they waited until tomorrow, there was no telling where the werewolf might have fled to……
Branny's grandmother had no objection to this, and promptly turned to the old hunter:
"Balen, where are your hounds?"
"I brought them along—I was worried Branny might be frightened if she saw them, so I left them tied up outside!" the old hunter said quickly.
With that, he immediately let out a whistle toward the outside, and sure enough, several barks answered him from beyond.
Branny's grandmother nodded, then called her granddaughter over and gestured for her to take off the red velvet cloak she was wearing.
Young Branny loved that red cloak dearly—so much so that she wore it every single day.
But her grandmother had already reminded her before that this cloak could be of help to Mr. Kainan and protect his safety.
So despite how much she loved it, Branny didn't hesitate for a single moment—she slipped off the velvet cloak and handed it to Li Kainan.
Grandmother pointed to the red velvet cloak and explained:
"Esteemed lord, this cloak has been enchanted with my magic. As long as you wear it, ordinary evil creatures and curses will be unable to harm you!"
At those words, Li Kainan's brow shifted ever so slightly.
No wonder she had been comfortable letting a young girl like Branny come visit her grandmother alone, even with the werewolf on the prowl.
No wonder the velvet cloak had flared with a burst of red light earlier in the forest—startling the werewolf into exposing itself in a panic, allowing Li Kainan to take its arm……
Grandmother paused for a brief moment, then continued:
"I am still injured and cannot accompany you, so I hope this cloak will help you successfully eliminate the werewolf!"
Oh—mission-exclusive equipment!