14.2. Wolves?

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 14]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

...

Defeated [Stalker Dark Wolf - Lvl. 20]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

General Skill [Basic Mana Manipulation] Level Up!

[Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 3] -> [Basic Mana Manipulation - Lvl. 4]!

Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 18] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 19]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

These [Dark Wolves] won’t stop coming.

I sat on a rock, letting go of the small fire spike I had created as it dissipated into nothing. Wisps of ember were carried away by the light breeze, extinguishing whatever remained of the temporary crude weapon.

I finally leveled [Basic Mana Manipulation] again. It had been a while since it last gained a level— was it because of my use of [Basic Fire Creation]? The two seemed intrinsically tied, considering I had used the former to gain the basis of the latter. I shook my head as I decided to distribute my Skill and Stat Points.

[Available Stat Points: 5]

[Vitality]: 21

[Strength]: 15

[Endurance]: 23

[Wisdom]: 30

[Agility]: 45

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 4]

[Basic Fire Creation] - Lvl. 11

[Double Step] - Lvl. 6

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Blast] - Lvl. 5

[Passive - General Tool Proficiency] - Lvl. 2

[Unused Skill Slot] x2

I decided to give [Endurance] and [Wisdom] 2 Stat Points each, giving the remaining 1 Stat Point to [Agility]. As for my Skill Points, I gave 1 Skill Point to both [Fire Blast] and [Passive - General Tool Proficiency].

I didn’t put as much thought into it as I usually did; these [Dark Wolves] really were not that much of a threat to my life. I might have to decide on some sort of a basic distribution for the future, when I didn’t feel like I was lacking in anything specifically. But for now, I just raised what I felt was right.

I got up from the rock, walking past the half a dozen bodies strewn all around me. It was dark now, the sun had set and it was now night. I had been encountering these [Dark Wolves] all day and only now did I level. It seemed to me that even though these monsters were far weaker than the wild Demons in the Netherworld despite being the same level, they gave out far less experience too.

It wasn’t something I was explicitly told, but something I had inferred from fighting them. If these had all been [Hellhounds] of the same level— I’d probably be Level 21 or higher by now.

But it was good that these weren’t [Hellhounds]. Even though I wasn’t gaining as much experience, I was not taking as much damage either. I had only been struck a few times in all these encounters, and none of their attacks dealt as significant damage as [Hellhounds] did. That was not to mention the [Arachne] which probably could have killed me in two hits back when I fought it, or the [Gadarenes] which were slower but stronger than the [Hellhounds].

I did take damage though; that was why I had stopped to sit for a moment. I needed to [Rest] to heal the accumulation of cuts and scratches I had taken from these [Dark Wolves]. I was once again about to start heading in a random direction when I heard a light growl.

I spun around, expecting to be pounced at, only to see a smaller, lighter wolf baring its teeth. It— she— howled in my direction, but stayed back, never once trying to attack me. I cocked my head.

[Wolf]

She… had no levels? No— she wasn’t a [Dark Wolf] either. But why couldn’t I see her levels? I wanted to approach her and ask her the question, but the moment I opened my mouth, she whimpered, turned tail, and ran away.

“Wait, don’t go—”

I paused as I heard another, louder growl coming from behind me. I whirled around and this time, I was faced with a [Dark Wolf]. He was larger than the ones I had encountered previously, and he had a keen look in his eyes that almost seemed to challenge me. He came with a dozen others, following him from behind.

[Dark Wolf - Lvl. 30]

He seemed like a leader. A pack leader. And he was furious.

His gaze glazed over the dead [Dark Wolves] surrounding me, before snapping in my direction. I tensed, raising my hands up and creating two fire spikes.

“They attacked me first. Like wild Demons!”

I tried to argue, but he didn’t care. He stepped forward and howled, raising his head up to the night sky illuminated by the dim light of the moon. His pack charged at me all at once.

I threw my two spikes at the oncoming monsters. I backed up, sending two [Fire Blasts] at once.

Defeated [Hunter Dark Wolf - Lvl. 21]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 15]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

The [Dark Wolves] encroached on me, surrounding me from all sides. They leapt at me all at once and I jumped into the air above them. I spun over the head of one of the leaping wolves and clawed its back as flames wisped off my sharp claws.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 17]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I landed nimbly on the ground as the monsters turned, and sent another [Fire Blast] at them.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 12]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 14]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

The rest charged me as I created another, longer sharp blade of fire. I stepped to the side and slashed my blade across the thick pelt of a [Dark Wolf]—

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 13]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

And whirled around to jam the fire dagger through the face of another.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 15]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

One struck me from behind as another tried to jump on me. She snapped at my face as I held her maws back with my claws. I aimed at her neck. [Fire Strike]!

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 14]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

I pushed the body off me as blood splashed across my face and grabbed the other [Dark Wolf] before he could pounce on me, before hurling him at another charging wolf. I threw two small balls of fire at them as they tried to get up, only killing one.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 12]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

Before I was scratched across the chest. I stumbled back as the [Dark Wolf] yanked his claws off me. I whirled around and struck it across the face without a Skill.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 10]!

Experience is awarded for defeating an enemy!

These ones were low leveled! But still, they overwhelmed me. And there was still the pack leader—

I found myself staggering forward as a black blur pounced one me. The pack leader swung two rapid shadowed claws at me. I parried the first but was knocked back by the second, black blood pouring out of the wound on my face.

The pack leader stepped forward, his last two remaining pack members behind him. One was injured with a limp, while the other had not been hurt at all. I felt my eyes burning as I created two more fire daggers.

“Is this the last of your pack?”

I asked him as I backed up while the three spread out around me.

“That’s why they’re so low leveled, isn’t it? I killed the rest of your pack.”

He didn’t respond. Of course he didn’t. He stared at me with a hate filled gaze. But I grinned.

“You shouldn’t have sent them after me in the first place. That’s why they’re all dead. And that’s why you will all be dead.”

The pack leader barked and was about to rush me with his two last pack members, when suddenly a figure burst out from the bushes. The wolf from earlier returned and pounced onto the injured [Dark Wolf]. The instant I saw this happen, I turned to the other pack member to my right.

[Double Step]!

I rushed forward, jamming both my daggers to the side of the monster’s head. She struggled for a moment, trying to bite at me, but I brought my claw one last time and finished her off. The pack leader leapt at me from behind, letting off a guttural howl.

I whirled around and knocked him back with a small ball of fire. He got up, body turning black once again as his speed increased. I didn’t need to track where he went. I sent a [Fire Blast], knocking him back and the darkness off him.

The pack leader picked himself up but I was on him in a moment. I knocked one of his shadowed claws to the side countered with my own [Fire Strike]. My claws dug into his skin but I didn’t just shear through. I closed my hands, gripping into his body as I pulled myself into him.

He landed one last hit on me, drawing blood, as I pulled myself on top of him. I grasped myself firmly on his back and produced a fire dagger with a serrated edge. I slashed the magically created weapon across his neck, cutting open his skin. It didn’t dig all the way through but that was enough. Raising my claws up, I struck it down with a [Fire Strike], tearing into the [Dark Wolf]’s neck slowly as he struggled underneath me, until finally…

Defeated [Alpha Dark Wolf - Lvl. 30]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

Subspecies [Zelus Imp] Level Up!

[Zelus Imp - Lvl. 19] -> [Zelus Imp - Lvl. 20]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

I collapsed to the ground, exhausted and injured. I lay there for a moment, letting [Rest] take over me as the wolf that came to help me walked off from the last [Dark Wolf]’s corpse.

Defeated [Dark Wolf - Lvl. 13]!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

I looked at her with a defiant gaze.

“Do you want to fight too, huh?”

I challenged her, but then she lowered her head and her body, almost… gratefully? I wasn’t sure how intentional the gesture was— did she even know about how Haec and I would nod at each other? I didn’t think so. But I still interpreted this action this way.

“These [Dark Wolves] were threatening you, weren’t they?”

I smiled as the wolf simply looked up to me, panting with her tongue sticking out. I nodded at her.

“Well, it’s no problem— they were attacking me too, so I beat them. That’s all. But if you could help me, do you know where I can find the way back to the Netherworld?”

She stopped panting and stood up. I was expecting her to start leading me somewhere, but she simply stared at me.

“Oh, you don’t.”

I deflated, feeling my shoulders sag. I sighed, before giving one last attempt at speaking to her.

“Do you at least know where I can find someone who does?”

She didn’t react at first. In fact, she started walking around in circles with her face to the floor— something which greatly confused me. Finally, she stopped and she turned to her left, her gaze sharpening as it faced a thinner thicket of trees. Then she howled.

“Why are you howling? Is that— can I find someone who can help me there?”

The wolf barked once, before she ran off. I stared at her as she went, then looked back at the direction she had pointed out. I shrugged.

“I don’t really have anywhere else to go, so I guess I’ll trust you. Thanks!”

I waved at her as she left and she stopped. She looked back at me once, before disappearing back into the forest. I stayed there for a moment, healing up and distributing my Stat Points and Skill Points. Finally, when I was ready, I headed into the thin thicket of trees.