Chapter 32: One Last Hurdle
Because the beasts no longer cared for their own well-being, Leonard didn’t bother trying to keep them at bay.
He knew that when faced with overwhelming numbers, his positioning was of the utmost importance.
His legs didn’t stop even for a second, constantly adjusting to the uneven ground beneath him while dodging the wolves’ strikes.
The most eager beast leapt high, its jaws ready to snap shut around his neck.
Leonard reacted just in time. Swinging with his silver axe, he severely wounded the creature’s side, knocking it aside.
Although the strike had connected, he hadn’t managed to kill the wolf with the first blow.
"Dual-wielding won’t get me anywhere with my lack of experience. It would be wiser to store the silver axe in my Dimensional Storage and rely purely on Titanic Oath for now. At least with the weapon’s Primordial rank, it will be sharp enough to defeat the lesser monsters with a single hit." He concluded.
Tightening his hold on the soul weapon with both hands, Leonard fixed his eyes ahead, where three wolves were rushing straight toward him while two more tried to flank him simultaneously.
[Mana: 76/200]
With Valor active, his mana was being drained at a rapid rate. Using Lightning Strike would reduce the time they had even further, so he abstained from using it.
Rather than backing away, he closed in, keeping his body low to decrease any opening.
He targeted the wolf he had wounded before. The sharpness of his weapon found no resistance, effortlessly carving through the beast’s side, killing it on the spot.
[You have defeated a Level 5 Ferocious Wolf]
[You have gained 5 Experience]
However, now that he was Level 6, one level higher than the lesser wolves he was fighting, it meant that the experience he gained per kill was halved. Additionally, the greater the difference in level in his favor, the less experience he would receive.
This was one of the reasons why leveling up was never easy, no matter how knowledgeable the awakener. It wasn’t possible to farm levels by endlessly killing weak monsters, since at a certain point they would stop granting experience altogether.
Even with the death of their kin, the wolves remained unwavering and closed in.
Unable to get out of harm’s way in time, the jaws of one beast snapped shut around his leg, while another managed to sneak behind him and slash with its claws.
Gritting his teeth, Leonard managed to kill the two beasts, only for their numbers to double with more on the way.
The injury to his leg inevitably slowed him down, making repositioning harder than before. He couldn’t take on all the wolves on his own.
Meanwhile, Valor didn’t encounter the same difficulties. The wolves broke their fangs against his metal armor, and each swipe of their paws didn’t even make him flinch.
Even if the monsters weren’t humanoid, the knight still possessed double the attributes of his master and couldn’t be slowed down by pain.
His greatsword carved its way amidst the beast’s wave with merciless brutality. Each swing proved deadly, slowly staining his looming figure in blood.
"Wow!" Daisy stood behind Valor. Her red eyes sparkled with childlike admiration as she stared at Leonard and the looming knight, who were focused on exterminating the monsters to protect her.
Strangely, despite finding herself in the depths of a Grade 1 dungeon, she felt safer than when she traveled with her assigned bodyguards.
At long last, Valor killed the beasts that had pounced on him. Without hesitating, he dashed toward his master, who was slowly reaching his wit’s end.
With great struggle, Leonard had managed to neutralize the ferocious wolves. However, two Elder Ferocious Wolves remained and they proved much harder to deal with.
Possessing a higher degree of intelligence, they were able to synchronize their attacks, like predators hunting prey, gradually tiring him out.
Fortunately, Valor arrived just in time. His shoulder collided with one of the beasts, sending it away. His appearance eased the pressure on his master.
[Mana: 12/200]
Leonard’s mana was on the verge of being completely drained. After Valor’s inevitable disappearance, he wouldn’t be able to summon him again for the rest of the battle, since recovering 100 mana would take far too long.
He met the hostile glare of the Elder Ferocious Wolf, who bared its fangs in preparation to strike.
"Not so confident when you’re alone, huh?" Leonard panted, his breathing turned erratic with the damage he had accumulated.
Blood steadily flowed from his wounds, though he didn’t have the chance to properly inspect his condition.
The two charged at each other.
Remembering how its equal had been defeated, the Elder Ferocious Wolf didn’t leap mindlessly. Instead, the beast used its superior agility to flank Leonard.
In retaliation, Leonard turned and impaled Titanic Oath into the creature’s side, subtly freezing the outer parts of its fur.
But the monster had long since disregarded the importance of its own life. The wolf’s momentum toppled Leonard onto his back.
Forced to let go of his axe, he gripped the two sides of the beast’s jaws with both hands, barely preventing them from closing in on his neck.
Even with Hardened Physique making his skin 20% more durable, his hands bled, pierced by the wolf’s fangs.
Thankfully, the frost of his axe had seeped deep into the wolf’s body, diminishing its strength enough for Leonard to overpower it.
Forcing it onto its back, he twisted the beast’s head and snapped its neck, its body growing limp.
[You have defeated a Level 7 Elder Ferocious Wolf]
[You have gained 30 Experience]
Rest wasn’t a luxury he could afford. Lifting his head, he searched for Valor.
The knight’s white plume had been tinted with blood, yet he had managed to kill his adversary. The wolf laid on the ground motionless, Valor’s greatsword impaling it to the ground.
[You have defeated a Level 7 Elder Ferocious Wolf]
[You have gained 30 Experience]
Level: 6 [Experience: 175/650]
Leonard and Valor had managed to defeat the twenty wolves. Three of which were elder wolves granting 30 experience each, with the rest being lesser ones giving 5 experience respectively.
[Mana: 0/200]
Sadly, not everything was good news. Leonard’s mana was depleted, causing the knight to vanish at once.
AWOOOO!
This was the moment the Bloodthirsty Werewolf had been waiting for. Even when Leonard had struggled against the wolves, the biggest threat had remained Valor.
Now that the knight was gone, leaving his master alone, the werewolf capitalized on the opportunity.
The beast dashed, claws striving to disembowel Leonard, who was now exhausted and with depleted mana.
With a frown, Leonard met the werewolf’s charge. The biggest challenge had begun!
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