The flower wolf was larger than Sanji expected easily the size of a full-grown German Shepherd, with fur that shimmered between purple and blue like oil on water. Delicate flower petals grew from its back and tail, giving it an almost beautiful appearance. But its teeth were very real as it snarled at them, and the name tag floating above its head read: Flower Wolf - Level 2 - HP: 180/180.
"I'll draw its attention," Sanji said, raising his shield. "You hit it with magic from behind. Aim for the flanks less armor there."
"Got it." Yuki circled left while Sanji moved forward.
The wolf's eyes tracked Sanji, identifying him as the primary threat. Good. That was exactly what he wanted. He activated his Game Master's Eye, focusing on the creature.
Flower Wolf - Level 2
Weakness: Fire magic, blunt damage to skull
Attack Pattern: Lunging bite (high damage), Petal Storm (AOE, magical damage), Howl (buffs nearby wolves)
Perfect. His skill revealed not just stats but actual tactical information. The wolf wouldn't use its howl ability unless other wolves were nearby, so as long as they pulled one at a time, they could avoid that complication.
The wolf lunged.
Sanji brought his shield up, bracing himself. The impact was tremendous much harder than the slime's bouncing attack. His feet skidded backward on the grass, and damage numbers appeared: -15 HP. The wolf's jaws clamped onto his shield, trying to wrench it away.
Behind the creature, Yuki's staff blazed with icy blue light. "Ice Bolt!"
A spear of frozen magic shot from her staff, striking the wolf's hindquarters. -42 HP appeared in red numbers. The wolf yelped, releasing Sanji's shield and spinning toward Yuki.
Sanji didn't give it the chance. He stepped forward and slashed at the wolf's exposed side, his sword biting deep into its shoulder. -28 HP.
The wolf was already down to 110 HP, nearly forty percent of its health gone in two attacks. But it wasn't finished. The petals on its back began to glow, swirling up into the air.
"It's using Petal Storm!" Sanji shouted. "Get back!"
They both leaped away as the petals exploded outward in a circular blast. Sanji managed to get mostly clear, taking only -8 HP from grazing damage. Yuki avoided it entirely, already preparing her next spell.
"Frost Nova!"
The ground beneath the wolf erupted with ice, freezing its legs in place. -35 HP. More importantly, the wolf was immobilized.
Sanji rushed in, slashing twice in quick succession. -26 HP, -29 HP. The wolf struggled against the ice, snarling and snapping, but couldn't move. One more Ice Bolt from Yuki brought it down to 12 HP.
"Finish it!" Yuki called.
Sanji drove his sword forward, aiming for the weak point his skill had revealed right between the eyes. Critical Hit! -45 HP.
The wolf let out a final whimper and collapsed, its body dissolving into particles of light.
+35 EXP
Flower Petal x3 obtained
Wolf Fang x1 obtained
Sanji stood there, breathing hard. His HP was at 97/120, and that was from just one wolf. If they'd made mistakes, if they hadn't coordinated properly, it could have been much worse.
"Good work," Yuki said, walking over. "Your callouts were perfect. That howl ability if we'd pulled multiple wolves, they would have buffed each other?"
"Yeah. My skill showed me their patterns." Sanji checked his MP: 60/60. He hadn't used any abilities yet. "How's your mana?"
"At fifty out of eighty. That Frost Nova costs twenty MP, Ice Bolt costs ten. I can handle two more wolves before I need to rest and regenerate."
Efficient. Sanji appreciated that she was already tracking resources carefully. In a world where death was permanent, running out of mana or health at the wrong moment could be fatal.
They rested for five minutes, allowing Yuki's MP to regenerate to sixty. The other two wolves in the clearing hadn't noticed the fight apparently, the aggro range was limited unless the howl ability was used.
"Same strategy?" Yuki asked.
"Same strategy. It worked once, let's not fix what isn't broken."
The second wolf went down similarly to the first, though this one managed to land a bite on Sanji's arm before dying. -32 HP. That hurt actually hurt, like a real animal had bitten him. He could feel the phantom pain even after the damage numbers faded.
"You okay?" Yuki asked, concerned.
"Yeah. Just... adjusting to the pain feedback being so realistic." Sanji drank one of his Beginner's Health Potions. It tasted like sweet berries and instantly restored 50 HP. His health was back up to 115/120.
They took down the third wolf without incident, and both of them were rewarded with a level-up notification.
Level Up!
Level 3 achieved
HP increased to 140
MP increased to 70
All stats increased by 1
5 stat points available to distribute
The golden light of leveling washed over Sanji, and once again he felt that incredible sensation of becoming stronger. The bite wound on his arm tingled as his increased HP cap somehow translated to accelerated healing. Within moments, the pain was completely gone.
"Level three," Yuki said with satisfaction. "We're ahead of the curve now. Most players are probably still level one or two."
Sanji distributed his stat points two to Intelligence, two to Wisdom, and one to Agility this time. He needed to improve his physical stats as well as his mental ones. Yuki did the same with her own points, focusing on Intelligence and Wisdom to boost her spell damage and MP pool.
They continued hunting wolves for another two hours. Sanji's Game Master's Eye proved invaluable, allowing them to identify safe pulling positions, avoid patrols, and exploit weaknesses. Yuki's crowd control abilities made fights manageable, while Sanji's steady swordwork and defensive positioning kept her safe.
By midday, they'd each killed fifteen wolves and reached level four. More importantly, they'd developed a rhythm, an understanding of each other's capabilities. Yuki learned to trust Sanji's callouts without question. Sanji learned the exact range of her spells and how long her casting times were.
They were becoming a real party.
"We should head back to the village," Yuki suggested as they finished off another wolf. "Sell our loot, repair equipment, grab food. Then we can head back out for the afternoon session."
Sanji checked his inventory. He'd collected over thirty Flower Petals, a dozen Wolf Fangs, and various other crafting materials. His sword had a durability warning down to 45%. If it broke in combat, he'd be in serious trouble.
"Agreed. Let's"
A scream cut through the forest.
Both of them froze, heads turning toward the sound. It had come from deeper in the woods, past the areas they'd been hunting.
"Help! Someone please help!"
A girl's voice, desperate and terrified.
Sanji's instincts warred with each other. The logical part of his brain said to ignore it, to not risk themselves for strangers. But the human part, the part that couldn't stand by while someone was in danger, was already moving his feet.
"Sanji, wait," Yuki grabbed his arm. "We don't know what's out there. It could be a trap. Players are already turning on each other in some areas."
She was right. It could be a trap. But the scream sounded genuine, raw with fear.
He activated his Game Master's Eye, scanning the forest in the direction of the scream. Through the trees, perhaps two hundred feet away, he saw outlines of figures. Three players one girl being surrounded by two wolves. No, three wolves. And these weren't the level-two flower wolves they'd been fighting.
Alpha Flower Wolf - Level 5 - HP: 350/350
Flower Wolf - Level 4 - HP: 220/220
Flower Wolf - Level 4 - HP: 220/220
The girl was level two, fighting with a bow, clearly a ranger class. She'd already taken heavy damage her HP was at 45/150. One more hit would probably kill her.
"Three wolves," Sanji said quickly. "One level five alpha, two level fours. There's a level-two ranger about to die."
"That's suicide," Yuki said flatly. "We're level four. That alpha alone could kill both of us."
"If we don't help, she's dead for certain."
"And if we do help, we might all be dead."
Sanji looked at Yuki, saw the calculation in her eyes. She was being rational, practical. Everything they'd agreed upon this morning survival first, don't take unnecessary risks. She was right.
But he couldn't do it. He couldn't just let someone die when he had the power to potentially save them.
"I'm going," he said. "You don't have to come. I won't blame you if you don't."
Yuki stared at him for a long moment, emotions flickering across her face. Frustration. Concern. And finally, resignation.
"You're an idiot," she said. "But I'm not letting you die alone. We do this smart, though. If it looks like we can't win, we run. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
They sprinted through the forest toward the sounds of combat. Sanji's mind was already working through strategies. The alpha was the biggest threat, but also the hardest to kill. The level-four wolves were more manageable but still dangerous. They needed to even the odds fast.
They burst into a clearing where the ranger girl was backed against a tree, trying desperately to nock an arrow with shaking hands. She had short brown hair and tear-streaked cheeks. One of the level-four wolves was lunging toward her for what would likely be a killing blow.
"Ice Bolt!" Yuki's spell shot past Sanji, striking the lunging wolf mid-air. -38 HP. The creature yelped and tumbled to the ground.
Sanji charged the second level-four wolf, slamming his shield into its side before it could react. The impact knocked it sideways, and he followed up with a slash to its neck. -34 HP.
The alpha howled a deep, resonating sound that made the air vibrate.
All wolves buffed: +20% attack, +15% movement speed
"Damn it," Sanji muttered. That made everything harder.
The ranger girl, given a moment's reprieve, managed to loose an arrow at the wolf Yuki had hit. -19 HP. Not much damage, but every bit helped.
"Focus on the smaller ones first!" Sanji called out. "Ranger, keep your distance and provide support! Yuki, crowd control on the alpha!"
The alpha was charging toward Yuki, recognizing her as the caster. She planted her staff in the ground. "Frost Nova!"
Ice erupted around the alpha, but the creature was too strong. The ice slowed it but didn't freeze it completely. It kept coming, just at reduced speed.
That gave Sanji the opening he needed. He left the level-four wolf he'd been fighting and intercepted the alpha, shield raised. The massive creature slammed into him like a truck, and the impact was devastating. -45 HP. His HP dropped to 95/140.
But he held the line.
"Kill the other two!" he shouted, gritting his teeth as the alpha's jaws snapped at his shield. "I'll hold this one!"
It was going to be a desperate fight.
To be continued...