Ghost of the Battlefield
But the spear lodged in the beast wouldn't come free.
The healed flesh gripped it tight.
Kraaaah!
The troll wolf writhed in agony, rubbing its entire body against the ground.
Crack!
The spear finally snapped.
But that didn't mean it would pull out.
Kraaaah!
In a rage, the beast charged straight at Arthur.
Arthur hurriedly pulled a weapon from his item inventory.
The Sword of the Wolf Warrior.
A magic artifact he'd acquired nearby.
Not exceptional, but serviceable enough.
"Kya-aaah!"
Crunch, crunch.
The gruesome sound of a pup wolf devouring a prisoner alive.
Time was running out.
If too many prisoners died, there'd be no reward.
Arthur felt his blood surging hot through his veins.
Thump, thump, thump!
His heartbeat quickened, and the hand gripping the Sword of the Wolf Warrior grew slick with sweat.
The troll wolf was undoubtedly stronger than Arthur right now.
Its regeneration ability made it especially troublesome.
But Arthur had overcome situations like this hundreds of times before.
Each time, his blood boiled just like this—and those who witnessed it dubbed him the Ghost of the Battlefield.
And the Berserker's Ring he wore would narrow the gap between him and the beast.
Arthur kicked off the ground.
Thud!
"Kyaak! P-please, spare me! I beg you!"
A woman's scream echoed out.
Her leg bitten off, she wailed and pleaded.
But all of Arthur's focus was locked on the troll wolf.
A single move would decide everything—victory or utter defeat.
'Aim for the eyes.'
Arthur eyed the troll wolf barreling toward him in a frenzy.
He tensed his toes.
Troll wolves were clever.
But he'd turn that cleverness against it.
Thud-thud!
The beast leaped at him, front paws poised to crush him flat.
It anticipated Arthur dodging.
Then, mid-air, it would twist its head and slam him down.
But Arthur did the opposite.
He tensed his toes, then shifted power to both legs.
The troll wolf was already soaring high.
Even Arthur would take serious damage from those massive front paws.
But—
Thud!
The moment the paws slammed down on him, Arthur thrust his arm toward the beast's eye with all his might.
Squelch!
The Sword of the Wolf Warrior plunged into the troll wolf's right eye.
Kraaaah!
The beast roared in pain.
"Nngh!"
Arthur gritted his teeth, using his elbows to scramble backward.
Then he gripped the sword hilt embedded in the howling beast's right eye.
Squish!
Thud!
The troll wolf headbutted him.
Arthur flew back, but he twisted the blade as he went.
The troll wolf's eye came out with the sword tip.
"Oops. Does this regenerate too?"
His back hit hard, but the troll wolf had suffered more.
With one eye blinded, its field of vision was severely narrowed.
And it still felt that searing heat in its flank.
Fighting under those handicaps wouldn't be easy.
Arthur flicked the troll wolf's eye from his hand and kicked it away.
It landed in front of the beast—a grotesque, severed orb.
"Here, a gift for you."
Kraaaah!
A berserk beast was dangerous, but for a seasoned hunter, it was easier prey.
Troll Wolf's Characteristic Roar activates.
All of the Troll Wolf's stats temporarily increase by 10%.
Boss-grade monsters had characteristics.
Like skills, in a way.
The troll wolf's boosted all its stats by 10%.
He had to stay sharp.
Kraaaah!
The troll wolf charged at Arthur with renewed fury.
Its speed was noticeably faster now.
The beast's body slammed into him roughly.
"Nngh!"
Arthur crashed into a tree behind him and slumped down.
Seizing the chance, the beast bared its massive jaws.
Arthur thrust the Sword of the Wolf Warrior into its maw with everything he had.
In that instant, the blade shimmered red.
CRITICAL STRIKE!
Squelch!
Kraaak!
The beast thrashed in agony.
Arthur rose, gripping the sword with both hands.
'Sever the head.'
Regeneration was a real pain. Arthur knew firsthand how potent it was, since he had it too.
He yanked the blade free with all his strength.
Splurch!
Kraaaah!
The wound in the beast's mouth began to heal.
But Arthur had already circled to its side.
He raised the two-handed sword high overhead.
Then brought it down on the neck with full force.
Crunch!
He wrenched the half-embedded blade free, teeth clenched.
Then struck the same spot again.
Splurch!
The troll wolf's head separated from its body, and the corpse crumpled.
The instant it fell, Arthur moved to help the soldiers finish off the remaining three white-furred wolves.
You may now hunt the wolf pups.
"P-please, spare me!"
"Krahk!"
Just then, a pup wolf tried to swallow a woman's head while she was still alive.
Arthur closed in fast and stabbed its flank.
Squelch!
Krehk!
The pups started dropping quickly.
Weaker than the white-furred wolves and with thinner hides, they were easy work.
The soldiers began untying the ropes binding the prisoners.
"W-we're alive!"
"We made it!"
The prisoners embraced, overjoyed.
Rescue the Prisoners
🎁 Reward: Choose three tactical scroll parchments.
A hologram appeared before Arthur's eyes. Scrolling down revealed a list of various tactical scrolls.
Each could be used only once or twice, but they were all powerful.
For example, something like "Soldier Shift," which let you reposition one soldier.
But the ones floating here were several tiers upgraded.
"Legion Shift" instead of mere "Soldier Shift."
Using Legion Shift normally required massive gold and a high-level Academy in your territory.
These scrolls bypassed that, making them consumable one-shots.
After selecting three and closing the hologram, Arthur spotted a middle-aged man who seemed to be their leader approaching.
He politely placed his right fist over his left chest, bowed his head, and spoke.
"The Vulcan Kingdom bastards threw us prisoners in among those wolves. Thanks to you, we survived."
He introduced himself as Aleo.
As expected, he was their captain.
"If we meet again, we'll repay the favor."
They bowed repeatedly, eager to hurry home.
"Repay the favor later, huh..."
Arthur mulled it over.
Scanning the group, he tried his Scan skill.
Scan failed.
Scan failed.
It didn't work.
Scan generally failed on foes stronger than the user.
For it to fail on all of them meant they were all stronger than Arthur.
'These rank-and-file soldiers are stronger than me?'
Arthur found it baffling.
They were part of one system.
Rescuing them had earned him a reward.
But was that the end?
Something felt off.
'Wish Important Information View would trigger now.'
Important Information View was random.
It triggered sometimes, not others.
"Why not repay that favor today?"
"Pardon?"
Arthur flashed a sly smile at the tilting-headed Aleo.
"We risked everything to reach this place and save you prisoners. Lend us a hand, and we'd be grateful."
To them, Arthur and his soldiers were clear lifesavers.
They might refuse, but they weren't that ungrateful.
No point sending off potential assets without trying.
If they seemed useful, he'd use them.
"First, tell us about your current situation."
Aleo glanced back at his comrades.
They looked willing to hear him out.
After all, he was their lifesaver.
Dungeon Master Carman watched the two subjugation squads slowly advancing toward the canyon.
They'd link up near the canyon and advance together from there.
Once they entered, he'd buy kobolds with gold and fire arrows too.
Kobolds were goblin-sized but far stronger, and better with ranged weapons like bows.
He planned to seal both entrances with flames.
Then concentrate forces, funded by gold, to take out as many apprentice lords as possible.
Mop up the escapees after, and it was done.
"That apprentice lord's sloppier than I thought."
Carman smirked, viewing Lauden and the others through his scout hawk.
Arthur moved with the thirty prisoners and ten soldiers.
Through the brush, he spotted Lauden's forces.
He opened the Cash Shop.
It had "Secret Chat with Allies" for a whopping 3,000 cash—but he bought it without hesitation.
◈ Usable for 5 minutes. Arthur's voice heard only by allies.
Secret Chat with Allies let only allies hear Arthur's voice.
Carman spying via scout hawk wouldn't hear a thing.
"It's Arthur. Act normal, everyone."
The soldiers flinched visibly.
But they quickly composed themselves.
Chatting casually, they listened intently.
"I'll join the unit naturally soon. No welcoming me with questions like 'Where've you been?' or 'Finally here?'—act like I'm supposed to be there."
Couldn't let Carman spot him.
No need to arouse suspicion with the extra thirty prisoners and strengthened ten soldiers.
Arthur had planned meticulously in his head; they had to follow through perfectly.
Ending the Secret Chat, he slipped into the marching unit toward the canyon, using the gaps to evade the scout hawk's view—along with the prisoners and soldiers.
Arthur told them to blend with the other soldiers here, then walked toward Lauden.
He fell in step near Lauden.
Lauden didn't greet him; Arthur said nothing.
Arthur issued orders mentally.
'The enemy is trying to deceive us. We'll turn it around and fool them. Follow my instructions from now on.'