Chris casually picked up a fallen branch from the ground and boldly walked toward the small beast that had launched the sneak attack earlier.
Morgan and Sura did not dare to be careless and quickly followed.
Chris reached the small beast, crouched down, and poked its body with the branch. She found that although it had long hair and quills, its body was quite soft; with a pair of decent quality boxing gloves, one could basically knock it out with a single punch.
"Do you think this squirrel has anything to do with the disappearing bear footprints?"
"Should we wake it up and ask?"
And ask it...
That idea was truly whimsical!
She really is just a child!
Morgan's lip twitched: "Do you even know how to communicate with it?"
"Not at all!"
Chris said loudly: "But Papa said, 'Humans have human speech, and beasts have beast tongue.' Since you two are cats, don't you share a language system?"
"Of course not! We only speak human language, okay!"
"Eh—"
"Why are you making such a disappointed face?!!!"
Just then, the small beast lying unconscious on the ground suddenly began to glow. Within a few seconds, it vanished without a trace.
The three were stunned for a moment.
"Disappeared?"
Chris tossed the branch away, her brow furrowing: "Darn it—now we've lost our chance to even talk!"
Morgan couldn't help but roll his eyes and grumble: "I told you, there was never a possibility of that from the start!"
"It's not just a language barrier; the other side attacked directly, clearly having no intention of communicating with us. And..."
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
"Look!"
"In the time we spent saying those few words, the surroundings have already been surrounded by a crowd of pangolins!"
Hearing his words, Chris and Sura were both startled and hurriedly looked around. Sure enough, in the shadows, countless figures identical to the small beast had already taken up positions.
The small beasts were numerous, packed densely together.
The dim environment served as their best ambush point. Their agile and swift movements, combined with nearly non-existent footsteps, made them the ultimate assassins.
"So many!!"
"When did they even get here..."
Sura's pupils shrank, and she instinctively shielded Chris behind her.
"Oh my!"
"It seems we've fallen for it completely!"
"From the very beginning, that row of bear footprints by the river was a trap meant to lure us here!"
Chris suddenly cried out. As if a bolt of electricity had flashed through her mind, a look of realization appeared on her face.
Morgan and Sura were both taken aback.
"A trap? What do you mean?"
"I've only ever heard of using 'food' as a trap; I've never heard of using 'footprints' as one!"
Chris sighed and had no choice but to explain to them from the beginning.
"Normally, wild beasts use footprints or droppings to mark their territory. So, to stay away from fierce beasts in the wild, one must know how to avoid their tracks and waste."
"We took that common sense and did the opposite, trying to find the beasts in these mountains through their footprints!"
"But we all overlooked one point: these mountains are no longer ordinary mountains—they are our guild's examination site!"
"There is an Interferer in this exam, and the Interferer knows our goal is to find beasts. Therefore, the 'common sense' we relied on to make judgments could be wrong!"
With this explanation, Morgan and Sura finally understood.
"Are you saying the Interferer anticipated we would look for clues at the water source and deliberately left bear footprints there to disrupt our judgment?!"
"Exactly!"
Chris looked helpless.
"And the footprints that disappeared just now, I understand what happened with those too!"
"Thinking back, the spacing and depth of every single bear footprint we saw were as precise as if they'd been measured. Every step was as clear as the stains on Darwin's bedsheets after he wets the bed. That's not normal at all!"
"Because those bear footprints were man-made from the start!"
"If I'm guessing correctly, those flaws were left intentionally, but I just failed to notice them in time."
What?!
A trap so realistic that flaws were thoughtfully left behind??
Morgan was so surprised he was almost speechless: "So... so, who exactly is the Interferer for this stage?"
Chris answered: "Without a doubt, it's my mama!"
Mavis?
I see, it's the Arc of Embodiment!
With Chris's reminder, Morgan and Sura finally pieced everything together.
Mavis first predicted where the examinees might look for beasts, then used the Arc of Embodiment to create beasts, letting them leave footprints or other traces of their presence as "clues" to find the Beast King, luring those participating in the exam into a pre-set trap!
Which was right here!
As for the "interrupted footprints," it wasn't some mysterious trick; she had simply dispersed the beasts created by the Arc of Embodiment.
"Honestly... we were played like fools!"
"But since it's the handiwork of the Vice Guild Master, such a level of calculation is only to be expected!"
Everyone in the guild knew how formidable Mavis's brainpower was, even their Guild Master, the "Fairy Commander" Weston, would have to admit defeat!
"Come to think of it, leading our guild partners into a nest of social monsters... the Vice Guild Master sure is confident in our strength..."
"No!"
Chris shook her head: "The squirrel from earlier vanished shortly after passing out. So I believe it and these 'ambushers' before us were all created by my mama's magic. She must have held back!"
Is that so?
That makes sense!
Otherwise, how could there be a beast in this world that looks like a squirrel, a raccoon, and a pangolin all at once?
Suddenly, the sharp-eyed Sura let out a shout.
"Look, everyone! That raccoon over there has a plaque around its neck!"
What?!
A plaque?
Chris and Morgan quickly followed Sura's gaze. Sure enough, among the "ambushers," there was a slightly larger beast with a stone plaque hanging from its neck.
"Could that guy be the 'Beast King' we're looking for?"
"Please, where does that pangolin have even a shred of a 'Beast King's' aura?!"
"Though, this does indeed seem like the Guild Master's style..."
Everyone in the guild knew that Weston liked to add a little contrast to things—like giving a cute newborn kitten a domineering name like "Megatron," or decorating the ferocious horns obtained from hunting monsters with fresh flowers.
So, if he bestowed the title of "Beast King" upon a small beast only dozens of centimeters tall, it wouldn't be surprising at all.
Seeing this, Chris let out a relaxed laugh.
"It looks like this trap isn't just a trap..."