Looking at the wolves, Kai suddenly stepped forward and howled. "(I want you to bring me to the shore north from this place.)"

The wolf leader was seemingly surprised as he never expected a human could talk to him. It let out a weak growl, replying. "(Human… Talking to us? Who're you?)"

Kai narrowed his eyes and said with a serious expression. "(The King of the Humans.)"

"…" The wolf suddenly took a step back as if understanding the importance of that title. He observed Kai's movement and aura before replying, "(I don't believe you.)"

"(It's up to you. However, I want to ask you how should I persuade you to take me to the shore.)"

The wolf fell silent, contemplating his offer. After a while, the wolf said, "(I will only recognize one's strength. If you wish to ride on my back, even if you're the king of the humans, you can only convince me with your strength.)"

"(Shall be it!)" Kai's expression turned serious as he put down his swords, planning to face him with his fists so as to avoid killing the wolf.

Seeing Kai get ready, the wolf also told the others to stay away. He stared at Kai intensely, ready to jump on him the moment he noticed a slight movement from Kai.

Kai noticed his intention and smiled, raising his guard. A magic circle then appeared beneath his feet, launching him to the wolf.

In response, the wolf leaped to the front, confronting him head-on.

He waved both his paws and his claws while Kai grabbed the paws with his hands, showing the same amount of strength even though the wolf was slightly bigger than his size.

The wolves were surprised to see their leader couldn't even push this human's back.

Kai noticed that this wolf was an intelligent monster and that was the reason he chose him to help him in his journey.

The wolf suddenly changed its strategy and got away from Kai. He then charged forward in a zig-zag, trying to confuse Kai, but the latter already understood its intention from his footsteps.

Kai would hear the slight difference between his normal jump and the one that planned to attack him.

At that moment, Kai struck his claw while protecting his fist with an exoskeleton to avoid any scratch left by the claws.

Bam.

Three star-shaped lights appeared above his head before dropping right onto him.

Kai summoned his Sound Blast instead of his shield to blow all those attacks away, launching them to the side. Those three then hit the ground and created ice crystals bigger than the wolf's body.

If he were hit by it, he might be pierced by those sharp-pointed ice.

Kai believed he needed to get serious to end this fight very soon, so he used his Sound Blast beneath the wolf's foot, launching his bottom half to the air.

Using that momentum, Kai twisted his body to spin the wolf before throwing him to a tree.

Without waiting for any wolves to react, including the leader itself, Kai sent a kick to the tree trunk above his head and destroyed the trunk, showing that if he wanted to kill him, he could do it anytime.

The wolf took a peek at the destruction that surprisingly affected the other trees behind him and realized that Kai needed to adjust his power to avoid killing him this whole time.

Such a merciful act melted the wolf's heart as he gradually rose from the ground and lowered his head. "(I have lost.)"

"(You let me win.)" Kai smiled and took a deep breath before returning to pick up his weapons.

The wolf saw his weapons and asked, "(My Master… How strong are you if you wield those weapons?)"

Kai thought for a moment and shrugged. "(I'm not very sure. But killing all of you within ten seconds is possible.)"

"…" The wolf leader fell silent and finally sat on the ground. "(I shall accompany you to the shore. I believe we can reach there within a few hours.)"

"(That's right. Do you happen to know any birds that can travel across the sea? I need his/her help to travel to somewhere.)" Kai asked, knowing that the magical beasts weren't really that aggressive toward each other, so he thought there might be a chance for the wolf to know it.

Fortunately, the wolf nodded his head and replied, "(If you desire a wing to help you fly over the sea, then I know someone. I can help you convince him, but I can't really ask him to do a favor.)"

Kai understood and said, "(It's fine. As long as I can meet him…)"

"(I understand.)" The wolf didn't complain since he somehow understood why Kai's words were more persuasive than his. Although he didn't understand it that much, he felt there was something strange in the way he talked, including the language. It was as if he was a superior being that everyone needed to follow.

Even his heart was influenced in his first sentence.

Kai wasn't aware of this ability yet, but there was a slight change in his tone when he used this language. Kai considered it as an accent, but it was something else and it was also the reason why magical beasts would follow someone superior willingly like those protectors of the sea.

As for himself, since he had gotten what he wanted, Kai then walked to the wolf and asked, "(Can you guide me to him?)"

"(Certainly. I believe his size is wide enough for Your Excellency to ride on.)"

The wolf then rose from the ground and allowed Kai to ride on his back. Because his size was slightly bigger than Kai, Kai managed to hop on his back without his feet touching the ground as long as he lifted it a bit.

Although it wasn't that comfortable, he was able to conserve his stamina for whatever he needed in the future.

As instructed, the wolf led him to the north, near the coast. However, there was a small hill they passed and the wolf suddenly turned around, trying to climb the hill.

Kai himself had talked quite a bit with the wolves to check the condition of their living in this place and the wolves happily discussed it.

Even Kai was surprised to hear the hierarchy of the monsters.

After a while, they became a bit friendlier toward each other, knowing that both of them were just trying to do everything to survive.

Since there were only a few hundred meters to go, Kai jumped off the wolf's back and ran alongside him, trying to find who he wanted to introduce to him.

Surprisingly, the wolf led him to a dark cave, where Kai had difficulty seeing. Although he could hear the sound of their movements, he didn't know the monsters' species in the current situation.

"I sense two presences inside…" Kai narrowed his eyes.

The wolf nodded in agreement, confirming his hearing ability.

As if listening to his voice, a pair of golden eyes flashed inside the dark cave before a shadow made its appearance.

When it finally came out of the dark, the bird flapped and extended its wing to the sides, showing its mighty figure. The wingspan from this bird was ten meters with its body height alone reaching five meters. It was a colossal bird.

And the bird was one of the most dangerous predators in the sky, an Eagle.

"(Leave right now. I shall spare no mercy if you take another step on this hill.)"