Mud-Covered Victory
Its leap was lightning-fast. The Gray Wolf King's massive frame, silver mane whipping in the wind, already filled my entire field of vision. I wanted to dodge, but my body wouldn't obey. Agility 2. This cursed number clung to my ankles like mud.
'Ah, is this it?'
The moment the stench of blood from its maw reached my nose, the world stopped as if by magic.
[Riiiing—!]
A piercing ring stabbed my eardrums, and my vision flashed white. It was the "life-flashing-before-your-eyes" phenomenon that hunters who had brushed death described. The noise vanished, and time slowed to a crawl—enough to see every strand of fur on the beast floating in the air. A bizarre brain response, squeezing out its final computational power for survival upon sensing imminent death.
In that eerie silence, the tiniest speck of mana at the tip of my veins began to vibrate.
MP: 14 / 562
MP: 15 / 562
A miracle. Like the last drop welling up from a parched spring, a single '1' of mana filled at the edge of despair. In the sluggishly flowing time, I issued one command.
"Mana Snare!!"
Whiiiish—!
In that split second, blue ropes surged from the ground and snagged its hind leg.
Thud!
The Gray Wolf King slammed into the dirt. A thin crack appeared on its nape, dripping a single drop of blood. Its massive claw had just grazed my neck.
"Hah... hah..."
Time exploded back into motion. Cold dirt stabbed my lungs. The beast twisted in panic, roaring, but the stubborn mana cords wouldn't yield easily. A few seconds. My last chance before it tore free.
"Status Window"
No time to think. I killed my emotions.
Name: Kim Jihoon | LV: 13 | HP: 85/130 | MP: 0/562 | EXP: 400/1,900
Unique Trait: Status Window
Trait: MP Amplification
Skills:
- Mana Bullet
- Mana Shield +
- Mana Snare
- Lightning Arrow
Available Points:
- Free Stat Points: 3
- Free Skill Points: 1
I dumped all my stat points into Intelligence.
Intelligence 34+2 → 37+2
MP 0/562 → 36/598
Then I invested the skill point into the one I'd planned for.
Target Mark
Creates a mana target to correct projectile accuracy.
MP Cost: 5
No time to think. Activate Target Mark immediately.
"Target Mark!Mana Bullet!"
Splat—!
The Gray Wolf King's left eye burst without even a scream. The Target Mark-enhanced Mana Bullet pierced its most vulnerable spot, mocking my Agility 2.
"Target Mark!Mana Bullet!"
Splat—!
The second shot shattered its right eye, replacing the forest-shaking majesty with a pathetic wail. "Kwaaak! Kyaaang—!" The blinded behemoth thrashed wildly. Its destructive kicks made the blue glow of the Mana Snare flicker.
MP: 16 / 598
The snare would hold for maybe five seconds at most. I had only 16 MP left. Gamble on a manastone? Or choose certain survival?
'I never take stupid gambles...!'
Cold reason decided. A blinded beast grows fiercer, and my mana was empty. Even without sight, its keen hearing and smell would let it fight on.
"Mana Snare!!"
I didn't even check if it hit before launching myself in the opposite direction. The damp earth squelched underfoot. Its roar battered my back, but I didn't stop. It would track my scent. Midway, I spotted a mud puddle in the woods' corner—a porters' last resort against foul-smelling beasts.
I dove in without hesitation.
Sploosh—!
Cold mud coated my wounded neck and body, masking the beast's blood reek and my human scent with its pungent earthiness. I held my breath, smeared it everywhere, crawled farther, and slipped into bushes beyond its sight and smell.
"Wooorrr—!"
Boom— Boom—!
The Gray Wolf King, having shredded the snare, rampaged blindly. Trees snapped, rocks shattered, filling the forest—but it couldn't pinpoint me. My scent had mingled with mud and forest dampness, vanishing.
How long had I run and hidden? As the boss's roars faded, I crammed myself into a narrow rock crevice on the forest edge.
"...I survived."
Tension released, and my neck wound burned. 'What a mess.' My clothes were rags, body caked in mud, but a feral grin spread across my lips. I hadn't killed the Gray Wolf King. But I'd hunted thirty Gray Wolves, blinded the boss, and lived.
The grin didn't last. Cold logic started crunching numbers in my head.
'Now's optimal.'
Wolves are clever hunters. But now, eyeless and berserk, its patterns simplified. No longer a smart predator—just a brute mass of power.
I gripped rising fear and steeled my will. "Now's the chance..."
With trembling hands, I opened the Status Window.
MP: 3 / 598
Seeing my depleted mana, I sighed in relief. Even if I'd pushed the fight, three Mana Bullets max. With my overwhelming Luck, a critical might've won. But if Luck failed, I'd be forest fertilizer. Gambling against an unknown E-rank gate boss's HP was hanging my life on a thread.
Porter days taught me the biggest lesson: 'Never gamble.' Fight winnable battles, not unwinnable ones.
I wiped mud from my face and gazed at the sky beyond the trees. "Just wait a bit..."
I burrowed deeper into the crevice and closed my eyes. Mud hid my scent perfectly; the boss thrashed in blind terror and rage. It'd tire soon from wasting energy. Meanwhile, I could regen mana here and wait for the perfect moment.
One minute, two... Mana thickened in my veins.
How much time passed...?
MP: 598 / 598
Mana fullness swept away some fatigue. I crept from the rocks toward the basin where it rampaged. My mud-caked body blended perfectly with the forest shadows.
Boom— Crunch!
The basin was devastation. Mighty trees uprooted, ground shredded by its kicks. At the center stood the Gray Wolf King, black-red blood streaming from empty sockets, panting.
It was exhausted. Blind fury had drained its stamina fast. Its bulk swayed unsteadily, ragged breaths laced with blood.
'No complacency...'
A beast's final struggle follows unpredictable paths. Even with full mana for defense, an unknown attack from the Gray Wolf King could mean death.
I halted fifteen meters away—safe distance—and extended my hand, pouring mana into the ground.
"Mana Snare, Mana Snare, Mana Snare. Mana Snare."
Whiiiish—!
Four blue ropes erupted, binding its limbs.
"Kwaang?!"
Blinded, it hadn't anticipated—now pinned, it could only bare teeth at empty air. Just a sandbag now.
"Target Mark"
Ziiing—
A target appeared on its forehead. No more disabling needed.
"Mana Bullet..."
Splat—!
The shot embedded in its brow. I chanted relentlessly.
"Mana Bullet, Mana Bullet, Mana Bullet, Mana Bullet, Mana Bullet, Mana Bullet, Mana Bullet!"
Splat—Splat—Splat—Splat—Splat—Splat—Splat—!
Cracks spiderwebbed its skull. I chanted mechanically, beyond its perception. It twitched, wailing its death throes, but the snares held firm against its exhausted struggles.
The Mana Bullet barrage drowned everything, but I kept going. Lingering unease from before...? As fatigue set in, I checked the Status Window.
Name: Kim Jihoon | LV: 13 | HP: 85/130 | MP: 163/598 | EXP: 1,200/1,900
Unique Trait: Status Window
Trait: MP Amplification
Skills:
- Mana Bullet
- Mana Shield +
- Mana Snare
- Lightning Arrow
- Target Mark
Available Points:
- Free Stat Points (Rare): 1
Ah... In the deafening silence broken only by Mana Bullets, I wiped mud from my face with a trembling hand. Before checking the blue alerts filling my vision, I rasped in a cracked voice,
"...I won."