Boris is a name that Laine had heard before. This elite tier Berserker gained fame with an axe and later traveled far and wide as a mercenary, earning the moniker "Blood Axe."
If ordinary tier warriors are only slightly stronger than regular people and have a better understanding of combat skills, then elite tier warriors have further enhanced their bodies in addition to continuously advancing their combat skills, especially Berserkers like Boris.
The Berserker is an advanced warrior class that sacrifices most of its defense, channeling all of its talent into attack power. At Boris's elite level, he can lift several hundred pounds; on the battlefield, handling about a dozen fully armed ordinary soldiers is no issue for him.
The racial advantages of the Beastmen are too obvious. Take the Beastman Leader from before, for example. The Beastman Leader's strength is around the peak of elite tier, but during combat, he was completely overpowering Boris, especially in arm strength, presenting a crushing force.
The members of the Mercenary Corps had just finished dinner, and everyone was in a relaxed state. Laine could see that everyone was very tired. At the end of the battle, they asked what to do next. Knowing they had lost track of Belte due to the Beastman Tribe delaying their journey, he merely suggested they find a place to rest for now.
Upon hearing Laine's call, the group perked up a bit and sat around the campfire. Even though Boris was gravely injured, he still forced himself to listen. Deputy leader Viert sat down with Banda, noticing Laine's somewhat puzzled expression, he added, "He's my apprentice, learning some knowledge."
Seeing this, Laine said nothing.
Just then, a fragrant breeze of lavender wafted by, and Teresa appeared before the group. She had changed out of her battle-ready black leather armor, wearing a sea-blue mink fur coat that accentuated her curvaceous figure. The long hem almost reached below her calves, and a pearl necklace hung on her chest. Silver high-heeled boots further highlighted her tall and slender frame, estimated to be over one meter seventy.
The women of the Jialan Council all adore luxurious living, something Laine was well aware of.
"Teresa is here, let's begin then!" The female sorceress sat beside the Kingdom Knights, gave him a glance to indicate the start, and Laine said, "First, a piece of bad news—We've lost track of Belte. Before encountering the Beastmen, we were about three to four hours away from him, but after the confrontation, our distance from him has extended to at least a day."
"Secondly, Teresa's mana is depleted and will take a few days to recover. We can't rely on magic right now either." Laine continued, and everyone looked at the female sorceress, who nodded silently.
"What does everyone think of the current situation? Does anyone have information to share?" The firelight illuminated the faces around the campfire. Boris remained silent due to his injuries, and Viert seemed lost in thought while the group could only see the bright moonlight and hear the crackling of the fire.
Everyone sat cross-legged, except the female sorceress. Laine had set up a horse stool for her, as Teresa would not tolerate getting her clothes dirty. However, this was perceived differently by Banda, who thought the Kingdom Knight was deliberately trying to please Lady Trovik. Seeing no one speaking, Banda thought it was his time to shine. Earlier, he had come up with a good plan that would surely impress Lady Trovik!
"I have a plan, Lady Trovik!" Banda suddenly spoke, ignoring Viert's dissuasive glance, and continued, "I believe we should pursue the victory!"
"Pursue the victory?" Laine became interested, gesturing to halt Viert from speaking further, indicating for Banda to continue.
Feeling Teresa's gaze upon him, Banda spoke confidently, "There's a clue, an important one you overlooked, which is the Ten Thousand Demon Rock. Didn't Lady Trovik mention feeling the power from it at that time? Therefore, the Fallen Hunter must be near the Ten Thousand Demon Rock. The Beastman Tribe has already been defeated by Lady Trovik. I've heard from the captain before that if the Beastman Leader dies, their tribe will fall into prolonged infighting and chaos. Thus, scouting near the Ten Thousand Demon Rock tomorrow will likely yield results."
"..." Laine exhaled deeply, his gaze wandering for a long time, while Boris coughed abruptly, and Viert lowered his head in silence. As for Banda, whose focus was on Teresa, he met her gaze that looked at him as if at an idiot.
Finally, Laine took the initiative to speak, "Mr. Banda, if I were leading a full Knight Corps, I'd consider such an action, but we only have twenty to thirty people, with heavy casualties and all wounded."
"You might not understand what the Ten Thousand Demon Rock is, so let me tell you."
"The Ten Thousand Demon Rock is a totemic rock, also known as a Chaos Core. It's a sacred Beastman totem hidden in the darkest, most inaccessible forest depths, secret caves, or treacherous mountaintops. Any non-Beastman daring to intrude into its surrounding area will face the ruthless wrath of all Beastmen within a hundred-mile radius."
"The vicinity of the Ten Thousand Demon Rock is typically guarded by powerful Doomsday Bulls. Even I find myself at a disadvantage against them, let alone our twenty to thirty mercenaries; heading there would be suicide."
The young mercenary, though not fond of Laine, cherished his Mercenary Corps, having grown up in it for years. So after hearing Laine's judgment, all he muttered was, "Who sends to die is yet to be seen," and said no more.
"Mr. Laine, during these days of tracking, we observed a pattern in Belte's movements. His hiding route is erratic, laying many obstacles to evade Lady Trovik's pursuit. However, his general direction is westward." Viert took out a map, pointing first at a large castle icon in the middle of it, "Seven days ago, Belte escaped from the Royal Capital Frost City, heading west."
The deputy mercenary commander then swiped his finger leftward, pointing to a town icon, "Five days ago, our Blood Axe Mercenary Corps and Lady Trovik sighted Belte in Lutop Town, but he immediately vanished into the snowfield. Despite our best efforts, we lost his trail near Granshen Path."
"Next is the Mien Forest." Viert placed his hand on a vast forest icon. The Mien Forest is massive, almost an eighth of the Nord Kingdom's land. It was here they were attacked by Beastmen.
"Therefore, Belte has been heading west consistently. This is the pattern we've deduced," Viert said, "What's Mr. Laine's take on this?"
"Belte is definitely trying to flee Nord. He's being hunted all over; while he could hide in the deep mountains and never come out, living primal and consorting with Beastmen to evade capture, he won't do that," Laine said, a serious look on his face as he realized something.
"Why?" Banda couldn't resist asking again.
"Because the Evil Gods won't want a useless follower. Whether it's the Blood God who relishes bloodshed and slaughter, or the Master of Deceit fond of trickery and deceit, or Shalis, who seeks degenerate sensual pleasures, they don't want a futile follower. Only the Father of Decay and Disease accepts all," Laine explained further and then continued, "Belte's possible destinations are, thus, limited to three options."