episode_0087

About 30 minutes after repelling the second wave.

In the quietened cavern, we were taking a short rest.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks. Gulp-”

Gulp- gulp-

A slightly nostalgic ginseng flavor.

After downing the bittersweet potion, the dizziness subsided, and my strength returned somewhat.

I didn’t know this during my Akasto user days.

Why characters made a “whoosh-” sound after drinking a potion.

And now I think I understand.

“Whoosh…”

A refreshing feeling spread throughout my body, like I’d just gotten out of a hot bath.

Still…

“Ugh… my palms are still burning…”

“Terrance- Terrance, where are you—?”

“Snap out of it, Lily-!”

It seems we couldn’t avoid depleted energy.

We’d all exerted ourselves hunting the Grey Wolves.

Even if stamina and mana could be restored with potions, our worn-out minds weighed heavily on our bodies.

“Is everyone alright…?”

Leaning against a rock pillar, the members of the Sacred Circle party only weakly waved their hands, lacking any strength.

That was perhaps better.

Nix, who had recklessly used all their strength without thinking of the consequences… whether this was their physical body or spirit…

Not a black mist, but something resembling a mushroom, crawled along the floor.

“You alright, Nix…? Want a handjob…?”

“Keuh-huh- I don’t even have the strength for that…”

What’s gotten into them?

This is the person who would instantly regain their composure with just that, yet now they don’t even seem to notice…

I was quite shocked.

Yuri, who’d been listening, offered a hand.

“Ah- then, I—”

“You’re fine, though.”

“…That’s mean.”

Yuri was the most composed.

Perhaps because of all the advice Eve and I gave during the adventurer registration exam.

She had managed to control her strength successfully.

Overall, our condition wasn’t good.

However, while everyone’s mental state was exhausted, their stamina and mana should remain after the potion.

Even if the third wave starts and another Grey Wolf pack attacks, if we simply repeat what we did before, we should be able to stop them.

However, one thing I had been wary of since the beginning was a problem.

‘…Where’s the leader?’

In the nature of pack beasts, there’s inevitably a leader.

Survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle.

Survival is the only meaning of existence. Only strength is the principle of survival and the only rule.

Naturally, the weak bow to the strong, and the strong lead the entire pack.

But, what’s this?

Drip- drip-

Even after piling up a mountain of corpses — possibly a hundred or more — of Grey Wolves…

There still hasn’t been a single impressive one. A being that shows a movement of trying to command the pack, a particularly strong individual.

It’s also strange that they’re giving themselves such a long break after the second wave.

If this had been a true life-or-death situation, they should have attacked with their entire force by now.

Why are they still probing?

And the answer came sooner than I expected.

“…!!!”

Everyone present felt it.

A powerful magical energy that felt like it would rip their spines apart.

Swish-

Everyone saw it.

Despite Nix being completely exhausted, a dense shadow gradually filling the cavern.

“Krrr…”

Creak- Creak-

And everyone heard it.

Even though it spread slowly, the intense roar threatened to shred our eardrums. The sound of hard claws and teeth scraping against stone.

And even…

“Kill- kill… kill and…”

“—?!”

A voice we’d never heard before.

Since it wasn’t ours, it didn’t take long to find its source.

“I will… satisfy this hunger…”

…

…

…

The beast is talking.

I didn’t believe it at first, but something similar existed in Akasto.

Beasts are born from magical energy. Magical energy belongs to demons; essentially, they are demons.

Only slightly incomplete. With repeated evolution, some might grow to the level of a demon, I knew that.

‘I knew that…!!’

We’d wasted too much time.

Who would have imagined that such a drastic change could occur in such a short time?

The first rule of dealing with magical beasts: never think you understand them.

The simple yet important rule that I momentarily forgot. This is the result.

Blood glistened on its lips. The dark crimson color indicated it was from Grey Wolves.

It must have eaten its own kind after feeling threatened by the whole pack. Living ones, not corpses. Not a single one left.

That’s the only possibility.

A Grey Wolf, which is a pack animal, could never attack as a single individual.

And perhaps, it is no longer an ordinary Grey Wolf.

If it can speak, it must have completely evolved into something superior.

The alarming level of magical energy and the flickering shadows around it proved that.

My memories said the same thing.

Even the same Grey Wolf species often evolve into two types depending on the environment. One grows in the light, having a lively personality and high intelligence like its white mane —the White Wolf.

The other grows in darkness, feeding only on darkness — the Dark Wolf. The creature before us is its subspecies, the Shadow Wolf.

Countless thoughts raced through my mind.

Having devoured all its remaining kin, its magical energy and fighting power have increased explosively.

It already possessed power surpassing the Sacred Circle as a single being.

Our strategy of wiping out numerous, weakened individuals will be completely ineffective.

No, now it’ll have the opposite effect. The battle had completely turned around.

The ragtag bunch was no longer on the beast’s side. The numerous, weak ones… are now us.

‘Should we retreat…?’

No, that won’t do. It would direct the beast’s attention directly to the approaching Ranger duo.

Not only might contact be made soon, but since the beast has evolved into a Shadow Wolf and awakened its shadow abilities…

Leaf’s stealth tactics wouldn’t work either.

Ultimately, there was no choice.

There’s no time for any more fussing around. I have no choice but to confront it with everything I have.

“Everyone, are you alright?” “…Yeah. This isn’t the time for this.”

Terrance was the first to rise, placing his hand on his greatsword.

“How can I help this time?” “I have only one thing to say.”

Joey and Lily, picking up their staffs and standing up. And Yuri carrying Nix.

Looking everyone straight in the eye, I said.

“Don’t move from this spot, and survive.”

… … …

There was no resistance. They probably wanted to, but lacked the strength and confidence.

From my memory, Shadow Wolves use an innate magic to summon minions from the shadows.

That is, every place touched by its shadow is within its range. If we blindly charge in, our limbs will be torn to shreds in an instant.

Therefore, they cannot go. They’ll only hinder me from attacking freely.

Of course, I didn’t think that way from the beginning. The situation simply changed like that.

Now, what remains is… how to catch that Shadow Wolf.

What else can we do?

‘Sever its neck, and we win.’

Whoooosh-

Along with my thought, I wrapped my entire body with attributeless mana.

Not a weaker, modified version, but my [Myeong Gap], a suit of armor made of attributeless mana.

I put on my innate magic armor for the first time in a long time.

If one can see mana directly through skills or special methods like me, they would appear pure white.

However, it seems different for those who cannot.

“Th- that’s… what is…”

The other members, in a state of high tension and defensive posture, stared at me with wide eyes.

I don’t have time to explain thoroughly.

Fortunately, whether the Shadow Wolf was waiting for my transformation or just got slightly scared…

Spreading its shadows throughout the cavern. Having taken all the necessary precautions.

We were ready.

I tore through the air and rushed towards its neck.

“Aooooooooo—”

A roar so intense my brain shook. Before its evolution, it would have been for communication among its fellows; now, it’s different.

Crunch- Crunch-

A signal to summon its minions from the shadows.

Thanks to devouring hundreds of its kind, that many ‘Wolf Shadows’ sprang out from the shadows on the floor, eyes gleaming.

They probably intended to block my charge. If it could only be stopped with something so pathetic — I’d have been better off putting a condom on my head.

The attributeless mana flowing from my hand instantly became the [Myeong Geom].

I swung the pure white sword that casts no shadow, turning those otherworldly beings back into ashes.

Swoosh—!!

My sword, thicker than my waist, sliced them in half with a single blow.

Was the attack too powerful, or was… this a feint?

“Kwaaack—!!”

The Shadow Wolf suddenly charged in from the shadowed area. I’d already swung my sword and couldn’t defend in time.

But my body was already full of rotational force. I instantly twisted my lower body, delivering a roundhouse kick to its lower jaw.

Whack—!!

“Crack—”

The beast’s posture faltered for a moment after the blow on the vital point.

Seizing the opportunity, I twisted my upper body again, and thrust the blade into the beast’s belly.

Swooosh-

But this was also a feint. Its dark fur had transformed into shadows.

The Myeong Geom struck the cavern floor in a powerless blow.

Crack-!

I turned my gaze to where the magical energy was strongest. As if it hadn’t even begun, it dribbled saliva and bared its teeth.

“… I don’t want to drag this out.”

Its evasion is too quick. It’s difficult for me to land an effective blow when I need to.

If only someone could create an opening.

I can’t expect magical support.

If I lured the Shadow Wolf into range of Joey and Yuri’s magic…

That would mean putting them within its range.

The shadow beasts would surely attack en masse. If I went to block that attack, it would create an opening for the Shadow Wolf.

This is truly troublesome.

What I need in this situation is an ally with similar power—

‘Nari, can you hear me?’

Grin.

I couldn’t help but smile at the perfectly timed magical message.

‘Assume I can and let’s get this done.”

The mana curtain, spread wider than the Shadow Wolf’s shadow, instantly read the unique light blue mana wavelength.

A chilling cold reached me.

‘Avoid it.’

Pew-

And accompanied by a sparkling light, a familiar voice rang out.

“Absolute Zero—!”