Rushed footsteps echoed through the night, mingling with heavy breaths and the clatter of armor.
Ren, the commander, and the soldiers kept moving, luring the wolves out of the forest, drawing them toward a more advantageous position.
No one knew exactly how many were still lurking in the darkness.
Yet, after a prolonged standoff, the sudden lunges became less frequent. The sharp fangs no longer tore through flesh with reckless abandon.
The Dire Wolves had vanished.
In their place, the Elite Dire Wolves emerged.
Stronger, faster, more ferocious, and with thicker health bars, but their numbers were far fewer.
Ordinarily, Elite Dire Wolves did not hunt in packs. They were solitary predators. If not for the Giant Elite Dire Wolf, they would never have gathered like this.
Ill-fitting joints forced together… and sooner or later, they would break apart.
"Perhaps… we can take them down before leaving the forest."
The commander narrowed his eyes, scanning the battlefield with a sharp gaze. Amidst his heavy breaths, he had detected the wolves' weakness.
They were no longer attacking on instinct; they were being forced to fight together. An unnatural formation...wolves that weren't truly a pack.
And that was their fatal flaw.
"Prepare to counterattack!"
The commander tightened his grip on his sword, the steel glinting coldly in the night.
The soldiers immediately reinforced their formation, raising their shields and spears. They were no longer merely defending, they were about to strike back.
The Elite Dire Wolves hesitated. They were stronger than ordinary Dire Wolves, but their hunting instincts warned them that something was wrong.
The pack wasn't moving as a unified force… they were merely forced together. And at this moment, that fragile cohesion was beginning to crumble.
The weaker ones instinctively took a step back, but they were compelled to lunge forward once more under the gaze of the Giant Elite Dire Wolf.
It didn't need to snarl orders.
A single cold glance from its abyssal-gray eyes was enough to remind them that they had no other choice.
The Elite Dire Wolves hesitated for only a moment before attacking again, defying the survival instincts screaming within them.
But no matter how strong they were, they were still beasts forced into battle, while the soldiers were seasoned warriors.
One wolf fell. Then another. Then another…
Painful whimpers echoed through the dark forest. The weaker ones began to falter, their steps unsteady.
They were strong, but not invincible. And with every fallen comrade, their fear only grew.
Only a few remained stubbornly resisting, but they wouldn't last much longer.
A powerful slash tore through the night, and another wolf collapsed, black blood splattering across the ground.
Its anguished cry made the entire pack freeze for a split second. A fleeting moment, but enough for the experienced warriors to seize the advantage.
"Don't let them regroup! Attack!"
At the commander's command, spears surged forward like fangs striking back.
The last of the pack howled and lunged desperately, but they no longer held the upper hand. The battle was shifting.
The tide… was nearly decided.
And yet...
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf still had not moved.
It simply watched.
Those abyssal-gray eyes remained cold, emotionless, unreadable.
It was waiting for something.
And then...just when the commander thought they had won…
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf finally moved.
BOOM!
The ground trembled.
Everything happened in an instant. No one had time to react.
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf was no longer standing still, it had entered the fray.
One of the frontline soldiers barely had time to raise his shield before he was sent flying.
His body spun through the air before slamming into the ground, carving a deep trench in the dirt.
"Damn it! Regroup! Don't let it break our formation!"
The commander roared, raising his sword high. The soldiers quickly tightened their shields, struggling to hold their ground. But this enemy was nothing like the previous wolves.
This was a Mini Boss with three health bars.
Ren and his group had fought one before… but even then, they hadn't managed to chip away even half of its first bar before being overwhelmed.
"Hey, kid… looks like it's time for payback."
The commander smirked, eyeing the massive wolf.
Ren glanced at the soldiers, then back at the commander. He gave a small nod.
This time… he wouldn't run.
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf stepped back a few paces, maintaining a safe distance from the group. It moved with slow, deliberate steps, circling them like a predator sizing up its prey.
Unlike the frenzied wolves from before, this beast did not attack recklessly.
It moved slowly, but with an absolute confidence in its power.
Its gray eyes swept over the soldiers' defensive line, evaluating, analyzing, searching for a weakness.
Ren tightened his grip on his sword, his heartbeat pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
It was watching.
It was waiting.
Then—just as one soldier shifted his stance slightly.
It struck.
[Savage Pounce]
The massive beast blurred into the shadows of the forest, its movements almost folding through space itself.
A black blur lunged forward at a terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, it had already closed the distance.
BOOM!
Razor-sharp claws raked across the steel shields, the impact ringing through the air like a thunderclap.
A soldier was sent flying, thousands of red pixel fragments scattering into the air before disappearing.
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf let out a guttural snarl, its eyes blazing with ruthless intensity. But that attack… was just the beginning.
The moment its paws touched the ground, it coiled its hind legs.
[Shadow Leap]
It vanished.
No...It didn't truly vanish.
It moved so fast that the human eye simply couldn't follow.
Ren barely had time to hear the wind screaming behind him.
"RIGHT SIDE!"
The commander shouted. But it was too late.
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf appeared right at the flank of the formation, where the defense was weakest.
And it lunged again.
Clang!!
The commander's sword intercepted the sudden attack.
The massive paw, armed with razor-sharp claws, clashed against the blade in a fierce deadlock.
Ren seized the opportunity. He dashed forward like an arrow, the tip of his steel sword aimed straight at the wolf's throat.
"Stap!"
A faint glow flickered along the edge of the blade. The sword pierced through the thick fur and tough skin of the boss's neck.
Critical!
A bright red damage number appeared above the wolf's head. Its health dropped, a significant chunk, though not massive.
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf stiffened for a brief moment, its glowing red eyes narrowing in sudden pain.
Fragments of red pixels scattered from the wound, dissolving like smoke. Not a fatal hit, but enough to ignite its fury.
GRRRRRAH!
The wolf let out a thunderous roar, shaking the very air around them. The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet.
The shadows of the forest quivered under the weight of its overwhelming killing intent.
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf flung the sword away from its claws, its eyes flashing with raw ferocity.
It spun around in an instant, its massive tail sweeping across like a heavy iron whip.
Whoosh!
The air shrieked as the strike cut through it.
From the corner of his eye, Ren barely caught a glimpse of the gray blur rushing toward him.
BAM!
A deafening clash of metal rang out as steel shields smashed together, intercepting the deadly sweep.
"Hold the line!" the commander barked, his arm trembling under the sheer force of the attack.
Ren felt the shockwave ripple through his body, knocking the breath from his lungs. Without that shield wall, he would have been sent flying like a blade of grass in a storm.
But he couldn't afford to stand still.
Ren tightened his grip on his sword, shifting his weight subtly before pushing off the ground to retreat and regain his stance.
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf stepped back as well, shaking its thick mane violently, its crimson eyes burning with rage.
The beast was smart. It had let its pack attack first, probing for weaknesses.
But that also meant it had lost their support when facing an entire group alone.
They slowly closed in around it.
The commander demonstrated his battle-hardened leadership and skill. The monster that had hunted Ren just days ago was now being pushed into a disadvantage.
Red polygonal shapes began spilling from its wounds, it had been inflicted with a bleeding effect. Its HP was steadily ticking down, though not rapidly.
The group continued their relentless assault, with the commander taking the lead to hold its attention.
Ren was in awe of how the man dodged and countered, his movements precise and lethal.
The wolf didn't land a single hit.
With Ren and the soldiers dealing additional damage and surrounding it, its health bar was gradually being chipped away.
The first HP bar turned red, then vanished.
The second one followed shortly after.
Fatigue and pain crept into Ren's body from the continuous fighting, but he forced himself to remain calm.
The boss's final HP bar had entered the red zone. It was on the verge of death.
But then...
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf suddenly twisted its body toward Ren, its entire form riddled with wounds.
Like a crimson whirlwind, the monster didn't hesitate. It charged straight at him.
It was too fast.
Ren wanted to dodge, but...there was no one behind him. If he evaded, the wolf would break through the encirclement.
In that single second, the Giant Elite Dire Wolf was already upon him.
A crushing force bore down on him, as if his entire body would be crushed. Every nerve in his body screamed.
'I can't dodge! If I retreat, it'll escape the formation!'
There was no time to think.
Ren lunged forward.
The wind howled in his ears as he dropped low, skidding across the ground. The rough stone scraped against his knees.
The glowing red eyes swept past just above his head...it missed!
'Now's my chance!'
His sword sliced through the darkness, a streak of silver light carving a deep gash along the monster's belly.
"GRRAAAAHHH!!"
The Giant Elite Dire Wolf howled in agony. But it had no chance to retaliate.
Cold steel spears impaled its massive body from every direction.
The towering beast shuddered, then collapsed.
[You have contributed to the defeat of the Giant Elite Dire Wolf]
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