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Chapter 43: The Beastly Betrayal

High-tier.

Even if I can’t exactly perceive the full extent of my opponent’s power, Roy, being on the same level, instinctively senses the astonishing strength hidden in the darkness.

But it seems the other party isn’t in a hurry to attack, waiting patiently like a top-tier predator for a flaw to expose itself.

In this standstill, the one who loses their patience first is the one who will be defeated.

Nia successfully suppressed the largest giant wolf, and the adventurers quickly regrouped, stabilizing their defenses. With the scales of victory tipping in our favor, Roy certainly had the patience to continue waiting it out.

The air grew restless in the darkness.

And then, it disappeared.

It’s about to move.

In the next second, a wave of darkness surged from behind like a tide.

A fierce aura transformed into a howling shadowy wind, catching the guards and adventurers off-guard with the existence of such a terrifying being, leaving them frozen in place under this overwhelming pressure.

A massive wolf head leaped out from the shadow, pouncing on an elven guard.

Even the sharpest rangers couldn’t resist the might that rivaled mythical creatures; the young elven girl’s pupils constricted in fear, unable to so much as move a step.

But just before the gaping maw woven from shadows descended, the boy, acting quickly, pushed her away with a single motion.

And he himself was swallowed by darkness.

Along with Roy’s figure, the master of the shadow wolves vanished into the shadows, completely silent, as if it had never existed.

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【Shadow Stealth】.

Shadow elementals lurk in shadows, an ability both offensive and defensive, making it nearly impossible to guard against, creating the fearsome reputation of the shadow wolf pack.

But what the world knew of shadow wolves was merely the tip of the iceberg.

The truly powerful shadow wolves could not only blend into the shadows but could also drag their opponents into the dark, separating them from the group, then systematically wearing them down with sheer numbers.

In a ravine far from the camp, Roy looked at the mountain of bones piled beneath him and the densely packed shadow wolves before him, finally understanding why they were so dangerous.

Behind the pack was a towering giant wolf, over ten meters tall, coiled in shadows, revealing its fangs from a high vantage point.

This was the true alpha wolf.

Even A-Rank adventurers would struggle to survive against the hunt of the alpha wolf. The cunning master of shadow wolves didn’t showcase its power; instead, it wiped out all prey as if a lion hunting a rabbit, making it impossible for the guild to identify its true form.

Among the bones, one could see many human bones and fragments of adventurer gear. The adventurers who had come to scout were likely dragged into the abyss like this.

Roy pondered, pinching his chin, a bit nostalgic: “I see, this ability is somewhat like what my senior has.”

“But unfortunately, you’ve picked the wrong opponent this time.”

Ignoring the pack of wolves piling up the ravine, Roy directly glanced at the pack leader, his eyes deep as night, flickering with a hint of dark golden glow.

“Sequence 4, now it can be a bit fun.”

Since reaching the high-tier, Roy hadn’t fought at full strength yet, and only an equally high-tier opponent could ignite the dragon’s blood within him after a long while.

The bloodline from the apex of dragons stirred restlessly.

Stirring for the long-awaited hunt.

The master of shadow wolves from the Evernight Forest, the strongest predator lurking in darkness, worthy of being a rival to mythical creatures, only such a level could be a worthy opponent for the dragon king’s bloodline!

“Whoa…!”

The individual shadow wolves weren’t strong, having always relied on their leader to slaughter countless prey stronger than themselves.

But this time, facing the aura emanating from the black-haired boy, they suddenly lost their usual cruelty, trembling on their legs, heads bowed, afraid to step forward.

The instinct of the magical beasts told them that this human was more dangerous than any prey they’d faced before!

Only their leader, the shadow wolf king, could stand in opposition.

Roy grasped the empty air, forming a dragon tooth blade; however, before he even raised his sword, an unexpected scene unfolded.

The towering giant wolf stepped back, its entire body sinking into the shadows, vanishing in an instant.

It ran away?

No, it ran before even fighting?!

Clearly looking fearsome, its cowardly action caught Roy off guard for a moment.

The pack of wolves stared wide-eyed, resembling goofy huskies, with intelligent expressions.

“We were ready to fight to the death; why is the wolf king leaving?!”

“No, king, what are we supposed to do now? This two-legged creature exuding horrifying pressure is something we can’t handle?!

After a moment of confusion, Roy quickly turned to the realization.

“A cunning fellow; it plans to deal with Nia and the others first.”

If it was a prey it could defeat, it would unleash it upon the pack. If it was a powerful enemy it couldn’t handle right now, it would set it aside, clear up other prey first, then return to deal with it slowly.

At this moment, the shadow wolf king was undoubtedly rushing back to confront Nia.

The earlier 【Shadow Stealth】 had brought it far away, so much so that Roy couldn’t sense Nia and the others’ presence.

For a typical high-tier, returning in time would be difficult; they would likely rage against this despicable tactic.

But so what?

What kind of beastly betrayal is this?

Roy had already anticipated such a situation.

The cunning of magical beasts was still too naive compared to the methods of cultists.

Roy casually flipped his hand, summoning a blood-red bat familiar and a vial of blood from Nia.

To avoid getting separated from his teammates, Roy had long stored blood samples from Nia, Natasha, and all his teammates to activate 【Blood Seeking Bat】 to determine direction.

Being both high-tier, catching up to that wolf king wouldn’t be difficult.

However, since he had to act in front of outsiders, why not maintain the identity of the young master of the Rodrick nobility and make another appearance in a different form?

Roy activated 【Phantom Mask】, reshaping himself into the appearance of 【Shadow Veil】, obscuring his face with dark mist.

Now he was neither Roy nor Rodrick, but that S-Rank adventurer idolized by the public.

【Sword Demon】, return!

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Everything happened so quickly that by the time everyone reacted, the boy’s figure had completely vanished.

“Wha, what just happened…”

The saved elven girl, pale-faced, covered her mouth, kneeling dazed on the ground.

“Damn it, what the hell was that thing?!”

“And the wolf! That aura was probably… already high-tier!”

“Are you kidding?!”

Mythical creatures, high-tier magical beasts, those were definitely adversaries they could never match; even the mere implication was enough to shake the adventurers’ morale.

“The shadow wolf king of the Evernight Forest? The legend of the shadow forest wolves is actually real,” Natasha murmured, revealing the truth that everyone was reluctant to believe.

“So, Mr. Rodrick is probably already…” Hex’s expression turned grim.

Staring blankly in the direction the boy had disappeared, Joe’s emotions were complex, even tinged with guilt.

Although his power was lacking, the courage he displayed at that moment was truly commendable. The boy proved he was far from the worthless individual he initially appeared to be.

Yet, being dragged into the shadows by such a terrifying being, it was hard to imagine anything but dire consequences.

The wolf pack didn’t allow them a moment to collect themselves; instead, they howled and resumed their assault.

But just as everyone grew anxious, a silhouette darted past, silver blades glinting through bright red.

The elven girl and the giant wolf crossed paths; the next second, the massive mid-tier giant wolf had its throat sliced open, spraying blood as it howled and collapsed.

The sight of their comrade’s tragedy frightened the pack away.

The girl casually flicked the blood from her twin blades, raising her fine brows, offering a taunting smile to everyone.

“What are you afraid of? They’re just a few wild dogs; are you all this timid while calling yourselves adventurers?!”