---

I bought all the necessary items and returned to the blacksmith, only to find Luna, who had diligently prepared in my absence, had changed from a pretty dress into leather armor.

“How do I look?”

“Solid.”

Her tail swayed back and forth, and whether there was any mutual attraction or not, praise is always heartening.

Even though she wasn’t the main heroine, her stunning appearance in that tight-fitting leather armor made her look as captivating as any heroine.

That curvy figure was a bit too stimulating for any sympathetic soul.

Seeing Luna like this, I felt relieved that my first party member wasn’t a filthy man.

What if a muscular dude was my companion, clad in leather armor that clung to him?

And I had to see that every day?

“Ugh…!”

“What’s wrong!?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Just imagining it made me feel nauseous; the breakfast I had earlier threatened to resurface.

‘I must never accept male companions.’

Just as I was lost in thought, I noticed the daggers at Luna’s waist.

“What… are those? Luna, are you using daggers?”

“Ah, yes.”

My first companion and the first member of my harem turned out to be a dagger wielder.

Not just any dagger user, but one who wields two!

Memories flooded back of a time when a dagger-wielding player claimed they would ‘deal well’ but ended up dying first due to a control mishap, ruining the raid.

“Have you thought about using other weapons?”

“Is there a problem…?”

In my eyes, there seemed to be nothing but problems.

As I stared skeptically at Luna and her daggers, she cautiously spoke up.

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you my skills today.”

Her words sounded like typical scammer talk, but…

‘How could she possibly be weaker than me?’

She must have a reason for her confidence, and if she turned out to be weaker than someone who can’t even use magic, then it’d be better for my mental health to just abandon the harem idea.

“Alright… You’ll figure it out.”

As much as I wanted to tell her to use dual blades, I couldn’t change things now that I had already bought them.

“Let’s hurry before it gets late.”

After leaving the blacksmith, we headed straight over the castle walls towards the forest.

Before entering, I recalled what Adela had told us.

War Wolves appear slightly deeper within the forest’s entrance where Goblins reside.

There’s a hierarchy even among monsters, and their spawning locations differ.

The stronger War Wolves claim better spots than Goblins, and if they encroach on each other’s territories, conflicts arise.

“Luke! Not that way!”

“Oh, right?”

I listened to the explanation, but it didn’t sink in.

It’s bizarre for Luna to find her way through the forest after just hearing it once; I’m not the odd one out here.

“How do you find the paths so easily?”

“I think you might be quite the terrible navigator, Luke…”

What can I say? There’s no Kakao Map here!

It’s way more disorienting to have something that should be there, only to find it’s gone.

“So how much farther?”

“I think we’re almost there.”

As if she had a built-in navigation system, Luna advanced without a hint of hesitation.

Not long after…

“Luke! There seems to be a trace here.”

“Oh yeah? Let’s take a look.”

As I approached the tree she pointed at and examined the roots closely, the bark color was indeed notably different, it was barely visible unless I squinted closely.

“Wow, how did you spot this?”

“I’m a wolf beastman, so I have a more sensitive sense of smell than others. There was a scent lingering.”

Oh… I see; I thought she was just a typical damsel, but when it comes to tracking, she’s an ace.

If it weren’t for Luna, I’d have been wandering around again for the whole day.

“Great job! Praise!”

-Pat pat.

I patted her on the head, and she wagged her tail excitedly.

“Then this area seems to belong to the War Wolves. What’s the plan?”

“What do you mean, what’s the plan?”

We need to lure them.

*

“You’re going to lure them?”

Luna questioned my plan.

“Yup. We shouldn’t have to go searching for them.”

Whether it’s monsters or people, it’s always best to fight on your own terms.

If I just walk into their territory, aren’t I effectively entering their home ground?

There’s no need to fight so foolishly unless it’s absolutely necessary.

And searching is just tedious.

Just like with the Goblins, we might not find them no matter how hard we look, and even if we did, it’d take far longer than merely luring them out.

Such inefficient actions make my skin crawl.

“How do you plan to lure them?”

-Swish.

In response to Luna’s inquiry, I stuck a twig into the ground.

“First, we need to find more of the marked territories before we lure them.”

“Huh?”

Having already found one, this whole area should be within the War Wolf’s domain, so why do we need more markers?

Luna couldn’t comprehend my actions.

Even if she was suspicious, I figured since Luke thinks differently from others, he must have a strategy, so I decided to go along with it.

“Uh, wait a moment before heading to the next one.”

“…?”

Luke turned to the direction of the twig he had stuck in.

-Creeeak.

“Kyah, kyaaa!!”

While Luna had been watching for what he might do next, she couldn’t help but scream upon witnessing his unexpected action.

Without a word, he suddenly unzipped his pants, exposing himself.

Out of sheer curiosity, Luna had been watching and saw what popped out, and it was her first time seeing a man’s private part, so it was natural for her to be shocked.

“Whoa! Why the sudden scream!?”

But Luke appeared completely unfazed, seemingly more startled by Luna’s scream from behind.

‘You can’t just lure with a scream! Newbies are the worst.’

The forest is huge; how could such a wide space be lured with just a yell?

Last time, I screamed right in front of the Goblins’ home, so that worked.

“Wait, why would you pull that out all of a sudden!?”

“I said I’m going to lure them.”

“And how does that relate to luring!?”

Luna hurriedly turned away, but since she’d seen too much already, closing her eyes didn’t help; those visuals were etched into her mind.

She had suspected something was off before, but today felt even weirder than usual.

“Are you really asking why this is necessary?”

“Only Luke would know how to make sense of that.”

Do people here really have such low intelligence?

To think I have to explain the basics.

“Okay, listen carefully, Luna. While you were away, a thief broke into your house. Upon returning home, what would you do?”

“…Capture or kill them.”

“Exactly!”

“…?”

Luna still wore a blank expression even after hearing Luke’s explanation.

“Look closely. This is their territory, which means it’s their home. We’re currently robbing an empty house.”

I began peeing over the War Wolf’s territory marker.

-Splish.

“Just like this.”

I was layering my territory over that of the War Wolf.

What’s the point, you might ask?

While the War Wolves are away, here comes ‘me’ the thief, brazenly robbing their empty house.

Now that I’ve wiped out one of their markers, they’ll find it puzzling.

It’s like being watched by the owner via CCTV while someone robs the place.

What would the owner do next?

‘Is this guy insane?’ Call the cops or come to smash the thief’s face in!

My method of luring falls more in line with the latter.

“Okay. That’s one done, now let’s move on, Luna.”

“…Right.”

Luna, though displeased, had no choice but to follow Luke’s strong-willed lead on the next part without a word.

We circled near the first marker, searching for another.

And then I found the second marker.

“Here it is.”

“Okay.”

This time, there were traces not on the tree, but on the ground between trees.

As before, without a moment’s hesitation, Luke unzipped his pants again, and knowing what would come next, Luna automatically turned away.

After repeating this process several times, I sensed it.

That with each passing moment, Luke’s keen eyesight was locking onto the increasingly soupy ground and damp trees.

We were inching closer to the War Wolves.

“I’m keeping watch this time. It’ll be over soon.”

“Okay…”

With Luke’s back exposed during the action, Luna made sure to keep her back turned again.

But—

-Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Ah-ha! Got one!”

“…”

The long-awaited monster appeared, but Luna couldn’t feel joy.

‘Does this method actually work…?’

The War Wolf’s growl was heard right nearby, yet she had no tension or wariness from the upcoming battle.

All she could think about was how surprising it was that this ridiculous lure had actually succeeded.

She felt as though all the knowledge she had once possessed was suddenly useless.

“Luna, what are you doing? It’s right here.”

“Ah, right…!”

Clap clap.

Luna slapped her own cheeks.

‘Get it together. This is my moment to show off my skills.’

The skeptical gaze Luke had given back at the blacksmith weighed heavily on her.

To put it simply, it looked like he was doubting her abilities.

Thus, Luna had to demonstrate her skills in the upcoming hunt to prove herself.

And soon enough, from the direction where the growl emerged, dark shadows began to stir, revealing their forms to Luke and Luna.

“Luke, it seems the lure was a bit too effective…”

“Right?”

The disgruntled owners of the house were pretty angry; they didn’t just bring themselves but also called their friends to join the brawl.

-Grrrrr…

To the left and right, two gigantic gray-furred War Wolves stalked around, with another larger one standing slightly behind. It had a long scar over its left eye and boasted an even bigger build than the average War Wolf.

“What do we do now?”

Luke pondered.

‘Double experience event!?’

 

---