Hunting night

*SFX to something appearing*

[You just killed a 'gray wolf'].

Ring ~

[You've leveled up!]

The other wolves, realizing that their leader had died and that they would most likely be next, tried to run away when they saw this. However, Lincoln gave them no chance to do so.

"Ah, but you're not really going."

As soon as I whispered those words, I went after the other wolves who had tried to run away. Anyone watching that scene would have thought that the roles had been reversed; the one who used to be the prey had become the hunter.

***

Lincoln, using his 'Twin Cuts' skill, even managed to kill three of the four wolves that were fleeing. However, one of them he didn't manage to hit with the 'Critical Hit' technique and, unfortunately, it ended up escaping. However, he had managed to cut out one of the beast's eyes. Instead of walking away, the wolf turned towards Lincoln and stared at him for a few seconds, looking angry. Then it backed away and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

"Shit! I let one of them get away."

I whispered to myself as I looked in the direction he had gone.

As I looked in the direction the wolf had fled, a certain thought came into my mind.

(I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling that if this wolf doesn't end up being killed by someone else, he'll definitely come after me.)

As I thought about that possibility, the same sound that I was quite used to hearing echoed through my mind again.

Ring ~

[You've leveled up!]

[You've leveled up!]

"Ah, interesting! So, for every monster I kill, I'll go up a level."

I whispered this to myself as I stared at the information screen in front of me.

Wanting to know how his progress was going, Lincoln decided to open the status of that mission.

"Open progress window."

In my mind, I gave the command to my system, which had apparently understood what I had said, because soon afterwards the screen appeared in front of me.

*SFX for something appearing*

[Task Progress.]

Orc: [0/2]

Grey wolves: [5/18]

Goblins: [10/30]

[Time remaining: 01:10:59]

As soon as he saw how his progress was going, Lincoln realized that this time he hadn't lost as much time as last time. However, he was at a loss as to what to do.

"What do I do now?"

I asked myself while keeping my hand on my chin.

"I could just leave these other weak 'mobs' behind and just focus on going after these two orcs and killing them, but who would guarantee that the mission would be completed if I did that? I might have to actually kill them all."

As he considered the new possibility he had just thought of, Lincoln realized that his chances of completing the mission were gradually diminishing. Each time he thought about it, he felt a pang of discouragement as he reflected on this new piece of information, as it cast doubt on the success of his efforts.

***

As I stood there thinking about my next move and what I was going to do next, something unexpected snapped me out of my thoughts.

When I turned around to see what it was, I was faced with seventeen wolves salivating with rage coming towards me, most likely from the pack of the wolf I had just killed.

With great hatred, they howled as they stared at me, probably wanting revenge for the death of their leader. Just when I thought they weren't going to do anything rash, I ended up being taken by surprise as the first wolf advanced towards me. However, I managed to be much quicker than him and dodged in time for his teeth and claws to tear me apart. However, the luck I ended up having, he didn't. For as soon as he lunged at me, I turned the full weight of my body towards him, while swinging my sword.

But what the wolf didn't know was that I had anticipated my attack, expecting him to do it. As he had jumped on me and was unable to control his speed, he ended up being broken in half by my sword. I did nothing but put it in front of him, who ran into my blade.

*SFX for something appearing*

[You've just killed a 'gray wolf'.]

Ring ~

[You've leveled up!]

***

The wolves didn't even flinch when they saw their companion lying dead on the ground. I felt the tension growing in the air, but instead of retreating, the wolf next to the one I had just killed stepped forward, growling fiercely. Its stare at me was brimming with anger. Without hesitation, with a menacing growl, it launched into a swift and precise attack. It came from my left, clearly aiming for my blind spot in an attempt to surprise me.

When that wolf lunged at me, aiming to tear me apart with its claws, right behind it two others took advantage of the gap and advanced together from my right, trying to catch me off guard.

"I've already died once, so you're not going to scare me."

I said it almost shouting, trying to intimidate them, but it was no use.

Before the claws of that first wolf could hit me, I managed to dodge with difficulty. With a knee, I pushed him up and, without wasting any time, threw my knife at the eye of one of them, who let out a howl of pain and before they both fell, I cut them. Then, with my sword, I slit the throat of the other wolf, which fell to the ground. However, even after touching the ground, the wolf still struggled, showing its resistance.

"Shit, isn't he dead yet?"

I asked myself if my cut had been superficial, but the answer came when the wolf's body began to convulse and then stopped moving. As I stared at the creature's dead body on the ground, the system's voice echoed in my mind again.

*SFX to something appearing*

[You have just killed a 'gray wolf'].

Ring ~

[You've leveled up!]

[You've leveled up!]

[You've leveled up!]