Triumphant Return

Like the Dire Wolves before, these Feral Wolves were only Normal Monsters, which annoyed Kieran. However, Kieran found them acceptable after noting their level. Lv.7 was a decent enemy at his current level.

A monster's level and rank were considered when the system generated the EXP granted to a player.

'They should have a higher base EXP, but it won't be much higher,' Kieran estimated.

Kieran adopted a battle stance as the pale-blue wisps of Warrior's Aura billowed off his dull-silver armor. The Feral Wolves' growls were deeper and more menacing than the Dire Wolves.

Their burgundy coats stood on end as Kieran inched close with an unperturbed expression.

Finally, after moving within 5 meters, the Feral Wolves pounced on Kieran.

Whoosh! Clang!

Kieran parried one Feral Wolf with a Heavy Strike while simultaneously kicking another in the jaw. In his eyes, their movements were far too telegraphed.

'Shouldn't an Elite Monster have appeared by now? It'd be the perfect opponent to test the limits of my current combat standard. Not to mention, a piece of high-level Uncommon equipment would be nice,' Kieran thought to himself.

In Zenith Online, equipment grading ranged from Common, colorless equipment, to Relics, which radiated an illustrious prismatic-gold brilliance when born or unearthed.

Between Common and Relics were Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic Items.

Other standalone item rankings existed, however, they required special circumstances to obtain, mostly involving skilled production classes.

Although Kieran was outfitted in Uncommon Items, he understood their value was finite. He would inevitably outgrow them and search for more powerful alternatives, hence his desire for Elite Monsters.

After deflecting the Feral Wolves, Kieran spun and dropped his blade with an abrupt savage pressure.

"Savage Break!"

Bang! 

-459! «Critical Hit!»

Savage Break's violent aura permeated the air despite the skill falling into cooldown. And after this attack, the Feral Wolf affected by the attack clung to life by a thread.

〈Battle Alert: «Feral Wolf»'s Defense reduced by 15%〉

'The uncertainty of this skill is a concern that needs revising until it becomes ol' reliable. For now, I'll have to pray the shred effect activates,' Kieran thought.

Kieran ended the life of the Feral Wolf with a simple swing of his greatsword.

〈System: You have gained 100 EXP.〉

  [Experience: 300/400]

The EXP was double that of killing a Lv.5 Dire Wolf at his current level. But, that was to be expected given the level difference and the Feral Wolf's higher base EXP Value. 

Any other player would be happy with their current progress and feats, but Kieran's expression was plagued with a displeased frown as he sighed disappointedly.

After experiencing the thrills of battles against monsters higher than Lv.220, the monsters felt pointless.

Not even a modicum of pleasure was aroused.

Nevertheless, Kieran couldn't ignore the surrounding Feral Wolves or the decent source of EXP that arrived before him.

'That's the eighth one. Seventeen to go.'

Kieran continued to make a mental note as his war against the Feral Wolves raged on, generating a disturbance that carried throughout the Fanged Forest's nearby area.

The feral snarls and pained yelps echoed in the immediate vicinity while Kieran obtained dominance over the battlefield's momentum.

"Ah... silly little dogs that never learn. Nevertheless, they're a decent source of EXP," Kieran remarked with a slight chuckle.

He followed this statement with another of a Warrior's fundamental skills—Directional Slash.

Unlike a normal basic attack, a Directional Slash dealt 125% of the user's Attack Power. It could be used vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, making it an extremely versatile skill despite its lackluster damage.

-96

After a clean hit, Kieran killed another Feral Wolf with relative ease by incorporating Directional Slash with Thrust and Charge. 

Even though they were basic F and E Rank Skills, Kieran understood how to maximize their worth by exploiting nonexistent cooldown efficiently. 

As a result, Kieran leveled up.

〈System: You have gained 100 EXP.〉

〈System: You have leveled up! [Lv.3→Lv.4]〉

〈System: You have received 5 Unassigned Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points.〉

Kieran had also amassed a decent collection of Unassigned Attribute Points after leveling up twice. Coupled with the reserved Unassigned Attribute Points from before, Kieran had 14 to spare.

Naturally, Kieran decided to use his UAP to maximize his current solo leveling efficiency.

As his damage had been acceptable thus far, Kieran opted for a more suitable alternative.

'Against higher-level opponents, I'll require an abundance of those two attributes,' Kieran thought. 

〈System: You have used 5 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Agility: 25 → 30]〉

〈System: You have used 5 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Control: 25 → 30]〉

Although the change wasn't alarming, it outclassed what normal players would have at this current level.

Others in his situation may fail to sense the change, but Kieran could feel the subtle differences as he increased his attributes. 'Slowly but surely… I will return to my peak, and it will be triumphant.'

During his internal vow, Kieran noticed the surrounding Feral Wolves numbered more than a dozen. These new opponents naturally appeared as a result of his battle's disturbance.

But, Kieran didn't mind the numbers. In fact, he welcomed them. 'If Altair can go up against 12, then why can't I? Class limitation? Heh…'

Kieran gave an amused smirk because skill could overcome trivial limitations like class disadvantages.

This was especially true if a player could awaken.

A player's First Awakening opened an entirely different world where physical and magical were hard to differentiate.

At that point, all classes could grasp certain abilities if they willed it. Of course, depending on the ability's affinity with a player, such an endeavor could be effortless or grueling.

While Kieran's expression remained inquisitive, a fiery cerulean aura rolled off his body, creating an intriguing sight.

A few seconds later, Kieran fearlessly rushed into battle.

Now that his skills were higher and his attributes stronger, defeating these monsters shouldn't take as much effort, especially if he was lucky enough to land Critical Hits.

Neither Kieran nor the Feral Wolves felt intimidation, but that was a mistake on the latter's part.

Kieran skillfully weaved through the Feral Wolves' paws and retaliated at every opportunity. 

However, Kieran had to remain mindful of his Stamina Consumption as a Warrior wearing heavy armor so his actions were tweaked accordingly. If the movement didn't contribute to victory or consume minimal amounts of Stamina, Kieran didn't execute it.

As a result, Kieran's attack pattern appeared bland but highly effective. The next Feral Wolf fell within three seconds.

〈System: You have gained 90 EXP.〉

[Experience: 90/600]

'The EXP jump from Lv.3 to Lv.4 isn't terrible, but I have to account for the 10% loss of EXP.'

Kieran dropped the Feral Wolves, one by one, until another level-up occurred.

〈System: You have gained 90 EXP.〉

〈System: You have leveled up! [Lv.4→Lv.5]〉

〈System: You have received 5 Unassigned Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points.〉

[Experience: 30/1,000]

After reaching Lv.5, the Feral Wolves' EXP took another drastic hit. Every additional kill gave 75 EXP. It was the same as killing the Lv.5 Dire Wolves at Lv.2. 

But, he hadn't reached the quota for his quest just yet. Thus, Kieran went into a type of overdrive mode as he slew the Feral Wolves faster and faster until a ring of Feral Wolf corpses surrounded him.

〈System: You have completed your quest. Please visit Scar to turn it in.〉

By the time he received this message, Kieran's EXP Bar was only 75% full.

But, considering the quest would reward 500 EXP, Kieran chose not to waste any more time on killing Feral Wolves, he had other matters to focus on. 

His main priority now was returning to Gena Village to hand in the completed quest to Scar.