Ark

Ark: Volume 2 Chapter 1

Special Army of Familiars

He followed the Hand Mirror's light for quite a while.

Ark's journey so far was a monotonous repetition of his daily routine.

The light of the Hand Mirror that functioned as a compass only came out at night.

Since he was following the light in a straight line, he ended up on a route consisting of mostly mountains. So when the light disappeared, he couldn't determine the direction and always wandered off.

Naturally, the method of following the Hand Mirror's light at night and wandering the area and hunting at day solidified.

The moment he entered Argue Mountains that surrounds Jackson's territory line, the higher level the monsters became.

The Magal Wolves possessed defensive powers incomparable to a regular Wolf, and the Bengal Tiger boasted of outrageous attack power with its knife-long fangs, constantly ambushing him.

However, Ark had raised his level to the limit in what was called the highest level dungeon in the Jackson area, the Shadow Forest.

There were no opponents dangerous enough for Ark, who had even hunted a Reaper.

The situation changed one week after the journey started; over two days had passed in real time.

The Magal Wolves' and Bengal Tigers' attacks gradually lessened.

Based on his experience, Ark knew what the change meant.

'Looks like I've passed the territory.'

Like people, what was called disposition also existed for monsters.

The disposition determined the friendship between monsters.

In other words, if similar small monsters were set to be hostile, they did not approach each other. If they were set as a natural enemies like the relationship between a mouse and a wolf, then fights between them would break out.

Thanks to this system being in place, a monster's domain was naturally made.

The fact that ambushes of the Magal Wolves and Bengal Tigers were decreasing meant the domain was changing.

'What kind of monster's domain is this?'

It'd be a sticky situation if he suddenly encountered a high-level monster.

"Bat, observe the surrounding carefully and inform me immediately if anything shows up."

"Got it, Master."

Ark utilized Bat to increase his vigilance thoroughly as he traversed the forest. Soon, he spotted a few monsters between the thick bushes.

'The face of a dog and a human's body, they're Gnolls!'

There were three of them, and they were drooling saliva while roasting a monster that looked like a Bengal Tiger under a fire. In other words, that meant they were strong enough to hunt a Bengal Tiger.

A Bengal Tiger wasn't an easy opponent either. If they were stronger than a Bengal Tiger, then they weren't opponents to thoughtlessly come at.

'What to do? Should I try fighting 'em?'

Ark was contemplating when one Gnoll suddenly raised its head and let out a cry.

"GRRRRR."

"It's a Human. I smell the scent of a Human!"

"Let's catch and eat it, Human meat is more delicious."

It was a mistake to hide with his back to the wind. The Gnolls with their sensitive sense of smell carried their clubs and approached while flaring their noses.