Chapter 392 392-Encounter with Wolves
Howard had vanished, and under the guidance of the Grand Teacher Laurent, the court managed to avoid descending into chaos for the time being.
The river monster tasked Howard with a mission and transported him deep into the New World, promising to watch over Oli Kingdom in his stead.
Howard had always wanted to become an adventurer, his heart set on finding Margaret.
For reasons unknown to him, he found himself missing her terribly.
Perhaps it was the increasingly dissatisfying life in the capital that made him yearn for their first encounter and the days they fought side by side, leaving him feeling empty inside.
Using his royal status and certain channels, Howard had managed to track down some leads on Margaret.
Now, Howard found himself in the wilderness of the New World, alone for the first time in ages.
Gone were the countless royal guards that used to follow him; their absence felt odd yet liberating.
However, he faced a pressing issue that demanded his attention: surviving the night outdoors without shelter.
Relying on his current physical condition made this a perilous endeavor.
The river monster had unlocked a portion of his magical abilities, but far too little for comfort.
Many spells he once wielded with ease were now beyond his grasp, and even the most basic of them posed a challenge.
The wilderness teemed with various venomous creatures and ferocious beasts, and the New World was rife with the unknown.
Without sufficient experience, even an adventurer could find it difficult to cope with a life-or-death crisis.
Exhausted, Howard lay on the ground, catching his breath and allowing his body to recover somewhat before he began preparing for the night.
The warm glow of the fire flickered in the breeze, the crackling of the burning logs breaking the silence.
Seated by the fire, Howard quietly munched on his dry rations.
The taste of dry rations is hardly delightful, yet Howard ate with remarkable focus, chewing each bite thoroughly.
To anyone with military experience observing from the side, Howard's manner of eating would strikingly resemble that of seasoned soldiers.
His bites were small, but his pace was steady and meticulous, ensuring the most efficient absorption of energy from the food.
A single piece of dry ration, weighing about a pound and typically sufficient for two adults for a meal, was single-handedly consumed by Howard.
After finishing his meal, Howard stretched lazily and sat cross-legged on the ground, waiting quietly.
Being alone in the wilderness meant that Howard could not afford to sleep soundly.
In a group, it's manageable to take turns keeping watch through the night, but such a luxury doesn't extend to solo travelers.
Howard had to remain alert throughout the night, allowing himself only brief naps, lest he risk not knowing if or how he might be devoured.
The surroundings were quiet, with only the whisper of the wind and the low hum of insects in the grass.
The intermittent howls of wolves from afar caused Howard to abruptly stand, his eyes shining with alertness as he looked in the direction of the howls.
Vague figures appeared in his line of sight, their forms too large to be ordinary wild beasts.
The howling served both as a call to arms and a means of communication within the pack.
Upon hearing the howls, Howard knew that an unforgettable night was about to commence.
It seemed his luck was not on his side, encountering an aggressively hostile pack of wolves just as he set foot in the New World.
The massive figures, impossible to hide in the grassland comprised of low shrubs and grasses, led the wolf pack to abandon stealth and charge directly.
It must be said, this was a wise decision; without environmental advantages, a frontal assault imposes the greatest sense of oppression.
Had their opponent been an ordinary wild animal, it likely would have already succumbed to the pressure of the wolf pack and fled.
The wolves would then leisurely follow behind, driving their prey, patiently exhausting the last bit of the animal's strength before pouncing fiercely, their sharp fangs aiming for the throat.
Unfortunately for them, their adversary now was Howard, and the greatest difference between humans and wild beasts lies in humans' capacity for restraint.
And who is Howard?
Even when faced with life-threatening danger, if one possesses sufficient willpower, humans can overcome their body's instincts.
Thus, even when confronted with the direct pressure of a wolf pack, Howard would not choose panic-stricken flight but instead opted to face the wolves head-on, fighting for a sliver of survival.
To flee was certain death, but to stay and fight offered a glimmer of hope.
Howard was determined to seize this chance for survival firmly in his hands.
As the wolf pack slowly advanced, they did not hurry.
Past experiences taught them that merely by pressing forward slowly, their prey would involuntarily start to run.
Howard watched the approaching wolves, the minimal magic within him circulating through his body, ready to enhance his physical strength or materialize weapons at any moment.
"It's been a long time since I felt this way."
Since that damned monster brought him here, Howard could hardly recall how long it had been since he was unable to use magic.
However, his mana was limited, insufficient to sustain him through a prolonged battle.
Thus, he needed to conserve his magic as much as possible, also using it to confuse the wolf pack.
He had come to regard the wolves as adversaries with intelligence akin to his own.
He fixed his gaze on the white-furred wolf king at the center of the pack, its leader, standing over two meters at the shoulder, representing both the strongest combatant and the collective brain of the wolves.
In the eyes of the wolf king, today's prey seemed unusual; this bipedal creature showed no intention of fleeing, and the white-
furred leader sensed a dangerous aura emanating from it.
The impulse and instinct in its mind told it that waiting any longer would only worsen the situation.
Howl~
When the lead wolf was less than five meters away from Howard, the white-furred wolf king let out its second howl since making its presence known.
The message was clear: full assault!
Like a well-disciplined army, the lead gray wolf, at the sound of the howl, launched forward with all four paws, covering the five-meter distance in a single leap.
Its half-a-foot-long claws aimed directly at Howard's head.
Simultaneously, two wolves following it initiated the second wave of attack, diverging to the left and right, their jaws wide open aiming for Howard's legs.
If Howard focused solely on the claw aimed at his head, his evasion of the lower attack would inevitably be sluggish, greatly increasing the success rate of the two wolves' assault.
Likewise, even if he noticed the attack targeting his lower body, this would distract him from evading the attack aimed higher up.
The biting force of an ordinary wild wolf is enough to snap the femur of wild game, let alone that of the New World's blue wolves, standing at a formidable height of one meter sixty.
These novel creatures seem to have undergone some mutation, a suspicion Howard had harbored for some time, albeit without proof.
Now was not the moment for such contemplations; the situation was dire.
Such a bite would leave no other possibility for Howard's legs but to be severed in two.
The wolves, through years of honed coordination, launched a perfectly sequenced, dual-wave assault.
Against a typical wild animal, this attack could have been decisive, even fatal.
However, their opponent was Howard.
Howard stepped back half a step, sidestepping the blue wolf's claws, coldly observing its exposed, vulnerable flank in mid-air.
Simultaneously, he protected the targeted areas with magic, his arm transforming into a blade, slashing downward with vertical force.
Magic surged through his muscles, tripling their strength beyond their normal state.
He struck the first blue wolf's waist with a heavy, muffled thud mixed with the crisp sound of breaking bones.
Instantly, crimson blood flowed from the wolf's nose and mouth.
Landing unsteadily, it hit the ground with a thud, devoid of any strength to rise again as blood continuously spilled from its orifices.
Then, the other two blue wolves bit down on Howard's legs.
The anticipated scene of blood splatter did not occur; the wolves didn't even feel as though they had bitten into flesh.
On the contrary, it was as if they had viciously clamped down on stone or even steel.
No matter the strength of their bite, their teeth could never contend with metal!
The magical armor Howard conjured successfully shielded his legs.
As the blue wolves' teeth recoiled from the impact, the magic armor on Howard's legs morphed, its smooth surface sprouting spikes.
The transformation was instantaneous, and before the wolves could react, the spikes had already pierced through their mouths.
Struggling free from the wolves' grip, Howard took a small leap backwards, distancing himself by more than three meters to evade the subsequent third wave of attack.
The skirmish concluded with Howard emerging triumphant, having effectively crippled two wolves' mouths and even paralyzing one.
The wolf pack didn't launch a third attack; instead, they regrouped, encircling Howard in the middle, intending to wear him down with hit-and-run tactics and a war of attrition.
Witnessing the wolf pack's swift change in formation and tactics, a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on Howard's face.
Such a level of intelligence was truly unexpected.
Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel