"Cock-a-doodle-doo~~~"
Rhode, who was used to city life, rarely heard a rooster crow in the morning.
He tossed aside the thin blanket, got up, and opened the curtains to take a look.
The dawn had not yet fully broken, and there seemed to be a thin layer of mist outside, gradually dissipating as the sun peeked out.
A faint snoring came from behind; Natsu and Hapi were sleeping soundly, their carefree demeanor was both worrying and enviable.
Thus, Rhode tiptoed around them and headed to the door to avoid waking them up.
After a moment's thought, he stepped back, crouched down, took a deep breath, and shouted between their heads:
"Wake up!!!"
Watching Natsu and Hapi jump up, rubbing their ears, Rhode laughed heartily, just as carefree as Natsu.
"Damn you, Rhode!"
Natsu and Hapi pounced on him, and the three of them tussled into a heap.
When the three of them went downstairs for breakfast, each had a black eye.
The village chief thought the injuries were from last night, but he hadn't seen clearly due to the dim light.
After having a hearty breakfast, Rhode summoned Warm:
"We're heading out today to investigate the situation on the mountain, this will stay at your place.
If there's an emergency, just tell it 'go back', and I'll receive the signal and rush back as soon as possible."
With outdated communication methods, Rhode had to resort to this approach. Poro's intelligence was far superior to other wild creatures, consumed little magic power, and wasn't good at fighting, making it perfect for this task.
This decision was also influenced when he suddenly sensed Warm returning to the Wailing Abyss last night.
Warm looked around its surroundings, a bit displeased as it wasn't the familiar home or guild.
However, as long as Rhode gave clear instructions, it would obey—except when friends called for help during fights.
Sino picked up Warm under the village chief's guidance: "I will take good care of it."
The three turned to leave, and happened to see the little girl Claudie they met yesterday, peeking her head from outside, timidly watching them.
Once she realized she had been noticed, Claudie quickly ducked back.
Rhode paid it no mind as he continued walking out, advising Natsu not to be impulsive.
Just as the three were about to step out of the courtyard gate, the little girl mustered the courage to run over.
"Excuse me..."
The three turned to look at her.
Claudie's courage seemed to drain away instantly, as she weakly asked, "Excuse me... can you defeat the monster on the mountain?"
Rhode asked as gently as possible: "Do you know about the monster on the mountain?"
Claudie nodded and shook her head: "Dad said there's a leopard monster on the mountain, its upper body like a leopard and lower body like a human.
It's as tall as two people, with teeth as long as chopsticks, a mouth as big as a washbasin, and a tail thicker than my arm, with very long mane."
As she spoke, Claudie began to sob, tears shimmering in her eyes:
"Dad said that's how the monster on the mountain is, his wish is to defeat the monster and protect everyone. Dad told me to be good and wait at home, he'll come back soon, but... but..."
Natsu's hand landed on the little girl's head, halting Claudie's cry.
"Then you need to keep being good, obediently waiting at home, your dad's wish, I'll fulfill it for him."
Claudie's tears flowed immediately; she stood dazed, watching Natsu's retreating back, her vision becoming increasingly blurry.
To clearly see this warm big brother, Claudie tried hard to wipe the tears from her face with her arm.
Rhode sighed inwardly, silently forming a plan to ambush Natsu in case of emergency, dragging him underground to carry him away.
He knew Natsu's adoptive father vanished one day, never to return. Faced with such a situation, it would be difficult for Natsu to remain indifferent.
Moreover, the little girl's tears indeed moved the heart, Rhode also felt for the child, but he couldn't lose his cool.
"Hapi, keep an eye on Natsu later, don't let him do anything foolish."
"Aye," Hapi replied without much confidence.
Rhode summoned two River Crabs and a squad of Shadow Wolves, urging them to move faster.
The few wild beasts they watched last night indeed just found a jungle to hide in and carefully explored new territory, looking for a place to stay, puzzling indeed.
Rhode could only set aside his doubts for now, analyzing the intelligence just received.
Provided by the little girl Claudie, narrated by her father, it's intelligence regarding the Beast King.
Considering some parts might be lost or exaggerated in transmission, Rhode knew not to trust it entirely.
The most reliable information now was the possibility of the adversary being a leopard-like monster.
If you analyze the characteristics of the leopard species, it could likely be a speed-type, agile opponent.
To deal with such a type, Rhode thought of Jet...
The Stone Beetle should come in handy, and the Beaked Bird's covering strike could also be useful.
The antidote from the Magic Swamp Frog was not yet obtained.
But if used to deal with the enemy, it was fine, as long as it didn't affect our own people.
Rhode and Hapi caught up to Natsu, stopping him at the foot of the mountain.
Rhode had already asked Bit and Mastiff about the general terrain of the mountain range; recklessly rushing up might lead to a snake bite, and that would not be fun.
"If you want to help Claudie, you must remain calm. If something happens to you too, the child might never trust anyone again."
This persuasion was somewhat effective; Natsu sat down cross-legged, arms folded: "How long are we waiting?"
"Until I find it," Rhode connected to the River Crabs' vision,
"The first one has already climbed the first peak, hasn't seen anything unusual yet, and the Shadow Wolves are trying to locate the beast's scent."
To prevent Natsu and Hapi from becoming agitated, Rhode narrated in real-time what he saw through the River Crabs.
After half an hour of searching, a grizzly bear came down the mountain; noticing the trio plus a cat, it seemed slightly cautious.
But after comparing their size, it was no longer wary and charged towards them.
Natsu stood up, hitting his palm, ready.
"Signs of battle," Rhode finally made a discovery; a wild boar's remains lay on the ground, clearly chewed on by some animal.
Exposed ribs and spine were broken; it was uncertain if it happened before or after death.
The Shadow Wolves sniffed the scent, chose a direction, and sprinted, the River Crabs following.
In Rhode's vision, trees, rocks, and plants swiftly passed by, stopping at another site showing signs of battle.
This time it was a dead wild wolf, body grossly bent, as if its spine was forcibly broken.
The Shadow Wolves showed no affection for their kind and sniffed forward, running to the next location.
Rhode then saw the corpses of various wild beasts like tigers, grizzly bears, leopards, etc.
Each one seemed bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument, the scene was extremely brutal, and...
Strange.
If the mountain beasts died from fighting, most wounds should come from bites; there shouldn't be that many beasts using blunt force, right?