A circle of snarling forest wolves surrounded them, their bared fangs glistening in the faint light. Alfred stood, clutching his vine-like whip tight, a line of worry creasing his forehead. He was keenly aware that they were outnumbered and had to tread carefully. 𝑂𝓋𝐥xt.𝑐𝗈𝑚
Val, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed. His heart didn’t pound against his chest in fear, nor did a cold sweat break out on his forehead. His Trait 1 ‘Unfeeling’ prevented him from feeling fear or pain, and Trait 2 ‘Emotional Impairment’ further ensured that his emotions didn’t get the better of him in such situations. His gaze remained steady and composed, as he evaluated the forest wolves circling them, determining their levels with the help of his Detect Trait. He found out that they were between levels 18 to 22.
“We’re surrounded,” Alfred whispered, keeping his eyes fixed on the growling wolves.
“Just take care of the ones that come for you.” Val was calm as if they were not in the midst of danger.
Alfred looked at him, startled by his nonchalance, but then, recalling that he had solo killed an Icefang Lynx and forest wolves shouldn’t be much of a challenge for him, he nodded, “Agreed. Let’s do this.”
The next moment, Val’s figure moved like a phantom through the circle of forest wolves, creating a divide between him and Alfred.
Almost immediately, two forest wolves sprang towards him, their jaws stretched wide open, ready to rip him apart.
In the blink of an eye, Val summoned his Flying Broom from his pocket dimension, its sudden appearance catching everyone off guard.
With a powerful flex of his muscles, veins standing out starkly against his skin, Val hurled the broom with all his might.
Whoosh!
The broom, its bristles hardened to match the strength of steel and honed to a knife’s sharpness, hurtled through the air, slamming into one of the lunging wolves, piercing through its head. Its howl of surprise and pain was cut short as it was skewered mid-leap.
[Ding! Congratulation, Host! You’ve defeated a level 18 Forest Wolf. You get +36 EXP.]
This notification sounded in Val’s ears. Val’s attention was drawn towards the other forest wolf who was leaping towards him.
Snap!
Phew~that was a close dodge!
Val barely dodged the jaws of the second wolf, which snapped at empty air where he had been a second ago.
The forest wolf landed on the ground, only to find Val towering over it like a menace. Immediately, a chill went down its spine.
Without missing a beat, Val swung his cursed sword with such blinding speed and force that the only thing the wolf saw was a glint of silver.
Before it could even register what had happened, it was cleaved in two, its blood spewing out in a crimson arc.
The blood, however, didn’t splatter onto the ground as one might expect. It defied gravity and was drawn towards Val’s cursed sword, which absorbed the blood in a manner that seemed to amplify its ominous presence, causing it to glow red.
[Ding! Congratulation, Host! You’ve defeated a level 22 Forest Wolf. You get +440 EXP.]
[Aquarius has absorbed the blood of the fallen enemies. Its rage meter is half full.]
“Good,” Val muttered under his breath. His trump card was ready to be used.
Alfred stood still for a moment, shock plain on his face. Forest wolves, especially those above level 20, were known for their steel-like bones. Yet, Val was slicing through them as if he were cutting through cabbages.
‘His weapon must be a cursed artifact, akin to my own cursed whip; it’s the only explanation for such lethal efficiency,’ Alfred thought, his eyes flicking from the beasts that has been killed to Val. ‘His background is no ordinary one. I am certain about this. Perhaps he’s a ruler’s son like myself, or possibly a noble from the inner region. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in possession of such a weapon. Yet, the inlanders are notorious for looking down on outlanders, and he hasn’t put on any air, much less treat me with such disdain. It’s more likely that he’s an Outlander.’
Suddenly, several wolves turned their attention towards Alfred, baring their teeth menacingly before lunging at him.
Alfred, though taken aback momentarily, quickly regained his composure. With a swift movement, he brandished his whip.
Whoosh! Thwack!
The whip danced through the air, slapping across the wolves’ faces, cleaving their heads in two, instantly killing them.
One wolf, however, proved to be quicker and managed to evade the lash of the whip. Its jaw opened wide, revealing sharp, dangerous teeth as it lunged at Alfred, ready to sink them into his flesh.
Seeing the approaching forest wolf, a sharp glint flashed in Alfred’s eyes. Despite his privileged upbringing, Alfred was no pushover. Yes, he was a spoiled kid who’d lived life in easy mode, but he was far from powerless or naive. The truth is, he merely took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to him, causing him to be labeled as useless and he made a mistake while drunk that led to his exile. Actually, although his bloodline wasn’t the purest, he had pushed himself to the second level by leveraging his family’s wealth and resources as he was fully aware that in this world, strength was the ultimate arbiter.
“You are trying to bite off more than you can chew.”
Alfred, far from panicked, retorted as with a casual wave of his hand, thick, barbed vines erupted from the ground.
They surged forward like a tsunami, wrapping tightly around the wolf and effectively halting its attack mid-air. The wolf growled, struggling against its bindings and snapping its jaws in defiance. A string of saliva escaped from its mouth, landing on Alfred’s face, and annoyance flashed in his eyes.
Wiping the salvia off his face with the back of his hand, Alfred scowled at the suspended wolf, “Insolent beast!”
With a swift flick of his wrist, the vines tightened around the wolf with a vengeance, making it whine in pain. Each twist of the vines felt like a bone-crushing grip, bending the beast’s limbs out of shape. The wolf’s bones snapped like twigs under the relentless pressure, the audible cracks echoing around them. The wolf’s growling turned into a whimper, then silence, as the life was brutally squeezed out of it.
Alfred’s irritation seemed to ease as he looked at the lifeless creature hanging limply from his vines, its body bent grotesquely out of shape. His face, which had been twisted in anger moments before, now relaxed into an eerie calm.
He appeared to derive a certain satisfaction from exerting his power over the creature that had dared to cross him, suggesting a deep-seated anger management issue.
It was clear that this seemingly placid young man could evidently be terrifying when provoked!
Marshall got away with messing with him because firstly he was stronger than Alfred and secondly they weren’t in a forest. Alfred was this strong only when he was in such a terrain. But given the chance, he would definitely take his revenge!