Chapter One. Preparation.

In the mercenary guild, as always, it was noisy. Most people sat at tables in the hall, eating, drinking, and discussing their affairs. But there was also a crowd at the order counter. The right side of the counter was for taking orders from various people. Traveling merchants came here to hire mercenaries as guards during their journey, local merchants and shop owners came to place orders for different items, and someone came to check on the progress of their order and see if someone had taken on their task. On the left side of the counter, mercenaries gathered to hand in completed orders, receive their reward, and take on new assignments. The guild acted as a guarantor between the employer and the executor. Thanks to the well-established system, all parties remained satisfied - the employer issued the order and paid the full amount to the guild, which then issued these orders to the mercenaries, who could only receive payment after completing the work.

The guild also had a ranking system from level 1 to 10. The more stars and the higher your rank, the more reliable you were and the more expensive your services. Today, a group of five mercenaries came to take on a new job.

"Hm... Trene stones and Gvelov skins. What do you guys think, should we take it?" asked a 25-year-old man to his companions, showing them the order.

"Hans, do you even think when you suggest such work? Gvelovs don't just lie around on the road, we could go through all the forests and mountains without meeting a single one," objected a young woman in her twenties. She was slender and short, so she had to look up at Hans with her fierce gaze.

After listening to his companion, Hans turned to the other members of the group, but they just shrugged, not wanting to get involved in the argument. Seeing their reaction, he looked back at the paper with the order in his left hand, while using his other hand to stroke his stubbly and short but thick beard.

Hans was tempted by the price for completing the order. Recently, he had spent a lot in the red light district, where one could not only receive female affection but also indulge in gambling. Now he needed money, as he was once again indebted to one of the establishments he frequented. Luck had also smiled upon him - he had managed to obtain a pass to one of the seven princesses of the red district, a meeting with whom was not easily achievable and money or status wouldn't help. These geishas didn't entertain just anyone, hence their price was quite high. Holding the order with such a generous reward in his hand, Hans didn't want to let this opportunity slip away.

"I understand your point, Kaila, but passing up such a reward would be foolish, don't you think?" Hans said to his teammate.

The girl looked at him sternly once again and sighed heavily.

"Hans, there's a penalty for not completing an accepted order, and I'm not willing to pay it because of your lustful desires."

The seasoned warrior with a scar on his face wasn't about to give up. Especially since it was only Kaila arguing with him, while the others just stood by and smiled. However, no matter what he said, Kaila presented reasonable arguments against taking on this particular order. But then luck smiled upon Hans once again. One of the mercenaries who was handing in a completed order and receiving their reward overheard their argument and intervened, informing them that a Gvelo had been spotted in the forest near Mount Arlam. Hunters who had returned to the village reported that one of them had fallen victim to the Gvelo.

"If what you're saying is true, why don't you take on this task yourself and why share such valuable information?" Kaila asked the mercenary, eyeing him suspiciously.

"We're just back from our mission with my group and we're not planning to take on a new one right away. As for why I'm sharing the information, it's simple - if the Gvelo is still out there and luck smiles upon you to get its head, I'll be waiting for our 5% cut of the reward."

"Ugh, I hate mercenaries like you. Taking a percentage of the reward without getting your hands dirty," Kaila said with disdain in her voice.

The mercenary did not react to her words, but Hans thanked him and agreed to give 5% in case of success. After a brief argument between Hans and Kaila, the group of five people took on the order and set off to prepare, agreeing to meet at dawn the next morning.

The three-day journey to the village near the forest at Mount Arlam went smoothly, but not without Kaila's grumbling. She insisted that they should not have taken on this order, and her arguments were reasonable. Gvelos were rare monsters, difficult to find. But even if you found one of them, that was only part of the challenge. Battling a Gvelo was the most difficult part. These monsters resembled cats, standing a meter tall, with sharp claws capable of piercing any armor, skin resembling dragon scales, keen hearing, and excellent vision.

Although Gvelos were not as strong as many monsters or seasoned warriors, they were very intelligent, cunning, and extremely fast. Few could match their reaction speed, and adding to that the fact that they could mimic human speech turned Gvelos into very dangerous predators who enjoyed setting traps and never fought directly.

Upon arriving in the village, the group first rented a small house for lodging and began gathering information from the locals.

"So, here's what we have: the Gvelo is indeed here. A group of hunters went into the forest, fell into an ambush, and one of their hunters became the monster's prey. We know the approximate location where they encountered the monster, so all that's left is to rest up and set out tomorrow morning. Everyone in agreement?" Hans asked, addressing his friends.

Everyone agreed, except Kaila, who suddenly suggested backing out of the order, adding that she was willing to pay the penalty for her refusal.

"I don't recognize you. Usually, you're the first one charging into battle and eager to take on a tough job. But now you're like a cat with its tail between its legs. What's gotten into you, Kaila?" the girl with red hair and freckles asked. She was the mage in their group and had been through many battles with monsters alongside her friends in the team, but she had never seen her friend like this before.

"Gvelos are not ordinary monsters. They are smart and can mimic our speech. Battles with them almost always result in casualties, and I don't want to be that casualty or lose any of you," Kaila calmly explained her reluctance.

Hans laughed loudly and reassured Kaila, telling her that they were not the type to stumble upon a Gvelo by accident; they were going after this monster themselves and wouldn't be caught off guard. He also reminded her that they had already discussed tactics on the way here and if they stuck to it, they would, albeit with difficulty, overcome this predator.

After discussing the strategy once again, the group of five - three warriors, one mage, and an archer - settled down to sleep, with only Kaila unable to close her eyes. She kept recalling the stories she had heard about Gvelos - rare monsters that took down their enemies not with strength but with intelligence.