Chapter 9

The Wind-patterned Black Wolves are indeed social creatures, but in the game, these monsters wouldn't just swarm in a horde. After all, this isn't some large dungeon. Shawn, after waiting for a minute without any sign of a wolf tide, finally remembered some small details he had forgotten.

In the Starfall Forest, it's occasionally possible to encounter small groups of three to five Wind-patterned Black Wolves. These wolves aren't hunting or fighting over territory; they are simply "strolling." Many players enjoy encountering these "stray" Wind-patterned Black Wolves in the Starfall Forest because, except for the Wolf King, which is a leader-level monster, the others are just ordinary Wind-patterned Black Wolves that don't drop anything special. Only these small groups of strays might have a captain-level monster.

According to the classification in the game, the monsters in a group are ranked from strongest to weakest as Lord-level, Leader-level, Captain-level, and Elite-level.

Shawn wasn't sure if such distinctions would exist in this real world, but it was clear that the game's experience with monster distribution and spawning still had some validity based on the current appearance of the Wind-patterned Black Wolves.

Three Wind-patterned Black Wolves indicated that there wouldn't be any of the fast-moving Wind-patterned Black Wolves, commonly referred to as "captain monsters" by players, making them easier to deal with. However, even if it were easier, there would still be a time limit because social creatures have a "call for help" characteristic. If the Wind-patterned Black Wolves weren't eliminated and they left the area within ten minutes of the first howl, they would likely be attacked by an endless horde of Wind-patterned Black Wolves.

"Cecilia, drive the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves apart," Shawn said calmly, looking at the two wolves and issuing a new command.

Cecilia and Shawn had worked together for a long time, and they had developed a certain level of默契 (rapport). Upon hearing Shawn's words, Cecilia immediately knew what to do. As her final incantation ended, the magical fluctuations around her intensified, and a wave of heat instantly filled the air. A fireball about the size of a fist had already formed.

Secondary Fireball!

Following Cecilia's mental guidance, the small fireball whistled through the air and landed between the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves, causing an explosion.

The shockwave and the heat from the fireball's explosion finally forced the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves to let out a low growl and temporarily separate. However, this separation didn't serve any critical purpose. Once the two wolves bypassed the small patch of flames, they could easily regroup, just as they had before.

So, when Shawn gave this tactical command, Duran's brows furrowed.

As a noble from the Kingdom of Podoroya, although Duran didn't know what Wind-patterned Black Wolves were, this shouldn't limit his perspective. Any citizen of the Kingdom of Podoroya knew the principles of the magical world, and the principle that fire magic overcomes wind magic was fundamental. As a derivative of this principle, fire magic used against wind-attribute creatures would cause more damage.

Even a Secondary Fireball, a novice-level spell, would cause significant damage to a Wind-patterned Black Wolf.

At least, Duran was clear that if he were in charge, he would have Cecilia focus her Secondary Fireballs on one Wind-patterned Black Wolf and use the group's strength to eliminate it first, rather than waste a Secondary Fireball as they were doing now. After all, Cecilia was just a magic apprentice, and her mental and magical power were insufficient to cast too many Secondary Fireballs.

Duran shook his head slightly. He was prepared to take over the command and fight to the death, knowing that this battle might cost one or two lives.

As Duran had predicted, the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves quickly regrouped after bypassing the small patch of flames, and this time they moved even faster, clearly angered by Cecilia's Secondary Fireball.

The four guards' faces showed obvious signs of panic.

"Stay calm, what are you afraid of!" Shawn shouted coldly. "The big guy in the middle, step back half a meter. ... Cecilia, fireball, drive them apart again."

"Can you even command?" Duran was taken aback and immediately shouted, "They are wind-attribute monsters! Don't you know that fire magic overcomes wind magic? You're wasting a Secondary Fireball here! A magic apprentice can only cast it three times at most!"

Shawn completely ignored Duran. He glanced at the guards, who seemed hesitant after hearing Duran's words, and immediately shouted, "The two in the middle, if you don't step back half a meter, you'll be the first to die! The two on the sides, stand firm, and don't retreat even a step!" At this point, Shawn was clearly getting angry and finally glanced at Duran, "Don't forget, this is the Starfall Forest!"

This single sentence immediately stifled Duran's momentum.

Cecilia, who had just cast a spell, was in a more active state of mind and magic, so her second Secondary Fireball was much faster. She followed Shawn's instructions, focusing her mind on a spot in front of the four guards, and the Secondary Fireball whistled out again.

This time, the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves saw the landing point of the Secondary Fireball. They showed no fear but instead revealed a look of excitement. Their paws generated a slight whirlwind, and with a light leap, the two wolves jumped to the sides, their movements as light as feathers, easily evading Cecilia's Secondary Fireball. As soon as they landed, they pounced on the two guards who were more exposed, like lightning.

Despite the four-meter distance, it seemed to the wolves as if the distance didn't exist.

A leap and pounce!

This was one of the two attack skills of the Wind-patterned Black Wolves.

The pounce of the Wind-patterned Black Wolves was so fast that the two guards had no time to react.

But at that moment, Shawn's voice rang out again, "The two on the sides, step back a large step. The two in the middle, step forward half a meter and attack the back of the Wind-patterned Black Wolves' necks!"

Shawn's voice was so sudden that the two guards had no time to think or react; they moved purely out of instinct. They had been preparing to raise their shields, but now they immediately stepped back a large step. The two guards who had already stepped back half a meter immediately ran forward, covering the half-meter distance in an instant.

The lightning-fast pounce of the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves stopped exactly where the two guards had initially stood. If the guards hadn't stepped back, they would have been knocked down by the pounce. But what was even more unbelievable was that not only did the pounce fail, but the two guards in the middle, after stepping forward half a meter, were now standing right next to the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves—almost arriving at the same time.

Without hesitation, the two guards slashed at the back of the Wind-patterned Black Wolves's necks with their curved blades.

The airflow around the Wind-patterned Black Wolves immediately erupted, blocking the blades. It looked no different from Durol's previous attack, and it was even worse because these two guards were primarily defensive and not skilled in offensive techniques.

But as he watched, a look of surprise flashed across Duran's eyes.

He saw the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves look up at the guards, exposing their throats.

"Shoot the one on the right!"

Shawn said in a deep voice, and at the same time, he activated his sprint skill and charged at the Wind-patterned Black Wolf on the left.

Twang!

The sound of the bowstring releasing the arrow was only half a second slower than Shawn's sprint, showing the archer's excellent reaction speed.

But what was truly surprising was Shawn.

In everyone's eyes, Shawn charged at the Wind-patterned Black Wolf on the left with a speed that didn't lag behind the wolves' pounce. Then, as he approached the wolf, he abruptly stopped his sprint—a skill that all experienced warrior players knew, but which others couldn't comprehend.

Because stopping after a high-speed movement would cause internal organs to shake, and only high-level experts dared to do this. The problem was that Shawn was only a first-level Mercenary!

Amidst the shocked expressions of the others, Shawn stood coldly in front of the Wind-patterned Black Wolf. The airflow from stopping his sprint finally alerted the wolf, which showed a hint of panic in its eyes. Just as it was about to leap away, Shawn's longsword pierced its throat, shattering the core crystal inside and ending the life of the monster.

On the other side, the archer's arrow, clearly a skill, easily penetrated the tough fur of the Wind-patterned Black Wolf. Shawn had planned for the archer to draw the wolf's attention, as there was also Duran the knight on that side. His task was to quickly kill one Wind-patterned Black Wolf and then focus all their strength on the other before helping old Peter.

But the archer's skill was clearly impressive, saving Shawn a lot of trouble.

The moment the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves died, a surge of heat suddenly flooded Shawn's body, making him feel as if he were being burned by fire. In an instant, his face turned pale, and his breath was hot, causing the guard nearby to look shocked.

But Shawn waved it off, "It's nothing."

In stark contrast to the sudden burning sensation, Shawn was overjoyed. His experience points increased significantly after killing the two Wind-patterned Black Wolves, raising him by almost one and a half levels. Although he had guessed that he would gain experience points through the contract, he hadn't expected that the real world would still retain the system of gaining experience from killing monsters above his level.

Of course, from the current situation, it seemed that killing monsters above his level wasn't entirely beneficial. If the burning sensation were any stronger, it could be fatal.

Just as the burning sensation in Shawn's body subsided, a third howl sounded. Shawn turned his head in surprise to the other side of the battlefield, where he saw old Peter, despite being clawed, pierce the throat of the Wind-patterned Black Wolf with his spear.

At the moment the Wind-patterned Black Wolf died, the burning sensation in Shawn's body, which had just subsided, immediately flared up again, causing him to grunt in pain. However, it also pushed his level directly to fifteen.

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Please give me some recommendations and add to your favorites~ Then, I'm going to sleep.

{Piaotian Literature}