Hunt [2]

Nico continued practicing his sword; thankfully, due to his past life, it was easy as he continued to hone his skills.

After staying in the forest for 3 and half days, Nico killed many small fries and accumulated 210 exp points.

Today was a bit different as Nico was fighting his first G-ranked beast, the Azure Wolf.

Fortunately, it was in the early stages and was not mature.

A full-grown Azure Wolf grows up to 3m tall, and its rank varies from E to D rank.

They also stayed in packs of four, meaning he was fucked one way or another, but this wolf seemed to be some kind of scout, so Nico had to finish it as fast as possible.

The Azure Wolf was fast and agile and seemed to anticipate Nico's every move. Nico was forced to think quickly and act even faster. He used his sword to parry the Azure Wolf's attacks while using his taekwondo skills from his previous life to dodge and counterattack.

The Azure Wolf lunged forward; its claws outstretched as Nico sidestepped and spun around, slashing at the Azure Wolf with his sword. The Azure Wolf yelped in pain and backed away, giving Nico an opening. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Nico delivered a powerful kick to the Azure Wolf side.

The Azure Wolf stumbled, and Nico pressed his advantage without faltering as he lunged forward, slashing at the Azure Wolf with his sword. The Azure Wolf tried to dodge, but Nico was a bit faster with his strikes, as he landed a series of slashes, each one more powerful than the last, before the last and final strike decapitated the Azure Wolf.

Finally, the Azure Wolf was defeated, as Nico stood victorious, his sword dripping with the Azure Wolf's blood.

- Ding!

Reading the notification from the system, he saw he had gained 2000 exp, but he just ignored it before taking out his dagger.

He quickly but hurriedly dissected the wolf in order to find its core, but it didn't have one, causing Nico to click his tongue in annoyance as he stood up and started running toward the city.

As he was running, he was hit with the smell of iron, indicating fresh blood.

Nico didn't stop running but focused on his surroundings to see if he could find where the stench originated from.

Not finding anything, he continued running before; a few minutes later, he came across a trail of blood.

"Fuck..." Nico silently cursed under his breath. As his eyes followed the trail, he spotted a mangled human corpse missing its limbs.

Knowing there was no time left and he had no chance to get out of this forest unscathed like he originally planned, Nico took out his phone before sending a signal for help.

In this era, the danger of beasts, monsters, and shuras was always around.

For the safety of citizens, an emergency center has been established in every city. Activating the signal will give your current location to the public safety team of the nobles and city.

Sending the signal, Nico continued running, his feet pounding against the ground as he moved quickly.

"Howl!"

"Howl!"

"Howl!"

As he ran, he heard something in the distance. It was three howls, and they seemed to be coming from three different directions.

"Tsk." Nico clicked his tongue.

Nico knew it belonged to the rest of the pack of Azure Wolfs.

Ignoring the howls, he continued running, but he soon heard something else. It was the sound of something jumping over him.

He looked up, and he saw three shadows in the air. As they landed in front of him, causing him to come face to face with three Azure wolfs.

Nico's mind was calm, but he tried thinking of ways to get out of the situation, as he couldn't outrun three Azure Wolfs.

As he stared at the three wolfs, his face went pale but remained calm.

The three Azure Wolfs were D-ranked wolves while he was a 1-star warrior with a combat strength of a G ranked, which doesn't pose any harm to them even if he knew multiple martial arts.

All Azure wolfs had thick blue fur with long bushy white tails, and their canines were long and sharp, pointing downwards.

Nico knew he only had one option.

Stall for time.

The battle began with a loud howl from the three Azure wolves, their eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. The wolves were fast, faster than lightning, and they moved with a grace and agility that was supernatural, leaving afterimages.

They circled around Nico, their eyes never leaving him for a second. Nico was ready as his heartbeat was becoming erratic, his sword and dagger held firmly in his hands.

He was ready to fight.

The first wolf lunged forward, its claws outstretched. Nico was quick to react despite the wolf's overwhelming speed, dodging the attack and slashing at the wolf with his sword.

As if hitting concrete, Nico's arm became slightly numbed, as the first wolf was unscathed.

Ignoring the pain, Nico followed up with a flurry of slashes and kicks, using his taekwondo skills to keep try and keep the wolf at bay. The second wolf was not far behind them, and it, too, lunged forward toward Nico's legs.

This time, Nico was not so lucky.

The wolf's claws were simply too fast and didn't allow him time to react properly, as he felt a sharp pain in his left leg as it became dislocated, as a loud popping sound was heard, causing him to grunt.

He stumbled back, but the wolf was ruthless. It kept attacking, and Nico was forced to defend himself with his sword and dagger. The third wolf was the most aggressive of the three, and it attacked with a ferocity that was almost inhuman, dashing towards him with a frightening speed, leaving behind afterimages.

- CRACK!

"AHHHHHH!"

Nico was no match for the wolf's strength, as he felt a sharp pain in his right leg as it became fractured.

He stumbled back but didn't fall but was close to it as the wolfs didn't waste this opportunity.

As it kept attacking, causing the teen to defend himself with his sword and dagger sloppily.

Finally, the third wolf managed to land a powerful blow on Nico's left arm with its paw, shattering it.

"GGGGHHHAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Nico screamed in agony as he was flung back and rolled on the ground, and the wolves backed away, watching him, seemingly enjoying his pain.

Nico was somehow still alive, but he had suffered serious injuries.

His left leg was dislocated, his right leg was fractured, and his left arm was shattered. The sound of bones breaking echoed through the air, and the teen lay on the ground, unable to move.

The wolves had won, and Nico had lost... badly.

He was alive, but he had suffered serious injuries. He had fought bravely, but in the end, he had been no match for the three Azure wolves who were D-Ranked.

Nico lay on the ground, his white hair matted with his own blood.

His left leg was dislocated, his right leg was fractured, and his left arm was shattered. He was in immense pain, but he was still conscious and aware of his surroundings. He stared up at the bright sky, his eyes slightly hazy as he could hear the birds chirping in the trees and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. He could smell the sweet scent of the flowers in the air and the earthy smell of the soil beneath him.

Suddenly, he heard a loud growling and saw three wolves closing in on him. He was too weak to move, and he knew death was looming over him. He watched as one of the wolves jumped at him, its sharp teeth bared.

But before it could reach him, there was a loud bang, and the wolf suddenly disappeared.

Turning his head to the left, he found the wolf being pinned to a large rock with a spear making a hole in its chest and sticking it to a rock.

Turning his head, he saw the two other Azure Wolves sliced up perfectly.

Nico was confused, but there wasn't much he could do but look at the sky.

As Nico was looking at the sky, a shadow suddenly loomed over him, causing him to squint his eyes before he was able to see who it was.

He saw it was a man squatting beside him, scanning him with sparkling eyes.

"You look like a creep..." Nico spoke softly as speaking hurt his body even more, but his eyes regained their clarity, and his mind became clear one more.

" Tsk. Young people nowadays don't show any kind of respect. Instead of thanking your savior, you call him a creep, harsh." The man spoke.

Nico just rolled his eyes at the man's words.

Another voice came from behind, causing Nico to look at the source of the sound, and saw more than five people rushing toward them on the horses.

He also noticed someone behind the man squatting before him, who he figured probably killed the other two tigers with his sword.

"Captain, stop fooling around. Can't you see his condition? First, give him some treatment. "

A female jumped down from the horse and walked towards Nico, raising her hand to give him a potion.

Nico took the potion without any second thought and gulped it down.

The potion was bitter, but Nico ignored it.

He had lost his adrenaline a while ago, so he was very much in pain.

"Hello, my name is Thea, and he is captain Leo. I am Vice-Captain of the squad belonging to Viscount Hillstorm."

Nico looked at her with his cold eyes, not wavering, as he still lay on his back.

Soon Nico looked at his legs with a frown.

'There healing...' Nico thought.

Nico ignored the group for a few minutes before he slowly stood up.

He felt his entire body become extremely sore and tight, but he ignored it as he looked at the group, who seemed slightly uncomfortable at Nico ignoring them.

"Nico Stolas, First-year at Celestial Crown," Nico spoke, his voice cold and distant, as he ignored the group and picked up his sword and dagger.

Looking at his sword, he found it completely useless, dull, and jagged from the thick fur of the Azure wolfs, the same with his dagger, causing him to shake his head as he looked at the group again, who all seemed to be frowning.

Sensing the atmosphere and Nico, who seemed... introverted, Captain Leo spoke up, "From what we know, today is Sunday, and the academy is opening tomorrow, so we're wondering why you are here in Creek Forest and not at the capital?"