The wolves seemed to be using their heads. Kaseun’s individual prowess was formidable, but with them mingling among the soldiers, there was little he could do. Wide-range attacks risked hitting allies, making them impractical.
Grrrowl!
A black wolf lunged from somewhere toward Yuda, drooling with bared gums. Without slowing, he charged and kicked its jaw upward with force. Thwack! Its open mouth snapped shut and teeth shattered. As its body went limp as if unconscious, Yuda drove his sword into its forehead, ensuring its death.
While fending off relentless wolves, Yuda glanced toward Group 10’s position. The soldiers’ shouts and wolves’ howls blended into an ear-piercing cacophony.
‘They’ll be fine.’
He felt uneasy but saw no need for excessive worry. Given their levels, they wouldn’t fall to mere wolves. And it was selfish but as long as she was safe, others’ death or injuries didn’t matter. He wanted to rush to them regardless, but the chaotic situation and darkness made running through it tricky.
“Damn, these bastards! My sword won’t cut!”
A soldier slashing a black wolf shouted. While their blades were sharp, their weapons didn’t even come close to being considered a famed sword. Cutting through the wolves’ tough hides was difficult. Stabbing was far more effective, but opportunities for it were scarce.
The black wolf, slashed by the soldier’s blade, winced from the pain but stood its ground firmly on all fours. Drooling with its gums bared, it looked furious. The soldier, locking eyes with the beast, instinctively stepped back in alarm but raised his shield to guard himself, preparing for a counterattack. Yuda rushed in from the side and swung his sword without hesitation. He felt the sensation at his fingertips as the blade sliced through the hide and cut into the muscle beneath.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed along the blade’s path. It was a stark contrast to the soldier’s feeble slash.
“If you lack strength, don’t slash, just stab it! It’ll be much better!”
The nameless soldier nodded, disbelief written all over his face.
Perhaps nearby soldiers, overhearing, began prioritizing stabs over slashes. It was effective. Though the attack range narrowed, it was far better than ineffective strikes. Stepping over fallen wolves, soldiers roared in triumph.
“Group up! You there, don’t advance, fall back!”
Turning at the voice, Yuda saw a knight directing soldiers. Their presence allowed calm reduction of the wolves’ numbers amidst the chaos.
The knights’ skills far surpassed the soldiers’. Despite heavy armor, they moved faster and hunted wolves effortlessly with great strength.
The wolves didn’t just die. Outnumbering the soldiers, they pounced, and tore into them. A soldier, being mauled alive, cursed and screamed for help. Yuda reached for a dagger at his waist, only to realize he had none left.
‘I need to use my shadow sorcer…!’
Gathering mana to use lesser black gear crafting, Yuda hesitated with a grimace but activated shadow sorcery, forming a shadow dagger in his grip.
As he prepared to throw, several golden swords flashed before him, piercing the wolf’s body.
This is…
A déjà vu-like memory surfaced. It was a skill of the paladin 〈Gabriel’s Sword〉. Only one person had that occupation.
‘Kain!’
When he turned his head, Riel saw Kain standing alone, clad in paladin armor. The visor of his helmet was down, hiding his expression. Without hesitation, Kain rushed forward and pulled the soldier trapped beneath the black wolf free.
“Are you okay!?”
“Ugh! Damn it, it bit my leg!”
The soldier spat harshly. Blood gushed from tooth marks on his thigh. Ironically, the flesh hadn’t been torn away thanks to the armor made from black wolf hide. Kain hoisted the immobile soldier and ran toward the gathered soldiers. Foolishly, Yuda just stood there, staring blankly at the scene.
Woof!
“…”
A wolf chased Kain, who was carrying the soldier. Watching, Yuda silently threw his shadow sorcery-crafted dagger. With a whoosh, it lodged deep in the wolf’s leg.
Approaching the fallen wolf, Yuda swung his sword. Blood droplets sprayed along the blade’s arc, some trickling down his cheek. His gaze shifted from the wolf back to Kain.
‘That’s the kind of guy he is.’
Kain is a good guy. He helps others and acts for justice. His actions earn affection and goodwill. It was like that in the game and also here. Yuda thought him a foolish, archetypal RPG hero, yet envied his ability to act so.
-I must be kill him
-He is dangerous.
-He will block my path later.
-He will challenge me for the fragment.
He had always thought that way, but seeing Kain now stirred his feelings. He was ashamed of thinking others’ deaths or injuries didn’t matter except for Tia and Jeanne. Keeping Kain at a distance, deeming him a future enemy to kill, now felt vile.
‘Damn it!’
His mood soured. Yuda turned away. Perhaps seeing him alone as easy prey, wolves abandoned other soldiers and charged him. His eyes locked on the lead wolf leaping forward, a faint red glow in his dark pupils.
Kain set the soldier he was carrying down. Though he tried to place him gently, the urgency of the situation caused him to roughly drop him instead. Apologizing with a regretful expression, Kain was about to speak, but the soldier instead grabbed Kain’s hand firmly and spoke with fierce eyes.
“Thank you!!”
Soon, a few porters rushed over and began treating the soldier’s wounds. Before coming here, the lord had generously supplied them with plenty of potions, so healing was quick as long as the flesh wasn’t badly torn or severed. While the knights’ leadership and Kaseun’s presence helped overcome the wolves’ numerical advantage, it was the potions that made a big difference.
“Block!”
Thud!
A black wolf must have rammed a shield, as nearby soldiers flinched back.
“Stab!”
At a single command, soldiers thrust swords through shield gaps. The sound of blades piercing flesh and a yelping scream reached Kain. At that moment, a wolf leapt into the air behind the soldiers, landed, and charged straight at them. Two of the four soldiers quickly turned back and raised their shields. With a loud thud, the wolf collided with the shields and bounced off. Seeing this, Kain hastily unleashed his magic.
The power from 〈Third Holy King - Gabriel〉 manifested with minimal mana. Four radiant golden swords formed in midair, piercing the repelled wolf like arrows. The soldiers nodded gratefully and refocused forward.
At that moment, Kain realized he had left Yuda alone among the wolves. As he ran toward him, he heard the soldiers chattering nearby.
“Wow! That guy’s the real deal!”
“He’s beating black wolves like stray dogs.”
Unlike soldiers fiercely fighting wolves elsewhere, these were marveling, spectating something despite the chaos.
‘That’s where Yuda was.’
He slowed to a stop and walked between the soldiers. Hearing the clank of armor, they turned around, then parted to let him pass, murmuring, "Look at that." Through the slit in his helmet’s visor, Kain caught sight of Yuda moving like a dancer in the darkness, swinging his sword with fluid precision.
“Wow…!”
He understood why the soldiers gawked in awe. Yuda was fighting nine wolves alone, completely surrounded. Rather than rushing to help, what struck him first was how impressive Yuda looked. Clearly under siege, Yuda moved acrobatically, weaving through gaps to cut down wolves one by one.
Wielding a bastard sword single-handedly was impressive enough, but throwing daggers with his left hand was even cooler. Strangely, new daggers kept appearing in his hand after each throw like magic. Thinking he might’ve misseen, Kain lifted his visor, but it was real.
The thrown daggers disrupted the wolves’ attacks, and Yuda never stopped moving. Moments later, another wolf fell, bleeding. It was a mesmerizing battle.
Nine wolves.
That was the number Yuda fought and the number of corpses on the ground. Not once had he let a wolf’s attack touch him. Drenched in blood, panting, staring at the ground as if lost in thought, Yuda looked up. His gaze met theirs, eyes gleaming with madness. Soldiers gasped around him.
“…”
Kain realized Yuda was looking at him. He couldn’t read the meaning in those eyes.
“Yu…!”
Awooooooo!
Just as he tried to call his name, a tremendous howl echoed from afar. The long, powerful sound froze his body instinctively. Just a howl, yet it felt like his heart was being torn out.
The wolves, baring their gums and glaring at the human wall, fled at the howl just like yesterday, not one daring to look back. At the same moment, the fallen wolves’ bodies turned to dust and scattered on the wind.
Soldiers stared at the vanishing wolf corpses which left them bewildered. A thud of sprinting footsteps sounded. When Kain turned around, he saw Yuda grabbing a rolling torch and running somewhere. No, it wasn’t somewhere, but toward where the howl was.
“Yuda!”
As Kain moved to follow, a soldier grabbed his arm.
“Wait, Kain! Where are you going? It’s dangerous!”
“I have to follow Yuda! Sorry, sir! Tell my grandfather!”
Kain shook off the grip, grabbed a torch from a stand, and chased after Yuda’s fading figure. The soldiers’ strength couldn’t hold him.
“Kain! Yuda! That’s reckless! What can the two of you do, you idiots!”
A furious shout rang out, but Yuda and Kain didn’t stop. Soldiers stomped, panicking, unsure what to do. One, quickly assessing, ran to find Kaseun.
Meanwhile, Kain and Yuda vanished together into the dark forest.
* * *
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Tip 19: Boss monsters have unique skills and fixed patterns. To defeat them, analyze their patterns and skills first!
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