"Quick, we need to leave. The three Alpha wolves escaped from my Ice wall technique. We are going to be surrounded." shouted the old mage in a surprisingly young voice.

"Raymond, quickly find if Ms. Rose is here first." The archer yelled to the knight.

Alex saw the red-haired knight taking out a pearl-sized red ball and placed it on his forehead. He stood there as if meditating, and weird symbols appeared on the pearl.

The red-haired knight stopped moving even as the remaining four wolves growled at him. After some hesitation, the wolves once again attacked while the ice mage defended.

The ice mage knocked his magic staff on the ground and released a spell freezing the area. The four demonic wolves were frozen as white icicles spread on their fur.

As the group was celebrating, three terrible wolf howls were heard from their rear. This time they were much closer.

Soon, Alex saw three great demonic wolves rushed from the entrance and surrounded the group. These wolves were twice as big as the previous ones. They showed their white fangs threateningly as they looked down at the three men.

Alex, who was watching, the great demonic wolves, felt his heart jolt, and an inexplicable fear spread within him. Alex felt cold all over his body and quickly closed his eyes as he meditated.

'What is wrong with me? Is their mere presence making me feel fearful?'

Alex opened his eyes and tried not to stare at the great wolves. He looked at the three humans, and the inexplicable fear slowly subsided.

But he soon noticed a dark haze slowly spread from the wolves while covering the surroundings. The young knight finally moved. 

Just before Alex lost sight of them, the red-haired knight slashed the dark haze with his sword. A flame burst out from the ordinary slash, dispelling the darkness.

They growled threateningly at the humans while showing their sharp fangs.

"Rose is not here. Her magic pearl is not responding. We can leave." said the young knight. Everyone sighed in relief.

"Thank god. We cannot stay here any longer. From their response, the wolves are still probing us. We better leave before a Lord-level beast takes action, then we would be really done for." said the archer.

Although the group was surrounded by three Alpha wolves, they were not troubled.  They quietly defended the wolves' attacks. Alex was shocked as they demonstrated their frightful strength.

Soon, the three of them turned their back and rushed to the entrance. The young knight tackled two beasts out of their path, while the mage created an ice wall blocking the wolves' path.

Even with their strength, the three of them ran faster than they arrived.  Alex did not judge them. Compared to them, he can only be considered a fledgling.

Alex did not show his face from start to finish. He had no intention to ask for their help. He was not stupid to put his life in their hands.

However, Alex now had a strong desire to visit the human civilization on this planet and get as strong as them.

But now Alex had a headache. These guys' actions undoubtedly aggravated the wolves. The wolves nowhere to vent might take action against him, an honest bystander.

So, Alex advanced the time of leaving. He decided to leave the Howling crater tomorrow morning.

Alex climbed down the vines and quickly escaped to his cave. He did not wish to get caught by the wolves during this sensitive time. Soon, Alex reached his cave.

After a long break, he practiced the extreme path. To survive, he had to work as hard as possible.

In the evening, Alex grilled the meat for two and waited for the little bird Varis. He had to ask the bird a favor.

Soon Alex heard a chirp, and the little bird swooped in from the hole he made beforehand. Varis landed on the pedestal and looked at the food in front of him. Without any hesitation, he started devouring.

As Varis finished eating, Alex came to his side with a sincere smile.

The little bird screeched (probably saying): 'what do you want, human?'

Alex scolded inside: 'why the heck are you screeching, instead of chirping cutely like before.'

But Alex maintained his smile and said: " Little brother Varis, I am leaving the Howling crater tomorrow. So, can you ask your mother to meet me? I have some questions to ask."

The little bird looked at Alex for a long time and chirped before leaving through a gap in the Vines.

"Well, that guy is reliable after all."

Alex opened the Vicious Vine curtain to welcome the guest. He also put some fruits, berries, and grilled meat on a plate for the guest.

It had been three hours, the sun had already set, but there was still no sight of Varis or his mom.

"Where is that unreliable brat?"

Alex was about to close the curtains when he heard a chirp, and the little Redbird entered the cave. While Alex was relieved, Varis landed at the fruits and berries and started eating.

Soon, with a gust of wind, the adult Sky eagle landed at the entrance. As Alex waited for the Sky eagle to come in, he saw a mind-boggling sight.

The blue eagle morphed into a beautiful woman with sharp blue eyes, blue hair, and a long blue dress.

'Ok, that's cool.' thought Alex.

"Mam, thank you for coming. you are looking beautiful today."

"No need to compliment. It was just a small trick. You can call me Aretha," she said smiling graciously.

"Ms. Aretha, I think only those who are beautiful inside can transform into such a cool appearance." Alex flattered some more.

"Ok, that's enough. Varis tells me you are ready to leave,"  said Ms. Aretha smiling brightly.

"Yes. I am hoping you can tell me how to leave this crater and reach the nearest City."

"Well, that's easy. There is an underground cave right opposite from here."

"Is it there," Alex pointed to the other side of the lake.

"A little to the right... Yes," said Aretha as she pointed to the correct location.

It's around 120 meters from the Redhogs lair.

"Why didn't the Demonic wolves find the passage?" asked Alex perplexed.

"The passage was recently made by a Blood python."

"Blood Python? Is that strong?"

"It is strong. But don't worry, we took care of it," said Ms. Aretha as a matter of fact.

Alex bottled his questions about the snake and asked the prepared questions.

"Ms. Aretha, can you tell me which direction is the nearest city and the closest river."

"The nearest town is around 200Km to the north. And the river is 5 km to the east," replied Aretha.

"Thank you," said Alex while digesting the numbers.

As he was thinking, how to travel such a long distance in an unfamiliar and harsh forest. He heard a chirp from Varis, and Ms. Aretha started to speak.

"I do have a request and hope you can help," said Ms. Aretha.