Chapter 11: The Wolf Pack (Part 1)
Linley, who had been sitting on the ground, suddenly snapped his eyes open and looked directly southward. But all he saw was a tangled thicket of brambles—this was the resting spot he had chosen. Hidden within the weeds and thorns, even most magical beasts wouldn’t detect him if they came close.
“Two magical beasts are approaching, about forty meters away now.” Based on the fluctuations in wind elemental energy, Linley confirmed that two beasts were nearby.
Silently, Linley moved to the edge of the thicket. Through the tangled thorns, he saw two sturdy Windwolves, their eyes glowing with a faint green light, creeping forward about thirty meters away. Their path was clearly heading toward him. Just then, Linley felt a slight weight on his shoulder—the little Shadowmouse, Bebe, had already jumped up.
“Boss, aren’t those Windwolves? We’ve seen them a few times at the Ernst Institute.” Bebe wasn’t worried at all, communicating with Linley through their mental link.
Linley stared intently at the two Windwolves. “Yes, Windwolves. The wolf-type magical beasts are mainly divided into three major clans: Saberwolves, Windwolves, and Snowwolves. The Snowwolf clan is the strongest overall, while the Saberwolf clan is the weakest. The Windwolf clan falls in the middle. Even the most ordinary Windwolf is a rank 4 magical beast; the elites can be rank 5 or rank 6. It’s said that the top-tier experts of the Windwolf clan can reach rank 8.”
The most ordinary ones were rank 4 magical beasts—this was nothing like the One-Horned Wild Boar.
“My warrior strength is only rank 4. Relying solely on my warrior abilities, I can’t take on these two Windwolves.” A hint of excitement finally stirred in Linley’s heart. “But that makes it a bit more challenging.”
Watching the two Windwolves creep closer, Linley’s lips moved slightly as he began chanting a magic spell, his gaze growing colder.
“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” …
A series of low rumbling sounds echoed through the dark night. Over a dozen large stones, each about a meter tall and glowing with a faint yellow light, hurtled toward the two Windwolves at incredible speed. The Windwolves, alert, suddenly looked up and began dodging frantically.
A dull crashing sound rang out.
In the brief moment the yellow stones smashed toward the Windwolves, they reacted and fled with astonishing speed. One of the two Windwolves had its hind leg struck, while the other barely managed to dodge completely.
“As expected of Windwolves—they’re fast.”
Linley thought to himself as he silently chanted a magic spell, casting the wind-type auxiliary spell “Swift.” At the same time, he gripped his carving knife, the “Flat Blade,” and burst out from the thicket, charging at the injured Windwolf at top speed.
With the “Swift” boost, a rank 4 warrior’s speed was comparable to that of the uninjured Windwolf. The injured one, of course, was far slower than Linley. The Windwolf with its hind leg crushed tried to flee in terror, baring its fangs and snarling.
“Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!” …
A series of wind blades materialized out of thin air, slashing toward Linley.
“Wolves all have a copper head, an iron tail, and a tofu waist.”
Linley moved with agility, tapping the ground two or three times in quick succession to dodge the wind blades and close in on the injured Windwolf. His right leg whipped up like a cyclone, striking the Windwolf’s waist like an iron chain.
“Thud!” The Windwolf was sent flying, letting out a pained howl.
Linley tapped the ground again, following the airborne Windwolf. His carving knife flashed with a cold, deadly gleam as it sliced across the Windwolf’s abdomen. Linley felt the blade resist as if cutting through tough leather, struggling to carve out a wound. Blood sprayed into the air.
“The Windwolf’s waist isn’t tough, but its hide is pretty sturdy. No, maybe it’s that this carving knife isn’t sharp enough. It’s fine for carving ordinary stone, but cutting through a rank 4 magical beast’s hide is a challenge.” Linley thought to himself, but he kept a wary eye on the other Windwolf.
The other Windwolf didn’t move. It just stared at Linley, its faintly glowing green eyes filled with killing intent, a low growl rumbling from its throat.
“If that Windwolf weren’t injured, with its agility, relying solely on my warrior abilities to kill it would be a pipe dream.” Linley knew well that Windwolves were naturally fast. Without the wind-type magic boost, he couldn’t even match this one.
He began chanting another magic spell, but halfway through, his expression suddenly changed drastically.
“Not good!”
The Windwolf’s low howls echoed from all directions—every side had the sound. Linley glanced around. Now, pairs of faintly glowing green eyes appeared everywhere in the darkness, sending a chill down his spine.
“It’s not just one Windwolf… it’s a pack!”
Linley’s nerves tightened instantly. Even the little Shadowmouse, Bebe, who had been pretending to yawn nearby, bristled all over and looked around warily.
“Boss, looks like we’re in trouble.”
“Grandpa Doehring, your prediction came true, huh?” Linley’s face twisted with bitterness.
In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, running into an ultra-powerful magical beast or a pack of Windwolves was almost always a death sentence.
“Prediction my ass! I said encountering a wolf pack of tens of thousands—that’s a situation where, unless you can fly, you’re dead. This is a bit better; at most, it’s twenty or thirty Windwolves.” Doehring Cowart spoke lightly, but his expression was serious. “Still, Linley, you have to understand—I’m just a soul spirit with no magical power. I can’t help you. It’s all up to you.”
Linley’s heart sank.
“Twenty or thirty Windwolves! The weakest of them is rank 4. They’re fast and can use magic attacks. And I’m just a rank 5 mage.” Linley felt immense pressure. Just then, the howling of the surrounding wolf pack suddenly stopped.
From the encircling pack, two exceptionally sturdy Windwolves stepped forward. They were a full size larger than the two Linley had seen earlier. The surviving Windwolf from before respectfully approached these two large ones, whimpering softly as if reporting something.
Their larger frames and equally larger glowing green eyes made Linley’s heart jolt.
“These are the elites of the Windwolf pack—at least rank 5 magical beasts. I hope they’re not rank 6.” Linley’s mind raced as he quickly thought of a countermeasure.
Even if they were rank 5, two rank 5 Windwolves leading a pack of rank 4 ones to surround him alone—Linley wasn’t very confident. A rank 4 Windwolf’s speed already matched his limit, and a rank 5 Windwolf’s speed would likely outpace him even with the “Swift” boost.
The two leading Windwolves fixed their cold, glowing green eyes on Linley, their gaze filled with nothing but killing intent.
“Looks like I’ll really have to fight for my life this time.” Surrounded by a pack of Windwolves, Linley couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat on his forehead and back. His heart leaped to his throat, and he began chanting his magic spell faster.
“Awooo~”
One of the two leader Windwolves suddenly let out a low howl. Instantly, twenty or thirty sturdy Windwolves from all directions lunged at Linley with fierce gusts of wind. Pairs of pale, icy fangs aimed for him, and over a hundred powerful, deep-green wind blades filled the air.