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The winter was bitterly cold.
Before long, the "blood lake" had frozen over.
By the lakeside, Allen and Paul squatted like they were taking a dump, staring at the holes in the snow where the monsters had fled.
"There's wind."
Allen held his hand over one of the holes for a while, then looked at Paul with a serious expression.
Paul scratched his head.
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes, very faint, but my Flow Sense tells me there's definitely wind."
Paul's mouth twitched.
"I still can't believe you've combined one of the Five Great Secrets of the Water God Style into your own technique. And you've fully mastered it in just two months? At this rate, if you master two more, you won't just be a Water Saint—you'll qualify as a Water God. You might as well head back to the Water God Style's main dojo and be crowned Water God."
Allen glanced at Paul, whose eyelids were drooping, and realized the man was using nonsense to distract himself from his exhaustion.
"I've been studying the Flow Sense since I was four, when I first saw Leto use it at the Water God Style's main dojo. I've watched it countless times over the years, and only now have I fully mastered it. It's not as simple as you make it sound."
"By your logic, I've also 'enlightened' the Silent Blade. Why haven't I mastered the Light Blade yet?"
Paul rubbed the dark circles under his eyes, feeling that Allen's argument made no sense.
"Huh? I don't even know the Light Blade. How could you learn it from me?"
Allen's eyes lit up. He bent down and reached into a dark hole at his feet, pulling out a saw-toothed rabbit under Paul's astonished gaze.
It was dead.
Its body was covered in wedge-shaped bite marks and small, finger-sized holes that sank deep into its flesh.
Sylphie, Laws, and Rudeus gathered around.
It was worth noting that after reuniting with Allen, although their eyes held various "stories," none of them brought up Roxy again, which made Allen breathe a sigh of relief.
Allen pointed to the rabbit's nearly devoured lower half and the blood-filled holes near its head.
"The giant gnawing rats ate the lower half, and the forest snakes sucked out the brain. The two types of monsters had been fighting over the body for a while, but they got scared off by me and left the corpse behind."
"The marks on the lower half match the gnawing rats' habits—their teeth are very hard, and they like to chew through bones. But..."
Allen pressed his finger against the rabbit's neck, squeezing out a mixture of blood and ice shards.
Rudeus's eyes widened.
"This is..."
Sylphie, who had been staring at Allen's face, finally looked down at the rabbit's corpse.
"Forest snakes have hollow teeth and prefer blood, but this corpse still has blood... That's not consistent with their hunting habits."
Allen ran his hand through the fur on the rabbit's neck, causing tiny ice fragments to scatter around him.
"The forest snake's mucus is here. It was fighting the rats for the body. Normally, the snake would've sucked out all the blood first, but it seems to have preferred the flesh this time..."
Rudeus tilted his head.
"Rats?"
Allen ignored him and squeezed the rabbit's body again, observing the relatively thin blood. After exchanging a glance with Paul, he made his judgment.
"Its body isn't dehydrated. There must be a source of fresh water nearby where the monsters gather."
Rudeus blinked.
"Wait, isn't there plenty of water from the snow?"
Allen stirred the blood on the ground with his hand as he replied.
"Eating snow to replenish water requires small amounts over time. Eating too much at once can cause severe hypothermia and death. The monsters aren't stupid. But this rabbit's blood isn't thick, which means it drank a lot of fresh water a few hours ago, rather than eating snow."
Allen turned to Paul, who was staring grimly into the forest.
"So, Uncle, any clues?"
Under Laws's watchful gaze, Paul pointed northeast, deep into the dense forest, his voice hoarse.
"About twenty kilometers away, there's a valley with a geothermal lake..."
He turned to Allen, hesitating for a moment before asking.
"Are we really going?"
Allen smiled faintly.
"It's the fastest way to solve the problem. Sitting here all winter isn't an option. If I get as exhausted as you are now and the monster tide hasn't subsided, we'll be in trouble."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rudeus, who had been confused, finally understood. His face turned pale.
Why was the monster tide endless? Because there were too many of them after last year's breeding season. So, was Allen's earlier attack effective?
Not really.
The number of monsters killed was far from enough. The monsters had only mistaken Allen's attack for a natural disaster.
They would return.
Allen's meaning was clear: instead of passively waiting for the monsters to come to them in this harsh weather, it was better to take advantage of his current peak condition and—
Strike at the monsters' most densely populated gathering point. A few more "Avalanche Crashes" like that could kill more monsters than waiting here for ten days or even a month... But Allen's attack didn't have a large area of effect. Wouldn't large-scale magic be more effective? Wait, if we use magic, wouldn't we kill even more?
At this thought, Rudeus finally realized why Allen had gone through such a long explanation. He slowly turned his head to look at Allen.
Allen's eyes sparkled as he looked back at Rudeus.
The map of Yan had been spread out for too long...
Rudeus instantly understood the meaning behind Allen's expression. He struggled to speak, trying to resist.
"I've never hunted monsters before... and I'm not even seven yet..."
Allen smiled brightly.
"What a coincidence. It's my first time too."
Rudeus was stunned.
Afterward, Paul and Laws discussed the matter for a long time and concluded that this was indeed the best way to deal with the monsters. If they dragged their feet again this year or retreated further to conserve energy for a defensive battle, the monster tide next year would undoubtedly be even worse.
They tentatively agreed to Allen's plan.
But they still weren't comfortable letting a group of "kids" handle this alone, so they decided Paul would accompany them.
This, however, raised a new problem: who would guard the barrier at the forest's edge?
Under normal circumstances, Paul and Zenith, as the former main damage dealer and healer of an S-rank adventurer team, would each take a side to hold the line.
But Zenith needed to take care of the children.
So, the final plan was as follows:
Wait for the next wave of monsters, repel them, then immediately dismantle the barrier and retreat to the forest's outer edge, where the villagers could still manage to hold the line.
Then...
While the monsters were recovering.
Strike at their nest and wipe them out.
The team composition:
Upper-tier swordsman, Paul—vanguard, clearing the path.
Water Saint, Allen—flank guard, protection.
Hunter, Laws—scout, logistics support, pathfinder.
Upper-tier mage, Sylphie, and Saint-tier mage, Rudeus—midline, firepower.
Finally, three hours later, the monsters attacked again.
This time, with Rudeus's magic, the monsters retreated even faster.
Dismantle the barrier, retreat, and set up a new one.
Everything went according to plan.
In the afternoon, the snowstorm subsided, and the sun dyed the forest's snow a golden hue.
The hunting party set out.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 120 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 80 power stones I will publish the next chapter.