Chapter 333: Hwi Protects Joo Joowon

They simply had to live under more difficult conditions, but it was not as if survival had become completely impossible.

Joo Joowon was still very happy that they had managed to survive. Then, he became even happier when he dug out an entire nest of rabbits.

He had not eaten fresh meat for several days already, and he was genuinely craving it. Compared to mutated beasts, these familiar animals were much easier for him to feel comfortable eating.

After putting the rabbits away, Joo Joowon did not let his guard down just because he had not encountered any particularly threatening creatures so far.

Just because he had not encountered any dangers yet did not mean that there were no threats in this place.

The nature reserve had changed far more than it had in the past.

The vegetation in Hwarim had already been quite lush before, but now it had become even more abundant. Looking at it, the place resembled a primitive forest.

Every tree here had grown extraordinarily thick and sturdy. Even the shortest ones were more than ten meters tall. Fallen leaves were piled up in layers, and in some places, when he stepped on them, his feet sank so deeply that the leaves reached his knees. It was as if he had arrived in the Jurassic Period.

What made Joo Joowon even more tense was that he also spotted a huge footprint left behind by some unknown ferocious beast on the ground. It was a full meter long and had sunk deeply into the soil. The footprint had practically formed a large pit on its own, making it easy to imagine just how enormous the creature that had left it must have been.

As they gradually went deeper, Joo Joowon also became increasingly careful and cautious with every movement.

He could not walk almost completely silently like Hwi did, so it was difficult for him to avoid being noticed by the animals nearby. He could only imitate Hwi while paying even closer attention to his surroundings.

Of course, he was not imitating the way Hwi walked. Joo Joowon did not have paw pads, so imitating that would not have any effect at all.

What Joo Joowon was imitating was the way Hwi restrained his presence and aura, preventing the surrounding animals from being startled and driven away.

Sometimes, one had to admit that animals really were much more naturally gifted than humans in this regard. Cats in particular were naturally skilled at hiding themselves. Not only had they adapted extremely quickly to the changes in their bodies, but they had also quickly learned how to control their aura and reduce their sense of presence to the absolute minimum.

Many animals could smell things that ordinary humans could not smell, and their hearing was also much sharper than that of humans. Therefore, basically the moment Joo Joowon appeared, they would immediately be startled and flee.

However, there was no such situation when Hwi walked ahead. Sometimes, Hwi would even pass directly beside them without them reacting at all. Yet the moment Joo Joowon passed by, they would immediately run away.

Joo Joowon had originally thought that this trip would be about him bringing Hwi along so that they could first get used to how they should move around in the wilderness. He had never expected that he would end up being the one holding them back.

However, by slowly observing Hwi’s behavior, he gradually figured out some tricks for concealing his own aura. Although he still could not reach Hwi’s level, where animals would practically treat him as if he did not exist, he could at least restrain his aura to the level of a creature around Level Three or Five.

As they went deeper, Hwi also became more cautious. His tail was no longer held upright, and he slowed his pace even further.

After walking for a while, the tall bushes suddenly began to shake, accompanied by faint rustling sounds.

Hwi’s gaze instantly became sharp as he stared straight at the grass.

Joo Joowon spread out his Mental Power.

It was a pack of wild gray wolves.

[ Mutated Beast: Gray Wolf ]

[ Basic Information: Level 4 ]

[ Skills: ??? ]

The detection panel provided only brief information based on the database loaded by Seong Seungmin and Joo Joowon’s own accumulated knowledge.

There were seven wolves, and even the Wolf King was only Level 4. They did not pose any threat.

Joo Joowon quickly scanned the surrounding area with his Mental Power. There was no ambush. There were only these few wolves.

He could not help but relax slightly.

The wolf pack had fierce expressions in their eyes. It seemed they had noticed that Hwi had discovered them, and they immediately pounced out.

Joo Joowon’s fingertips moved slightly. For this wolf pack that had misjudged the situation, death was already destined to be their ending.

Just as the spider silk was about to harvest the lives of the wolf pack, Joo Joowon suddenly felt a pulling force come from the back of his neck the next second, and his entire body was instantly lifted into the air.

“???”

After landing squarely on a tree branch, Joo Joowon looked at the giant Hwi that was leaping down from the air in confusion. Its sharp claws and fangs struck downward with the momentum of its descent, smashing directly into the Wolf King’s head with overwhelming force. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere as the powerful force came from above, splitting the Wolf King’s entire head into two.

Hwi’s attack did not slow down at all. Without even looking at the Wolf King’s fate, he quickly finished off the other wolves with several more swipes. The bloodthirsty look in their eyes had not even had time to disappear before their pupils had already become dull and unfocused.

[ System Notification: Your Companion Pet killed a Mutated Gray Wolf. Experience +4 has been added to the Experience Pool. ]

[ System Notification: … ]

Hwi licked his paws and let out a sigh of relief.