Chapter 202 Alpha Wolf

As the team's only Spellcaster, Mint leaned heavily into a support role, unlike the stereotypical mages who casually hurled Fireball after Fireball.

But her impact was undeniably massive.

Post-battle healing aside, her performance over the last dozen seconds alone proved why the others fought to protect her at the center of their formation.

So far, three Temple Nightwalker Wolves lay dead.

She had a direct hand in taking down two of them.

Of course, those thorny vines hadn't been particularly useful to Xia Nan.

After all, his instantaneous speed and burst power vastly outclassed the wild wolves.

Regardless, Mint had certainly earned an assist.

On the other side, Cash had only found an opening to thin the pack of three Temple Nightwalker Wolves besieging him...

...thanks to Mint's crowd control.

Even on Veris's end, the three wild wolves skirmishing with her bore scars left by Thorn Entanglement.

Clearly, the young girl had supported her as well, though to a lesser effect.

Blanketing three separate battlefronts with high-frequency spellcasting was exactly why she looked so pale.

Veris, Cash—

Everyone understood the importance of a Spellcaster to the team.

They were also keenly aware of Mint's fragile close-combat abilities compared to the rest of the squad.

And so did the wolf pack.

Xia Nan had no idea when the Temple Nightwalker Wolves had discovered them, nor how long they had lain in ambush among the surrounding bushes and tall grass.

But he could distinctly feel the "sense of planning" these beasts displayed in their movements.

From their initial stealthy observation, to the sudden assault after being spotted, to the three-three-two distribution of their numbers, and finally exploiting Veris's combat style to split the formation...

It all gave the distinct impression that some entity was directing them on the fly.

Xia Nan heightened his guard.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team noticed the two wild wolves that had slipped into their formation through the gap left by the Drow half-elf.

"Swish!"

The grayish-blue Stone Spear thrust out violently, nearly leaving an afterimage in the air.

Yet the spear tip caught nothing but a few severed strands of fur.

Cash instinctively stepped back, causing the massive wild wolf—which had lunged for his neck from a blind spot—to leave only a scratch on his Scale Armor.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two vicious silhouettes rapidly closing in on Mint.

"Fuck!" he barked, preparing to rush over and support her.

But as if sensing his intent, the moment Cash shifted a single step toward the center of the formation, the two Temple Nightwalker Wolves circling him drastically ramped up their attacks.

Under normal circumstances, in a strict one-on-one, Cash was confident he could take down the Temple Nightwalker Wolf in just a few minutes.

But in a pack, these beasts' combat power surged exponentially.

He knew perfectly well that driving his spear into one wolf's body would inflict enough injury to swiftly tip the scales of victory in his favor.

Yet every time he committed his strength, the other Temple Nightwalker Wolf would relentlessly attack from the opposite side like a lingering ghost, forcing him to pull back and defend.

One harrying from the front, the other ambushing from the flank.

They were like sharks smelling blood in the ocean, circling and probing him in a relentless siege.

Faintly, the barking of wolves and the young woman's startled screams reached his ears.

Cash grew increasingly anxious.

But it was no use.

His distraction only earned him a few more deep scratches across his armor.

As for Veris—

The dark-skinned half-blood Rogue, wielding her twin poisoned daggers, was already bogged down in a bitter struggle.

There were no obvious wounds on the tight leather armor clinging to her skin, but under the wolf pack's deliberate pressure, she was being pushed further and further from her original position.

The toxins were taking effect.

It was visible on a heavily injured white wolf, which was already drooling thick, pale-purple saliva as it panted.

Yet its long legs remained powerful, and its movements were as nimble and swift as ever; it was still a long way from the poison actually hindering its mobility.

Of course, she had noticed the wild wolves breaking through.

But just like her current state—dodging and weaving under the Temple Nightwalker Wolves' assaults only to be driven further away—

she had the will but lacked the strength to help.

"Thwack!"

Mud splattered.

Emerald-green vines erupted from the soil like tentacles, tangling around the white wolf's legs.

Its high-speed dash stalled for a brief moment.

Before they could tighten their grip, the bulging, writhing muscles beneath the wolf's thick fur snapped them. They left only a few bloody streaks before being reduced to shredded debris and plant sap.

Facing the two Temple Nightwalker Wolves that had breached their defensive line, Mint reacted exactly as one would expect.

First came a moment of sheer panic.

As the two vicious silhouettes rapidly closed in, her body tensed and her expression froze instantly.

She stood entirely paralyzed.

But just a second later, the young girl snapped back to reality.

Knowing full well she was absolutely no match for these two monsters in close quarters, Mint rapidly retreated while the tip of her Yew Staff lit up with a faint green glow.

Vines and thorns shot up from the ground one after another, stalling the Temple Nightwalker Wolves' approach as much as possible.

She knew that to survive this dire situation, she had to wait for her teammates' support.

And until then, she had to buy as much time as she could.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Mint's approach.

In a way, it was the optimal solution for this moment.

However, what she didn't know was that both veteran adventurers of the Sea Thorn Squad were currently bogged down in bitter struggles, completely unable to break free.

If she wanted backup, the only one left was...

"Arooo—!"

An ear-piercing, eardrum-rattling wolf howl abruptly erupted from behind her.

Mint's retreating body faltered, horror washing over her face.

'There are more?'

'How is that possible? There should only be ten of them in total!'

Chaotic thoughts flashed through her mind.

She suddenly realized something was wrong.

This didn't sound like the howl of a Temple Nightwalker Wolf.

Although it possessed the signature piercing quality of a wolf's howl, this sound was noticeably higher-pitched and much more drawn out.

If the howl of a Temple Nightwalker Wolf was a dangerous phantom echoing in the night, then this screeching wail—which practically threatened to burst open her skull—was a raging blizzard howling across a desolate snowfield.

Time and space seemed to freeze in that moment.

The two Temple Nightwalker Wolves before her were still locked in their lunging posture. With only a few meters between them, she could clearly make out their murky eyes—brimming with brutality and bloodlust—and the saliva spraying from their jaws.

But in the very next second.

A massive Wolf Head—formed from churning gray mist, shredded leaves, grass seeds, blood, and moonlight—opened its ferocious Wolf's Maw lined with iron-gray fangs at an exaggerated speed far beyond normal human reaction time.

And bit down!

"Boom!"

A blazing gale, carrying a thick stench of blood, slammed into the young girl's face, making her squeeze her eyes shut involuntarily.

She could vaguely feel warm, viscous liquid splashing onto her body along with the fierce wind.

When she opened her eyes, the two vicious Temple Nightwalker Wolves and the phantom Wolf Head that had swallowed them were gone.

In their place lay two riddled, headless wolf corpses pumping out geysers of blood, and a sharp, imposing figure wielding an iron-gray longsword.

Casually twirling the blade, he flicked the residual blood off the surface of the Decapitating Longsword.

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the mangled wolf corpses on the meadow before glancing at Mint, who stood frozen nearby as if stunned.

His eyes traced over her pale, sweat-drenched face and her trembling hands tightly gripping the staff.

He didn't spot anything suspicious.

He shifted his body imperceptibly, widening the distance from her blind spot to completely eliminate any chance of a backstab from that angle.

Only then did he give her a faint nod.

He looked toward the other two battlefronts.

As the core combat technique that currently defined almost all of Xia Nan's fighting style, [Fang Hunt] might one day be replaced by [Gravity Control].

But right now, the exaggerated mobility and burst power it provided were things he deeply relied upon.

Roaming to support, ambushing, and retreating—this combat technique was incredibly versatile.

Coupled with Xia Nan's reasonably solid stamina, it was a devastating weapon on the battlefield.

Paired with [Spinning Slash], dealing with enemies weaker than himself was as easy as chopping vegetables.

He had no intention of overly hiding his strength; revealing [Fang Hunt] had been part of the plan all along.

Seeing that Mint was unharmed, a wolf's howl quietly began to build as he shifted his footing, intending to rush over and support his other teammates.

But to his surprise.

The moment the thought crossed Xia Nan's mind, before he could even put it into action, the Temple Nightwalker Wolves skirmishing around Cash and Veris suddenly acted as if they had received an order.

Barking twice, they fell back in perfect sync.

They weren't fleeing. Instead, they maintained a delicate distance—one that allowed them to lunge forward again at a moment's notice or turn and retreat into the forest.

Keeping their bodies low and their backs arched, they let out threatening, low growls.

Freed from the intense pressure, Cash and Veris panted heavily as they quickly converged on Xia Nan's position to reform their formation.

Of course, they had also heard that sudden, high-pitched wolf howl from moments ago.

They had even witnessed the entire process with their own eyes: Xia Nan cloaking himself in wolf-shaped currents and tearing across the battlefield in the blink of an eye to decapitate two Temple Nightwalker Wolves.

Myriad thoughts instantly sprouted in their minds.

But given the circumstances, it wasn't the time to chat. They merely shot a few more glances at the wolf corpses on the ground before withdrawing their gazes with slightly peculiar expressions.

"What do we do? Should we fall back?" Veris asked breathlessly, her chest heaving with each gasp.

She hadn't suffered any real injuries, but she had burned through a lot of stamina. The silver-white strands of hair framing her cheeks were plastered to her skin with sweat, drooping damply around her ears.

"Out of those five Temple Nightwalker Wolves, three have been poisoned. If we stall a little longer, it'll fully take effect," she added, her twin Short Daggers reflecting a sickly purplish-green glow under the moonlight.

Cash didn't make an immediate decision.

He looked a bit battered, his Scale Armor completely covered in claw marks.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Xia Nan beside him.

"What do you think? Should we fall back?"

Unaware of what the two were thinking, Xia Nan had actually been assessing the battlefield situation since moments ago.

There had been ten Temple Nightwalker Wolves in total; now, only five remained.

Under normal circumstances, unless they were mad with hunger, retreating after taking such heavy losses was an absolute certainty.

No!

Based on Xia Nan's understanding of apex predators in nature, let alone losing five, the moment even a single member of the pack was injured and the prey displayed enough threat...

...these alert and cunning beasts would never have lunged forward as they just had.

Weighing the risks against the rewards, they should have fled long ago.

Yet here they were, maintaining strict discipline as they prowled the surrounding woods, glaring at them like tigers stalking prey.

That left only one explanation.

His eyes suddenly narrowed, his gaze piercing past the wolf pack into the deep, lightless gloom shrouded by the night.

A flash of gray light flitted across his pitch-black pupils.

[Heart-Guided Vision]!

Mental energy drained rapidly like an opened floodgate, sending waves of dizziness through his head.

In an instant, the world before his eyes was reduced to foundational black and white.

Ethereal lines representing gravitational ripples silently collided and intertwined, tracing out a massive, lithe silhouette amidst the bushes and dense forest.

His line of sight instantly locked on!

[Heart-Guided Vision] deactivated right before his mental energy was overdrawn.

Xia Nan stared straight toward the direction he had just perceived.

"Rustle—"

Noticing his gaze, it finally stopped hiding.

Accompanied by the sound of shaking branches and leaves, amid the submissive and awe-struck whimpers of the wolf pack...

...a massive Temple Nightwalker Wolf, entirely silver-white as if bathed in moonlight, stepped silently out of the woods.

Its size was noticeably two sizes larger than its kin.

If one stood close to it, they would have to crane their neck up just to meet its eyes.

Its shoulder height had likely reached two meters.

Yet at the same time, its massive frame didn't appear bloated in the slightest.

It was even sleeker and more streamlined.

Its four long, athletic limbs tapped the ground so lightly it seemed as though it could take flight with just a little exertion.

Beneath the night sky, contrasted against the moonlight and the gloomy woods, it unexpectedly gave off an indescribable sense of elegance.

"Didn't they say there was no Alpha Wolf?" Xia Nan asked without turning his head, his brow furrowing slightly as he kept his eyes glued to the silver wolf ahead.

"That's what the mission intel from the Association stated," Cash said, looking equally uncertain at the sudden development. "And normally speaking, if the pack only has ten members, it completely fails to meet the conditions for an Alpha Wolf to emerge. There needs to be at least fifteen."

Hearing this, Xia Nan's heart tightened, terrified that there was still an ambush waiting.

Fortunately, through the effects of his Perception, he knew there were no signs of other large creatures moving around, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Should they retreat?

Or rather, could they even retreat?

The air was saturated with dense fog, making it incredibly hard to even discern directions.

The densely packed trees in the forest further restricted the effectiveness of [Fang Hunt].

The group might be Class Holders, but the Misty Forest was the wolf pack's natural home turf.

Setting aside the other dangers they might encounter deep in the night, in a sheer footrace, they really might not be able to outrun these wolves.

Not to mention the fatal issues of exposing their backs to the enemy and their formation scattering during a retreat, making them easy pickings.

As for climbing trees—

Even ignoring the fact that the wolf pack's pressure had quietly forced them into a sparsely wooded clearing... if that Alpha Wolf possessed any long-range attack methods, the Sea Thorn Squad up in the trees would simply be living targets, stripped of any means to counterattack.

"We can't fall back," Xia Nan said.

Bridging the spatial divide, his pitch-black eyes locked gazes with those cold, eerie wolf eyes deep in the woods ahead.

On the surface of the iron-gray blade in his hand gleamed the moonlight from the heavens above.