Seven

Falling inside the circle, Leylin couldn't help but curse that woman as he readied his sword. Now that he thought about it, it seems that the System was warning him about the future. After all, why would the knights purposefully avoid the leader of the pack and the magus not kill it? That woman surely plotted this moment!

Looking at the beast on the other side of the ring, he frowned and started thinking.

The Direwolf King was about three meters high, the main difference between him and the other wolves was his eyes that seemed to have a spark of cunningness on them. He was undoubtedly much smarter compared to his fellows.

Walking in circles around each other, he could feel tension growing and almost becoming palpable. One was a preparatory knight, and the other was an abnormal wolf capable of leading a thousand subordinates.

Neither were willing to make the first strike, as they knew that the first movement was more likely to create an opening for the other to strike.

Until, the beastly nature of the wolf took over. Enraged at its prey, he growled and ran towards his target with his claws ready to slash.

"Too fast!" Almost turning into a blur, the figure of the wolf instantly reached him and slashed down with its pawn.

Gritting his teeth, Leylin rose the arm protected by the vambrace while thrusting against the beast with his sword.

"Agh!"

A large sound of collision spread out. The wolf whimpered in pain while Leylin was pushed back so much that his back hit against the wall of fire.

Crying out in pain, Leylin quickly jumped away from the fire and observed his wounds. There was a large area of burnt skin on his back, while his left arm couldn't move anymore. Looking more carefully, he could explain why it felt so painful, some bones must have broken.

Coughing, he couldn't help but give another look at the beast. It was standing with difficulty from the ground, one of its pawns lifted up from the ground. Was it the one it used to strike the vambrace? It would make sense, although his arm was broken, the vambrace itself didn't have a scratch on it. Maybe the rebound was the cause of this injury.

Nonetheless, blood also dripped from the chest of the beast, even from afar, he could see the ghastly wound opened up by his cross blade.

It gave him some consolation. At least he got out of this confrontation with a small advantage compared to the wolf that had its movements impaired and large wound on its chest.

And so the battle continued. Piercing strikes and slashes came from all directions but nothing seemed enough to end this tough opponent!

After ten minutes of fighting, the two stood opposite each other. Their chests heaved up and down as they tried to catch their breath, but it was Leylin who had the short end of the stick. He wasn't strong enough, and it was taking a toll on his body.

Looking down, his eyes covered in blood that only saw red at this point could see his hands shaking, failing even to keep hold of the sword. The blood impaired his vision, while the muscles in his body lacked the strength to keep fighting.

Still, it wasn't over. Increasing his grip on the sword with all his strength , he gritted his teeth and dashed towards the wolf. The sword slashed from various angles but the wolf was still nimble despite the wounds on its limb. Just as it was backed into a corner it roared in anger and pushed forward just as Leylin used another piercing attack against it.

Feeling the sword penetrating the muscles and flesh in that angle, he was overjoyed. He should have hit the heart. Reality, however, was a bitch. Before he could celebrate his victory the large teeth of the wolf sunk on his neck and shoulder area.

At that moment, everyone could hear the shrinking scream of pain from Leylin. The anguish and despair in it caused the hair on the body of those small kids to stand on end.

Although the pack had already been driven away, Leylin was the only one who still had to fight and suffer.

With tears falling from his eyes, Leylin couldn't even move as the wolf sunk his teeth inside his flesh more and more. Although his body tried to heal the wound it was to no avail, the injury was deep and blood was constantly gushing out.

Seeing so much blood, Leylin knew what it meant. An artery has been damaged, if this continued, he would surely die.

He tried everything, slashing the wolf, piercing it with the sword, punching it on the face, but nothing worked. His strength was being sapped away at a large speed, and his eyes were already losing their light.

Coughing up a large mouthful of blood, he couldn't help but think it was his end. Looking at the eyes of the wolf full of rage, his mouth twitched. 'Damn beast... I can't believe I'm dying to trash like you...'

Breathing heavily, he still couldn't accept his death. Despite barely being conscious, he started breathing following the methods described in the Grand Knight's Inheritance.

His life force was constantly pushed and forced to move even though it was becoming dim at an alarming rate. However, just as he was one step away from dying, a miracle happened, like a star on the verge of collapse, the life force on his body suddenly expanded and exploded. It started shining so much that its milky glow could be seen even though it was beneath the skin, the energy coursed through his body like a bullet train, not missing even the smallest corners.

At that moment, a surge of strength came from within Leylin and woke up his fading consciousness. Grasping this feeling he used everything he had in a fit of rage and struck the beast using the very principles of the Power Slash in a punch.

The strength of that punch was such that it created a dent on the skull of the Direwolf King. Pushed back, it was lifted off the ground and thrown with so much strength that it made the wall of fire shake upon impact.

Not knowing if the beast was dead, he started digging the flesh on its chest with his barehands in search of the creature's heart. Perhaps because he had been blinded by his rage, he didn't even care that it was raw or that it could cause some disease, he literally started eating the whole thing without a care in the world.

By the time the ring of fire disappeared, all they could see was the seriously injured Leylin lying on the ground and the dead wolf.

Approaching his body, Lady Angelia touched his head and closed her eyes, a minute later she smiled in satisfaction. "Good job! I wouldn't expect any less from an apprentice of my Master!"

Turning around, she looked at the kids and spoke impatiently. "What are you doing? Go back to your carriages! We will be departing immediately."

Still confused, the crowd of brats could only obey.

...

By the time he woke up, many hours had already passed. Looking around in confusion, he found Lady Angelia sitting next to her table. She was writing on a piece of paper while the flickering candles illuminated her face.

Standing up from the couch he, tried taking a step only to fall back again.

"Don't stand up." Lady Angelia spoke as soon as he fell.

Hearing her, the corners of his mouth twitched. She should have said so earlier.

Feeling the numbness of his muscles, and the pain all around his body, he couldn't help but frown.

Opening his stats Window, his eyes went wide with shock.

[Stats window

HP: 30%/30% (Gravely injured)

SP: 100%

MP: Locked

STR: 1.5/3.0

AGI: 0.9/3.0

VIT: 0.5/3.0

]

"So you noticed?"

The words brought him back from his stupor. Looking at her, he couldn't help but open his mouth, however, no words came out.

"Pfft, did you think that the techniques of a Grand Knight are without consequences? That the human body can forcibly exert itself all the way till its hidden limits without cost? Although it's merely a trick of properly using one's body, it's still something that puts tremendous pressure on your muscles and tendons."

Having said so, she chanted silently and a gust of wind surged, pushing him back to the couch and putting him in the right position to sleep.

"I... ignited my... life force..." Leylin's hoarse voice resounded.

Lady Angelia nodded and smiled at that. "Indeed. After you recover, I'll give you what you have been promised. For now, just close your eyes and sleep."

Something in her words caused his eyes to lose focus. Coupled with how tired he was, he quickly fell asleep.