Insect Tamer's Ascension Chapter 523. Jackal pack heist

"Incoming beast from the west," Theo called out, instantly pulling everyone out of their casual conversation and back into a serious mindset.

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Greyspine Jackal

Uncommon

Level 5

Type: Metal type beast

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"So this is where they get those jackals that attacked us," Theo muttered. He glanced back once before looking ahead again and speaking firmly.

"I will paralyse them. The moment they hit the ground, we run in and tie their legs and mouths. Don’t summon your beasts just yet."

Varelya clearly didn’t like taking orders, but she reluctantly agreed. The others had already entered the forest with the fact in mind that Theo was going to lead them.

Soon, Theo’s forehead flashed with white light, and a creature materialized before them.

"Don’t look into the mantis’s eyes. You’re not used to it, so you will freeze," Theo warned before immediately reconsidering. Human judgement couldn’t be trusted.

"Actually, just look to the side until my beast is done."

Rhevard was the first to obey and turned his head to the side. Saevra followed right after him.

Osric wanted to look, but after remembering what had happened during the battle, he forced himself not to.

At last, Varelya remained. But she didn’t move her gaze away; her arrogance just refused to let her.

The moment she properly saw the mantis, her mind first struggled to make sense of what stood before her.

Then a prickly sensation spread through her fingers, climbed up her arms, and soon enveloped her entire body.

But after the sensation faded, Varelya’s eyes remained locked onto the mantis as it screeched once and dashed toward the jackals.

There were three of them gathered together.

The moment the mantis appeared before them, their tails tucked between their legs even tighter than before.

Another screech rang out, and every strand of fur on the jackal stood on end.

It didn’t matter what skills they possessed. In front of the mantis, none of it mattered.

The mantis released several spores toward the jackals. Theo noticed the quantity was far smaller than usual, but they scattered widely.

The instant the spores entered the jackals’ noses, their snouts wrinkled. Their faces spasmed once before all three of them collapsed to the ground, unable to control their bodies even in the slightest.

"NOW!" Theo shouted in a deep voice.

The mantis immediately hopped toward a nearby tree, hiding itself from the humans’ sight.

Saevra ran first, followed closely by Osric and Rhevard, ropes ready in their hand.

"We will use the thinner ropes. They probably won’t be able to break even those. Use the same knot I taught you earlier," Theo instructed as he joined them.

Meanwhile, Varelya remained frozen in place. Only after the suppression fully faded did she regain her senses and rushed forward with weak knees, adrenaline coursing through her body.

Everyone noticed her hesitation as she moved toward one of the jackals only to close its mouth first with the knot.

Theo nodded inwardly; she didn’t obey orders and had arrogance issues, but at least she had common sense.

Within a minute, all the jackals were restrained. When they regained consciousness, all they could do was squirm helplessly with their legs and mouths tied.

"More might come soon," Osric said.

Theo shook his head.

"They’re pack animals. This may have been the entire pack. I don’t see any cubs, though, so we can’t be sure."

After saying that, he made his way a little farther ahead, scanning the surroundings carefully, only to find nothing.

That was until he stopped near a bush and his spatial sense activated.

Theo narrowed his eyes, moved the upper shrubs, and found three malnourished cubs hidden deep inside.

The moment their eyes met his, Theo saw them shiver. He couldn’t tell whether it was due to hunger or fear.

"Sir Rhevard, can you come help me here?" Theo asked as he reached his hand inside the shrub, grabbed one of the cubs by its body, and carefully pulled it out.

When the others noticed Theo holding something in his hand, curiosity immediately appeared on their faces.

"You were right," Osric muttered, seeing Theo in a better light.

Theo was not only experienced but knowledgeable too, qualities that often went hand in hand, though not always.

"It’s the breading season for most beast types, Sir Osric. You’ll see cubs like this in almost every pack." Theo held the cub with as little strength as he could.

The little creature tried to bite Theo’s thumb, but alas, it didn’t even have them yet.

And Theo had already broken through two times by now. Anyone would need a certain level of strength just to hurt him, something a level 5 beast could manage, but certainly not a level 0 one that was born just a few weeks ago.

Rhevard simply stood there, waiting for the next order, not saying anything.

"Use the smallest rope to tie up its mouth, and be as gentle as you can, please. They are very fragile..." Theo said as he recalled the time he had accidentally paralyzed a pup from the waist down forever.

Rhevard nodded and moved his hands forward while Theo gently held the cub’s mouth shut.

Once the mouth was loosely tied, Theo placed the pup on his shoulder with a smile.

The little jackal looked down nervously and did its best not to fall. It slowly made its way from one shoulder to the other with its tiny body, somehow managing to keep its balance.

Theo crouched down to grab the second one, which had started making noises.

"In a forest, a beast’s voice carries farther than a human’s, and so it’s always better to shut their mouth. You never know what predator they might attract."

As he spoke, they gently tied the mouths of the other two pups before making their way back to the adult jackals.

"We should definitely bring them back. Carrying them around with us will just make things harder for us," Theo added.

"Good idea." As always, Osric was the only one willing to openly voice his thoughts while the rest of the group stayed silent.

The most frustrated one among them was Varelya, who would only watch as Theo took all the spotlight.