[Sub Quest – Forgotten Relics]
Objective:
Recover 3 Relic Shards from abandoned structures in Bloodveil Crossing. (1/3)
Reward:
+5000 Experience
[Unknown Key] (Quest Item)
Level: Reach level 60 to continue on this quest.
Boran blinked in surprise. "What? A level requirement?" he muttered, looking at the quest notification again. "So I can't continue with this quest until I reach level 60... I'm only level 50 right now."
After thinking for a moment, he shrugged. "Well, at least we found one piece. We'll find the other two pieces later, when I level up enough to continue the quest."
Boney nodded understandingly.
"Let's go, Boney, let's finish our job," said Boran, readying his shields.
Boran and Boney left the blacksmith's workshop and proceeded toward other parts of the village. Boran's task was still not complete — he needed to kill 50 more Walkers.
****
[Quest Complete: Village Cleansing]
[+20000 Experience gained]
[+1000 Gold]
[Bloodveil Crossing Reputation = Helper]
[Lesser Essence of Decay x20 gained]
[1 Armor Evolution Point]
Boran's cleaning of the Flesh Walkers had been quick. In just 1 hour, he had already killed 50 Flesh Walkers. Thanks to his Vigilant Wall ability, they had easily cleared the zombies from every corner of the village.
Boran stood in the village main square, removing his sweat-soaked armor and taking a deep breath.
"I guess that's enough," said Boran, placing his shields on his back. "Cemetery, church, blacksmith's workshop, and village square — all cleared," he muttered. "Let's go back to the Hub. Get something to eat and pick up our new quest before coming back."
***
[Added to inventory: Chicken Leg x4]
[Added to inventory: Fresh Bread x2]
[Added to inventory: Hard Cheese x1]
[Added to inventory: Red Apple x4]
[Added to inventory: Mead x1]
"If our quest takes a long time, we'll spend time there. I don't want to cancel the quest in the middle," he said and stepped back through the portal. He had returned to Bloodveil Crossing.
[Wretchbound Howlers Hunt]
[Kill 100 Wretchbound Howlers]
Reward: 10,000 XP, 10000 gold
"I think every quest will now require us to kill at least 100 creatures. We have a lot of work to do, Boney. But what's catching my attention is that despite getting so much XP, I couldn't level up. I can't even see how much is left until the next level. Until now, I always felt like I had gained at least 10 levels."
Boney shrugged his shoulders as if to say "I don't know."
"Now if I were a werewolf, where would I be?" he said and looked around. "The forest?"
Something inside Boran told him that the Wretchbound Howlers might have nested in the forest. He began to move toward the densely wooded area north of the village. "We've already cleared the entire village, where else could they be but the forest?" he thought to himself.
Boran began to move toward the densely wooded area north of the village. The atmosphere of the village he left behind gave way to a thin layer of mist seeping through the trees. As he moved away from the village, the sound level gradually decreased, giving way to the natural sounds of the forest.
"This place looks ideal for wolves to nest," Boran muttered, taking his shields in hand again. Boney cautiously scanned the surroundings, moving a few steps behind Boran.
"Before we go any further, I should evolve my armor," said Boran, pausing. "We don't know what awaits us in the depths of the forest, and we'll need maximum protection."
Boran opened his inventory and selected the armor set in the single slot. The "Evolve" option had appeared next to it.
[Evolution: Light Chain Armor (Chain Shirt)]
Boran confirmed this option. His armor immediately began to glow with a bluish light. The leather armor began to transform with the appearance of small metal scales and chains. The scales and chains penetrated into the leather, integrating into the structure without completely changing its outward appearance.
A few seconds later, the light faded and Boran examined his new armor. It still resembled leather armor in outward appearance, but upon closer inspection, thin chain meshes could be seen showing through the leather layer, especially in vital areas like the chest, abdomen, and back.
"Wow," said Boran, touching his chest and shoulders. "It's heavier, but it doesn't restrict my movement that much." When he moved the armor slightly, a light jingle of chains could be heard, but this sound was so faint that it probably wouldn't be audible even from a close distance.
[Improved Leather Helmet]
Endurance: +20
Physical Resistance: +4
[Improved Leather Chest Armor (Chain Shirt)]
Endurance: +50
Maximum HP: +50
[Improved Leather Bracers]
Endurance: +20
Maximum HP: +20
[Improved Leather Boots]
Agility: +4
Endurance: +8
Maximum HP: +15
Boran smiled with the confidence his new armor gave him. "I feel better now. These werewolves won't be able to hurt me so easily."
Boran did a few stretching movements in the armor, rotated his arms, bent his knees. "I'll get used to the new weight over time. Now that we're ready, let's go," he said, picking up his shields again.
Boney circled around Boran, examining his new armor and nodded in approval.
The trees were becoming increasingly dense, with the sky almost completely covered by a canopy of leaves. Sunlight filtered through at sparse intervals, creating dancing spots of light on the ground. The soil was damp and made a soft crackling sound with each step. The air smelled of fresh humus and pine, but occasionally the scent of rotting flesh reached their nostrils.
Boran suddenly stopped. "Do you hear that?" he whispered to Boney.
From a distance came a faint humming mixed with the sound of the wind. Boran listened carefully. This wasn't an animal sound—it was more like the kind of moan a humanoid creature might make, hollow and full of pain.
"Wretchbound Howlers," said Boran, lowering his voice.
Boran and Boney moved silently. As they ventured deeper into the forest, they noticed strange markings carved into the tree trunks.
"These must be some kind of territory marking," said Boran, examining one of the symbols. "Looks like they're marking these areas as their territory."
Boran carefully examined his surroundings. Through the trees, he could make out a clearing about a hundred meters away. In the center of the clearing was a mound rising from the ground. Dark figures were pacing up and down around the mound.
"There they are," whispered Boran.
Boran squinted, trying to make out the details of what he saw in the darkness. It was a horrifying sight. These creatures were far more terrifying than any werewolves he had seen in games or movies. They were like a twisted combination of human and wolf forms, but this transformation seemed incomplete, as if halted midway. Their skin was partially melted and decayed, and their bones were deformed, bent at unnatural angles.
Their most terrifying feature was their jaws. Their massive jaw structures, which hung down almost to their chests, belonged more to a monster from nightmares than to an animal's mouth. The teeth extending from these jaws resembled daggers made of bone rather than wolf teeth—sharp, pointed, and dripping with blood...
Parts of their skin had completely fallen off, exposing the underlying muscle tissue and tendons. These open wounds appeared red and inflamed, as if traces of punishment. Their bodies were bent and deformed at abnormal angles, as if multiple entities lived inside them.
"These... these are horrible," whispered Boran, his hair standing on end. "No natural process could create something like this. They must have been cursed during some ancient ritual."
Just then, one of the creatures raised its head and howled at the sky. This sound wasn't a simple wolf howl—it was a sound that penetrated deep inside you, resonating in the depths of your brain and shattering logic.
As far as Boran could count, there were about three Wretchbound Howlers in the clearing. Two of them were patrolling around the mound, while one was eating something at the top of the mound—probably the remains of their last prey.
"Attacking all of them at once wouldn't be wise, I don't know how they attack," Boran muttered. "Maybe we can pull one from the edge."
Boran made a signal to Boney. "Follow me, but stay a bit behind."
Boran carefully moved through the trees, approaching the edge of the clearing. He advanced with heavy steps, holding his shield close to his chest. He took extra care not to make the leaves under his feet crackle.
When he reached the edge of the clearing, he hid behind one of the trees there. Boran slightly extended his head to get a better view of his enemies. The outermost Wretchbound Howler was wandering alone, a bit away from the others. It was following a random path around the mound, occasionally stopping to sniff the air.
[Observation Level Very Low]
"This ability is useless again. Well, maybe it will develop more in the future."
He picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it into the trees at the edge, away from the lone Wretchbound Howler. The stone fell on dry branches, making a slight crackling sound.
The Wretchbound Howler immediately turned toward the sound. Its deformed head was tilted, ears pricked, sniffing the air. It stood and listened for a few seconds, then slowly began to move in that direction.
Boran gripped his shield a little tighter. The plan was working. The Wretchbound Howler was moving away from the others, heading into the forest. Boran also slowly circled through the trees, luring the creature further away. Occasionally he would throw another stone further away, thus drawing the howler as far away as possible.
When Boran thought the creature had moved far enough away, he waited for the animal to approach him. The Wretchbound Howler was approaching Boran's hiding place slowly, suspiciously. Saliva was flowing between its teeth, and it was making spine-chilling growls as it breathed through its nose.
Just as the creature passed by the tree, Boran made his move. He lunged at the creature with all his might, shield in front. The shield struck the Wretchbound Howler hard on its side. The creature was thrown sideways by the unexpected blow and let out a painful howl.
The Wretchbound Howler's eyes focused on Boran, burning like an angry fire. Despite having staggered from the impact, it quickly regained its balance. It opened its deformed jaw and let out a terrible scream, then lunged at Boran.
Boran didn't even have time to raise his shield to block it. It was savage like a cornered wounded animal.
[429 damage taken]
Boran's body shook with pain. He had never taken such a powerful blow from a single enemy before. Deep cuts had opened in his chest where the Wretchbound Howler's claws had passed, and his armor was torn. When the creature suddenly leaped on Boran for a second attack, Boran knocked it to the ground with his shield.
"What the hell!" Boran shouted, looking at the deep wound in his chest. "This damn thing did this much damage in a single move!"
He had lost almost a third of his health in a single attack. He couldn't believe it. The Walkers in the village, the enemies in the cemetery... None of them were this powerful. At this rate, if he took a few more attacks, he could die.
The creature facing him bared its teeth as if sensing his confusion. Warning bells were ringing in Boran's mind. If a single creature was this powerful, encountering more than one would certainly mean death.
The Wretchbound Howler attacked again. Boran tried to raise his shield, but the creature changed its move as if it had read his movements in advance and leaped over the shield.
"IS:B!"
The creature's massive jaw locked onto Boran's shoulder. Its teeth pierced through the armor as if it were paper and sank into flesh. Terrible pain engulfed Boran's entire body.
[157 damage taken]
Boran screamed in pain, gritting his teeth. His health had fallen to almost dangerous levels.
"Boney, shoot it!" Boran shouted, trying to throw the creature off himself.
Boney quickly drew his bow and fired an arrow, but the Wretchbound Howler was moving so fast that the arrow only grazed its fur. Boney tried again and again, but each time the creature evaded the arrows with incredible reflexes.
Boran was using all his strength to free his shoulder from the creature's jaws. Finally, gathering all his power, he managed to throw the creature off himself.
"This isn't normal," Boran thought.
The Wretchbound Howler began circling around Boran. Its muscles were tensed as if ready to attack at any moment, teeth exposed, droplets of saliva suspended in the air. Its eyes gleamed intelligently—this was not a simple predator, there was something more here.
Boran's mind was racing. His remaining health was low; a few more attacks and he would certainly die. It was too late to run; the creature would easily catch him. Boney's arrows weren't working either.
"Think carefully, Boran," he muttered to himself. "There must be a way out of this."
His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. That's when he noticed: the ground they were on was slightly sloped, and behind him, a few meters away, was a steep cliff. The cliff descended sharply down to a creek bed below.
Boran quickly formed his plan. He needed to guide the creature toward that cliff. Slowly, holding both shields in front of him, he began stepping backward.
The Wretchbound Howler noticed Boran's slow retreat. It tilted its head slightly to examine him, as if trying to determine if there was a trap. But it had no intention of letting its wounded prey escape. With a roar, it attacked again.
This time Boran was prepared. When the creature leaped into the air, Boran used his shield to throw himself to the side and let the creature pass by. This maneuver brought him a bit closer to the cliff.
"It's working," Boran thought. "But I need to get closer."
The Wretchbound Howler snarled in anger at having missed. When it attacked again, Boran again dodged to the side. This time the creature's claws slightly grazed Boran's leg.
[388 damage taken]
Although the pain was sharp, Boran held his breath. His health had approached critical levels, but he was still alive. And now he had almost reached the edge of the cliff.
"A bit more," Boran muttered.
When the creature attacked again, Boran defended himself by raising his right shield.
[Perfect Block!]
[Bar: 1/6]
He was lucky, having unintentionally raised his shield at the right time. This time the creature staggered slightly from the impact of the shield. Boran used this opportunity to take the last few steps and stood right at the edge of the cliff.
"Now!" he thought. "Come on, monster!"
The Wretchbound Howler hesitated for a moment as if it had read Boran's thoughts. Its eyes shifted from Boran to the edge of the cliff, then back to Boran. It experienced a momentary hesitation, as if sensing the trap.
But its hunger and hunting instinct overpowered its logic. Baring its teeth, it lunged for a final deadly attack.
Boran, gathering all his remaining strength, dodged to the side at the last moment. As the creature passed right in front of him, he struck its side with his shield with all his might. Losing its balance from the impact, the Wretchbound Howler fell from the edge of the cliff, down toward the creek bed.
The creature let out a terrible scream as it fell, clawing at the empty air, but it was too late. Boran heard the creature crash into the rocks in the creek bed and its painful howl.
Boran collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. "There... there it is," he said, gasping for breath.
Boney quickly ran to his side.
"I'm alive, that's enough for now," said Boran, wincing in pain.
Howling sounds were still coming from the creek bed below. The creature wasn't dead, just injured. And its voice could call other Wretchbound Howlers.
"We need to leave this place," said Boran, anxiously checking their surroundings. "Now."