Chapter 11 : A Pack of Wolves
Axton accepted the request from Jackal the Hunter despite the latter's heavy warning about the strength of the Great Wolf and the wild pack that lurked around it.
Most players would have hesitated.
The idea of being surrounded by dozens of enemies was something to dread but, for Axton, the thought stirred excitement instead of fear.
Unlike others, being outnumbered wasn't a disadvantage.
It was the very situation he longed for.
Thanks to his unique talent, [Battle God]… the more enemies there were, the stronger he became.
"The more, the merrier," Axton muttered under his breath, a faint grin forming on his lips.
"I accept."
*Clap*
Jackal clapped once, his eyes narrowing as though testing Axton's resolve. "One more thing…"
Axton raised a brow. "What is it?"
"The time limit is an hour."
"Huh?" Axton blinked. "An hour? Why only one hour?"
Jackal chuckled, but his laughter was hollow, tinged with a bitterness Axton didn't notice.
He shook his head.
"That's just how it is," he said with a shrug, hiding something behind his words.
The hunter leaned back slightly, studying Axton's face.
He wanted to believe this young man could succeed.
But deep down, doubt gnawed at him.
Axton looked strong.
His equipment alone hinted at power, but Jackal knew firsthand the might of the Great Wolf.
That beast wasn't just another monster in the forest.
It was death itself with fangs.
Jackal still carried the scars of their last battle.
He had faced the Great Wolf alone once, and it had nearly cost him his life.
Even now, the wound he sustained in that fight throbbed with a dull, burning pain.
The healing potions and herbs he consumed only delayed the inevitable.
His days were numbered.
He masked his weakness with smiles but Jackal knew the truth.
The end was creeping closer every day.
If Axton could succeed where he failed, then at least his final days wouldn't be haunted by regret.
"One hour," Jackal repeated, his eyes dark.
Axton clicked his tongue. "Tch! Fine. I'll make it quick."
He received the final details of the quest from the hunter and without further delay, he left the hunter's hut.
******
[Flash Step]
Axton activated his new agility-type skill.
In an instant, the world blurred.
His body flickered, his steps stretching several meters with a few strides.
All that remained was an afterimage, a fading blur like mist dissolving in the air.
Wind brushed past his ears as trees and rocks blurred into streaks.
"Fast…" he muttered with awe.
[Flash Step] wasn't just a movement skill, it was like turning into a ghost gliding through the forest.
Within a short time, he covered the distance Jackal had pointed him towards.
Meanwhile, back at the hut, Jackal sat in his rocking chair, the wooden frame creaking softly.
He pressed a trembling hand against his abdomen.
"Hss!"
He winced.
His palm came away wet and sticky with blood.
"I overexerted myself again," he whispered with a bitter smile.
His body trembled slightly, but he forced himself to sit still, staring out the window at the fading horizon.
His eyes clouded with pain and sorrow.
Time was no longer on his side.
******
The forest loomed ahead of Axton.
A dense canopy blocked most of the sunlight, leaving the place dim, eerie, and alive with distant growls.
As he stepped into the clearing, his sharp gaze caught sight of movement.
A pack of wolves!
Just as Jackal had warned.
Dozens of them prowled ahead, crouched low with glowing yellow eyes fixed on him.
Their bodies rippled with muscle under thick gray fur, saliva dripping from sharp fangs as they snarled.
It was almost as if they had been waiting for him.
*Ding*
[Wild Wolf]
Level : 2
Rank : Common
Attack : 13
Defense : 10
HP : 25
Skills : Wolf Charge, Fang Attack
Note : Wild Wolves hunt in packs and will not relent until their prey is slain.
…
"Pfft." Axton scoffed at the floating data window.
"So that's it? Jackal made them sound terrifying, but they're not even worth my warm-up."
Stat-wise, they weren't impressive at all.
Compared to his own base stats, Axton could crush them with ease.
The only real threat would have been their numbers.
But to him, numbers were a blessing.
*Howl* *Howl*
The wolves threw their heads back, howling in unison.
Their cries echoed through the forest like the war drums.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the first wolf lunged forward.
[Wolf Charge]
*Swoosh*
Its fangs gleamed as it darted straight for Axton.
The others followed, their glowing eyes filled with bloodlust as they surged forward in a terrifying wave of fur and fangs.
Axton flickered, his figure blurring with [Flash Step].
His body vanished, reappearing meters away.
An ordinary player would be drenched in cold sweat by now.
Surrounded. Hunted… and outnumbered.
But Axton?
He smiled.
"They're fast," he admitted as he drew the Flash Sword.
The blade was firm in his grasp as he leapt onto a low branch.
Using it like a springboard, he pushed off, shooting backward and reversing his momentum.
The wolves, caught off guard by his sudden change of direction, faltered briefly… but only briefly.
The pack tightened its formation and charged again.
[Your talent [Battle God] has been activated]
[Enemies detected : 183]
[You have gained +183 Attack Points]
Axton's smirk widened. "Now this… this is fun."
His attack power surged like a tide.
Muscles tightened, blood rushed, and his grip on the Flash Sword grew steady and deadly.
The first wolf that reached him had no time to react.
*Slash*
-25 HP!
The wolf collapsed instantly, its lifeless body hitting the ground with a dull thud.
[Congratulations!]
[You have killed a Wild Wolf]
[You have gained +1 Exp, +2 Copper Coins]
*Ding*
[100x Critical Hit has been initiated!]
[You have gained +100 Exp and +200 Copper Coins!]
Axton's heart skipped a beat. "Beautiful…"
Luck was on his side.
*Howl*
The remaining wolves howled, their voices thick with rage.
The death of one of their own sent the pack into a frenzy.
They circled tighter, their snarls growing louder and their eyes burning with hunger.
For a brief moment, hesitation flickered in their gaze.
They realized this human wasn't ordinary.
But hesitation wasn't enough to stop hunger.
*Howl*
They lunged again.
*Swoosh* *Swoosh*
Blades met flesh.
Blood spurted, splattering against tree trunks and grass.
Axton moved like a storm, each swing carving through fur and bone.
Wolves fell one after another, their corpses piling on the forest floor.
Even without using his stronger skills, his swordsmanship and boosted stats made him a one-man slaughterhouse.
But the wolves kept coming.
"Tch. There's a lot more of you than I thought," Axton muttered, twisting his body midair to evade a snapping jaw.
His sword sliced across another wolf's throat, spilling blood across the ground.
A [Fang Attack] lunged for his side.
*Bam*
He barely avoided it with [Flash Step], reappearing several meters away.
The ground behind him shook as the wolf's fangs crunched into a tree trunk instead, splintering it with raw force.
"Damn," Axton hissed under his breath.
His eyes scanned the swarm of glowing eyes surrounding him.
They were relentless.
'I can't afford to get hit,' he realized, his expression sharpening. 'One mistake, and I'll be ripped apart.'
He tightened his grip on the Flash Sword.