Dawson

Before long, Matthew selected a flat spot near the beast path where the soil was relatively soft and began to dig.

Without delaying any further, the two unloaded the wooden spikes and tools from their backs, chose their spots, and immediately set to work.

The frozen snow mixed with icy soil made digging no easy task. And this was near the stream; anywhere else, the ground would have been even harder.

But Matthew's strength had increased tremendously, allowing him to unearth large chunks of soil with every shovel.

Though Aidan lacked Matthew's raw strength, he spared no effort in his work, diligently helping to clear away the loose dirt and frozen snow.

Gradually, the outline of a deep pit took shape under their hands. As they dug deeper, the soil along the walls grew increasingly damp, mixed with shards of ice.

Matthew estimated the depth and width, ensuring it would be enough to trap a large beast, especially that potential "big guy."

Throughout the digging process, Matthew kept a portion of his mind alert, scanning their surroundings.

Time slipped away quietly amidst their cold labor.

The pit was now basically complete, deep enough to go over their heads.

Matthew leaped down to the bottom of the pit, using his shovel to level it out, and then gestured for Aidan to pass down the thickest and sharpest wooden spikes.

He had sharpened the bottoms of the spikes and now drove them firmly into the frozen ground at a specific upward angle, leaving over half a foot of the sharp tips exposed to form a deadly array of spears.

Afterward, he wedged several shorter spikes into the pit walls at a suitable height, preventing any fallen prey from using them as leverage to climb out.

Having set up the wooden spikes, Matthew pulled a recently killed wild rabbit from the pouch at his waist. He slit its belly open with a knife, scattering the blood and entrails inside the pit.

As for the rabbit meat... Matthew placed it back into his pouch.

With all of this done, he climbed out of the pit. Together with Aidan, he carefully covered the opening with thin branches, dry grass, and a light layer of snow, before scattering some fallen leaves and loose dirt over the top.

Soon, a deadly trap that blended almost perfectly with the surrounding environment was complete, leaving only a small, seemingly solid but actually fragile area in the center as the trigger point.

“It's done,” Matthew said, looking at his masterpiece with immense satisfaction. “Perfect.”

He scrutinized the trap; every detail was executed flawlessly. First, the pit was a full three meters deep, enough to completely swallow the "big guy" and ensure that once the prey fell in, it would be extremely difficult to leap out using its own strength.

Second, the angled spear array at the bottom would maximize the damage to the prey's soft underbelly or legs, causing severe injuries and restricting its movement.

Furthermore, the spikes on the pit walls completely cut off any chance of the prey attempting to climb out to escape!

And finally, the most crucial part—the bait. The fresh, pungent scent of blood was already dispersing through the air, acting as an irresistible temptation for any beast with a keen sense of smell.

On the other side, Aidan was panting heavily, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Working at such high intensity in the cold for so long had completely exhausted his physical strength, even with a powerful companion like Matthew doing the heavy lifting.

He leaned forward with his hands on his knees, his exhaled breath condensing into a cloud of white mist in the air, his chest rising and falling slightly with every breath.

Seeing this, Matthew pulled a few pieces of dried meat from his chest pocket and handed them to Aidan.

“Eat something to regain your strength.”

“Breathe through your nose more. Don't use your mouth.”

Aidan accepted them gratefully and began to chew greedily.

Matthew looked up at the sky. The light filtering through the trees was growing even dimmer than when they first arrived, the hazy post-snow sky reflecting the deepening dusk.

“It's getting late,” Matthew estimated. “Let's head back. The scent of blood is strong here, so we shouldn't linger. We can just take our time on the way back.”

Aidan immediately nodded. “Alright, Big Brother Matthew.” He adjusted his breathing as instructed, trying his best to steady his breath, and stretched his sore shoulders and arms to prepare for the return journey.

Even though his body was still exhausted, the danger of the thickening scent of blood spreading through the forest made him realize this was absolutely no place to linger.

The two quickly packed up their remaining tools. Since setting up the trap had consumed a large portion of the wooden spikes and bait, their load on the return journey was much lighter, greatly easing their movement.

Matthew carefully inspected the area once more to ensure they hadn't left behind anything that could expose them. He took one last look at the trap to confirm everything was in order.

Only then did he slowly set off, retracing their steps.

On the way back, the forest was even quieter than when they had entered. Although the fine snow had stopped, the air remained bone-chillingly cold.

The light in the forest had dimmed considerably, turning the surrounding tree trunks and branches into blurry silhouettes. Beneath their lighter, brisker steps, the snow on the ground made a slightly muffled "thud-thud" sound.

“Big Brother Matthew, why is it so eerie here... Nothing bad is going to happen, right?” Aidan muttered in a low voice.

Hearing this, Matthew thought to himself: Don't jinx it...

He was just about to tell Aidan to quiet down and stay alert when—

“Howl—!!!”

A low, violent beast howl suddenly rang out ahead of them.

The sound didn't seem too far away. It pierced the silent forest, shaking the snow off the treetops, causing it to rustle as it fell.

Aidan's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Matthew stopped dead in his steps, his muscles tensing instantly as he slowly drew his shortsword from his waist.

He then lowered his voice and said, “Quick, get close to me. Keep up, and don't stray too far from me no matter what!”

Aidan had received training in this regard, so he did not hesitate for a second, quickly pressing close to Matthew's side.

Aidan knew that in this kind of sudden situation, if they split up and he was targeted, he would have absolutely no chance of survival.

At the same time, Matthew focused his mind to listen closely. Amidst the howling, he actually detected a few short, sharp shouts belonging to humans.

“Someone is there?!” His heart tightened. Could it be other people from the village?

But on second thought, he immediately realized something was amiss.

There were only a handful of people in the village with any combat strength. Who would risk venturing deep into the forest on a day when the snow had blocked it off?

“If it really is someone from the village in danger, I can't just stand by and watch. Besides, anyone who can lead a group into the forest must have some strength. Combined with my newly breakthrough Black Iron Rank strength, working together, driving off a threat on the outskirts shouldn't be a problem.”

“And listening to that howl, it's very likely a Shadow Wolf. Maybe we can even harvest some magical beast meat.”

“Even if it's not, retracing our steps to escape won't be an issue.”

With interest and responsibility intertwined, Matthew hesitated no longer. He said to Aidan in a low voice, “Let's carefully creep over and take a look. I think I heard human voices; it might be people from the village.”

Aidan looked tense, but he didn't raise any objections, only nodding heavily.

Seeing this, Matthew's estimation of Aidan rose another notch.

With those words, Matthew gripped his shortsword tightly and signaled for Aidan to follow closely. Under the cover of the forest mist, the two quietly crept toward the source of the sound...

...

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