The Wolf Commotion (4)

I didn’t think a surprise attack would be to my liking, but perhaps because I’d saved someone, the empty gauge filled up by 20.8%.

Let’s see. Did they say the wolf was level 45? The priest of the Cult of the Abyss who ambushed us on the train was level 32. Even considering that there were several low-level mobs with two phases, that’s a pretty high level for the next enemy to appear. However, the beast was currently suffering from the 'Agony' penalty, reducing its level by 8. Its effective level was around 37—still lower than Dante’s.

Even so, named enemies usually have higher stats than their level suggests, so I couldn't afford to be careless. But that applied to me as well.

Thanks to the cheat that is the Orlando-style Muscle Training Method, my stats couldn't be considered human anymore. In terms of raw power, level 23 was more than enough to transcend humanity. My specs were far superior to the wolf’s. And judging by the fact that it got hit by a sloppy swing while distracted by an apple, I didn't think I needed to use Insight of the One Who Has Seen the End.

The problem was determining how much I needed to beat it to trigger a 'suppression' flag. In the game, if you didn't kill the wolf and left its HP under 1%, the battle ended immediately. The issue here was that, unlike in the game, I couldn't see the health bar, so I had no idea how much to hit it.

I took a deep breath and raised my shield.

It was a shield I’d obtained through the Knightly Oath during my sparring match with Angelica. Just like the gift from the Knight King who gave me Carnwennan, it was packed with incredible options despite being sealed. In the game, shields were only useful for defense or parrying, but here, it was different. Unlike the game where you had to wield a weapon to deal damage, here, anything you hit with dealt damage. In short, this shield was a mace and a gauntlet rolled into one. Wielding it with these bulging muscles would be nothing short of a disaster.

Seeing how the wolf couldn't take its eyes off my shield, it seemed to have learned its lesson after getting hit once. Get the water boiling. Today’s the day we make wolf stew.

"Ian, I'll provide cover!"

"No, you guys handle the leopard and the lion."

I wanted to just jump in and gang up on it, but those knights watching from above wouldn't like that. I stood in front of the wolf and took a stance. I had to put on a performance those voyeurs would enjoy. Since this guy wasn't a bipedal goblin, throwing a glove to challenge it to a duel felt a bit off. So.

"Come, you cowardly and despicable magical creation. I, Ian de Logres, am your opponent."

The gauge rose steadily, as if to say that was the correct answer. But contrary to the rising gauge, a bizarre silence hung in the air. Iris, who had already seen me on the train, let out a forced laugh, and Haede made a sound that could have been a cough or someone holding back laughter. Dante didn't make a sound, but... because of that, I couldn't bring myself to look back. I’d thought I’d grown thick-skinned enough to handle anything, but I still had a long way to go.

The wolf, however, seemed to understand me; it wore a deeply troubled expression. Why? I hadn't said anything wrong. You are a test subject of a wicked villain. If you look at it that way, what does that make me?

***

Thus began the chase between the one trying to smash with a shield and the one trying to flee from it. Every time I swung the shield, it created a wind pressure that distorted the surroundings, and the wolf never took its eyes off the shield, dodging left and right. But just because it didn't look away didn't mean it wouldn't get hit.

I intentionally left an opening to utilize the shield's effect, and the wolf, thinking it was a golden opportunity, lunged in at high speed. Before its jaws could reach me, an intangible barrier manifested, as if to say it couldn't touch me. The wolf panicked as its attack failed. I didn't miss the opening and struck its flank with the shield. The wolf was sent flying with a yelp.

But the wolf wasn't a pushover. It attempted a counterattack in that split second. Its claws grazed my left arm, leaving three gashes, and blood began to flow. To think it pierced my invisible armor and left a wound on my arm with a single counter... Of course, the academy uniform had an auto-repair function, and my Dragon Force would regenerate a wound like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this quickly, but... it wasn't level 45 for nothing, even with the penalty.

Still. Compared to Angelica, this was nothing. Don't underestimate me, Ian de Logres, the man who survived a sparring-addicted youth.

I checked on the others, and the leopard and lion were struggling to maintain their rhythm. Perhaps because the wolf’s concentration had slipped, their presence had faded significantly. Dante was fighting quite passively, which made it certain something was wrong. Did he have some underlying illness? I didn't recall any such setting. Regardless, the leopard and lion were shot down by Dante’s magic and turned to dust.

Only the wolf remained. Just then, something caught my eye. Something like a magic stone embedded in the wolf’s neck. No, looking closer, it was just hidden by the thick fur—it was definitely a choker. I didn't know why it had a choker there; maybe it wanted to prove it was a pet?

"GRRRRRRRR!!!!!"

The wolf suddenly howled, and purple electricity began to erupt from the choker. "Now 30%..."

The wolf’s second phase triggered when its health dropped to 30%. It drooled like it had rabies, its body grew larger, and blood vessels began to show in its white eyes, which now had glowing blue pupils. "It’s suffering..."

Sadness filled Iris’s eyes as she watched the wolf. She clutched her chest, pitying the howling beast that had attacked her. Unfortunately, the only way to save it was to kill it or beat it until its health dropped below 1%. The walkthroughs offered no other way, and having faced this wolf 29 times, I knew that was the only path.

"Could it be..." Haede spoke up, pointing to the choker emitting purple electricity. "Isn't it because of that choker?"

That had to be it. The reason the wolf was in this state was likely that choker. But did the villains who used it to suppress the wolf not install some nasty traps? It was obvious they’d installed some shitty device that would self-destruct the moment it was removed. Wait... maybe there was a clue in that choker. A clue to end this shitty situation more easily. Unlike the game, which lacked interaction, this was reality.

I lunged toward the wolf. The wolf lunged at me. We ended up in a weird embrace, and the wolf drooled as it shoved its snout toward me, but I wasn't about to lose my first kiss to a furry. I tilted my head to avoid the kiss and reached for the choker. I just needed to touch it once to interact with it. As my hand made contact, I activated Insight Eye.

Shit, it really did have a self-destruct function. They’d attached every bad thing imaginable. Still, I was lucky. There was an easy way out. Normally, I would have just had to keep beating it, but I had an item that could resolve this situation immediately.

I dodged the wolf’s attempted surprise kiss again and opened my inventory. Rows of squares unfolded. I reached into one of them and gripped something. I pulled out a dagger with a silver blade. Sealed Carnwennan. A legendary dagger with the ability to nullify all magic of 6th circle or lower. I pressed it against the glowing purple choker. The choker crackled upon contact with the blade and fell right off the wolf’s neck.

The wolf, which had been trying to land a surprise kiss, froze the moment the choker fell. There was no reason to fight anymore. The thing that had been tormenting it was gone. The only question was whether the beast would continue to attack, but if it did, I’d just have to beat it until it stopped. Let’s keep it reasonable.

But that seemed to be a groundless worry. The wolf slowly stood up, backed away from me, and sat down. It was as if it were saying it had no intention of attacking anymore.

***

Once the situation ended, Dante suddenly told us to wait a moment and disappeared into the bushes. What on earth had happened? He’d looked incredibly flustered. His face was red, and he was sweating. Seeing him clutch his chest, I wondered if he had a heart condition. Arrhythmia, maybe?

Iris and Haede were petting the sitting wolf with sparkling eyes, and the wolf, perhaps having no thoughts at all, just sat there quietly.

Checking with Insight Eye, there was no danger rating, so it would be safe to leave it be. Now, status window.

The blue UI floated in the air as if responding to my call. Thanks to the effect of Rival of the Sword Ghost, I’d leveled up three times. I naturally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intended to invest all my SP into magic, but a translucent notification window blocked me.

What a shame. I’d just have to save it for next time. I didn't need Luck since I wasn't going down the blacksmith or alchemist route. Magic resistance could be raised with items, and while I was a bit disappointed about the mana recovery... I had such a large mana pool that it didn't really matter. I’d get Aura stats when I hit level 30, so I’d dump everything into that then. I closed the status window.

The gauge at the bottom was at 61.8%. It was more than halfway full, but the Knightly Oath wasn't over. It seemed it wouldn't be satisfied until I cleared the entire hidden dungeon. Well, I’d intended to clear the hidden dungeon anyway, so it didn't matter.

I approached the wolf, which was still receiving plenty of pets. The reason I’d gone through all that trouble to keep this wolf alive was that it knew the location of the hidden dungeon. So, first, I had to take off this wolf’s mask.

"Wolf, you can talk, right?"

"Oh, Ian. How could a wolf talk?" Haede laughed, waving her hand as if my question was absurd.

"Yes..."

As if mocking her reaction, a human voice flowed from the wolf’s mouth. Iris and Haede were shocked by the wolf’s voice. Was it their first time seeing a talking wolf? I guess it was common sense in romance fantasy novels that wolves couldn't talk. The wolf, seemingly used to their reactions, didn't react at all and just moved its body slowly. It began to approach me, one step at a time.

"I don't doubt that you know why you wanted to keep me alive..."

The distance closed until our noses were almost touching. "...but speaking in this form wouldn't be showing proper respect to my savior..."

As it said that, the wolf’s body suddenly began to change. Its body shrank, its thick fur shed, and the large ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beast became a human. Bronze skin, long ash-colored hair. And eyes that were squinted, making it impossible to tell if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they were open or closed. Two large breasts swayed before my eyes. My jaw dropped at the sight of the wolf.

It wasn't the breasts that were the problem. I knew it was a female, but... no, you crazy woman, you’re stark naked!