The dire wolf was around his chest, slightly shorter than his chest. Its thick dark fur could not hide the bulky frame underneath. Its muscles bulged underneath the fur, a sign that it was not something to be underestimated.
That was not the scariest part. Its long fang slipped past its lips, and it looked like it might be able to tear anything. Its curved, long claw was another thing to be wary of. It was holding its prey with the long claw, and it looked as sharp as a blade.
Its red eyes exuded bloodthirstiness, gleaming with fierceness. If it were the other goblins that met this wolf, they would be terrified by now.
Red maintained his cool, thinking of all possibilities in his head. It didn't take long for him to make a decision.
He was the first one to make a move, not trying to reach for his weapon, but his hand was reaching for the pouch with the metal ball. He turned around and ran for his life, not even thinking of fighting it.
It was only one wolf, and he probably could kill it. However, he didn't know how many wolves in this village remained. Even the dire wolf king might still be in the village. That was why he didn't hesitate to flee, while holding his pouch to ensure he didn't lose his metal balls.
The wolf started to chase after Red, running through the wooden wall, breaking it apart. It looked around for a moment and quickly spotted the running red goblin.
Red heard a piercing howl from behind. That made his heart jump, and he realized that he was screwed. That howl would call the other wolves if there were any.
He wanted to try to fight the wolf if it chased after him and moved away from the tribe. But with the howl, he doubted that would happen.
He ran as fast as he could, following the trail where he came from, choosing a familiar path. The fence was in sight so quickly that he jumped over it. He heard the rustling noises behind him and the sounds of footsteps. There was still only one wolf following after.
Red jumped over the fence, and as soon as his feet landed on the ground, he noticed three silhouettes rushing out of the main entrance. As he guessed, there was more than one wolf.
He quickly made a run, following the dirt path where he came from. The four young hunters seemed to notice the ruckus and heard the howl. They peeked out through the tree where they hid and were surprised to see him running at them.
"Run! Run!"
At the same time, he heard the sound of the fence breaking and followed with a loud thud; something big just landed. He glanced and saw a bigger silhouette, and he quickly launched off, without caring about preserving his stamina.
Red ran toward the four goblins, who were panicked. They turned around and started to run as well, following the dirt path.
But they were too slow for Red. He passed them in no time, "Fool! Don't run together, split up if you want to live!"
Maybe they were in panic, or maybe the beating made them listen to Red. The four young goblins didn't think that much as they split into four different directions into the jungle.
By the time they split up into the jungle, Red was already far ahead. This was the reason why he kept them alive instead of killing them. No matter how weak they were, they might be useful later.
It was never his intention to use them as a sacrifice, but the situation required their sacrifice to increase his chance of survival. That was why he didn't hesitate to sacrifice them.
As for why he told them to run, not because he wanted to save them, but to buy him more time. If the four young goblins died so quickly, the wolves would come after him after they ate the four young goblins. He needed to survive as long as possible to further increase his chance of escaping from the wolves.
He ran into the jungle after creating a quiet distance from the four goblins. Thankfully, he had experience tracking inside the jungle. He easily avoided the bulging root, jumping from one to another without reducing his speed.
Red picked a tree to climb after going deep enough into the jungle. He climbed as high as possible, to the highest thick branch, and hid behind the thick leaves. Leaning his back against the tree, his chest heaved up and down, sucking the air around him.
He could hear his own heartbeat at the moment. However, he kept his guard up, his ears remained perked up to keep the incoming voice, in case there was a wolf that followed him.
He took a peek through the leaves, looking around. There was not much he could see since he was at the topmost, but he didn't spot any movement down below. No movement and voice.
Red could relax a little bit more, but he didn't dare to climb down and make a run to his tribe. He finished the task. This tribe was done for.
The tribe was wiped out by the dire wolf, and he saw five dire wolves and one big one. He recalled the big one where he managed to sneak a glance. The big one was actually wounded. He saw two spears stuck on its back and a sword on the side of its belly.
That was just a glance, unsure if he saw it correctly, but he considered the task done. He didn't know the big one was the Dire Wolf King they mentioned, but that one was certainly more dangerous than the others. He would not even think about fighting it.
That was when he recalled the big wolf he saw yesterday, comparing the one he saw yesterday with the one he saw in the village. They were similar in size, but since he could not get a clear look, he was unsure if they were the same one.
The sun went down, and it was completely dark below. His vision was limited as he could barely see anything. He could only see the area around the tree where he was.
"I guess I will sleep here tonight…"
He muttered in a low voice, realizing that it was best for him to stay here instead of trying to run.
If the dire wolves found him, he would die for sure. He didn't have the confidence to fight a single dire wolf, let alone in his current condition, where his vision was limited.
As for outrunning the wolf, he could just dream that off. There was no way he could outrun them. He could escape from them with the four young goblins as a distraction, and he didn't have that bait to escape.