Rushing

When he untied the drawstring, a golden light gleamed from the gap—inside, gold coins were neatly stacked.

He weighed it in his hand; there were about forty of them.

With his current physical condition, gauging the weight was incredibly easy.

He wasn't surprised by this. Between his income from hunting pelts and meat during this period, not to mention his share of the loot from the mountain giant bear and the kobold nest, accumulating this much money was only natural.

This was even after Matthew had handed out loose silver and copper coins to the villagers whenever he needed their help over the past few months; otherwise, his savings would have been one or two gold coins higher.

After securing the gold coins, Matthew pulled the drawstring tight and tucked the cloth bag securely into his breast pocket.

Then, he looked up at the eaves.

Rows of dried and smoked meat were neatly stacked under the eaves, filling the entire space. A rough estimate put it at around four hundred pounds.

Although these were no delicacies, they were solid food, more than enough to stave off hunger.

However, carrying hundreds of pounds of weight while traveling would ultimately be a burden.

Matthew's gaze swept over the ordinary dried and smoked meat. Though there was plenty, it wasn't indispensable.

It would be a bit of a waste to just discard them like this...

But time was pressing, and there was no room for hesitation.

His gaze then landed on the center of the eaves, where about twenty pounds of prime magical beast meat, noticeably darker in color, hung suspended.

This prime magical beast meat was the true treasure for a Class holder, completely different from ordinary meat.

Without further hesitation, he wrapped up the twenty pounds of prime magical beast meat and stowed it in his backpack.

As for the remaining nearly four hundred pounds of dried meat, he had a plan for them too: he would bring them along as well.

He had plenty of stamina anyway. He could carry them to Instructor Calm's place first, then find an opportunity to distribute them to the villagers along the way.

This way, he could reduce his actual carrying weight on the road while also leaving a practical gesture of goodwill to the villagers before departing.

Matthew made a swift decision and began packing quickly.

He neatly placed the tightly wrapped prime magical beast meat into his backpack, then set to work packing up the nearly four hundred pounds of ordinary dried meat under the eaves.

He divided the dried meat into several thick burlap sacks, binding them securely with ropes.

Thanks to his superhuman strength, the entire process was neat and efficient. Within moments, all the meat was packed up.

Afterward, he turned to take the White Fang Bow and quiver off the wall. After a careful inspection, he slung them diagonally across his back.

He also securely buckled his usual one-handed sword to his waist.

He also packed the staff, Green bow, and the miscellaneous items he had purchased earlier into a cloth bag to bring along.

With everything ready, Matthew cast one final glance around the small cabin he had lived in for so long. Confirming he hadn't left anything important behind, he turned and stepped out.

...

At this moment, on the outskirts of the forest, Regg's group was sprinting wildly through the trees.

Compared to when they had entered the forest in high spirits, the group was now completely unrecognizable—

Their numbers were severely depleted, their steps were frantic, and the air was thick with tension and panic.

Everyone was tense, constantly glancing back as if some terrifying entity were pursuing them.

Of the two young guards who had originally protected Regg, only one remained.

Keeping close to Regg's side, he kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings while urging:

“Young Master Regg, we must go faster! We have to leave the forest immediately!”

“We cannot let the chance of survival that Lord Taylor bought with his life go to waste!”

Hearing the guard mention his uncle, Regg's body visibly shuddered.

His face was pale, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. His previous high spirits had vanished without a trace, leaving only an intense, lingering dread, deep worry, and lingering fear in his eyes.

Looking at the few remaining servants and guards around him,

Regg recalled his family's teachings. Suppressing the panic in his heart, he swallowed hard to moisten his dry throat, then raised his voice as much as possible to reassure everyone:

“Lord Taylor is incredibly powerful; he will definitely be fine! Let's pick up the pace. Leaving the forest is our top priority!”

Hearing this, Porter's gaze swept over the severely depleted, low-morale squad before landing on Young Master Regg, who was forcing himself to remain calm. A trace of imperceptible approval flashed in his eyes.

In such a terrifying and frantic moment, the young master still had the presence of mind to stabilize morale and urge everyone forward. This composure under pressure was significantly better than expected.

He nodded inwardly, quietly raising his estimation of Regg.

However, he also knew that against that half-man, half-goat demon, even the half-step Gold Rank Lord Taylor was likely facing grim prospects...

The demon's aura was simply too terrifying. Just the pressure it radiated from afar was enough to make an ordinary Silver Rank expert tremble with fear.

As Porter ran and pondered, a puzzled voice came from his side:

“Lord Porter, what... what exactly was that monster?”

It was Chase who asked. His face was pale, fine beads of cold sweat dotting his forehead, his eyes filled with lingering terror.

Porter didn't answer immediately. He only stared heavily toward the depths of the forest, as if he could still see those burning crimson eyes, the grotesque goat horns, and the dark, dull skin...

Seeing his silence, Chase felt an even deeper chill, and a wave of intense regret washed over his heart:

Just as the group was running and the tense atmosphere had eased slightly,

a shrill, piercing howl suddenly erupted from behind them, followed closely by the rapid snapping of dry branches.

A Shadow Wolf flickered in and out of view among the trees. Upon closer inspection, one could see that this giant wolf was far larger than its peers, and it bore obvious fresh wounds—

a torn wound on its left shoulder was slowly seeping dark red blood, staining a large patch of its gray fur red.

With glowing green eyes and sharp fangs, the giant wolf maintained a delicate distance from the group at an unnaturally high speed.

Its gaze was locked dead onto Regg at the very front, intense hatred churning in the depths of its eyes.

Almost simultaneously with the wolf's howl, the bushes to the side were violently smashed open—

and a stout, humanoid figure rushed out with a roar.

It possessed a grotesque, dog-like face, its body covered in sleek, jet-black short fur, and its hands gripped a crude but exceptionally massive stone axe.

Unleashing a violent roar, it charged straight at the group's flank!

At that moment, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of Regg, who had been forcing himself to remain calm. He commanded the only three remaining servants around him:

“Block that kobold!”

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted past the kobold, locking onto the Shadow Wolf King that was hot on their heels. A complex mix of dread and resentment flashed in his eyes—

this was supposed to be his prey, his proof of merit and prestige to build his reputation within his family!

But now, he was actually being hunted by this beast!