Equipment:
[Basic Shield]
+Increase Defense (Extremely Small)
[Basic Ring]
+Increase Mana (Extremely Small)
An stepped out of the cave's hidden exit, two new items in hand. He paused for a moment, scanning the surrounding area. His eyes caught sight of a white flower growing nearby. He picked it up and ate it, savoring the taste for a brief moment. He could feel the lightness in his body, and the flower's strange effects seemed to settle his mind.
Tam was collapsed on the ground not far away, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. Sweat soaked his forehead as he tried to catch his breath.
"Where have you been?" Tam gasped, still struggling to breathe. "You ran so fast... I couldn't keep up. And where did you get those?" He pointed to the items in An's hands.
"Nowhere," An replied flatly. He glanced at Tam before turning his back to him and walking off. "I'm heading to the mountains to farm Mountain Wolves. You can either come with me or go home. Your choice."
Tam didn't need to think for long. Despite his exhaustion, he scrambled to his feet, determination clear in his eyes. "I'm coming. I don't know if I can keep up, but I'm coming."
An didn't wait for a reply, already striding toward the nearby mountain. Tam followed, though at a much slower pace, struggling to keep his breath steady.
The climb was straightforward, a clear path winding up the mountain. But as they made their way higher, they encountered their first pack of wolves. The creatures were unmistakably more menacing than the regular Grey Wolves, their dark fur bristling with hostility.
An stopped for a moment, glancing over at Tam. "How to defeat a Mountain Wolf."
Tam raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "A Mountain Wolf?"
"These things are ten times stronger than the normal Grey Wolves," An continued, his voice calm and steady despite the looming danger. "Grey Wolves are level 1, but these are level 10. A normal human wouldn't even be able to handle a Grey Wolf, let alone these beasts."
Tam nodded, but his worry was still visible on his face. "So... how do we defeat them?"
An didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his attention to the first Mountain Wolf that charged at him, its mouth open wide, displaying sharp, menacing teeth.
"For this one, just elbow its jaw upwards," An instructed, his tone casual.
Before Tam could react, An was already in motion. As the wolf lunged toward him, An twisted his body and struck the wolf's jaw with his elbow, sending it staggering back in surprise.
The wolf quickly regained its footing and lunged again, this time slashing its claws in a wide arc, aiming to tear into An's flesh.
"For this, a straight sole kick to the nose," An continued, as if giving a casual lecture. "Your shoes will take most of the damage if you're unlucky."
Without missing a beat, An twisted his body and kicked the wolf right in the face. The force of the blow sent the wolf stumbling backwards, its snout bloodied from the strike.
Tam couldn't help but wince. He had never seen anyone handle wolves like this before, let alone so calmly. The fight felt like something straight out of a training video.
An grinned. "And finally..."
The Mountain Wolf, clearly irritated now, reared back before unleashing a skill with a fearsome howl.
Claw Strike [F]:
Swing a claw to cast an air blade forward, dealing damage.
A white slash of energy shot through the air, aimed directly at An. He watched it for a moment before smirking.
"For this, you need to learn how to do splits without crying," An said, as he quickly dropped into a low split position. His body lowered to the ground, and the air blade whooshed harmlessly over his head, narrowly missing him.
Tam was stunned. "What... what just happened?"
An stood back up with ease, ignoring the sweat on his brow. "Now, if you do this, the wolf might try something unexpected."
Tam was still processing what he had just seen when the wolf lunged at An again, claws outstretched, more vicious than before.
"Who are you talking to?" Tam asked, bewildered.
"In which case..." An cut him off, his eyes narrowing.
Before Tam could say anything else, the wolf took advantage of An's distraction and lunged with both claws extended, its fury clear.
An reacted in an instant. "Bend your head down, and put your hands up," he instructed calmly.
The wolf's claws missed by inches as An expertly dodged, grabbing the wolf by the neck with one hand. Using his leverage, he slammed the beast into the ground with a resounding thud.
"Now, one leg to kneel up quickly," An instructed, his tone sharp. He shifted his weight and moved with precision. "One hand on the neck, one hand on the front claw, and one knee stomps on the other claw."
An's movements were fluid, his experience showing as he expertly pinned the wolf, twisting its limbs. He broke one claw with a sickening crack, the joint twisting at a grotesque angle, while the other claw was stomped into a mangled mess.
"AWOOOOOOO!" The Mountain Wolf howled in agony, struggling beneath An's grip.
"Now, you can either focus on choking it out or use a weapon," An said, as he glanced down at the wolf, still fighting to free itself. "Either way, make it fast."
An pulled the shield from his back and, with a swift motion, raised it high before slamming it down onto the wolf's skull. There was a sharp crack, and the wolf went limp, its body falling still.
An stood over the fallen beast, wiping sweat from his forehead as he looked over at Tam. "It's done."
Tam, still processing the chaos of the fight, blinked in disbelief. "That... that was insane. How... how did you do that?"
An glanced down at his new equipment, inspecting them for a moment before answering. "Just have to know the right moves."
Your level has increased to 5.
An turned away and began walking up the mountain again, his pace steady as ever.
Tam slowly got to his feet, still awestruck. "I'm not sure if I'll ever get to your level, but I'll keep trying."
An didn't respond.