Wolf Hunt #4

 

Kwakwang—

Kuguagwang—

Shells rained down. The inside of the cave resembled a battlefield.

‘How on earth?’

Vigilante leader Dawson lowered his posture and covered himself with his shield, thinking.

‘Did the dwarves betray us?’

This is the most likely scenario. Those capable of manipulating cannons are rare.

The fact that not just one cannon, but all of them were involved means that it was a betrayal that was thoroughly planned in advance.

‘But the dwarves must have been locked up in prison. So, there must have been some weakling rat hiding among the vigilantes…’

Soon Dawson stopped thinking. He shook his head vigorously.

In this hell, such speculations are meaningless.

Now is not the time to play detective, it’s time to move to survive.

“Commander! Give instructions!”

The executive shouted with all his might.

He screamed so loud that his face turned red, but his voice did not reach Dawson.

A roar, as if the world were collapsing, drowned out all other sounds.

Dawson stared blankly at the executive’s sullen mouth, thinking.

“Wrong. My hearing is blocked, so I can’t communicate.”

I looked around.

The severed human arms and legs flew around lightly like straw.

The vigilantes’ armor was no effective defense against the power of shells that could shatter even rocks.

‘I have to escape, even if it’s just me.’

Dawson desperately tried to keep his composure amidst the chaos and looked for an escape route.

The vigilantes, who had barely escaped with their lives under the shelling, ran towards the road leading out.

It’s the first path that comes to mind.

And it’s that obvious.

“Kwaaak-!”

“These sons of bitches!”

A scream rang out from ahead.

Before we knew it, the security guards had entered and were blocking the road.

The vigilantes who tried to escape through the narrow passage were pierced one by one by the densely packed windows.

Dawson’s stomach turned as he watched.

This situation was what we had hoped for, but instead, the guards took the advantageous position.

‘They’re wrong.’

There’s more than just one way. If that’s the case, you can take another escape route.

Another path, though narrow, also leads outside.

I don’t plan on taking the entire vigilante group with me. I need to save my own life first.

But Dawson’s eyes widened.

‘What is that?’

I saw the vigilantes hesitantly backing away. A powerful magic bullet was hurling them.

‘The enemy has already arrived?’

A wizard was blocking the path. A few dwarves stood in front of him.

And then, an elf appeared.

‘That girl⋯!’

It’s a face Dawson knows.

Mitchell.

The annoying woman who had been a thorn in my side for a long time was running wild like a fish in water.

Mitchell’s kick knocked the vigilante helpless.

Dawson bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

My hands were itching to kill him right away. But the situation was just too dire.

“It was your handiwork. Just wait and see. I’ll repay this grudge a hundredfold, a thousandfold.”

Kwakwang—

Dawson shrugged. A shell flew right next to him and exploded.

The body of the executive who was there was torn to pieces and scattered.

‘But where did that girl crawl into?’

Suddenly, an old memory came back to Dawson’s mind.

That was what Max was mumbling about.

‘There was something about underground waterways and passageways connecting to each other.’

I shouldn’t have ignored Max’s words.

Dawson was paying dearly for his past mistakes.

‘It’s too late to regret.’

Is this the end?

This Dawson, in this smelly underground cave.

A thousand fires rose in my heart.

No, it’s not too late.

Dawson’s eyes widened. There’s a saying that even if you’re in a tiger’s den, as long as you keep your wits about you, you’ll survive.

As everyone was dying, Dawson remembered a single, thread-like path to salvation.

‘I can go out to the sewer too.’

There is no designated owner on the road.

If Mitchell used the secret passage, there’s no reason Dawson couldn’t.

“Eww!”

Dawson roared like a wounded wolf.

He bent down and ran into the flames.

Kwakwang!

Shells exploded one after another, as if chasing him. Dawson didn’t look back.

‘I will survive. I will definitely survive.’

Dawson’s eyes gleamed like a beast.

***

I looked into the darkness with a calm gaze.

Occasionally, explosive sounds could be heard from far away.

“This is the end for the vigilantes.”

Wagner muttered quietly.

“Both entrances to the underground cave are sealed like iron. There’s no way out.”

“Is that really so? It’s too early to feel relieved.”

I said, glaring into the darkness.

“Don’t underestimate the vitality of a beast. From what I’ve seen, at least one of them will struggle desperately until the very end.”

“Is that what Dawson said?”

“Yeah. He’ll definitely make it out of that hell.”

Footsteps were heard in the darkness of the underground cave.

 

Soon, the sound of heavy breathing approaches.

“Look. You’re here.”

Instead of answering, Wagner raised his shield and mace.

Thud, thud.

Dawson appeared, his hair and clothes covered in soot.

“Ugh, gasp.”

Dawson’s chest heaved wildly, as if it were being pounded.

The usual leisure had long since vanished without a trace.

“you.”

“Long time no see, Dawson.”

“Oh, I see. It was you guys. Ha, hahaha. Fuck.”

Dawson pulled a flat bottle of liquor from his back pocket and took a rough swig.

“I knew you’d be here if you came. Thank you for acting as I expected.”

“You expected it?”

Dawson’s face flushed red. He chuckled like a madman.

“Yeah, so did you expect to die here? I underestimated Dawson. Two of you can barely stop me!”

Dawson let out a ferocious roar. The cave rumbled.

“Do you think I’m going to die in a place like this?”

Coming.

The distance was quickly shortened with one leap.

‘Speed rivaling Mitchell’s.’

Although he was human garbage, Dawson was the leader among them.

As expected of someone who had risen to the top of a group solely through natural violence, Dawson’s power was indeed extraordinary.

Kagang!

Dawson and Wagner’s maces clashed.

Are their strengths equal to each other?

No, just a little, but Wagner was pushed back.

Dawson quirked a corner of his mouth.

“Hey, big guy. You seem to be using some strength. Can you try blocking this too?”

Dawson’s mace was dyed black.

The ability of the artifact he uses, “Garden’s Meteor”.

It’s “Steel Strike”.

Dawson swung his mace. For a moment, the mace appeared to multiply, leaving an afterimage.

Cookies—

“Huh⋯!”

Wagner swallowed a groan. His shield shattered under the repeated blows of the mace.

If he hadn’t blocked it with his shield, Wagner would have been a minced meat patty.

‘What a terrifying force.’

I called upon the powers stored in the reliquary.

I’ve harmoniously strengthened both my physical and magical abilities. Right now, I can’t afford to spare any effort.

As Dawson was pushing Wagner, I had an opening to turn to the side.

Phagectic.

He pulled out a long blade of cold energy over the ceremonial dagger.

Thanks to my rapid development in ability, the blade is now pure white, not just blue. Its length is easily over a meter.

‘Just hold on. I’ll cut you down.’

He approached Dawson’s blind spot and extended his Frost Sword.

“This little rat!”

Dawson suddenly turned his head and glared.

I clearly dug into his blind spot exquisitely, but how did he notice?

‘Did you feel alive?’

Indeed, it seemed that the position of leader of the vigilante group was not something he had won through gambling.

Dawson raised his mace.

“Creeping in slowly!”

I thrust the artifact bracelet I was wearing on my wrist, “Pure White Radiance,” into the bastard’s face.

Dawson’s brow furrowed.

“That’s my bracelet! You fucking bitch!”

“Not anymore.”

I’m sorry, but even if you had it, you wouldn’t have been able to bring out the full potential of this bracelet.

This is an artifact that can only be properly utilized by those who are protected by the Golden Unicorn.

Shaaaa—

A white flash of light erupted from the pure white radiance.

A bright light like day spreads through the dark cave.

“Fuck, my eyes⋯!”

Dawson screamed, clutching his eyes.

If you encounter a strong light at close range without any preparation, your eyesight will be temporarily impaired.

“This is how you use pure white brilliance, you punk.”

He swung his frost sword, mocking the bastard.

rustle—

Flesh was torn and blood spurted out. Dawson’s side, cut by the sharp ice sword, revealed its red flesh.

‘You escaped in the middle of all this?’

As expected, this guy is no ordinary guy. He flies backwards even though he can’t see.

I was planning on breaking the upper and lower body in half.

‘But it’s a serious injury.’

Dawson groaned and clutched his side. He’d cut deep enough that his intestines might spill out.

“Wagner!”

“I’m on my way now.”

Wagner threw away his useless shield and ran towards me, clutching his mace in both hands.

You can’t give them a break.

I immediately bound Dawson’s body with “psychic powers.”

‘Ah, it’s not easy after all.’

Unlike regular vigilantes, tying up Dawson was much more difficult.

Even though it caused great harm.

It feels like a thrilling rodeo on a wild horse.

“Wagner, now!”

“i get it!”

Crunch.

Wagner struck down the mace.

I thought I was stuck in a disgusting low spot, but the mace trembled and was pushed away.

“These⋯things⋯are⋯very⋯”

Dawson was holding Mace.

In return, his fingers were mangled beyond recognition, but Dawson refused to allow any attack to his vital points.

This is the tantrum of a cornered beast.

“I’m not the type of person who will end up in a place like this⋯.”

Dawson’s eyes were open.

Even though his left hand was crushed and there was a large sword scar on his side, he was still alive.

I never gave up on surviving for even a single moment.

“Gaaaah-!”

Once again, the “Garden’s Meteor” shed a metallic glow.

“The bastard’s body is getting bigger!”

Wagner stepped back and shouted.

“Steel Flower”.

This is the second ability of the Artifact Mace.

The ability of “Garden’s Meteor” to transform its owner into a steel giant for a short period of time.

Dawson’s height suddenly rose to the level of the cave ceiling.

A black, metallic sheen flowed from head to toe, and the blood flowing from the wound on his side stopped.

‘Damn it, I can’t tie it down with psychokinesis.’

Dawson’s steel-hardened strength surpassed my telekinetic power. The restraints broke free, and Dawson howled like an animal.

“Woooo-!”

Dawson swung his fist.

Shoo— bang!

A ram-like blow swept through the surroundings. Wagner and I both flew forward simultaneously.

Blocking it is impossible. If you do, you will fly into the wall in the same position you blocked it and become flat like a rice cake.

“Estelle, maybe it would be better to retreat now…!”

Wagner, a veteran warrior, suggested fleeing. Anyone could see that it was a wise move.

The body of steel deflects all attacks.

Not only Wagner’s mace, but also my magic arrows and frost sword can’t make a proper impact.

“Wagner, leave it to me.”

“Estelle!”

“It’s okay. Trust me.”

But, I know.

How to defeat that seemingly invincible steel giant.

‘It’s finally time to write.’

I grabbed the necklace hanging around my neck.

“Necklace of Reflection”.

Where should I try it?

If my attack doesn’t work, how about your own attack, Dawson?