Ghost Wolf

A humongous dire wolf drove away its smaller counterparts as it feasted on the corpses of its kin, unaware that whoever left its meal was lurking in the shadows. Its maw tore through the flesh savagely as a shadow flashed over it.

Before the creature could even move a muscle, a blade plunged into its neck, ending the horrifying howl before it even began. Filthy blood splattered as Warden pried open the wound, the cloak's veil slipping. But the job was already done, and the dire wolves feasted blissfully, taking no notice.

[Iron Grade Energy harvested.]

[+2.2 Strength.]

[+0.2 Spirit.]

The cursed creature dropped onto the heap of mangled corpses, blood still splattering from the wound he inflicted. Warden enabled the veiling ability of the cloak yet again, as his silhouette became near-transparent in the dark.

Collecting the iron-grade beast core and heart, he withdrew into the shadows yet again.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that the smaller counterparts noticed the demise of the Cursed dire wolf. However, instead of looking for the slayer of their pack leader, they began feasting on its corpse.

Warden, aware of it all, put his attention on his next target. Another iron-grade dire wolf. After his successful sneak attack on one, there were still five more left, accompanied by eighty-odd tainted dire wolves. He decided he would take care of the threats first and then deal with the counterparts that couldn't even put up a fight against him.

There seemed to be some rule within the cursed-ranked beasts, as none of them feasted together. Each one of them on one of the heaps, leisurely devouring their kin with nothing but unrelenting hunger in their minds. That made it easier for Warden to deal with.

He approached his second target in a similar fashion. This one was a head larger than the usual target, but its mind was still feeble. The only thought that remained in its head was for the filling of its stomach.

Warden concealed himself for some time to wait for the right moment and buried the blade into its head, right through its eyes. This one managed to let out a low growl, but he managed to stop it with the Void Shroud. Surprisingly, the beast didn't just die right after.

Warden had to force his void shroud to put it into its place before jamming his blade into its feeble brain. Its dying growl was muffled in the ethereal shroud as Warden began collecting his loot.

[Iron Grade Energy harvested.]

[+3.2 Strength.]

That left four more, Warden thought, creeping towards his third target. After slaying two cursed creatures with relative ease one after another, he was brimming with confidence. These cursed creatures might have resilient physical bodies, but if caught off guard, they could barely put up any resistance.

The third's demise came just as effortlessly as the smaller counterparts finally seemed to notice something eerie in their presence. Of course, with the delicacies present in the surroundings, their dull minds didn't bother with anything.

It wasn't until his fourth target that Warden finally came across resistance. He was sneaking on the target just like before, ready to plunge his blade into its neck, when a loud growl boomed, sending a shiver down his spine.

Warden acted immediately, spinning on his heels to flip and withdraw. The humongous shadow shifting in the background didn't go unnoticed by his eyes.

[You have been inflicted with Ghost Wolf's tainted aura.]

[You have resisted Ghost King's tainted aura.]

Warden might have resisted the tainted aura, but he was unable to escape the notice of the horrifying creature. Just as he could feel the unnatural aura move along with its shifting form, it could feel his disconcerting presence among its kin.

The ghost wolf came into the middle, still howling, even though it did not affect him. A moment later, Warden noticed the tainted aura-infused howls weren't just for him. The dire wolves that were feasting on the corpses, including the cursed-rank ones, stopped devouring as their attention shifted to the leader.

The ghost wolf was as large as the largest cursed wolf, but its presence was something else. Its whole presence was shrouded in a dark, smoky aura, much like Warden's, though less condensed. Its eyes glowed, spilling out deep azure light. In contrast to the other wolves, its body seemed furless, jagged muscle shown proudly over glistening tar-like skin. But most horrifyingly, it had its eyes on Warden.

Warden could feel this one was the big bad wolf of the dungeon, and killing it would very much settle the entire dungeon diving business. Sadly, he didn't feel like he could take on the beast when it had three other cursed-rank creatures along with tens of dire wolves under its wing. Not to mention, more were approaching, hearing its howl.

"Oh boy, if it ain't a pickle," Warden muttered. His fourth target growled at him menacingly, as if waiting for the command from the Ghost wolf.

Warden made his first move before any of the wolves moved. He drew in all the void energy with the 5% output, enabling both [Ethereal Veil] and [Void Shroud] for maximum potency.

[Maya's Protection] was more of a Radiance element artifact than a void element one. He was unable to execute any of its enchantments. His left palm tinged in irritation as he shot towards the fourth target, the blade ready for a swing.

The wolves howled all around him, making a cacophony which could be more than the little village's worst nightmare. But Warden was unwavering in his approach and met the beast head-on. His blade flashed, digging through the cursed creature's claws to burrow into its neck. More wolves surrounded him, dashing towards him in a frenzy.

Warden didn't bother ending the wolf, as withdrawing took precedence over killing a single, cursed-ranked wolf. He twisted over its side and shot over the encompassing mass of wolves, blade flashing to kill the weaker counterparts.

However, the presence of the ghost wolf told him it would be a big hurdle before he could withdraw from the encirclement.