Alexander gasped in surprise upon seeing the beast above them, and the system confirmed it was the bull-horned dire wolf.
Panic seized him, and a flood of curses ran through his mind. "What the hell! What's with this new trend of monsters liking high places? For fuck's sake, bro, you're not a wasp!"
"Everyone, it's above us!" Alexander shouted, warning everyone.
Everyone looked up and saw a figure already diving toward them.
"Argh!" one of the knights shouted in pain.
The wolf pounced onto a knight who was nearly caught off guard, if not for Alexander's warning. The knight was wounded on his right leg for failing to dodge in time. The wound was deep but not fatal, though it significantly reduced his mobility. Fortunately, the others were quick to follow up and cover for him. The wolf then retreated and vanished into the darkness once more.
Alexander's heart pounded as the wolf vanished once more. The wolf's light dot on the navigator kept disappearing and reappearing intermittently. He wondered, "Is the navigator glitching, or is the wolf just that fast?"
Earlier, when they entered the cavern, the wolf had already been watching them. Its perfect vision in the darkness, combined with its other highly developed senses, gave it a significant advantage in fighting in the dark. It immediately charged at them but was smart enough not to engage head-on. Instead, it ran along the walls and onto the ceiling before pouncing at the unaware knight in front.
By running across the wall and onto the ceiling, the wolf inadvertently escaped the detection range of the navigator, until it was about seventy meters. The navigator's detection range was spherical, so the higher elevation on the ceiling allowed the wolf to get closer without being detected.
Alexander was about to curse the laws of physics in this world, upon seeing the wolf being disobedient to them. But just then, he heard his father's shout.
"Everyone, be careful! It has developed the Wind Walker ability, which is much more dangerous than we expected!"
He couldn't help but glance at Bertram, who had noticed his questioning look and explained, "Wind Walker ability enables it to use the wind to aid its movement, which is how it managed to run along the ceiling and jump down from that height without injury. It also greatly increases its speed and makes its movements silent."
Everyone remained on high alert. Then, Leofric issued another command: "Knights, move closer to me, and guards, circle around Alexander and Sylvia."
Realizing their current predicament, he gradually adopted a new strategy. Earlier, they had been too far apart. Although Alexander had detected the wolf, they didn't have enough time to react to his warning.
The wolf charged at them again, but this time Alexander's voice reached them in time: "It's about to attack from the right."
The knight on the right immediately adjusted his position and braced for the attack. He managed to block the incoming claw with his sword. Although he was thrown backward and rolled on the ground, he was uninjured.
Another knight lunged with his sword at the wolf's side. However, the wolf swiftly moved aside, and the attack only grazed it, leaving a shallow wound on one of its legs. The wolf then dashed across the boulders around them, making it impossible to follow.
The knight then said, "The wolf's body is as hard as a rock. My attack landed, but it only left a small scratch."
The tension continued to build as the wolf harassed them with sneaky attacks. Some of the knights were injured, while others managed to inflict superficial wounds on the wolf, though none were serious.
One thing to note, however, was that the wolf did not attack Alexander or the guards. Its focus was clearly on attacking the knights and Leofric.
After about five exchanges, Leofric looked toward Sir George. They both met eyes and nodded. Stepping away from the group, they signaled everyone to retreat to the back. They then threw some marble-sized stones, which suddenly lit up upon landing on the ground, illuminating the surrounding area. According to Alexander's memories, these were illuminating stones that, when activated, could produce bright light for about an hour. With the area now lit, they discarded their torches and replaced them with shields strapped to their backs. They assumed defensive positions, standing back-to-back, facing outward.
The wolf, seemingly understanding something, moved within the range of the light so they could see it clearly. Even while on all fours, the wolf stood about eight feet tall. Its black fur made it difficult to see in the darkness. It had two large horns that bent forward like a bull's. The wolf circled around them briefly before howling, as if acknowledging their challenge. Then, it melted back into the darkness.
Earlier, the wolf hadn't been able to focus on them much because they were inside the larger group of knights. Gauging others' strength by aura alone was difficult, even for the wolf with its keen senses. But now that Leofric and Sir George were outside the main group, it was clearly seen that their auras were stronger than the others.
Leofric signaled Sir George to move forward with him because their movements were limited when they were within the larger group. They couldn't attack immediately when the wolf arrived, fearing they might hit an ally. Continuing with that strategy could result in some of the knights getting killed.
After a brief pause, the wolf struck again, this time targeting Sir George. With their distance from Alexander, the wolf was already about 30 meters away from them when they heard his warning. Given the wolf's incredible speed, that distance was negligible. It surged like a gust of wind, aiming to bite Sir George from the side. Despite its rapid approach, Sir George reacted just in time, swiftly blocking the attack and holding his ground.
Suddenly, Leofric arrived beside the wolf, delivering a swift, diagonal upward slash to its side. However, the wolf still managed to move slightly to the side. The attack still grazed it, leaving a long gash of wound on its side, though the wound was actually not that deep. However, the wolf suddenly howled in agony as it retreated back into the darkness again.
Leofric then addressed Alexander and Sylvia: "Alexander and Sylvia, listen carefully. This is the first lesson I will teach you today: when fighting beasts or other beings, the most important thing is preparation. Even if your opponent is strong, if you are prepared, you can defeat them."
He then raised his sword, which shimmered with a purplish hue, seemingly coated in some kind of oil. "Before the battle, I soaked my sword in wolfsbane oil," he explained. "It's extremely poisonous to wolf-type beasts and causes them a great amount of pain."
The wolf lunged at them once more, this time aiming for Leofric, its eyes filled with animosity.
Leofric raised his shield slightly to block the attack, then swiftly dodged to the side, causing the wolf's follow-up strike with its claw to miss. Seizing the opportunity, he delivered another slash at the wolf, managing to leave a deep wound on one of its legs.
Meanwhile, Sir George sneaked behind the wolf and slashed its back, inflicting another wound, though it was not too deep.
"The second key is timing," Leofric said. "Even if your attack is powerful, if it doesn't hit the target, it's useless. A Tier 9 spell is even weaker than a Tier 1 if it fails to land on the target."
The fight continued, and the wolf sustained more injuries. Despite this, both Leofric and Sir George remained vigilant, their faces set with serious expressions.
After a slash to its abdomen, the wolf crashed to the ground, blood spraying. Leofric and Sir George didn't chase. They stepped back, eyes sharp, waiting.
"Everyone, step back!" Leofric yelled.
"Alexander, Sylvia, this is your third lesson: always know your opponent before the battle. Do you know why the bull-horned dire wolf tends to target strong opponents? It's because it's a berserker-type creature. When it receives a significant amount of damage, berserker beasts become even stronger. This sudden boost in strength is like a drug to them, fueling their craving for more, as it also enhances their bloodline talents. This is a common trait among all berserker-type beasts," Leofric explained.
The wolf that had been lying down earlier slowly rose to its feet. The bleeding from its wounds had ceased, and its body appeared larger. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its horns had turned a shade of red. It had entered a berserk state.
"There's a fatal flaw to this berserk state, though," Leofric continued. "The creature loses some of its intelligence, and it will quickly drain its energy."
The wolf suddenly vanished from its spot, leaping into the air with frightening speed. Both Leofric and Sir George dodged instinctively.
It then pursued Leofric, who quickly raised his shield and slammed it into the wolf's head, both to strike and to block its vision, while he ran to the side.
On the other side, Sir George drew a short throwing axe from his belt and hurled it at the wolf to draw its attention. Sure enough, the wolf turned toward the projectile.
The wolf then charged at Sir George, who narrowly blocked its horns at the last moment. Just as the wolf was about to follow up with another swipe of its claws, a kick from Leofric struck its side, throwing it off balance.
Both men then retreated again.
The fight continued for about fifteen more minutes. Leofric and Sir George remained extremely defensive, rarely attacking. They kept blocking, dodging, and running around the beast, avoiding its strikes while waiting for an opportunity.
After a while, the monster appeared to have shrunk again. Its eyes dimmed, the crimson hue draining from its horns, and it was now slower than when the fight began.
As it charged toward Leofric with its horns, the man suddenly threw his shield aside. He held his sword with both hands, his focus intense.
When the wolf reached him, Leofric suddenly vanished from his previous position and reappeared at the wolf's side. Raising his sword with two hands, he prepared to deliver a downward vertical slash toward the wolf's neck.
'Swoosh'
Seeing this, the wolf reacted just in time, moving to the side enough to avoid the blade. But what shocked everyone in the cavern was that a blade of light shot out from Leofric's sword, landing precisely on the wolf's neck.
The strike nearly severed the entire neck, and the wolf's body went limp, falling to the ground.
'Ding', 'Ding'
Two notification sounds then popped up on Alexander's mind.
[ Mission Completed: 'Eliminate the Beast of White Stone Mountain'
Rewards Received: 1000 EXP, 100 GP (Greatness Points), 1x Spirit Cultivation Talisman ]
[ User Level Increased
Current User Level : 2
EXP: 2520/3000 ]
Seeing the blade of light, some members of the party who knew what it was became ecstatic.
Sir George murmured, "Was that… 'Sword Intent'?" his eyes brimming with surprise and ecstasy.
After delivering that final attack, Leofric was panting from exhaustion. In that moment, he had just comprehended Sword Intent, though he had only touched upon it.
Typically, martial warriors lack an effective way to release essence energy outside their bodies. Most of their attacks are close-range, aside from archery and other ranged weapons. However, this all changes once they comprehend a martial intent. For example, once a cultivator comprehends the Sword Intent, he can resonate with his sword, making it an extension of his body. He can then channel his essence energy into the weapon and, using it as a medium, release essence energy externally.
When everyone saw that the wolf had been slain, they cheered happily. The battle had been very challenging for the knights, who had remained on edge the entire time. Meanwhile, the guards on the side were also very nervous; they were not as strong as the knights, and a single swipe from the wolf's claw could have been a death sentence for them. Now that the beast was dead, they could finally relax.
There was actually only one person who hadn't felt fear the entire time: the foolishly brave little girl, Sylvia. Her eyes sparkled throughout the entire fight. Her brother, on the other hand, was trembling and hesitating, wondering whether he should run and go home.