366 The promise to save and to kill
The offensive team consisted of Vincent, Lupa, and Sakura.
Vincent was to act as bait and distract the wolf while Lupa ambushes when an opportunity arises. Sakura was to throw rocks from the opposite side where Lupa was hiding.
However, Sakura was to throw rocks in case Lupa fails to land a critical strike, and the fight begins to drag. Her strength was that of seven humans. As such, every rock she threw would pack a punch. Furthermore, even though the target was quick on its feet, the body was enormous. The chances to miss were low.
Soon, they collected rocks and placed them in a large sheet for Sakura to have a lot of ammunition. Later, Vincent, Lupa, and Sakura left to find a great hiding position. The three of them waited while hiding their presence as much as possible.
Lupa climbed a tree and sat on a thick tree branch. She waved at Sakura and Vincent on the opposite side. Now, the hardest part had begun for Lupa. Waiting was a thing she hated the most.
Vincent and Sakura sat next to each other. He whispered that everything was going to be alright and that she was a strong woman both physically and mentally. The supporting words gave Sakura the courage she needed for her nervous racing heartbeat to calm slowly.
Four hours passed waiting, yet no Great Gray Wolf returned to its den. Both teams started to worry the wolf had another den somewhere else.
Lupa had to jump down quietly and ask Vincent for something to eat and drink. She later returned to her hiding spot. She was angrier than excited for making her wait so long. The hunt became revenge for wasting her time.
Lupa and Plow’s ears soon moved and became alert. They picked up an unfamiliar sound. However, they didn’t need to notify the monstrous wolf’s arrival because they could hear a loud, hoarse pained moan.
.....
The pained moan raised their brows. The mood became tense. The monstrous beast didn’t return alone. No, it returned with a human. From the sound of the moan, it was too light to be of a man. It might be from a woman or a child.
*Thud, thud*
The footsteps of a large body sounded closer with every step. A large seven-foot-tall Great Gray Wolf approached its den. A woman hanging a woman from her arm barely attached to her body was between its jaws. She might have been hanging by her arm for a long time.
The wolf suddenly stopped in front of its den. Its nose twitched, and its ears swayed. The wolf discovered the presence of trespassers.
Its vicious gaze moved around it as if it noticed the presence of someone nearby. Its fangs closed, and the arm was severed. The woman screamed and fainted before her body touched the ground.
[Vincent...]
“Sakura. Keep your sight on me. It will be over soon.” Vincent touched Sakura’s cheek and gently pinched her.
Vincent looked at the woman on the ground. She was bleeding profusely from her missing arm. Furthermore, there were traces of bites all over her other limbs. It appeared she was carried from all her four limbs. The last time which was her arm ended up getting severed.
“The woman might lose her life from blood loss.” Vincent could see that the woman might die even if they tried to help her. He looked at Sakura one last time and continued, “Remember, only look at Lupa and me.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtVincent stood up and walked out of hiding. “Overheat.” He said with a glare. His body started to change, and he was ready to fight in seconds.
The Great Gray Wolf gulped the arm and looked to its side. It saw who the trespasser was, and the wolf didn’t like it. A vicious gare appeared on its face the moment Vincent’s bloodlust reached its body.
*WOOO!!!*
The Great Gray Wolf howled, sending a wave of bloodlust to challenge Vincent, yet the outcome favored Vincent. The wolf became angry when Vincent’s presence caused the feeling of dread.
“Not enough!” Vincent glared and used Domination Aura. Then he raised his hand and ordered, “Submit!”
Intense fear froze the Great Gray Wolf like a statue. The enormous, monstrous wolf was momentarily immobilized as its muscles tightened from the survival instinct.
*ROAR!*
However, the Great Gray Wolf only submitted to Vincent for a few seconds. Its will was at the same level as Overheat Vincent form or strong enough to resist being dominated.
Regardless if the fear wasn’t enough to make the Great Gray Wolf submit, in its eyes, Vincent was now regarded as a dangerous threat. It had to become serious as if a dangerous predator appeared to challenge it.
.
[Name] Great Gray Wolf
[Race] Gray Wolf (Male)
[Age] 9
[Core] Wind Core (Grade – Small Stage nine)
[Condition] Healthy, Enraged
[Stats] Strength 33 || Agility 87 || Perception 81 || Mana 1742
[Core Skills] Wind Cannon, Wind Armour, Wind Boost, Wind Manipulation
[Detail]
A wolf of the Gray Wolf race. Gray wolves travel in packs in the search for an alpha to follow. A lone wolf survives alone, and it can be seen as an alpha wolf worth following by a pack of wolves without a strong leader.
.
Vincent inspected the slightly shivering Great Gray Wolf. The status window result wasn’t as he hoped. The wolf was close have its core reach stage ten and awaken after a couple of years into an Alpha Gray Wolf.
The monstrous wolf wasn’t weak. It was far stronger than the Great Gray Wolf Vincent met on his first day after arriving in the new world of magic, swords, and monsters.
[This doesn’t look like it is going to be an easy fight. The requirements for the quest were of a C Ranked party. But because the reward was little and they didn’t specify the power of the wolf, we misjudged the difficulty of the quest.]
-No. We were wrong, but the system somehow knew because it is giving me all three stats as a reward.-
Kazumi looked at the Great Gray Wolf, shaking his head to stop feeling afraid and prepare to fight. Vincent’s words made sense, yet Kazumi became more confused the more she thought about it.
‘How does the mysterious Soul System know Vincent needs to use his strength, speed, and wits? Even though it is an obvious quest reward, I feel like it somehow knows the future outcome.’ Kazumi contemplated. But she stopped thinking as it wasn’t the time.
Vincent looked at the woman on the ground. He noticed her body slightly move. It appeared he woke up.
“Sakura. Throw the rocks as hard as you can.” Vincent ordered. He opened his hand, and a clump of mutated ash materialized. He closed his hand and ran towards the woman.
The Great Gray Wolf closed its mouth, and its throat inflated. However, it immediately stopped and jumped back. A rock soon missed the wolf by a hair. *BAM!* The rock hit a tree, penetrating a quarter inside its trunk.
The wolf looked down, but the woman wasn’t beside it. It raised its gaze and glared ferociously at Vincent for having its meal taken from it.
“Can you hear me?” Vincent asked. He noticed it was the same woman who greeted them in her house and cooked for them along with other villagers.
The woman squinted open her eyes. Her breathing sounded raspy. Vincent’s shining eyes were the only thing she could distinguish as her vision was blurry.
.
[Name] Zefine
[Race] Human
[Age] 17
[Condition] Major Injury, Missing Limb (1 Arm – Left Arm), Terrified, Medium Bleeding, Major Blood Loss
[Traits] None
[Stats] Strength 7 || Agility 6 || Perception 7 || Mana 0
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“Not in a critical condition. Great.” Vincent said after he saw her condition.
The Great Gray Wolf looked at the trees, but it couldn’t distinguish from where the rock was thrown. Vincent’s bloodlust was interfering with its ability to perceive anyone other than him.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe wolf glared at Vincent. Its claws dug deep in the earth as it prepared to rush and leap on Vincent and the dying woman. However. *Whoosh* Another rock flew towards it.
A strong gust of wind surrounded its body, and the rock scraped its skin before its trajectory was altered and it few to the side. The wolf looked for the one who threw the rock, yet its eyes could not see the aggressor, and its sense of smell, perception, and hearing was being interrupted by Vincent.
While the wolf was being distracted and becoming angrier by the second, Vincent promised the dying young woman, “I promise to save you, so close your eyes and believe that you to open them again. I will kill this wolf and take you home.”
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[Promised Quest: Save Okan Villager Zefine from death.]
[Complete the agreed promise by protecting and saving Zefine from an unfortunate death.]
[Quest conditions to be met.]
*Zefine Alive 1/1 (Met)
*Zefine Healthy 0/1 (Not Met)
[Optional]
*Great Gray Wolf Slain 0/1 (Not Met)
[Rewards]
*Reputation – Zefine +150
*Reputation – Kris +100
*Reputation – Okan Village +1
[Optional Rewards]
*Strength stat +3
*Agility stat +3
*Perception stat +3
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[The stats!]
.....
Vincent ignored Kazumi’s statement or the rewards. He made a promise, and he wanted to keep it. The young woman named Zefine became his responsibility, and he wanted to save her. The guilt of waiting near the den instead of the village made his conscience suffer from guilt.
Vincent placed the mutated ash on her stump and snapped his fingers. A green flame ignited on her stump, and it burnt her skin. The wound was forcefully closed, and the bleeding problem was quickly solved.