George said, "Recently, manpower has been a bit tight, and we can't send too many people to investigate this matter. Considering you're from Endland Town and an old acquaintance of Wood's, we'll arrange for you to investigate, with ten soldiers to assist you."
Duke nodded. He naturally had no objections and wanted to hurry over to investigate after understanding the situation.
He knew that the sooner he got there, the better the chances of Wood surviving.
Wood was naturally a benefactor to him, whether it was from the Militia Team's selection and care or later recommendations; Wood could be said to be Duke's guide.
Soon, a squad of soldiers arrived, all personal soldiers of Earl Hardy, with a squad leader named Zorn, a young man in his twenties.
Although Zorn was young, he had been in the Militia Team for seven or eight years, already considered a veteran with rich experience.
There weren't many horses left in the manor, only enough for Duke and Zorn to each ride one, while the other soldiers had to proceed on foot.
Duke donned the nightingale leather armor, equipped his longsword and longbow, waved his whip, and left the manor to head for Endland Town.
...
In the days following Wood's disappearance, the people in Endland Town were somewhat on edge.
The original Militia Team was also somewhat at a loss, with the elder, Hansen, temporarily taking on the role of leader; he was also someone who had stood vigil with Duke before.
Hansen deployed defensive plans as before and sent people to look for Wood, but they always found nothing.
These days were fairly peaceful, with no monster attacks encountered.
If it were just ordinary beasts, these militia members could handle them to some extent.
But for monsters, only the Knight Attendant could solve them; ordinary people could hardly deal with them.
Hansen was even mentally prepared to be eaten by monsters. If monsters indeed arrived, he planned to use his death to hold those damned beasts at bay.
"I'm big enough, even if the meat is a bit old, those beasts should be full after eating," Hansen thought.
Standing at the town gate, with an iron sword in hand, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves.
Hansen looked around and saw two people riding toward him from afar, with a team running behind them.
He was very familiar with the leather armor of Earl Hardy's personal soldiers and recognized their identity at a glance.
However, the young man at the front had different leather armor, not that of a personal soldier.
Hansen found the person somewhat familiar but didn't think much of it, instead calling the Militia Team over to assist.
When Duke approached the town, he slowed down, got off the horse after reaching the road in front of the town, and led the horse forward.
Looking at this familiar town, he felt a momentary sense of disorientation.
"Brother Hansen, long time no see!" Duke greeted with a smile upon seeing Hansen.
Hansen was stunned, then seemed somewhat skeptical as he looked at Duke, only realizing after a long time, "Duke?"
"I haven't been gone long, and you don't recognize me?" Duke chuckled.
"You've changed so much. When you were in the Militia Team, you weren't this tall, and you were so dark and thin..." Hansen said bluntly.
Duke smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Indeed, he had changed a lot in these months, so it was no wonder Hansen didn't recognize him right away.
Back when he first crossed over, apart from a large skeletal frame, this body had no meat, and he was dark-skinned, with a very low spirit.
Now, Duke was tall and strong, well-nourished, with a healthy complexion, looking like an entirely different person.
Moreover, he wore nightingale leather armor, which was clearly of high quality, not something an ordinary person could afford.
Plus, with ten soldiers following Duke, it was impossible for anyone to connect him with the farm boy from a few months ago.
Back then, Duke wore simple short clothes with a sickle at his waist, which Hansen still remembered vividly.
Duke didn't delay and quickly inquired about Wood, learning some more specific information.
Wood had chased the monster westward into the hilly area and disappeared after entering.
The Militia Team had sent people to search but found nothing, and they were afraid to venture deep into the forest.
The town's Militia Team was already short-handed, with only a few dozen people responsible for such a large area, making it very stressful.
They reported the matter to Fengqiu City in a plea for help, as solving the immediate predicament was beyond their capabilities.
Once Duke understood, he took Zorn and the others, leaving Endland Town directly and headed west to the forest in that direction.
He was familiar with that forest as a local, knowing the mountainous terrain was complex.
Duke and the team took over an hour to reach this forest.
Upon arrival, they slowed down and carefully examined the surroundings for clues.
Duke got off his horse and tied it nearby, instructing two people to guard it while he led the rest into the forest.
Once inside the woods, he started investigating the surroundings, noticing that his hunting skill proficiency was increasing until it leveled up.
[Hunting Level Up]
[Hunting: LV2 (1/120)]
Duke found that after the hunting skill leveled up, there were no attribute points gained.
He realized that his current physical attributes were already at a high level, making it difficult for ordinary skills to improve them; he would have to see if there were any free attribute points after maxing out the skill.
Although his physical attributes didn't improve, related hunting experiences flooded his mind.
Duke absorbed these hunter hunting experiences, learning more about tracking and tracing techniques.
He found a few dried blood drops on a blade of grass, with a barely visible footprint beside it, only half complete.
From this leftover footprint, Duke deduced the person's approximate height, which matched Wood well.
Although it couldn't be confirmed, there were no other leads, so he had to continue following the direction of the footprint.
Duke's group proceeded forward, quickly entering the deeper parts of the forest.
He discovered new traces here, with sword marks on a tree, the marks very fresh.
These were generally used to mark directions, preventing oneself from getting lost.
Unknowingly, it was already dusk, and Zorn asked, "Mr. Duke, it's almost sunset. Should we return?"
Duke felt he was close to finding Wood's whereabouts and didn't want to return; otherwise, he would have to wait another night.
He thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "You guys go back first; I'd like to continue looking alone."
Continuing certainly had its risks, but Duke didn't dare to gamble. If Wood died because they waited a night, it would be too late for regrets.
He'd rather take the risk alone and keep trying.