Qin Feng's Combat Evaluation was Zero-star (Blue). Although he outclassed this pack of Forest Wolves by two ranks, he didn't dare get arrogant enough to take on eight wolves by himself.
After all, if each Forest Wolf only took a single bite, it would be enough for him to lose a massive amount of Blood Volume and fall into a critically injured state.
A single slip-up could be his undoing.
'However!'
'I'm not alone either!'
'Four versus eight... I have the advantage!'
With that thought, Qin Feng sprang up from the stone, his knuckles white from his forceful grip. His Stone Axe, glinting coldly, tore through the stagnant air, aimed straight for a vulnerable spot on the wolf pack's flank.
One of the Forest Wolves was incredibly fast to react.
Its pupils contracted as it let out a low, warning growl to its companions. Then, with lightning speed, it spun around, its bone-white fangs lunging for the wrist of Qin Feng's axe hand.
Qin Feng rolled with the momentum, the blade of his axe narrowly grazing the wolf's ear. The sharp edge sliced a gash half a finger's width deep into the wolf's cheek, spattering dark red droplets of blood onto the withered yellow leaves.
The scent of blood that exploded into the air was like a war drum, instantly igniting the wolf pack's savage nature.
Eight pairs of crimson eyes locked onto Qin Feng simultaneously. Deafening growls rumbled in their throats as they swept toward him like eight bolts of black lightning.
As the lead wolf in the front rank leaped, a foul gust of air carrying a fine spray of saliva hit Qin Feng's jaw. Its sharp fangs practically scraped past his carotid artery, leaving a searing sting.
Facing the encirclement, Qin Feng instinctively held his breath. He sidestepped continuously with his back against a rough tree trunk, the bark scraping against his leather bracers with a harsh screech.
By the time his lower back hit a protruding tree root, the wolves' encirclement had completely closed in. The nearest claw was a mere six inches from his stomach.
In the nick of time, Qin Feng fiercely tightened his grip on the Stone Axe, using the rebound force from the tree trunk to spin and swing it.
The axe blade whistled through the air and plunged into the throat of a lunging wolf. Arterial blood gushed out like a high-pressure fountain, the warm droplets plastering his eyes shut. It dripped from his chin into his collar, the metallic, sweet scent nearly choking him as it filled his lungs.
At the same time, three crimson afterimages shot through the air like arrows loosed from a bow.
Their fur blazed like red flames as their sharp claws tore through the air with a grating screech, creating a shower of sparks as they collided with the wolves' fangs.
In the blink of an eye, one of the Fire Foxes pounced on a Forest Wolf and tackled it to the ground. Its fangs pierced precisely through its prey's carotid artery, and the warm blood splattering onto the Fire Fox's crimson fur blossomed like bizarre, beautiful flowers.
Another Fire Fox wasn't as lucky. The moment it charged in, it was swarmed by several Forest Wolves. Two of them clamped down hard on its hind legs, and a sharp pain shot through its entire body, forcing out a piercing shriek of agony.
But the Fire Fox didn't back down. Instead, as it thrashed and rolled, it viciously sank its fangs into the belly of one of the wolves. Blood spurted out, dyeing a large patch of grass red.
The last Fire Fox leaped into the air, its claws striking like lightning toward a wolf's eye. As it landed, it used its momentum to pin the Forest Wolf to the ground and began to madly tear at its throat, sending bits of flesh and fur flying.
Qin Feng seized this opportunity as well, roaring as he swung his Stone Axe. Each chop carried a desperate ferocity as if he were willing to die with his enemy, hacking the suddenly distracted Forest Wolf in front of him to pieces.
The battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.
The howls of the Wolf Pack were gradually drowned out by the muffled thuds of blades cutting through flesh.
Soon, the Wolf Pack's assault began to falter. The last Forest Wolf turned to flee but was dragged back by a Fire Fox that had clamped onto its tail. Claws pierced through its body, and it breathed its last in a series of painful convulsions.
When the dust settled, the battlefield was a complete mess.
The Fire Foxes dragged their battered bodies and slowly approached Qin Feng.
The faint purple glow of the Evil Aura swirled around their bodies, seeping into their wounds like flowing water and slowly repairing the damage from the brutal fight.
The bloody stench permeating the air was also gradually dispelled by the faint halo of the healing light.
[Battle Over!]
[Your Ranger level has increased to 4! Your Attributes have been raised accordingly!]
[Your Life Value has been permanently increased through "Bloodthirsty"!]
[You have gained one point of Strength through "Bloodthirsty"!]
[Your soldiers, the "Fire Foxes," have benefited greatly from the battle and gained some Combat Experience!]
[In this battle, you successfully captured one enemy through your overwhelming power!]
[By slaying enemies and offering their souls, you have received the favor of the King of War and obtained Divine Chosen Spoils from the Forest Wolf corpses... Ordinary Dagger (White), Healing Potion x1, Wolf Hide Material x3, Wolf Bone Material x3, Wolf Meat x2]
'Huh?'
'They actually dropped stuff?'
'I thought killing monsters in this Lord World didn't yield any loot!'
Qin Feng leaned down to observe and found that the items "dropped" by the Forest Wolves, just like death loot from mobs in a typical online game, had materialized out of thin air above the corpses.
The difference was that the wolf corpses didn't disappear like in a game.
This meant that as long as Qin Feng brought the carcasses back to his territory, the villagers could process them via Skinning, converting each corpse into 1 unit of Wolf Meat Food.
'I get it.'
'The spoils you get from killing enemies in reality are more in line with real-world logic.'
'You can only collect whatever the other party was carrying on them.'
'But the loot dropped from killing monsters is a divine reward, randomly bestowed upon Lord Players by a deity-like existence such as the 'King of War'.'
'Things like Skill Books, Free Attribute Points, Proof of Reincarnation treasures, Lord's Equipment... you basically have to rely on the latter to get any of that.'
Alright.
No problem.
I was just worrying about how to get my hands on some Bow Weapons.
Now that I know killing monsters drops loot, I'll just go on a farming spree and fleece the King of War directly.
I hope the big guy knows what's good for him.
And doesn't drop a bunch of useless junk on me.
Having figured out the mechanics, Qin Feng turned his attention to the captured Forest Wolf.
The usual.
Recruit it.
Add it to the army roster.
And then have it dedicate its heart to the future "Riding and Cutting Dominator."
I'll start things off with a "Zoo" build!
...
[Soldier Name: Forest Wolf (Green Name)]
[Life Value: 24/24]
[Power Assessment: Zero-star (Green)]
[Description: A Forest Wolf Soldier Type recruited by a mysterious power. Blessed by the power of a King of War Lord, its combat effectiveness has been greatly enhanced.]
...
Just like the Fire Foxes, after being added to the army, the Forest Wolf was upgraded to the Zero-star (Green) level.
However, its Four-dimensional Attributes, as well as the combat stats derived from them—like Attack Power, Defense Power, and Life Value—were all higher than a Fire Fox of the same level.
In a one-on-one fight, a Fire Fox would definitely lose to a Forest Wolf, but the difference in their strength wasn't that significant.
In other words, the marginal return on attribute points diminishes as the stats increase. Each point invested would provide a progressively smaller boost in power.
However, it wasn't a big problem.
Qin Feng had the support of his "Bloodthirsty" module.
He could use an endless supply of attribute points to achieve Powerful Brick Flying.
All he had to do... was grind.