He couldn't remember the last time a quest message had appeared. Despite all his efforts, none had shown up until now. It didn’t specify the reward, but letting it slip by felt like a waste. The first quest since the tutorial got Yuda pretty fired up.
Yeah, This is it! I was wondering why these quests weren’t showing up when they should’ve!
He had to clear this. No clue what the reward might be, but a sudden quest like this could at least grant bonus stats. Yuda was ready to take the risk.
Even if I die, I’ll just revive anyway.
Luckily, he had saved just four days ago. If he died, he wouldn’t start from scratch but from four days back. Yuda made his decision fast.
"…Let’s do it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it sounds way easier than fighting 100 wolves."
Tia stared at Yuda, shaking her head. Was this really a 13 year old kid? Braver than most mercenaries. The black wolf seemed to catch that Yuda agreed and turned around.
"Alright, then hop on my back."
"Uh, is that okay?"
"Nothing wrong with it."
Looked like he would get to try something new. He had seen her shift into beastkin form plenty of times, but riding her back was a first. She crouched low to make it easy, and Yuda climbed on lightly. It was warm and cozy.
"Whoa, hold on. Where are you touching?"
"?"
He only wrapped his arms and legs around her torso, but she jolted in surprise.
No idea what he had touched, but it must’ve been a sensitive spot.
When he asked where to hold, she told him to wrap his arms around her neck. He followed quietly. The wolf, seeing them ready, took off without looking back, and Tia stuck close behind.
Incredibly fast. The scenery whipped by like he was on a motorcycle. Even with moonlight, this dark place felt like daytime as they sped through. A quick glance back showed a ton of wolves, eyes glowing, trailing them.
Should I distribute my stats now?
He double-checked the quest. A 1:1 duel with the leader wolf, ‘Korkan.’
In game terms, definitely a named monster. Naturally, it’d be way stronger than regular black wolves. After a brief pause, Yuda pulled up his status window and allocated his saved points.
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 15]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman(Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 1]
[Strength: 40(C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 38(D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 40(C) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 41(C) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 51(C) / Potential S]
[Knowledge: 17(F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 84(A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 0]
──────────────────────────────
He split the 14 points: 4 to Strength, 1 to Stamina, 9 to Agility. The moment he confirmed it, his heart thumped hard, pulsing once. A dizzy rush hit him, and he closed his eyes. Taking slow breaths to check his body, the change was obvious.
Is this enough?
Yuda had no idea how strong ‘Korkan’ was, but he steeled himself. Even after thirty minutes of travel, they still hadn’t arrived. Checking the map, the wolves were heading deep into the southern forest. The black wolf up front showed no sign of slowing. Then Tia shouted to hold tight and leapt lightly. It felt like a rollercoaster, his body lifting into the air.
Suddenly, the forest opened up, revealing a vast plain. Unlike the forest so far, where moonlight barely reached, this place was bathed in its glow.
"!"
A gasp slipped out just looking at it. A plain so wide he wondered if it’d even existed. Rocky hills dotted the center, with a narrow river winding between them.
What really stunned him was the sheer number of wolves filling the plain. Hundreds, by rough count, prowling or sitting belly-down. The ones trailing them slowed and stopped following.
As they moved toward the center, a wolf covered in scars lay atop the tallest rocky cliff, basking regally in the moonlight.
Requiem!
The instant he saw it, Yuda recognized it as the black wolves’ leader he had designed.
Requiem was one of two bosses in the southern forest of Serenia Castle. He remembered taking days to make him. He had designed to be around 2 meters tall, with an eye scar, putting extra care into it as the first boss. It had a decent number of patterns for an early-game foe. The problem was…
This wasn't a game.
The odds of it following his set patterns were slim. He had been bold enough to come this far, but he had no desire to test if Requiem’s patterns held up. Sure, he would revive if he died, but repeating time he had already lived through wasn’t appealing.
For now, he needed to focus on the duel with Korkan, not Requiem. The wolves had already cleared a wide space below Requiem’s central rock.
The black wolves sat around the edges like spectators at an arena, leaving the center open. Soon, a wolf emerged from the crowd. It bared its gums threateningly from the start, growling.
"It’s telling me to get away. Want me to duel instead?"
"No, I’ll do it."
"You sure you’re okay with that?"
Yuda slid off Tia’s back, patting her.
"I’m fine."
With shadow swordsmanship and shadow sorcery, he had a shot. Tia stared at him, clearly unhappy. He tried to meet her eyes and smile, but the glowing tiger face staring back felt oddly intimidating, making him look away.
Finding it funny, Tia let out a rumbling laugh-like growl and sauntered back. Whether tigers outranked wolves or they just wanted to avoid trouble, the wolves fully cleared a spot for her. Facing Korkan, Yuda stoked his fighting spirit.
Kyahkyakyakya!
Korkan, locking eyes with him, suddenly let out a bizarre laugh. It felt like it was yelling, Draw your weapon already!
Hoo…
Exhaling a deep breath, Yuda slowly drew his sword. The blade, stained with plenty of blood, glinted in the moonlight. Maybe catching the scent, Korkan sniffed and shot him a displeased look.
About 1.5 times bigger than a regular black wolf, its presence was seriously menacing. That glare alone could make most people quake. Seeing Yuda unfazed, Korkan let out a kyak, almost like it was impressed.
It started circling him slowly, its rustling steps sounding deliberate. Watching it, Yuda finished deploying his shadow sorcery. The area darkened with shadows, and he tracked it with his magic eye.
Testing him, it bared its gums again. Drool dripped from its teeth.
"……."
In their silent standoff, Yuda struck first. Reaching back with his left hand, he pulled a sharpened dagger from his belt and threw it fast. Aimed straight between its neck and torso, the dagger flew in a clean arc.
He threw it to make it dodge. Predicting its moves for a throw wasn’t worth it with only three daggers on him.
Woof!
Korkan barked mockingly and leapt up lightly. The dagger stabbed diagonally into the ground where it’d stood, and Yuda lunged before it landed.
Leaning forward, he slashed with his longsword. Korkan, already landed, bent its four legs low and dodged the sideways cut with agility that belied its bulk. A few hairs—that was all he got from throwing a dagger and rushing in with a swing.
Gritting his teeth to step back, Korkan rose from its crouch. His magic eye flashed a warning of its attack. As he pulled back his swung longsword, Yuda readied to retreat a step. Korkan, standing, braced with its hind legs and tail, flailing its front paws wildly. Timing it, Yuda stepped back twice, and sharp claws sliced the air inches from his face. The wind-cutting motion right in front gave him chills down his spine.
After slashing the air, Korkan kicked off with its hind legs, ramming its forehead forward. Yuda braced the flat of his longsword with his hand, blocking the charge. Watching it bounce off the blade, he steadied his shaken stance.
Good thing it wasn’t a full-speed charge from afar—just a close-range lunge, so he blocked it without much damage. Bounced back about three steps, Korkan closed in again to attack.
Swish, swish-
The claw-swinging sounds were fierce, but thanks to shadow deployment and his magic eye, he dodged most of it. What he couldn’t avoid, he blocked with his sword. Fighting, he couldn’t help but admire Korkan’s combat sense—it was unreal. It didn’t hesitate to use its hind legs and tail either. He hadn’t expected that tail, like some makeshift weapon, and took a smack to the cheek. Grimacing from the hit, Yuda glared as Korkan let out a laugh.
It had totally different patterns from a regular black wolf.
It fought like a seasoned veteran, throwing attacks he couldn’t predict.
Hoo-, hoo!
Breathing hard, Yuda locked eyes with it. The brief close-quarters clash pumped adrenaline through him, heat rising. His pounding heart felt like it echoed in his head. But unlike his hyped-up body, his mind stayed eerily calm. Keeping cool, he never took his eyes off Korkan.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
***Author’s Note***
Ughhh…
Why, why am I so unmotivated?
What’s the problem? Oh, this damn heat. Wish winter would hurry up…
Oh, huge thanks to everyone who gave me coupons __
Thanks for the comments, the likes, the follows too.
Every single response means a lot. Haha…
Except this god damn weather.
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