Chapter 42: The Wolf Pack

Just as the wolf pack scattered, Roy and the others arrived on the scene.

The elven guards rushed to help the injured, while also dispatching personnel to spread out and keep watch. The cavalry and Janthea’s guards displayed a composure not typical of first-rate adventurers, which made Hex and the others secretly admire them.

Even Joe, who usually had a sharp edge, thanked Natasha and the others for coming to help.

However, he couldn’t help but frown at the black-haired boy, who was casually leaning against a griffon with his hands in his pockets.

“Thank you all. Without you, we’d be in danger. Long story short, we were ambushed by shadow wolves earlier—caught us completely off guard,” Hex explained to Natasha, his gaze fixed on the distant stirring energy, seriousness overtaking him.

“Shadow wolves? No way!” Natasha was the first to react in disbelief.

Unlike the unpredictable cultists, magical beasts typically had fixed and simple behaviors.

They rarely left their habitats. Shadow wolves were dangerous beasts that only appeared in the Ever-Shadow Forest, and no one had seen them anywhere else.

This bizarre situation made everyone uneasy; adventuring tasks usually required ample information, and nothing scares adventurers more than unknown dangers.

What’s worse, they lacked the opportunity to delve into the reasons behind it.

“Awwooo—”

A long, piercing wolf howl echoed, like a signal fire igniting a chain of chaos throughout the night sky.

Just the howl alone signified that the number of magical beasts far exceeded their own, and the dark tide that followed quickly confirmed this.

Countless wolves surged in like a dark breeze, forming a massive encirclement, advancing towards them under the cover of the trees.

“All hands on deck!”

The wolf pack dropped down like rain.

The mages lit illumination magic, while the frontline brandished swords and spears, engaging the oncoming wolves in a chaotic fight.

Shadow wolves, as the name implies, are dangerous beasts capable of slipping into shadows. Utilizing the darkness, these beasts can move at high speeds, attacking from the most cunning angles, especially in the dark woods where they have countless hiding spots.

Given their destination in the Ever-Shadow Forest, it was impossible not to be aware of shadow wolf intelligence.

Without needing to communicate, both adventurers and cavalry rapidly formed a circular defense, ensuring there were no blind spots to guard against the shadow wolf ambush.

Low-tier shadow wolves don’t pack much individual combat strength. Unlike the earlier ambush, direct confrontations wouldn’t fare well; often, they were intercepted by swords before they could leap, not to mention the support from other magical beasts and the griffon crackling with golden lightning.

“What a joke, these legendary shadow wolves aren’t anything special!”

“Just a bunch of sneaky dogs; I can take on ten of them!”

Some adventurers already started boasting excitedly, but the next moment, black arrows shot through the air.

“Damn it, don’t get careless…!”

Hex’s warning came a moment too late.

A massive pitch-black wolf leaped out from the shadows, biting one of the boastful adventurers in half, tearing open the first breach in their defense.

The true terror of wolves lies in their numbers.

With this as a breakthrough, three more giant wolves led the pack in a fierce assault.

Fighter Hex gathered his rock armor, while Black Feather Joe hurled his black curved blades to fend off the first two giant wolves.

Arrows flew like a stream of light, piercing through multiple shadow wolves and hitting another giant wolf. Natasha skillfully blocked another giant wolf that was poised to pounce.

The three-meter long shadow wolves were merely Sequence 6; facing two A-Rank adventurers wasn’t a tough challenge.

However, the initial giant wolf, a fierce brute measuring five meters long, landed on the ground and let out a fearsome howl.

The heavy pressure of Sequence 5 was enough to influence reality, dimming even the illuminating magic lighting up the night sky. The adventurers found their movements halting, gradually getting suppressed by the wolf pack.

This could not go on!

“The biggest one is the lead wolf; let’s take it down first!”

Joe’s eyes hardened as he was the first to shake off his opponent and charged at the most prominent giant wolf with his dual blades.

The Black Feather Raven, among silver-tier bloodlines, was the fastest of the bunch.

It was said that these ravens could reach speeds comparable to lightning, often leaving behind only a shadow of dark feathers when they passed. Joe, capitalizing on his speed, darted among the wolves, effortlessly reaping the lives of countless shadow wolves.

But this time, he miscalculated.

The giant wolf, despite its size, was exceptionally agile, dodging Joe’s strikes effortlessly before diving into the shadows. With a sudden leap, it crashed into him with its weight, sending Joe flying into the air.

“Ugh!”

He took the brunt of a Sequence 5 blow, immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing the giant wolf pounce toward his teammates, Hex roared and stepped forward: “Not on my watch!”

The Fighter’s rock-clad fist collided with the giant wolf’s claws mid-air, generating shockwaves that shook everyone present.

The giant wolf howled as it took a step forward, its claws bursting forth with dark shadows. The blow infused with extraordinary power cracked Hex’s protective rock fist. The Fighter sank slightly but was still outmatched in terms of power, getting flung away and crashing into a large boulder, faring no better than Joe.

Without A-Rank adventurers to hold the line, the giant wolf rushed into the crowd, gnashing its teeth and unleashing reckless slaughter—

Yet none of this transpired.

Because a gust of wind swept through.

The silver dual blades emitted a breathtaking chill, and the dancing green ponytail left behind a blurry afterimage. In an instant, blood splattered across the giant wolf’s face, which then howled in pain, retreating in disarray from their defenses.

“Is that just a Sequence 5, acting so arrogantly? Who gave you the guts?”

The elven girl, wielding the dual blades, drifted casually around the giant wolf.

“Miss Nia is surprisingly strong!”

“I told you, Miss Nia must be the strongest among this group!”

“Do young people today really pack such a punch?” Hex spat out some blood, managing a wry smile.

Meanwhile, Joe, who had just managed to get back on his feet, looked bewildered, his expression a mix of disbelief as he struggled to comprehend that someone so young possessed strength surpassing his own.

With such talent, she was not inferior to the prodigies of the Magic Academy; why would she stoop to being a bodyguard for some young lord?!

He glanced at the confident elven girl facing the giant wolf while the black-haired boy stood bewildered, staring off into space. Joe felt increasingly that the girl was undervalued.

Throughout the entire confrontation, Roy did not intervene.

Hex and the others weren’t weak, especially with Nia keeping the Sequence 5 giant wolf in check; pushing back the wolf pack was just a matter of time.

But the threat of the Ever-Shadow Forest, which had terrified countless adventurers, wasn’t so easily dispelled. Even A-Rank adventurers could emerge from a wolf pack encounter, albeit with difficulty.

Joe had misunderstood from the start.

The Sequence 5 giant wolf was just a pawn.

Staring into the deep shadows of the darkness, Roy sensed a gaze watching him from the depths of the void.

   

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