Syrus Vale untied the rope from his waist and fastened one end around the wild boar's body while wrapping the other end securely around his own waist.
With the rope supporting the weight, dragging the carcass became much easier. Before long, he had already moved it more than ten meters through the forest.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Ahead of him, more than a dozen pairs of green eyes stared from the darkness like predators watching their prey.
Syrus frowned.
"This isn't something you get to eat."
He felt a surge of irritation when he recognized the wolves.
"Roar!"
After a sharp howl, the wolves spread out, forming a loose circle that completely surrounded Syrus and the wild boar.
"Sigh… if you want to fight, then come!"
Syrus loosened the rope from his waist and drew both his dagger and pistol.
Among the wolves, one with a missing eye seemed to recognize him.
Fear flashed briefly in its gaze.
The pack slowed down.
Instead of attacking, they kept their distance—circling Syrus from dozens of meters away.
Syrus stood still and watched them for a while.
When they didn't move closer, he cautiously resumed dragging the boar forward.
But after only a few steps, the wolves began closing in again.
Syrus had no choice but to stop, drop the rope, and raise his pistol once more.
"Damn it. If you want to fight, fight. If not, get lost!"
He cursed angrily.
He had worked hard to bring down this wild boar, and now these scavengers wanted to steal it.
If they had the ability, they should hunt one themselves.
Just as Syrus was cursing, movement flickered behind him.
One wolf had quietly crept up to the carcass.
Before Syrus could react, it bit into the boar's hind leg and tore away a chunk of meat.
When Syrus turned around, the wolf had already retreated, a piece of flesh hanging from its jaws.
"Damn it!"
Syrus felt the urge to fire his gun right then and there.
But he forced himself to hold back.
Right now, the situation was still manageable. Even if the wolves stole some meat, there would still be plenty left.
But if a gunshot attracted a mutated beast…
Then none of them would be eating tonight.
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
Syrus lifted his dagger and cut a piece of meat from the boar's body. Holding it up where the wolves could clearly see it, he waved it for a moment before throwing it far behind him.
"Howl—!"
The wolves instantly reacted.
More than a dozen shadows rushed after the flying meat, clearing the path ahead.
Syrus quickly grabbed the rope and dragged the boar forward.
He managed to move quite a distance while the wolves were distracted.
But the moment they finished devouring the meat, the pack chased after him again and blocked his path.
"Damn scavengers…"
This time Syrus cut off a larger piece of meat.
Using all his strength, he hurled it far behind the wolves.
Taking advantage of the moment, he dragged the boar another ten meters forward.
Soon the wolves surrounded him again.
Syrus sighed in frustration.
Once more, he repeated the same tactic—cutting off a piece of meat, throwing it away, then quickly moving forward.
Piece by piece, the wild boar's body grew smaller.
Nearly half of the meat had been sacrificed before most of the wolves finally lost interest and dispersed.
However, a few stubborn ones still remained.
Syrus glanced around.
Only three or four smaller, weaker wolves continued following him. The rest had already disappeared into the forest.
"You still dare follow me?"
Syrus scoffed and ignored them, dragging the boar forward at a faster pace.
With nearly half its flesh gone, the carcass was much lighter.
The wolves initially tried blocking his path again, but when Syrus advanced toward them with his dagger raised, they quickly scattered.
Even wild animals understood danger.
Anyone capable of killing a creature as powerful as a wild boar could easily kill them as well.
Although they retreated, the wolves didn't go far.
They followed behind Syrus from a distance, occasionally stopping to lick the blood stains left on the ground.
After testing him a few more times and still not daring to attack, the remaining wolves finally gave up once Syrus stepped out of the forest.
A few distant howls echoed before they disappeared.
Syrus stopped and glared back at the dark woods, grinding his teeth.
"Sooner or later… I'll kill every last one of you and eat your meat."
With that, he dragged the boar back to the abandoned house.
Standing over the concealed entrance, he knocked on the hatch.
Moments later, Sophie climbed up from below. When she saw that it was Syrus, she quickly lifted the cover.
The moment her eyes fell on the massive wild boar, they widened in shock.
"So much meat?!"
Her eyes sparkled with disbelief.
Syrus smiled faintly.
At that moment, all the effort and injuries suddenly felt worth it.
"Let's go down," he said. "Tonight… we're having a pork feast."