Growth: One.

The wolves' heterochromatic eyes were looking right into mine. Yellow and black. They were majestic, yes, enough to make you want to take a second out of your life to stare at them. But their bloodlust was more than evident, it was an issue. It was an overwhelming presence.

Yet I wasn't scared in the slightest.

Somehow, it was as if the ability of fright had altogether left my body. As if witnessing certain death wasn't enough to move me anymore. Or that I was sure that it won't be the worst thing that I had witnessed.

As if my senses had already been overwritten. My mind was not mine anymore. There was something living inside, something that I wasn't aware of.

I sighed and pulled my machete closer to my chest and drew my attention back outwards.

"Come!"

As if heeding my command the pack of wolves leapt at me.

Two from the side one straight ahead. A simplistic approach. One that you would expect from a pack of three.

I ducked so that I would meet right at their trajectory and then hardened spikes around me.

My hardening had gone up a tier after the last battle. I was able to not only form an exoskeleton but protrusions.

The spikes thus formed didn't have to stay attached to me at all times. Though they did have to originate from my body. It was like a moose shedding and rebuilding its antlers. Now it served as both at attack and defence.

Anyhow, that meant that I was plenty capable of playing the role of a shielder. Like a hedgehog, long needles expanded over all my skin, poking holes through my clothes, impaling the wolf to my left and the one coming from straight ahead.

They hung from the tips and weighed me down. But then while I was feeling a small sense of safety, out of nowhere-

"Crap!" The wolf on the right without wasting a second ploughed the spike with his paw.

I immediately released all the spikes and tried to retreat before all of them fell to the ground. But I wasn't quick enough. Something was off about them. My moves weren't that easy to read, but it felt like I was a pawn on the chess board surrounded by three knights.

The wolf caught onto my pants and buried its teeth in my thigh, locking me down.

By that time the two other two wolves had regrouped.

'Tch.' My hands were getting forced, I was getting aggravated. I had no choice but to go on the offensive now.

Getting outsmarted by the wolves. Did I take them too lightly? No, that wasn't it.

I was missing a piece.

I swung my machete down on the back of the wolf making him inevitably release his grip. But the same couldn't be said for the other two. They leapt at me again. And this time my thighs weren't quick enough for a clean getaway while trying to keep the third one in tow.

Without any other options available, I left the machete.

"Hardening."

This time I hardened my entire skin. But even that wasn't enough. The two wolves fell onto me and their claws started digging into my skin through the hardened layer. It didn't make any sense whatsoever. The skin that was able to withstand arrows, was getting torn to shreds as the wolves started digging me like I was dirt.

So I kept on renewing my hardening. But between the formation of the new layer, my body was getting torn up.

But this wouldn't last forever. I needed a new plan again.

Think think think think.

My abilities were lacking. I didn't have a lot at my disposal. Just the ability to harden my body, and regenerate. But in that regard, they had even less than I did. I was simply outnumbered.

"Hardening." I released spikes around myself again. It was the only solution I could think of. It was a gamble. I didn't know the limit to how many times I could use it.

The wolves, now knowing what was coming fell back before getting impaled.

[Regenerating.] I got covered with scratches and some blood and then ripped a spike off my chest before getting rid of all the spikes around me. My movements were getting complicated. Convoluted.

But not enough.

I needed to outsmart them. Which on the surface seemed easy. They were animals. But in terms of experience, they far outweighed me. I couldn't just look at them as a part of the brainless stereotype.

I gained some distance using the spike as a spear. I might not have been scared, but I was troubled.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Calm down.

"Come."

This time the wolves didn't attack at once. The left one came at me first while the right one was ready to leap. The one in the middle stood his ground.

If it was one on one, I definitely wasn't going to lose.

"Huff." I slid down and swung the spear around its legs. Of course, the sides were blunt so it didn't cause any damage. But it was enough to make him fall on his side. I was about to throw the spike down to stop his heart once and for all, but then the wolf with the machete stuck to its back attacked.

It was a simple attack.

Instead of impaling the wolf below me, I aimed my spear at the one coming from the side, the spike pierced its gut as I extended my arm to pull out my machete. It was working a little too well...

Did I misjudge their mental aptitud-

No. Shit. From the corner of my eye, the one wolf waiting idly was already in action. Hiding behind the one with the machete. In my blind spot.

But that wasn't enough to take me down. I still had a window to dodge.

"WARRGGH!!" The dog I was about to stab on the ground, chowed down on my calf holding me down. Not only that, its jaw strength was so tough that it broke through my bone.

These mutts were smarter than those guards in Rottheim. They were really going all in.

It was the same nagging feeling I felt a while ago. It was almost like they knew what I was going to do. From me attacking the first wolf to me grabbing the machete. They knew what was coming before I even decided to do it.

The knights around me had me cornered.

But I was a pawn in the enemy's territory. My abilities were far underestimated. My brain started churning as my temples started to hurt.

Think. Act.

'I don't need my leg.' I pulled at my thigh as hard as I could and tore my calf off. If the mutt wanted me to stay put he shouldn't have broken through the bone.

[Regeneration.]

Instead of pulling the machete out, I pushed it further in and swung the whole thing around, the now-dead wolf included, flipping him away into the distance. The wolf leaping for me couldn't change his trajectory mid-air, so he took the full brunt of the machete to his neck.

Completely tearing it off.

One more to go.

"Huff." I dropped the machete on the final wolf's head. Done.

They were all dead.