Chapter 43
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Iron Wolves Assault
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When the distance between the Gigants and the Iron Wolves had narrowed to a certain extent.
“Awooooooo—!”
Along with the howl, four Iron Wolves charged forward in pairs, two to the left and two to the right.
The rest barreled straight ahead, but Abel was more wary of the Iron Wolves flanking from the sides than the group in the center.
That was why Abel quickly reshuffled the formation.
“I’ll take the left, May the right! Don’t take your eyes off the ones circling around!”
Though they had switched positions, the cadets still maintained a diamond formation.
Callian at the front. Abel on the left. May on the right. Daniel in the rear. Darin in the center.
They had formed the simplest possible setup, considering they had barely practiced together.
Thud—!
As Callian took his position, two Iron Wolves from the central pack leaped high into the air.
Callian didn’t panic at the sight. He swung his spear wide with both hands.
Clang! Clang!
The two Iron Wolves that had jumped high struck the spear one after another and went flying to the side.
But in that interval, the other Iron Wolves weren’t just standing around.
In an instant, four of them lunged at Callian’s lower body and flanks.
That was when Darin stepped up.
Whoosh!
Like Daniel, Darin wielded a spear and shield as his main weapons, but now he had set the shield aside entirely and thrust the spear forward rapidly with both hands.
Stab!
“Kyeng!”
The Iron Wolf that had tried to dive in from the left first got its scruff pierced by the spear and recoiled as if burned by fire.
Instead of pursuing that one, Darin immediately targeted the leg of the Iron Wolf on the opposite side.
Thud—!
The Iron Wolf that had half-burrowed into the gap between Callian and May leaped upward to evade the spear.
And May didn’t miss that moment.
Crunch!
As the Iron Wolf jumped up, May drove both her swords straight into its skull.
The Iron Wolf with its head pierced couldn’t even scream before it dropped dead.
The one-sided momentum continued like that.
Whoosh!
One Iron Wolf crouched low, then shot forward like lightning toward Callian’s knee.
It was a capability that made one suspect it was a mutant with an awakened unique ability.
—Kuh!
Callian hurriedly tried to swing his spear, but it was already too late.
But someone else reacted in time.
—Back!
It was as if Abel had been waiting for it—he thrust his sword out diagonally.
The Iron Wolf couldn’t twist its body in time against that exquisite timing.
Crunch!
As a result, the sword plunged straight into the Iron Wolf’s mouth, piercing its throat and bursting out the other side.
Thanks to that, Callian, who had taken no damage, said to Abel.
“Tch… Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Abel smirked at Callian’s first expression of gratitude and kept his eyes forward.
If those six Iron Wolves right in front had been the only ones, the standoff might have held for a moment.
But reality was different.
—They’re coming again!
Thud—.
While the six in front were noisily drawing attention, the ones that had broken off from the pack earlier had snuck up silently.
Even as Abel helped Callian, he never took his eyes off the Iron Wolves.
There were two frightening things about Iron Wolves.
One was their rare pack-hunting behavior and the battles they waged based on it.
The other was that the entire species was born with a special ability separate from unique abilities.
Commonly called stealth or “Assimilation.”
Rustle—.
Abel’s eyes darted quickly.
What they tracked were two Iron Wolves that had already blended into the color of the grassland like chameleons.
The creatures repeatedly backed away and sidestepped to avoid Abel’s gaze, but when his stare clung persistently, they gave up hiding and charged straight at him.
“Awooooooo!”
It was at that exact moment the central pack, which had fallen back once, charged again.
Slash!
Abel first slashed wide into the side of the Iron Wolf targeting Callian.
He could have severed its neck if he wanted, but instead, Abel urgently ducked his body to the left.
Crunch!
One Iron Wolf that had leaped stealthily chomped at empty air in mid-jump before crashing to the ground.
Abel didn’t let it go like that and swung his sword downward.
Clang!
But the Iron Wolf twisted its body greatly, deflecting the blade.
“Hah!”
At that moment, Daniel’s shout came from the rear.
One had targeted Daniel instead of Abel.
But Daniel, who hadn’t let his guard down, easily swung his spear and deeply pierced the creature’s hind leg.
“Whew.”
Abel exhaled a hot breath.
The battle had barely begun, yet he could feel fatigue building in his body moment by moment.
‘The others must be feeling it too.’
Especially for Darin, whose skills were comparatively lower—it had to be worse for him.
It was clear that dragging out the fight wouldn’t end well.
Thud!
At that moment, four Iron Wolves charged at Abel simultaneously.
The attack was so sudden that not only Callian but even Darin couldn’t react in time.
But Abel didn’t panic.
Hum—.
He squeezed out fresh mana, pushed it into the core, and visualized a clear image.
Himself walking through the shadows.
Swish—.
In an instant, the massive Gigant under Abel’s control blurred, then stretched out long.
Whoosh!
The Iron Wolf charging in with ferocious momentum clawed at empty air,
Stab!
And its sharp fangs bit only the wind.
The Iron Wolves realized too late that something was wrong, but it was already over.
Crunch!
A sword flying from the darkness pierced the skull of the Iron Wolf that had chomped at empty air.
And that wasn’t the end.
The sword moved again as if it had split into two, swiftly stabbing the scruff of another Iron Wolf.
“Kek!”
The Iron Wolf let out a deflating sound as it collapsed.
The other one died without a sound, sprawling on the ground.
Having lost two comrades in the blink of an eye, the Iron Wolves panicked.
—Die!
—Hup!
Callian and Darin seized the opening and charged, striking the Iron Wolves with their spears.
“Kyeng!”
One had its side ripped open by Callian’s fierce spear swing.
The other barely avoided a fatal wound but lost the use of one leg.
Their efforts created a massive gap in the Iron Wolf pack.
Boom—!
Abel didn’t miss it. He plunged through, emerging from the shadows and swinging his sword wide.
Crunch!
The Iron Wolf’s thick neck was severed clean, tumbling to the ground.
With his other hand, he grabbed a nearby wolf and slammed it into the earth.
KABOOM—!
The massive Iron Wolf’s body hit the ground like a bomb exploding, sending a thunderous roar echoing out.
Often overlooked, but a Gigant was a powerful weapon in itself.
It possessed the terrifying strength to tear apart ordinary monsters barehanded.
So it wasn’t strange that the slammed Iron Wolf shuddered and went limp.
The remaining Iron Wolves finally sensed they were outmatched and began to flee.
—They’re running!
—Don’t let a single one escape!
Of course, Abel didn’t just watch.
—I’ll herd them, so everyone head right!
Abel quickly issued orders and personally maneuvered to drive the remaining Iron Wolves in one direction.
The others kept their distance, following, then swung their weapons at the Iron Wolves charging toward them.
One by one, they claimed their lives in sequence.
Crunch!
The last one fell to Daniel.
Its guts shredded by the spear, the Iron Wolf didn’t even take two steps before collapsing.
—It’s… over?
Darin muttered at the sight.
Normally, Abel would have chided him for jinxing it, but exhausted, he just nodded.
—Yeah.
Gazing at the plain littered with Iron Wolf corpses, Abel said.
—It’s over.
* * *
It was an overwhelming battle.
But there was no such thing as zero damage.
—Looks like the left shoulder joint is damaged. Not easy to move.
Callian said in an irritated voice.
As the one drawing aggro from the front, he couldn’t avoid damage to his machine.
After grumbling more, Callian glanced at Abel and muttered in a small voice.
—…Thanks.
Without Abel’s help, it wouldn’t have been just a shoulder joint—he might have lost an entire leg.
In that case, even moving would have been impossible, let alone fighting.
—Yeah.
Abel replied lightly.
‘That’s unexpected.’
He thought so inwardly.
Given Callian’s usual prickly attitude, Abel had figured he’d just let it slide without a word.
‘Or maybe say he didn’t need the help. That’s what I expected.’
Abel chuckled to himself in the cockpit.
—Alright. Let’s move a bit first, then rest. Not great to rest here.
—Yeah.
—Got it.
—Okay.
—Yep!
Considering this was a training space created for practice, no other monsters would come sniffing the Iron Wolf blood.
But regardless, resting amid the gruesome corpses scattered everywhere felt off.
They dragged their weary bodies onward, stopping near a small hill that soon appeared.
—Let’s rest for 20 minutes, then move.
Abel said that and halted to one side.
Resting aside, he had something to check.
The messages that had popped up after the battle ended.
[The sentence reacts.]
That was the first message to appear.
The moment it did, Abel felt a sphere of light get sucked into the pattern, just like with the Blade Tail.
He even felt the pain of the searing heat.
The only difference was that the sphere’s color was green, not white.
‘Green and white.’
He still didn’t know exactly what that meant.
He’d only experienced two cases so far.
But if similar things kept happening, it would surely help him understand the phenomenon.
Abel organized his thoughts and checked the next message.
[Absorbing some abilities of the Lesser Gigadeus Fragment Iron Wolf.]
[Leg Strength slightly increases.]
[Acquired skill ‘Assimilation.’]
Leg Strength and Assimilation.
Leg Strength seemed to literally mean the power of the legs.
He had indeed felt his legs grow a bit sturdier after the battle.
And Assimilation.
This was the Iron Wolf species’ innate ability: suppressing one’s presence and blending into the surroundings.
He hadn’t tested it with others watching, but if it worked as imagined, it was definitely a useful skill.
‘Not bad for just one fight.’
There were still plenty of Gigadeus Fragments left to face during this training.
Even one or two more like this would be a huge gain, so Abel smiled.
But the joy was short-lived.
—Abel!
Darin called out to him urgently.
—Over there! Gigants are approaching from afar!