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137. Engagement – Spirit Reindeer

– Gooo! Oooook!

A snow-covered forest. A monster, smaller than the Old Phantom Fox but twice the size of an ordinary horse, let out a low, guttural roar.

With its heavy cry, branches thickly piled with snow snapped and creaked, causing snow to tumble down from various places.

It was a ‘Spirit Reindeer.’

Five people who had journeyed southeast for three days with two horses carrying burdens were watching in awe from a distance.

“Whoa… Is that a monster? It’s a complete beast!”

Lena exclaimed, sticking out her tongue.

Leo, having seen monsters several times before, wasn’t as surprised, but he thought this hunt would also be challenging.

The creature was on the smaller side for a monster.

But Leo eyed its horns warily.

Translucent, ice-like antlers. They looked rough, as if coated with frost, and even in winter, a cold mist radiated from those antlers.

“What do you think? Isn’t it amazing? A creature this size is worth risking our lives to challenge, right?”

Ran said enthusiastically.

Seemingly full of spirit, she jumped off her horse and took out her axe and shield.

“Wait a minute!”

“Hold on! Huh?”

Both of them shouted simultaneously. Lena and Leo faced each other.

“You go first. Whatever it is.”

“Yeah. When hunting a monster, you’re not supposed to just run in recklessly. It’s best to observe its behavior first instead of trying to catch it in one go… or so someone said.”

“Behavior?”

Lena shared the advice her father had once given her.

– “Monsters have distinct powers and operate under specific rules. In urgent situations, they often revert to their usual actions. It takes courage to retreat when in danger. Rather than trying to catch it in one go, it’s best to engage multiple times and understand its behavior.”

Ran, Anne, and Urok nodded.

The advice of a veteran great warrior was worth its weight in gold. No matter how much these warriors prided themselves on bravery, they listened intently to Lena’s words, which were clearly from Dehorman.

“So, what should we do? Should we observe it or something?”

“I think it might be good to engage it once. What do you think? If it feels dangerous, we can always run away.”

“Do you think it will let us escape? That reindeer is fast.”

Tethering their horses at a distance, they set up a small camp and debated for a while.

How were they going to catch that monster?

Use of poison or traps was, of course, prohibited. They had no choice but to physically take it down, but a creature that size wouldn’t just let itself be beaten up.

“I think the key is how to deal with its horns,” Leo began.

“It’s smaller than what I’ve seen… or rather, heard of. Usually, monsters are said to be gigantic. It’s probably a monster that relies on its horns for attacks.”

“…But it’s big?”

“Enormous!”

“…I mean, what I’m saying is…”

Hmm—

Leo pondered for a moment on how to explain it.

The monsters he had hunted had each possessed distinct characteristics.

The Old Phantom Fox moved with a mysterious lightness. With its gigantic form, it would leap high into the sky, deceiving the attention of its prey like a fox would.

Aboandone, being a monster with the body of a pig, was hefty.

Despite being born as a ‘Migus,’ it wielded a size comparable to that of a house and had rolled down like an avalanche in its final moments.

But this monster? With its horns, it would undoubtedly rush in leading with them, but was that all?

It seemed too small for that. Compared to other monsters, it appeared quite manageable.

‘There must be something else. But since I don’t know, I guess I have to follow Dehorman’s advice and keep trying.’

Thinking about how it shouldn’t run away like the Black Horse Monster, Leo gave up trying to explain. This was something to be learned through experience.

It wasn’t as if he could even claim to have experience catching monsters, so Leo changed the subject casually.

“First, let’s secure an escape route. I think digging deep would be a good idea. If we can find a cave that it can’t enter, that would be even better.”

“Digging in this winter might be tough… and a cave sounds good! It won’t be able to get in because of its horns. If it slides in, we’ll be grateful.”

Though agreeing, Anne crossed her arms and pointed out an issue.

“But the cave can’t be too far away. We won’t know until we look, but if it’s too far, it’ll be hard to use. We need a method to lure it out.”

“That’s true. So even if it’s tough, we should dig nearby…”

“I know how to lure it!”

All eyes turned to Urok Ainar.

He continued speaking in a low tone after a moment.

After some time passed, Lena was amazed by Urok’s words.

“Really? Wow! As expected from Urok.”

Urok, the next chief of the Ainar Tribe and a skilled hunter, had a lot of knowledge.

There was an age difference, and since he was part of a different hunting team led by Dehorman, his interaction with Lena was limited, but he was recognized as a talent to lead the tribe.

“Alright! Then my sister and I will look for the cave. Lena, you can go to the nearby village and gather that. Urok and Leo… well, I think that’s better left to the men, so I’m counting on you.”

Ran said with a mischievous smile, wrapping up the discussion. Once the plans were set, the enthusiastic group split off to fulfill their assigned tasks.

In the camp, just Urok and Leo remained. As they drank water, the two shared a casual conversation.

It seemed the hunt would go well.

But Leo had to worry about what would happen after the hunt, so he couldn’t enjoy a light-hearted chat. Urok, not wanting to overly engage Leo, remained quiet as they both sipped water.

– Gooo! Oooook!

The mournful call of the Spirit Reindeer echoed through the wintery forest.

*

“It’s coming. Get ready.”

The five held their breath at the mouth of the cave. The ‘Spirit Reindeer’ was plodding closer, pushing branches away with its horns.

It was licking the snow-covered ground, and seeing this, Lena scrunched her face in disgust.

“It’s really eating its own pee.”

Urok Ainar’s suggestion had been to lure the Spirit Reindeer with urine.

Wild animals always sought salt.

Every living thing needed sodium. The heart, which contained the most salt, remained resilient, and salt helped digestion while preventing inflammation and diseases.

While freshwater fish often suffered from various ailments, saltwater fish tended to be healthier due to the presence of salt.

Land animals craved salt desperately, especially herbivores.

Carnivorous animals could supplement it by eating the intestines of their prey, but herbivores could not. This is why quick-footed creatures like ‘Eracht’ often abandoned their lush meadows to lick the rock salt found on cliffs.

So, what about the ‘Spirit Reindeer’?

This was where Urok’s insight came in. The reindeer would find climbing cliffs challenging, and its size surely meant a high desire for salt.

However, simply placing a block of salt on the ground wouldn’t attract the Spirit Reindeer, so they used urine.

The unmistakable stench of something salty.

After repeatedly drinking water, Leo and Urok collected their urine and sprinkled it around the cave that Ran and Anne had found. The Spirit Reindeer approached, licking the urine, and discovered the block of salt that Lena had brought, letting out a long wail.

It was a call for its companions.

Deer and similar animals wouldn’t dive headfirst to eat when they found food. They always called their group together first and then shared the meal.

However, even though it had cried for quite some time, no reindeer came. The Spirit Reindeer soon lowered its head and began licking the salt.

Urok said, “This method won’t work a second time. If we fail, we’ll have to use another approach.”

“We just need to catch it this time.”

“No, we shouldn’t be too greedy. If it feels dangerous, we should retreat to the cave. We can wait and try again. There’s no rush. It’s not going anywhere.”

That was Anne’s voice. Her calm demeanor urged her sister to reconsider.

Eventually, the five gathered their weapons and stepped out of the cave. Cautiously, they approached, but the Spirit Reindeer didn’t flee. With its head down, it continued to lick the salt while watching them.

“Seriously, it’s not running away? I guess its size wouldn’t scare it off…”

Urok looked at Leo in surprise.

He had suggested that they should surround the creature to prevent it from escaping, but Leo stated firmly that it wasn’t necessary.

Monsters didn’t run away upon seeing people. In the case of the Black Horse Monster, it had fled after taking a hit, but even that cowardly monster had displayed its intent to fight at first.

Leo shrugged, relieved that his predictions had come true.

“Be careful. It might charge at us. Let’s widen the distance.”

At that moment, a strange feeling washed over him.

It was like when he obtained the {Command Skill}; he instinctively knew what to do as soon as he issued orders.

“Ran, Anne go left, Urok and Leo go right. I’ll take the front. Don’t attack all at once; just follow my commands.”

[ Quest: Bloodthirsty 10000/10000 – {Leadership} skill levels up by one. ]

This was a power he acquired after annihilating the army led by Marquis Harvey Gaidan in Nevis.

Ran, Anne, Lena, and Urok obeyed Leo’s orders without question. It didn’t seem to stem solely from his {Leadership} skill, but there seemed to be an influence from his {Royal Blood} ability as well.

– Gooo! Oooook!

As the five displayed their deadly intent, the Spirit Reindeer reacted. Yet, it didn’t seem to feel particularly threatened and continued licking the salt.

“Left first!”

As the command was shouted, Leo charged in.

With a determination to slice off its horns, he took a strong diagonal slash, leaping five steps forward with force.

Then,

– Gooooooook!

“Whaaat!”

The horns elongated. Like bamboo shooting up on a rainy day, they rapidly spread outwards, beginning to shine a green hue.

It was cold. Leo felt a chill strike him as he struck the creature’s horns.

It was winter, so being cold was expected, but the temperature dropped further. Ice seemed to fall from the horns as they collided with his sword, yet Leo pressed firmly downwards to prevent the creature from raising its head.

But for some reason, the others hesitated to attack, prompting Leo to shout.

“What are you waiting for?! Attack!”

“Look! The ground!”

Lena’s shout rang out.

But Leo had no room to assess the situation.

As the Spirit Reindeer pushed forward with its four legs, its hoof began to slide on the frozen ground.

– Gooo! Oooook! Goooook!

“Ugh! Get away!”

Leo forcefully shoved the reindeer’s horns.

The creature was weak.

It didn’t exude the strength one would expect from such a size, giving off the impression of being flabby.

“What are you doing not attacking…”

Gaining a moment of reprieve, Leo finally looked around and prepared to assess the situation.

The ground was frozen.

Though it was covered in snow, it hadn’t been this icy. He pondered why the ground beneath his feet had slipped away.

The bluish hooves glowed ominously.

The chill emanating from its horns was one thing, but every time the Spirit Reindeer stepped, waves of white spread out, and ice was coating the ground.

“Lena! Are you okay?”

“Yeah! I’m fine. I just got stuck. I can pull it off…!”

Lena shook her body.

Leaning, she managed to lift one foot off the ground. Trying to take her other foot off, she and the others struggled similarly.

All of them were grunting and shifting from side to side.

‘Damn it. No wonder it looked small… I should’ve known this would happen.’

As the Spirit Reindeer passed by Leo, it turned its regal head back to them.

‘Are you going to do more?’ it seemed to question, nodding, yet its clear eyes were fixed on Leo.

Leo cautiously stepped back.

Watching the creature snicker, he gathered his companions.

“Let’s retreat for now.”

He helped Lena first.

While it wasn’t difficult to pull her foot off, lifting one leg made the other stick, and with one arm around her shoulder, Lena staggered uncomfortably as they moved back.

Still, she reached out to grab Urok’s hand as Ran and Anne supported one another while retreating.

Fortunately, the Spirit Reindeer didn’t chase them. It simply watched them escape towards the cave while continuing to lick at the block of salt left on the ground.