"Attack!"
The shout exploded through the forest.
Shell and Horn charged out simultaneously, two figures lunging straight at the wolf pack.
Boom!
Shell's armor slammed into the frontmost Forest Wolf, sending it flying backwards.
Horn followed close behind, his rock horn ramming viciously into another wolf.
The Forest Wolf pack instantly scattered. All seven wolves raised their heads, eyes alert.
Their reaction was quick—they immediately spread out.
Three wolves moved to engage Shell and Horn, while the other four tried to flank from the sides.
This was the instinct of pack hunting—clear division of labor, seamless coordination.
But this time, they weren't facing prey. They were facing hunters.
"Spike, Shadow, take the flanks!"
Spike burst from the bushes, incredibly fast. After evolving into a Gale Weasel, he was at least twice as fast as before.
A Forest Wolf had just turned when Spike was already at its side.
Sharp claws raked across the wolf's hind leg.
The wolf howled, but before it could react, Spike had already darted to the other side, slashing another claw across its waist.
Weaving, harassing, giving no chance to counterattack.
This was the advantage of a scout-type evolution.
Shadow dove from the air, wings creating a whistling sound as his talons aimed for a wolf's eyes.
The wolf dodged by tilting its head, but Shadow had already climbed back into the air, then dove again.
Over and over, keeping the pack on the defensive.
"Venom, ranged suppression!"
Venom leaped out from behind.
Ptui!
A glob of poison sprayed toward the pack. Purple liquid arced through the air, landing on one of the wolves.
Sssssss—
The venom corroded the wolf's fur. It howled in pain, rolling on the ground, trying to shake off the poison.
But it was useless. The toxin had already penetrated the skin and begun taking effect.
[Forest Wolf HP: 120/160]
[Status: Poisoned]
Waspy hovered in mid-air, purple wings reflecting the light.
"Waspy, mental disruption!"
Waspy's antennae glowed faintly. Invisible psychic waves spread out, blanketing the entire battlefield.
The seven wolves' movements suddenly became sluggish. Some wolves paused mid-attack, others lost their balance while turning.
Like their reactions had slowed down.
"So strong..."
This was the power of psychic abilities—intangible, invisible, yet devastating in effect.
A level 9 Forest Wolf was about to pounce on Horn when it suddenly froze in place, eyes glazing over.
Waspy's antennae glowed brighter.
"Mind Control!"
The wolf's eyes lost all light, becoming hollow.
Then it turned around and lunged at its own packmate!
"What?!" The nearby wolf clearly hadn't expected this. It was knocked to the ground by its companion, the two wolves rolling together.
The controlled wolf bit viciously, completely ignoring its packmate's howls.
The pack was in chaos.
They didn't understand what was happening, why their companion would attack them.
This confusion was exactly our opportunity.
"Focus fire! Take out the poisoned one first!"
Shell charged at the rolling wolf, his heavy body crashing down.
Crack—the sound of breaking bones.
Spike followed up, claws slashing across the wolf's throat. Blood sprayed.
[Killed Forest Wolf]
[Multi-kill detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 70 experience]
The first one, down.
On the battlefield, the controlled wolf continued attacking its companion. Both wolves were already injured.
The other three wolves wanted to help, but were blocked by Horn and Shadow.
Horn's rock horn glowed with an earthy yellow light. A wolf lunged at him—
Bang!
Sent flying.
Shadow circled in the air, constantly harassing. Their coordination was perfect.
"Brownie, Forest Bind!"
Brownie closed its eyes. Green light spread from its body.
The next second, the ground began to shake.
Rumble—
Thick vines erupted from underground! One, two, dozens!
Like they'd come alive, growing wildly, reaching for all the Forest Wolves.
"Aowooo—!"
The pack howled in terror. They tried to flee, but the vines were too fast.
In an instant, they wrapped around their limbs, coiling tighter and tighter.
All seven wolves, trapped in place, unable to move.
Including the controlled wolf—it too was bound by vines. Its eyes regained clarity, but it was too late.
Trapped beside its packmate, unable to break free.
"Such powerful control..."
Brownie's Forest Bind was even stronger than I'd imagined—wide range, fast speed, and incredible binding force.
"Everyone, focus fire!"
Shell charged the nearest wolf. The heavy impact made it cough blood.
Spike followed up, claws slashing repeatedly, leaving bloody gashes across the wolf's body.
Horn rushed over too, his rock horn driving into the wolf's chest.
Crack—ribs shattered.
[Killed Forest Wolf]
[Multi-kill detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 65 experience]
The second one.
No pause. I continued directing.
"Next one!"
Team coordination was perfect. Shell handled charging and taking hits, Spike provided high-speed cutting, Horn delivered the finishing blows.
Shadow struck from the air, Venom sprayed poison from range.
The wolves trapped by vines couldn't resist at all. They could only watch as their packmates were killed, then wait for their turn.
The third one.
[Killed Forest Wolf]
[Multi-kill detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 75 experience]
The fourth one.
[Killed Forest Wolf]
[Multi-kill detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 70 experience]
The fifth one.
[Killed Forest Wolf]
[Multi-kill detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 75 experience]
Two left.
One was the previously controlled wolf, level 9.
The other was level 10—the strongest in this pack.
That level 10 wolf struggled desperately. It tore through several vines, but new ones immediately grew to replace them.
It couldn't break free, but it kept trying.
"Watch out, the strongest one's about to break loose!" Shadow called from the air.
The level 10 wolf's eyes were full of savagery. Its strength was surging, the vines beginning to fail.
Snap snap snap—they broke one after another.
"Brownie, can you hold it?"
Brownie gritted its teeth. "I'll try..."
More vines erupted from underground, wrapping around the wolf.
But the wolf's strength was too great. The vines snapped as soon as they coiled around it.
[Brownie MP: 180/300]
Magic consumption was high, but still couldn't suppress it.
That wolf was about to break free.
Damn...
If it got loose, with its speed and strength, it would definitely target the vulnerable members first.
Like Venom. Like Brownie.
I couldn't let that happen.
Just then, the wolf tore through the last vine.
It was free. Its target was clear—Venom!
The wolf lunged, incredibly fast.
Venom didn't have time to react.
"Venom!" Horn shouted, but he was too far away to help.
Without hesitation, I activated my spatial mark.
"Store!"
Venom's figure vanished, pulled into the Dimensional Cheek Pouch.
The wolf pounced on empty air. It froze—where was the prey? It had been right there. How did it disappear?
But it didn't have time to wonder.
"Release!"
Shell's figure appeared directly behind the wolf, almost touching its back.
The wolf hadn't expected this at all. It had just missed its pounce, center of gravity still unstable. Shell's charge had already arrived.
Boom!
Heavy impact. The wolf was sent flying forward, tumbling through the air.
Spike had been waiting right there.
The moment the wolf landed, Spike's claws slashed across its throat.
Blood gushed.
[Killed Forest Wolf]
[Multi-kill detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 80 experience]
The wolf collapsed, twitched a few times, then went still.
The last wolf—the level 9 one—had already given up resisting. Its eyes were full of fear.
"Finish it."
Shell walked over and crushed the wolf's skull with one stomp.
[Killed Forest Wolf]
[Multi-kill detected, experience distributed evenly]
[Gained 70 experience]
Battle over.
Seven Forest Wolves, all dead.
I opened my panel.
[Hoarder Squirrel] [Gray]
[Level: 22/30]
[Experience: 515/550]
Leveled up—from 21 to 22.
Other members had also improved.
[Gale Weasel - Spike: Level 3/25]
[Armored Armadillo - Shell: Level 3/30]
[Shadow Bat - Shadow: Level 20/30]
[Rock Horn Ram - Horn: Level 20/30]
[Venom Toad - Venom: Level 19/30]
[Psychic Queen Wasp - Waspy: Level 2/50]
[Forest Elf - Brownie: Level 2/50]
Everyone gained a level. Team strength steadily increasing.
"Brownie, Heart of the Forest."
Brownie responded. Green light spread again, warm healing power enveloping everyone.
The cracks on Shell's armor were mending. Spike's bite wounds were healing. Horn, Shadow, and Venom's injuries were all recovering.
The scratches on my chest from wolf claws also felt warm, the wounds closing.
Ten seconds later, the light faded. All members' conditions had mostly recovered.
"Phew..." Waspy landed nearby. "So tired... Mind Control drains too much. My magic's almost empty."
[Waspy MP: 60/280]
The consumption really was huge. Controlling one wolf had used that much magic.
"Recover slowly. You already did great."
Waspy's antennae trembled slightly. "When that wolf was attacking its packmate... I could feel its thoughts. Very chaotic, very painful, but it couldn't resist."
I reached out and patted its head. "That's your ability. You'll get even stronger."
Brownie was also sitting on the ground. "I'm tired too... Forest Bind costs so much."
[Brownie MP: 100/300]
Two hundred magic points, in exchange for binding seven wolves.
Well worth it.
I surveyed the battlefield. Seven wolf corpses lay on the ground, blood staining the earth.
This battle had been almost a complete crushing—only minor injuries, no serious wounds.
This was the difference evolution made. This was the power of team coordination.
Spike walked over to a wolf corpse and sniffed it.
"Boss, these wolves... seem like they were just a patrol."
"What do you mean?"
Spike pointed north. "There are more scents over there. Stronger. Should be their den."
Shadow flew back too. "I just scouted ahead. About two kilometers north, there are more Forest Wolf scents. The number... at least a dozen."
My eyes lit up. "Is it the pack that hunted us?"
"Very likely." Shadow answered. "It's in the direction of the thicket."
I turned to look at all the members. "How is everyone? Can you keep fighting?"
Shell was first to raise his claw. "Yes! These scratches are nothing!"
Spike chimed in. "I'm fine!"
Horn, Shadow, and Venom all voiced their support.
Though somewhat tired, morale was high.
Waspy and Brownie exchanged glances.
"I can do it," Waspy said softly. "I just need to recover my magic a bit."
Brownie spoke up too. "Me too. And if it really is that pack... I want revenge."
"Good. Then we continue. North. Find their den."
The team headed north.
The forest grew denser. The trees thicker. The light dimmer.
The surroundings were quiet. Eerily quiet.
Spike led the way up front, occasionally stopping to sniff. "The scent's getting stronger. We're getting closer."
After walking for about an hour, an open area appeared ahead.
I signaled everyone to stop and carefully approached.
Through gaps in the trees, I saw it—
A massive wolf den, built beneath rocks.
Around it were over a dozen Forest Wolves. Some resting, some patrolling, some gnawing on prey.
I checked their information. Levels ranged from 10 to 20.
And in the very center, lying down, was an especially large wolf.
Twice the size of normal Forest Wolves. Darker fur. More vicious eyes.
[Forest Wolf King]
[Level: 25/50]
[HP: 800/800]
[MP: 350/350]
[Strength: 68]
[Defense: 45]
[Speed: 52]
[Luck: 20]
[Leader of the Forest Wolf pack, massive in size, possesses the ability to command wolf packs, rich combat experience, a powerful predator in the region]