The First Crisis

With their leader slain effortlessly, the pack of wolves that had hesitated now tucked their tails, trembling in fear.

"Grrr...."

The wolves roared in unison, trying to intimidate me. If they scattered and fled, hunting them down would get a lot trickier.

[Zap!] Thanks to their pack instinct keeping them clustered, every wolf in range stiffened up. The one hit directly couldn't withstand it and tumbled forward.

I hurriedly took down two more, but as soon as their brief 1.5-second stun wore off, they instinctively leaped into the darkness.

"Tch, as expected, from E-rank onward, one AoE hit won't cut it."

This firepower would've wiped out an F-rank dungeon already, but E-rank monsters had tougher hides than I'd thought. I spotted the escaping wolves heading into the underbrush. Mana Bullet was reliable for single targets, but its fire rate sucked. Lightning Arrow offered great AoE stun, but lacked finishing power. So there was only one answer.

'Mana cost will be high, but this is the surest way.'

With my Intelligence of 36 backing up a massive MP pool, this strategy was feasible. I extended my hand toward the fleeing wolves' presence.

[Zzzap—!] Another lightning arrow formed and shot toward the bushes where the wolves were fleeing. It struck the Gray Wolf at the rear of the pack.

"Yelp!!"

The chaining lightning arrow reached even the Gray Wolf that had already slipped into the bushes, feeling safe. I didn't miss the chance.

[Crackle, crackle, zzzap—!] Lightning arrows materialized in the air and raced toward the sounds.

The cheerful system chimes rang in my ears. I strolled leisurely toward the pack of wolves electrocuted to death.

"Stun to lock their legs, then stack damage to finish. That'll do it."

This was the moment the Gray Wolf hunting formula was complete.

As the successive lightning blasts faded, the forest fell silent amid the stench of burnt flesh. The fleeing wolves hadn't made it ten steps before collapsing as charred corpses.

I caught my breath lightly and waved my hand in the air.

"Status Window."

Even after firing Lightning Arrow six or seven times in a row, my mana was still over 80% full. Thanks to my all-in on Intelligence and the trait, I had an overwhelming mana pool. It was a far cry from the mage hunters I'd seen as a porter, huffing and puffing after a few spells and chugging mana potions.

"Gaining 10% EXP from just one hunt..."

Without delay, I pressed deeper into the forest.

[Zzzap—Zzzap—Zzzap—Zzzap—!]

By continuously sniping the occasional scout Gray Wolves, the forest eventually cleared of wolves. I was just a bit more hunting away from level up. As I pushed through the woods, the mana density thickened. Sharp claw marks scarred every tree trunk, and the air reeked of blood.

Thanks to erasing the scouts with rapid Lightning Arrow fire, leaving no trace, the forest was eerily silent. But I knew this silence wasn't peace—it was the oppressive tension of stepping into a massive predator's lair.

How much farther had I gone? My view opened up to a vast basin beneath a massive rocky cliff. The moment I saw it, instinct dropped me low.

"......"

It was the Gray Wolves' den. At least thirty wolves clustered together, resting. A normal party would've freaked and retreated from that scale. Hiding behind a rock, I pulled up my status window.

Thirty wolves. Even using Mana Bullet one per wolf, I'd run out of mana. With Lightning Arrow, they wouldn't all cluster in range. I'd have to fight expecting some to scatter—and with my Agility of 2, if they spread out, I'd be exposing my neck to those Gray Wolves.

Calmly, I pulled mana potions from my bag and chugged them.

Gulp, gulp. The off-the-shelf potions were bitterly awful. Not the pricey high-end stuff top hunters bought, just two common market bottles. Soon, faint mana flowed through my veins, partially refilling my circuits.

"Off-the-shelf stuff can't fill my full mana pool..."

Even draining my spare potions, it only hit 3/5. My max mana had skyrocketed thanks to Intelligence 36 and the trait, making two bottles like pouring water into a leaky jar.

I hunkered down further behind the rock, regulating my breath while waiting for mana regen. But then, chills ran down my spine. The forest air flow shifted in an instant. The wind from behind me reversed, blowing toward the basin below.

'Damn...'

Wolves had keen noses. My faint scent carried on the wind, scattering into the basin. The dozing Gray Wolves snapped their heads up in unison, as if on cue.

"Grrrrrr."

Their eyes locked onto the rock I hid behind. The predators' instincts had sniffed out the intruder. Without hesitation, they kicked off the ground and began scaling the cliff.

"Shit...! No time to regroup?!"

The first three wolves lunged for the rock top. As they leaped, I squeezed out my mana ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and shouted.

[Whoosh!] Blue mana ropes erupted from the ground, snaring the ankles of the charging wolves.

[Yelp!!!]

The sudden bindings threw off their balance; they smashed their heads into the rock and tumbled down. Trailing wolves tripped over their fallen comrades, turning the ascent into instant chaos.

But this was just the start.

"Lightning Arrow! Lightning Arrow! Lightning Arrow!"

[Crackle, crackle, zzzap—!] Lightning arrows poured into the tangled pack. The powerful stun made them twitch and stagger, but three shots couldn't stun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them all.

Wolves a bit separated from the pile started charging me. Wary of Mana Snare now? Unlike before, they spread out wide, and I couldn't intercept the whole group.

Struggling to fire intercepting Mana Bullets, a swishing sound grazed my ears.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Crunch!

Two wolves evaded and slipped into my blind spot, lunging at me. Their sharp fangs couldn't pierce my Mana Shield. But beyond them, the endless charging pack filled me with dread.

"Mana Bullet! Mana Bullet!"

Two hasty additional Mana Bullets pierced their jaws. Ignoring their crumpling allies, I alternated Mana Bullet and Lightning Arrow to hunt the rest.

Blue notifications filled my vision. But there was no time to celebrate. Level up restored a bit of mana, but defending against the relentless assault had drained it to the bottom.

Finally, I buried a Mana Bullet in the last regular wolf's skull, and the forest plunged into eerie silence.

"Huff, huff......"

Blood filled my mouth. Too many Gray Wolves. I'd squeezed mana to the limit maintaining the shield, leaving my body trembling. As I barely caught my breath to allocate new stats—

"Awooooooo—!"

This wasn't just a howl. It carried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠overwhelming mana vibrations that warped the air itself. From the deepest, darkest cave in the cliffside, a massive shadow slowly emerged.

Twice the size of a regular Gray Wolf, fur shimmering silver, and a blood-red mana stone embedded in its forehead.

It surveyed the scene of its minions' corpses and exuded bloodlust. Each step cratered the blood-soaked earth. The moment our eyes met, a system window flashed red.

My head throbbed like it might split, but my mind cleared—high Intelligence resisted the debuff. Still, the situation was hopeless. Drained mana and an enraged boss. I'd faced and imagined countless near-deaths as a porter, but this first real crisis hitting me head-on was far colder and sharper than I'd ever pictured.