I'm the King Of Technology

Gallop. Gallop. Gallop. Gallop.~

The caravans made their way through the hidden road passing countless trees that stretched their branches to cover the moon's rays.

Only a wee bit of moonlight illuminated the scene. Many would find it hard making their way in such conditions past the confusing road.

But the burly man and his entourage calmly advanced with their horse reins in hand, only keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings for any more beastly attacks.

But so far, nothing had dared to attack them again.

And wouldn't you know it, an arrow with a white cloth tied on it shot through the air, landing its mark in a tree inches away from the Burly man.

Scouts!

The burly man's eyes shone in understanding.

As expected, their delay made the scouts rush forth to see what the issue was.

Any potential intruders or dangers must be reported A.S.A. P to the Fortress superiors.

The burly man inwardly praised his quick-thinking mind for acting fast.

Or else wouldn't these people see them at a disadvantage against mere dogs?

No! Golden Wolves! Golden wolves!

That was what he saw, and that was that.

He had brainwashed himself so much that he was starting to believe it.

"Halt!!" He ordered while yanking the arrow from the tree.

White cloth, he then slashed several specific points on the cloth and knotted them together before giving it to one of his archers, who in turn shot it into a tree further ahead.

Thap!

Communication established.

The burly man continued on to make several whistling noises in sequence as though they were codes.

He and his guys weren't imposters.

If they couldn't prove themselves, the hundreds of archers already swarming the place would waste no time killing them!

.

After a series of confirmations, a slender figure in black descended from the trees like a ghost.

Only the figure's eyes could be seen.

The slender man walked towards them, keeping his eyes on the burly man at all times.

"Why the delay?"

"Golden wolves."

The slender man's eyes flickered.

And in under 3 seconds, he had taken in the appearance of the burly man and everyone else close by.

If the injuries were made by themselves, he would be able to tell.

Likewise, if it were humans they fought, he would also be able to tell too.

His level of expertise was higher than the built man's.

He shifted his eyes dangerously, concluding it should've been a beastly attack.

The clawed scar on the burly man's shoulder could in fact belong to a golden wolf. Such a fierce slash was enough to make one swallow hard.

And he figured the burnt man had dodged most of the attack. This was why the wound wasn't deep but still a fierce one.

Looking around, some evidence countered the story of the beasts being Golden Wolves, while some proved the story accurate.

So in this case, could it be that the pack of wolves had a mix of ordinary and golden ones amongst the lot?

Whatever the case, it was evident that beasts attacked them, not humans.

So the slender man decided to drop the matter.

Ultimately, all that mattered was that they were back with the goods (women).

Nonetheless, he still had to ask all he could as per protocol.

Like so, the caravans continued their journey. Only this time, they were escorted back by the many hidden archers.

And the leader of the bunch, the slender man, calmly took an unused horse, riding beside the burly man.

Yes!

He had noticed they were dragging along several unused horses, probably belonging to those already in the bellies of those 'Golden Wolves.'

.

Again, for 12 to be lost meant they, T.O.E.P members, should've been swarmed and surrounded by an uncountable number of beastly enemies.

Yup!

As T.O.E.P men, part of their training involved taming down the many beasts of the world.

Back in Morgany, they would get thrown into forests filled with beasts of all sorts. They were to survive and kill a definite number before leaving.

They would be followed by higher-ranking members who would focus on assessing their training progress.

Sometimes, they would get thrown there, telling them only to fight using one fighting style.

In other times, they would get thrown on the many outrage islands too.

So even if they were battling with Golden Wolves, the slender man felt those 12 to die, the number of beastly enemies must have been too great to count.

Yes... That just be it.

The slender man's thoughts were good.

But if he knew they had battled mere ordinary, common, everyday dogs, he would no doubt take his arrows and shoot them all to death.

What a disgrace!

How can such useless weaklings be part of their great T.O.E.P Society?

The burly man inwardly had cold sweats but maintained a calm face, retelling all that went down.

95% of what he said was true. But the other percentage was made up.

As they say, a good lie has more truth in it.

And just like that, the caravan finally reached a strange point on the road.

.

Here, there were over 300 scouts and archers surrounding the scene at all hidden angles.

The hidden road they were on continued forward.

So why did the caravans stop?

Why not continue further?

Heh!

From this point on, if anyone continued, they would fall into a loop designed by them. The loop would not only make one go in circles but also divert them to even deadlier places in the forest.

Additionally, it would lead them straight to several strange hills, they liked to call 'the Hills of illusions.'

The trees there twitched and moved their bodies hourly, stretching their bodies in various ways that made one question if they had passed through the place or not.

Moreover, it was hard to keep track of footprints and things like carriage tracks since the place was constantly swampy, with waters rising and falling between ankle and knee-length every 2 hours.

There were also swamp creatures that would love to drag and feast on those passing by.

Continuing on this same road they were on was no longer feasible.

Then in that case, where were they to go?

Where exactly was the hidden passageway to the fortress?