Chapter 10

As soon as I stepped out of the barricade, a gang wolf leaped at me.

I thrust the yasoumaki into the underside of its jaw.

I felt the dull sensation of the spear piercing through flesh.

I quickly twisted my wrist, rotating the spear as I pulled it out.

The fine barbs on the horn pig's tusk tore the wolf's throat to shreds, killing it instantly.

While I was dealing with the first wolf, two more approached from either side.

And they came from a low position.

They must have planned to attack from below while I was distracted by the first wolf, to immobilize me.

These monsters are indeed smart.

If I could handle one, but allowed the other to bite me, I would surely be killed.

"Ah...!"

Of course, I wouldn't let that happen.

I slammed the butt of the spear, the part with the stone pommel, into the ground and simultaneously leaped with both feet.

Thanks to the combined effects of 'Power Enhancement: C' and 'Speed Enhancement: C,' I gained the explosive power of a professional and jumped about three meters straight up, like a pole vaulter.

I escaped the range of the wolves' bites.

The wolves, caught off guard, collided and tumbled to the ground.

This was my chance.

In mid-air, I rotated the yasoumaki, reversing its direction.

With the spear tip now pointing downward, I would let gravity do its work, piercing through the heads of both wolves and driving them into the ground.

This would kill both of them.

I released the spear and leaped back to the barricade.

"---Phew."

I exhaled.

A total of three wolves. Two attacks. All in less than ten seconds.

But these were the most intense moments of my life.

A matter of life and death.

I had to give up on the original yasoumaki, which was deeply embedded.

I picked up the yasoumaki replica I had left leaning against the barricade.

The gang wolves were observing my movements carefully, growling low.

One of them howled again. It was the one with a large wound on its right ear.

It was the same one that had howled earlier.

At the same time, the wolves began to slowly and cautiously approach.

They formed a half-circle around me, blocking my escape.

These monsters are really smart. I wish they would stop.

They seemed to have realized that my spear was a thrusting weapon, incapable of area attacks.

If it were one or even two at a time, I could handle them, even with my all-C rank abilities.

However, there were now eight wolves surrounding me.

This was hopeless.

I still had one last trick up my sleeve, but it was a type I didn't want to use, and even if I did, it wouldn't guarantee victory.

If I could somehow disrupt their coordination and force a one-on-one battle---

No, that's it.

If I could stop their coordination, I might still have a chance.

Two wolves were observing me from a distance.

One of them was the wounded wolf that had howled twice.

If the other one was its guard, then the wounded one must be the leader of the gang wolves.

My target is that one.

I took a deep breath and steadied myself.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a thin stick.

Using my last trick, I would break through the encirclement and kill the leader in that instant.

That was my only option.

Otherwise, I would be killed as they gradually closed in.

I had to make a decisive move.

"Roar...!"

I charged in the direction of the leader.

The eight soldier wolves, reacting like a well-trained unit, leaped at me, ready to attack with bites and scratches.

This was it.

I rubbed the head of the thin stick, a match, against the herb band on my thigh.

My body instantly caught fire.

To be precise, it was the outer layer of the cloth wrapped around my arms and legs that burned.

The cloth, soaked in lard from the horn pig and melted wax, burned fiercely as I had planned.

At the same time, the distinctive smell of burning fat and the explosive aroma of the herbs spread.

The heated and evaporated herbal components dispersed into the air, entering the nostrils of the gang wolves around me, temporarily confusing their senses.

The wolves, about to bite, yelped pitifully and writhed on the ground.

The encirclement was broken.

Moreover, the confusion caused by the aroma, reminiscent of a traditional Chinese restaurant, affected not only the soldiers but also the leader and its guard.

They were shocked by the sudden fire and the explosion of scent, and stopped moving.

This was probably my last chance.

With C-rank speed, I approached the confused leader as fast as a professional sprinter.

With C-rank power, I thrust the yasoumaki replica with the strength of a top bodybuilder.

"Take this!!"

I caught them completely off guard.

I was certain I had it.

But in the night air filled with the smell of burning lard and herbs, one individual managed to react.

The guard wolf.

It pushed the leader out of the way and leaped in front of me.

The yasoumaki replica, thrust with all my might, sank deep into the guard wolf's belly.

I missed the leader...!!

A moment of combat. A moment of sacrifice. The guard's selfless act created a few seconds of respite.

In that instant, the leader recovered.

Ignoring the burning herb band, the leader opened its large mouth and bit into my right arm.

Despite the intense heat and smell, it bit down without hesitation.

This was the boss. This was the leader of the gang wolves.

The determination and resolve were palpable.

Despite the thick band and the fire, the bite force was so strong that it felt like my bones were grinding.

The teeth seemed to have penetrated to my arm, but the heat made it hard to tell.

The yasoumaki replica, deeply embedded in the guard wolf's belly, was difficult to pull out with just one hand.

I was knocked down and rolled on the ground, grappling with the leader.

"---Ugh, aaaaaah...!!"

Determination and resolve. I didn't have such noble qualities.

But I had dreams. I had a promise. I had lives to save.

I didn't have a camping car yet, and I hadn't gone to pick up my senior. If I fell here, the girls in the lodge behind me would die.

That was unacceptable. I couldn't allow it.

I screamed and grabbed the leader's head with my left hand.

I thrust my bitten right arm into the leader's mouth, pushing it in up to my shoulder.

The teeth tore through the band and skin, causing intense pain.

But I could endure it.

With C-rank toughness, I had the pain resistance and durability of a frontline soldier.

Without fur, a human's attack wouldn't penetrate a wolf.

But there was no fur inside the mouth.

Inside the body, there was only soft flesh.

Relying on my strength, explosive power, and resilience, I made a hand blade and thrust it into the leader's soft flesh.

My target was the organs.

This was the strength of a man in a burning house. Literally, my whole body was on fire.

I tore through the soft flesh, and my fingers gripped a soft, yet powerfully pulsating organ of the leader.

"Aaaaaah...!!"

I screamed and squeezed with all my might.

The leader's body convulsed, and the teeth that had sunk into my shoulder caused more wounds.

The sharp claws on its front paws thrashed wildly, trying to push me away, tearing my herb band and jersey to shreds.

I didn't feel the pain.

Only the heat and desperation occupied my mind and body.

A few seconds later, the leader stopped moving.

I couldn't move either.

The teeth were embedded, and I couldn't pull free.

This was bad. If I didn't act, I would be cooked alive by the herbs.

I tried to pull out my arm, but I lacked the strength.

Only then did I notice that the ground where I was rolling with the leader was wet.

It was blood.

There was no need to guess whose blood it was.

The teeth had sunk deeper than I thought, and the claws had torn my body, causing bleeding.

With my last strength, I dragged the leader's body and ran.

I dove into the lake. More like I collapsed into it.

The cold water extinguished the fire on the herb band, and I almost lost consciousness from the temperature difference, but I managed to hold on.

I was lucky the battlefield was next to a lake.

While sinking into the water, I finally managed to remove the teeth.

I pulled my hand out of the leader's mouth.

My shoulder was burning, and my right arm wouldn't move.

But it was a victory---I stood up in the shallow lake, feeling the waterlogged jersey as a nuisance.

The remaining eight gang wolves were waiting for me on the shore, forming a half-circle.

"...Damn. They recover too quickly."

The gang wolves, confused by the scent---but by the time I dove into the lake to extinguish the fire, they had already accepted the leader's death and moved on to their next action.

To kill the enemy who had killed their leader.

They must have a clear command structure. Each wolf probably had a precise rank.

If the first one was killed, the second one would take over. If the second one was killed, the third one would take over.

The leaders were replaced in order. That's why this happened.

My right arm wouldn't move, and I had no weapon. The waterlogged clothes and jersey were heavy.

I was almost burned all over from the last trick, and the intense pain was starting to hit my shoulder and torso as the excitement subsided.

"I lose. Kaguya-senpai, I'm sorry---"

I gave up, closed my eyes.

If they were going to attack, I hoped they would do it quickly.

The gang wolves howled.

Was it the signal for a coordinated attack?

Then, there were soft footsteps in quick succession.

But even after ten seconds, I wasn't attacked.

What's going on? Don't be so dramatic.

I opened my eyes slightly and saw the gang wolves lying on the ground.

The dead bodies of the gang wolves, bleeding, had the yasoumaki replica I had made deeply embedded in them.

And then.

"---Ah."

A girl, wrapped in towels, as battered as I was.

The high school girl who was supposed to be sleeping in the lodge.

She was standing there, holding a short spear in her right hand.

Under the moonlight, her profile was illuminated by the campfire, and she looked as if she could barely stand, yet she was breathtakingly beautiful.

After coughing a bit, she said in a hoarse, small voice:

"...It's short."

"Huh?"

"Put a longer weapon there, idiot."

With those words, the injured girl collapsed to the ground.

A high school teacher I know said, "Once you become a teacher, you stop getting excited by high school girls," but I'm sure that's a lie.