CHAPTER 48: THE WOLVES

Lanz stood on top of a pile of goblins, breathing a little heavier than usual, but it’s not like they’d been much of a challenge, he just wanted to look edgy and cool.

He let out a long sigh, almost satisfied, before muttering, "That felt great... wait, why does killing goblins make me feel great?" His expression shifted into something vaguely concerned, like he’d just realized he might need therapy, but within seconds it brightened again as he shrugged it off and added, "Ehh, who cares."

He opened his status window, the familiar system chime ringing in his head.

USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 13

EXP: 127 / 130]

"Ohhh~~~ so close!" he said, throwing both hands into the air before quickly lowering them again, just in case anyone was actually around to witness that embarrassing little display.

The last thing he needed was someone catching him celebrating like a kid who’d just found loose change in a vending machine slot.

Sliding his blade away, he sent it into his inventory, watching it vanish cleanly from his grasp without a single trace left behind.

A small smirk pulled at his lips as he gave a single, quiet verdict.

"This was nice."

Lanz hopped down from the pile of goblins, landing with a soft thud before heading straight toward the lake.

As he walked, a burst of light briefly engulfed him, warm enough to make him pause for a moment, though he didn’t dwell on it.

His attention shifted when movement caught his eye — a pack of wolves in the distance.

They seemed to be running around together, weaving in and out of each other’s path as they closed the gap between them and him.

He gave a faint, amused laugh. "Cute," he muttered, already starting to turn his head in the opposite direction as if they weren’t worth a second thought.

That was, until it actually clicked in his brain what he was looking at.

His smile faded as his eyes widened. "Wait... wolves?" He blinked, then nearly stumbled back a step. "THOSE SH*TS ARE WOLVES!"

He turned his full attention toward the wolves, quickly counting seven gray wolves in total.

From the way they moved and the lack of that sharp, dangerous pressure he’d felt before... and also their overall looks, it was obvious these were weaker than the Fangwolves he had run into back at the Tier 1 Gate.

That should have been good news, but his focus wasn’t really on them.

What caught his attention instead was something farther back, barely visible from behind a tree.

Sitting there, still as stone, was a two meter wolf with pure white fur.

It wasn’t moving, it wasn’t snarling, it wasn’t even pacing. It was just sitting, watching him from a distance, menacingly.

Lanz froze for half a second, his expression flattening instantly, decisive refusal.

"F*ck no," he muttered, his voice low but loaded with enough conviction to be its own battle plan.

Without another thought, he pivoted sharply and made to run in the opposite direction.

The problem was, the opposite direction wasn’t exactly welcoming.

Three more gray wolves were already there, standing with that expectant stillness that screamed they had been waiting for him to make exactly that move.

He skidded to a stop, his eyes darting between the two groups.

Seven in front and three behind.

But to make matters worse, the white-furred wolf finally broke its calm posture and charged toward the group, every stride closing the distance with steady intent.

Lanz realized it only needed to pass the tree ahead to reach him, and for a moment he kept his eyes locked on it, tracking every movement.

The trunk loomed between them, ready to block his view, and the second it did, his expression shifted.

A slow grin spread across his face, the kind that didn’t belong to someone about to panic.

The wolf didn’t give much thought to Lanz’s sudden grin, which turned out to be its biggest mistake of the day.

Why?

Well, let me tell you that the moment the wolf passed the tree and looked toward where Lanz had been standing, it wasn’t greeted by a tense standoff or even a hint of desperation.

Instead, it was met with the sight of a fountain of blood spraying from the necks of its companions, their bodies collapsing in heaps. All ten of them, dead.

The space where Lanz had been moments ago was now empty.

The wolf froze, its ears twitching as its gaze darted from the carnage to the empty clearing, trying to piece together what had just happened.

Its breath came in short bursts, and without meaning to, it whimpered.

Slowly, it began stepping backward, inching toward the tree in a shaky attempt to retreat and hide from whatever had just torn through its pack.

That’s when it felt something drop onto its nose — it was warm, it was wet, and it was f*cking terrifying.

Its head tilted up in instinct, and its legs immediately began to tremble. Its eyes went wide, and the last piece of composure it had slipped away entirely.

From directly above, hanging on a branch that hadn’t made a single sound when he landed, Lanz’s voice came out in a perfectly flat monotone.

"Bo."

Lanz released the branch he had been hanging from, dropping straight toward the wolf without hesitation.

Mid-fall, his grip on the sword shifted, and for the first time, he decided to test the skill that had been sitting unused in his arsenal.

"Crimson Slash."

The familiar system chime rang in his ears.

[Crimson Slash — Activated.]

End of Chapter 48.

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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 14

EXP: 74 / 140

Next Reward: Special Loot Box

Global System Tracking: DISABLED

World Rank Association: UNLINKED

Stats:

STR: 20 | AGI: 10 (Affinity) | VIT: 5 | DEX: 5 | INT: 14 | WIS: 5

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Derived Stat — MANA: 65 / 70]

Skills:

[Crimson Slash Lv. 1]

[Phantom Stride Lv. 2]

[Instinctive Blade Lv.1]

[Predictive Guard Lv.1]

[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]

[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]

[Developer Node – Fusion Core Anchor: Active]

[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]

Equipment:

Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)

Training Ring (+1 VIT)

Bag :)