Chapter 6: Being serious

Looking around, I found myself surrounded by approximately twenty wolves. Their fur ranged from white to brown, creating a chaotic scene. It was an unexpected turn of events for me to discover that the wolf I had killed was the alpha of the pack. He must have employed some skill to gather the others here.

Before I could collect my thoughts, two grey wolves lunged at Tracy and me. Wolves were known for their intelligence and strategic approach, analyzing their enemy's strength before attacking. Swiftly, I evaded the assault and delivered a punch to the wolf targeting Tracy's belly. However, my lack of focus resulted in a weaker blow than intended. Although I had managed to kill a brown wolf on the verge of evolution with a single hit before, this time the wolf I struck managed to rise to its feet, albeit with great effort.

I knew I could easily dispatch any of these wolves individually, but the challenge lay in protecting Tracy while doing so. Three more wolves charged at me. I successfully evaded two of the attacks, but the third, a brown wolf, managed to sink its teeth into my ankle. The pain was excruciating, and I almost let out a scream.

Surprisingly, the pain I anticipated was tripled, leaving me wondering if it was a side effect of using the skill. I pushed that thought aside for the moment, realizing that I needed to find a solution to my predicament. Biting my lip, I retaliated by kicking the wolf biting my ankle with my other leg.

"Hey, can't you be a bit more useful?" I called out to Tracy, who seemed lost in her own thoughts. She snapped back to reality and nodded. Despite my efforts, I hadn't managed to kill even one wolf yet, and a sense of despair started to creep in. Initially, I had hoped "that guy" would intervene, but he did nothing

['Inherent talent' says the skill is enough for only you]

Of course! It was clear that I could easily eliminate these wolves if I focused solely on protecting myself. However, as someone with a conscience, abandoning Tracy was out of the question. I glanced at her, noticing that her eyes were glowing.

Upon reflection, I realized that the wolves hadn't attacked for some time. "Is she using a time freeze skill?" I wondered. Observing the wolves, I could sense a distinct fear in their eyes, indicating that it wasn't a time freeze. Relief washed over me. If she had indeed frozen time, I wouldn't have been so confident about winning against her. It appeared that all the wolves were experiencing something dreadful.

"I can't hold this skill for much longer, so you'll have to finish them off," Tracy said, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. I nodded in understanding and began relentlessly attacking every wolf in sight, using all my strength. As there were now only six remaining, Tracy's skill came to an end. Nevertheless, I felt empowered, knowing I could easily dispatch them. I grabbed one wolf by the head and slammed it forcefully into the ground, causing its lifeless body to sprawl on the earth. Two of the remaining wolves scurried away upon witnessing their fallen comrades. "At least they were smart," I thought, deciding to let them escape. Three wolves remained—a brown one and two whites. The white ones trembled behind the brown wolf, their only hope.

This time, I approached the situation with caution, as Tracy's skill was no longer in effect, and brown wolves were known for possessing their own unique abilities. After waiting for a while without any sign of the wolf's skill, I decided to initiate the attack. However, just as I was about three steps away from the wolf, both its eyes lit up and my movements dulled momentarily. Taking this opportunity, it jumped, aiming for my head.

At the right time, I ducked giving the others the chance to come at me but that was a wrong decision on their part. I grabbed both of their heads and bashed them against each other. Their heads became a bloody mess as they dropped lifelessly unto the ground. The other wolf had regained itself and rushed at me. I made my move cautiously, making sure to make my attack swift and short. But when my fist was a few inches my movement dulled again giving it the chance to bite. Usually, I would use my other fist to punch it but this beast was really smart. I took a few steps back. The wound hurt a lot. It seemed my theory was correct and using the skill had something to do with this. I just hoped it wasn't going to be something permanent.

The wolf seemed to have noticed something and turned it's head to where Tracy was still recovering from using the skill. It seemed it had drained a lot of energy.

Unlike in movies and games, nothing like Mana or magic power existed in this world. The use of skills solely depended on an individual's energy. This meant using a strong skill would get you tired and being tired meant that you wouldn't be able to use a strong. This disadvantage could be nullified by exercising a lot or taking in energy herbs and drinks. Although I trained a lot, I was still surprised that I could use such a high tier skill for a long time without breaking even a sweat. I wondered if it was me or something to do with the skill. There was still so much I didn't know.

The wolf knowing this weakness seemed to want to target her. I was about to move but it moved first. Because of the wound, I was a bit slow so taking into account the distance factor, it would probably reach her first. I thought of what to do. I knew that the system wasn't going to help me because Tracy wasn't me. I didn't even get why I wanted to help her so badly. After all, we had met barely two hours ago and it wasn't on a good note. So why?

Realizing that, I made the decision that unless she did something, there was nothing I could do. Just when the wolf was a few steps away, a series of explosions went off. I didn't expect Tracy to still be able to use her illusion skill. I felt there was a chance now and run towards the place. But, what was this?

The wolf...

Tracy's legs finally gave in and she dropped, but I caught her before she touched the ground. She was extremely fatigued. I heard her saying something and brought my ears closer to her lips.

"I told you I wasn't being serious." she whispered.

I was shocked but still smiled. "Didn't I say the exact same thing?"

...The wolf that had been hit with the illusion skill lay on the ground, it's body burnt black as coal.