Free Web NovelChapter 46: Step 46 to Greatness: Targeting The Boss Isn’t Always The Right Choice
Do you still want me to pursue her?
[...boy, I think it’s too late to back out now.]
Adrian frowned, rushing past the wolves. Instead of attacking the ones inside the fence, he rushed towards their leader.
Alpha-grade creatures were rare to come by. Adrian didn’t know that for sure, but now many such creatures could a forest possibly host?
That’s why when he saw the pack leader, he wanted to kill it for his quest and also for his [Fang Collector] title.
The leader saw Adrian coming, but didn’t run. It just let out a short growl, and three wolves by his side rushed to Adrian. Instead of attacking him, they fanned out and began circling him.
They were using their pack mentality to put him on edge, and it worked somewhat. The wolves kept out of his striking range but would randomly snap their jaws and jump closer, only to jump back when he turned towards them.
One wolf darted in from the left, forcing Adrian to turn, only for another to snap at his legs from the right. But Adrian didn’t move because he had a feeling the moment he did, the third one would jump him, throw him off balance, and then the rest would be history.
"Smart bastards," Adrian muttered, gripping the honed bone dagger. "Too bad for you, I can use the same trick and more."
[Strength: 54 → 84]
[Agility: 18 → 40]
[Endurance: 61 → 75]
Adrian used all of his attribute points he had been saving into physical stats since he knew he would need more speed, strength, and endurance to hit harder and faster and to tank some damage in need be.
"Let’s go hunting!"
Saying so, he feinted toward the left wolf, then suddenly spun and slashed at the one on his right. The wolf on the right had already jumped at him and couldn’t dodge the strike.
The dagger struck the wolf across its face, sending a spray of blood outwards.
"Tsk, I was aiming for the eyes, but it turned its head away at the last second," Adrian clicked his tongue.
[Critical Hit! Damage dealt increased by 2x]
[You dealt 262 HP damage to the lvl 5 direwolf.]
[Direwolf HP: 190/452]
[<Bleed> status effect applied!]
[Direwolf will lose 4 HP/sec for 8 seconds.]
[<Poison> status effect applied!]
[Direwolf will lose 10 HP/sec for 16 seconds.]
[<Neurotoxin> status effect applied!]
[Direwolf will be slowed down for 6 seconds.]
With the bleed and poison effects compounding, the wolf would die on its own in 16 seconds.
"Alright, that should be it for you," Adrian mumbled, turning away from the dying wolf.
Big mistake.
Perhaps sensing its time was up, the wolf fought through the pain and lunged at Adrian’s leg.
"Argh!"
An agonizing scream ripped from Adrian’s throat as the wolf sank its fangs into his right calf.
The pain was blinding. Adrian snarled and drove the honed bone dagger straight down into the top of the wolf’s skull and twisted it until the wolf died and its jaws unclamped.
[Kill confirmed!]
[Killed a level 5 Direwolf.]
[Exp +90]
[Ancestor’s 10x blessing in effect. Gained Exp+900.]
[Current Exp: 2,699/1,800]
[Please complete the advancement quest to level up!]
Unfortunately, all that twisting pushed the dagger deeper than he intended, and it refused to come out. Not just that, even though the dead wolf’s jaws had unclamped, it still clung to his leg, restricting his movement.
"Fuck!" Adrian cursed, trying to yank it free before the wolves attacked him.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t, and the wolves attacked him from both sides. The first wolf slammed into his left side, trying to knock him to the ground, but when it couldn’t, it bit Adrian’s shoulder.
At the same time, the second wolf attacked his already injured leg.
"Fucking mutts!" Adrian growled in pain and let go of the dagger.
Instead, he reached over his shoulder and grabbed the fur of the wolf clinging to it. He yanked the wolf off his shoulder and slammed it on top of the one biting his leg.
The wolves yelped in pain but quickly got back to their feet and charged again. Once again, a wolf jumped, aiming for Adrian’s uninjured shoulder.
Adrian didn’t waste any more time on getting his dagger and grabbed a spear from his inventory, shoving it straight into the wolf’s open mouth like a skewer before lifting it over his head and slamming it into the ground.
[Kill confirmed!]
[Killed a level 5 Direwolf.]
[Exp +90]
[Ancestor’s 10x blessing in effect. Gained Exp+900.]
[Current Exp: 3,599/1,800]
[Please complete the advancement quest to level up!]
"Ugh! Damn it!"
However, as the wolf died, its partner once again sank its teeth into Adrian’s leg. It let go when Adrian looked at it, but before it could leave, he grabbed the creature by the neck.
The wolf struggled to free itself, but it was too late. Adrian dropped the spear and grabbed the attacking wolf’s upper and lower jaws with his bloodied hands.
The wolf’s eyes widened in panic as it realized what was happening. freēwebnovel.com
"You fuckers like biting so much, don’t you?" he snarled, slowly pulling its jaws apart. "Try biting me again after this!!!"
Adrian pulled the jaws apart with everything he had, ripping its lower jaw off entirely. Blood and saliva shot out of the creature’s mouth as its head split from the middle.
[Kill confirmed!]
[Killed a level 5 Direwolf.]
[Exp +90]
[Ancestor’s 10x blessing in effect. Gained Exp+900.]
[Current Exp: 4,499/1,800]
[Please complete the advancement quest to level up!]
"Three down..." he muttered, throwing the corpse away.
After tossing the corpse away, Adrian stared at the remaining wolves. He had enhanced his agility to get the fight over with soon, but with his injured leg, he was having trouble standing, let alone fighting.
Adrian staggered back before grabbing the spear to lean on it. The pain from his wounds was intense, but the adrenaline and his high endurance kept him standing.
He looked at the alpha wolf standing on the rock. The wolf stared him back as well, as if thinking if they should kill the human or not.
Just then, the women rushed out to help Adrian.
"Male!" Amika yelled.
Her face had gone pale with worry by the time she reached Adrian’s side. She slipped under his injured arm, supporting him.
The rest of the women quickly moved in front of them, forming a protective wall with their spears pointing at the wolves. Even Freki and Huginn arrived there, with the wolf growling at its kin.
The alpha wolf’s gaze swept over the human’s reinforcements. Then the alpha tilted its head back and howled again.
The remaining five wolves, excluding the leader, slowly backed away. One by one, their glowing eyes disappeared into the forest.
While they did that, the alpha wolf remained in place, its eyes locked on Adrian. Despite seeing how brutally he killed its pack members, the alpha did not show any fear.
Only after all the wolves were gone did the alpha break eye contact with Adrian before disappearing as well.
Adrian didn’t need to be an expert to know what that last look meant...
"This isn’t over," Adrian whispered, letting out the breath he had been holding, and leaned on Amika with his entire weight.
