Chapter 12 : Battling the Great Wolf
The wild wolves were closing in, their eyes cold and their fangs bared as if they couldn't wait to tear his flesh apart.
But Axton was no fool.
He wasn't about to let these beasts sink their teeth into his skin.
Without hesitation, he activated his enchantment armor.
The armour materialized on his body in less than a second, wrapping around him like a protective shell.
Almost instinctively, he triggered the skill that came with it.
[Enchantment]
A white light burst out from his body, spreading out, up to a five-meter radius.
The ground shone faintly and briefly.
In an instant, the wolves who had lunged at him froze in place.
Their snarling mouths hung open, dripping saliva, but their claws and fangs could no longer move forward.
They were trapped… dazzled and bound by the light.
They surrounded him, yet none could land a strike.
The tension in the air was suffocating, like predators locked in cages with their prey right before them.
Axton's eyes darted across the battlefield.
He had no time to waste.
"I need to find the Great Wolf quickly."
There was no point in wasting precious seconds on the lesser wolves.
His true prey was out there, watching.
*Howl*
The air seemed to shake from the deep, reverberating howl of another wolf.
Axton's head snapped toward the sound just in time to see more wild wolves rushing from beyond the trees.
Their claws ripped into the soil as they charged, eager to join the feast.
But the moment they entered the radius of the enchantment, the same light caught them.
Their legs buckled, their eyes glazed over, and they froze like statues.
It was only a matter of time before his skill duration ran out.
Axton knew it.
His eyes sharpened as he scanned the rocky terrain again and then he found it.
'There you are.'
His eyes locked onto the beast standing tall on a boulder, its bodily details framed by the dim light filtering through the forest.
…
[Great Wolf]
Level : 4
Attack : 40
Defense : 40
HP : 85
Skills : Wolf Charge, Great Fang Attack, Great Howling
…
The Great Wolf towered above the others, its massive frame exuding raw power.
It howled at the sky, a sound that seemed to shake the leaves from the trees.
The lesser wolves responded to its cry, gathering close, their gazes locked onto Axton.
Their bodies trembled with the urge to obey their leader's command.
"Damn it!" Axton hissed, his brow furrowing.
The pack just wouldn't end.
No matter how many he faced, more kept showing up.
And his enchantment skill's timer was dangerously close to zero.
He clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on his weapon.
His armor could only do so much.
Without the proper buffs, he was no match for a grade 1 beast.
But Axton had one advantage.
The Battle God talent.
He quickly activated his speed boots.
*Tap*
In the blink of an eye, his figure blurred as he tore through the pack.
He moved with a burst of speed, slashing at wolves along the way, leaving trails of blood and fur behind.
With the additional +10 points in Agility from the boots, he closed the distance between himself and the Great Wolf in no time.
He knew one thing for certain — if the wolves struck first and forced him into a duel against their leader, he was finished.
One-on-one was the worst-case scenario.
The Battle God talent thrived the most on being outnumbered.
If he wanted a chance at survival, he needed the Great Wolf and its lackeys together.
The beast was cunning.
Its golden eyes narrowed as Axton approached, and it let out another bone-chilling howl.
[Great Howling]
The wolves at its side froze, not from fear but from obedience.
The howl wasn't merely a rallying cry.
It was a command.
Wolves appeared from the shadows, summoned by their alpha.
The surviving ones who had fought Axton earlier limped back to its side.
Within seconds, the Great Wolf had an army surrounding it.
Any ordinary player would've died here.
Against numbers like this, retreat would've been the best… in fact, the only option.
But for Axton? This was exactly what he wanted.
*Ding*
[Enemies detected : 437]
[Your attack has increased by +437]
His heart thumped.
The numbers flashed before his eyes like salvation.
*Tap*
The ground cracked beneath his boots as Axton vanished, leaving only a blur of motion.
The wolves didn't even have time to react.
To them, he was a ghost streaking across the battlefield.
They leapt…
They clawed…
They snapped their jaws.
Yet their prey slipped right past them, cutting them down before their fangs could touch his skin.
*Grrr*
The Great Wolf lifted its massive claws, preparing to counter.
Its maw opened wide to unleash another howl.
By then, it was already too late.
Axton's flash sword glinted like a single streak of lightning.
With the amplified speed and attack power from his buffs, he struck before the beast could even move.
*Slash*
The blade cut clean through its thick neck.
*Thud*
The Great Wolf's head tumbled from its body, rolling across the rocky ground.
For a moment, silence reigned.
Then chaos broke.
The wolves, seeing their leader fall, froze in terror.
Their eyes widened.
Their instincts told them to flee.
This time around, the human wasn't prey.
He was their nightmare.
Their hunter.
One by one, they retreated, tails tucked between their legs.
The snarls that once filled the forest were replaced by whimpers as they disappeared into the shadows.
Axton lowered his sword, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
Sweat dripped down his forehead,
"Phew! If I didn't have Battle God, there's no way I would've survived this quest."
He sheathed his blade and glanced at the battlefield.
The corpses of wolves littered the ground.
He couldn't blame the survivors for fleeing.
If he were in their paws, he would've run too.
Not only had he overpowered them with sheer numbers, but he had also decapitated their alpha in a single strike.
That kind of dominance was enough to break even the wildest beast's spirit.
Axton, however, didn't have the luxury of celebrating.
Jackal the Hunter had given him a time limit of one hour to kill the Great Wolf.
If he had wasted too much time farming small fries, he would've failed.
But now, the notification he'd been waiting for appeared.
*Ding*
[Congratulations!]
[You have slain the Great Wolf!]
[You have earned an extra reward]
[Additional Rewards]
— +10 Exp for killing an enemy of higher level
— +1 Skill book (Basic rank)
Axton's joy rose.
Before he could even digest the reward, another notification popped up.
*Ding*
[100x Critical Hit initiated]
[New Extra Rewards]
— +1000 Exp
— +1 Skill book (3-star rank)
His eyes bulged. "Holy shit!"
He almost tripped over himself in excitement. "A 3-star skill book?!"
His voice echoed through the forest, but there was no one around to hear him.
He laughed, a mix of disbelief and sheer joy bubbling out of him.
For most players, a single 3-star skill book at this stage of the game was nothing short of a treasure.
To him, it was a miracle.
He couldn't stop smiling.