Chapter 16 - My Way of Fighting

Sief walked along the path through the valley as the twilight of the afternoon darkened the surroundings, making him realize that it was completely dark near the center. 

He stumbled upon some pieces of wood nearby, which he used to make a simple torch, using grass and some fabric torn from the goblins. This made him sigh in relief. 

'More knowledge from Edgar... though you don't need to be a genius to do this...' 

Like the swordsman, Sief struck stones to create sparks that lit his makeshift torch, igniting the grass and fabric, giving him a better view of the area as he descended the valley. 

Looking around, there was only grass and a foul smell that made him frown, but he kept walking. 

In a few minutes, the seemingly endless descent ended, and Sief looked up to see the hills almost touching each other, revealing the darkened sky while little light entered the place where he was. He illuminated the surroundings with the torch, seeing only a slightly damp area with water, but also the ground stained with old blood. 

He frowned and continued to light up the surroundings, where all he saw were rocks also stained with blood, making him close his eyes as he thought. 

'I know it must be here... somewhere it has to be...' 

His blade was bathed in a greenish aura, but next to him, there was a slight movement that made Sief open his eyes and look in that direction, already close to his face. 

Sief's eyes widened, and he quickly moved his arm, but the strike came, opening Sief's guard and sending the torch into the air. 

The assassin jumped back, retreating, but the creature with yellow eyes pursued him, striking again, making Sief widen his eyes and block with his dagger. 

When the clash happened, a metallic sound was heard, and Sief faced sharp claws clashing against his blade, forcing it down, until another strike came, making the young man retreat again, feeling the claws slightly tear the side of his body. 

Sief landed on a rock, and the torch fell beside him; before it hit the ground, he grabbed it. Without rest, the monster advanced again, but Sief pointed the torch forward, and the creature retreated, positioning itself quadrupedally, making Sief squint to see it better. 

However, unlike all the previous ones, it was thinner with slightly hidden defined muscles under a silvery fur. Its elongated face and yellow eyes seemed to glow in the dark, along with sharp claws on its hands and feet, revealing a wolf larger than Sief's body, growling furiously. 

'It stands up and hid among the rocks to catch me off guard...' He raised the arm that had blocked and saw the bracelet cut, almost reaching his skin. 'It's much stronger than the monsters here, but what's surprising about it is...' 

Sief stared at the torch and twirled it in his hand, making the wolf retreat slightly. Then Sief threw the torch like a spear, embedding it high on the wall, surprising the beast, which still watched intently, making Sief shake his hand as he concluded. 

'I could use this as an advantage against him, but if he strikes the torch, I'll have problems... especially if he's used to fighting in the dark, which seems to be the case...' The young man smiled and descended from the rock, raising the dagger that gleamed with aura, facing the alpha wolf that growled, ready to advance. 'This will be my ultimate test to see if I can handle an alpha...' 

The monster's feet sank into the ground as it advanced, and Sief looked on seriously, raising one of his fingers on the blade while thinking. 

'I have to keep this flowing...' 

The creature slashed at Sief's chest, who retreated and countered, aiming at the monster's arm. However, the wolf used its claws to counterattack the dagger, clashing again with a metallic sound. 

The dagger's aura seemed to weaken, but Sief tightened his grip on the hilt and reinfused it with aura. Another attack came, and Sief's eyes widened as he leaped back, feeling the claws once again graze him, taking another piece of his clothing, making him frown as he realized the wolf's speed left no openings for attacks, slowly pressuring him. 

Sief stopped far from the wolf, feeling sweat dripping down his face, but the wolf's advance didn't stop. The beast rushed at the assassin, leaping and aiming its claws to strike Sief's face. Sief advanced in a lower stance and dodged with a furrowed brow, making a light cut on the wolf's back. The wolf turned, striking with both claws, surprising Sief who blocked with his dagger but had his face slightly struck, forcing him to retreat, feeling his head slightly turned to the side. 

Stopping far from the wolf, Sief was already dripping with sweat, panting, and feeling blood running below his eyes. The cut had nearly blinded him as he faced the wolf turning and baring its teeth, growling fiercely. 

'It wasn't deep enough. Actually... it's difficult to move while focusing on keeping the mana flowing.' 

Sief brought his hand to his face, wiping the blood away, but the wolf advanced, forcing the assassin to raise his dagger. 

Another claw strike came, and Sief blocked with the dagger, focusing his eyes on the wolf's claws that seemed to slightly crack during the clash. Another thrust came, forcing Sief to retreat but feeling the claws closer. 

With a quick move, he slashed, but the wolf pulled its arm back and retreated, making Sief click his tongue, noticing increased fatigue during the fight. 

The wolf continued to stare, growling, and Sief noticed its saliva dripping to the ground as the alpha seemed both enraged and famished. Once again, it positioned itself quadrupedally with claws digging into the ground and quickly advanced, met by Sief who raised his dagger. 

However, unlike before, the wolf leaped higher, surprising Sief who tried to retreat. His step back only put him within the wolf's reach, which struck with a cross slash. 

Sief raised his arms and dagger to block, but the claws dug into his bracers, shredding them and forcing Sief backward as the wolf slashed again, opening a larger wound on Sief's abdomen, making him leap much further back. 

Glancing at his abdomen and arms, Sief saw the bleeding cuts and shattered bracers, making him click his tongue and conclude. 

'If I didn't have protection... I think half of my arms would be gone...' 

He steadied his breathing, and although his body was still holding up, he was drenched in sweat, feeling the strain on his body as the dagger's glow began to fade. 

But unlike before, Sief let the glow cease and raised his arms, appearing much more exhausted. 

The alpha positioned itself to advance, and Sief took a deep breath, widening his eyes. 

'I wanted to defeat this alpha like this... I'm sure it would be easier... but if I don't strike, it'll be useless... but that should be coming...' 

Once again, the wolf advanced, and the claw attack came from above. But Sief didn't move until the claw descended. 

With the little time he had, Sief dodged to the side and raised his dagger against the monster's arm, which was descending violently and was cut by the blade. 

Feeling the damage, the alpha grunted and turned to strike, but Sief retreated, feeling the claws graze him once again. When he landed far away, he saw the alpha panting and salivating even more, giving a slight smile as he thought. 

"It's already starting." 

The wolf ran towards Sief again, and the young man saw its steps. Once more, the beast lunged, making Sief leap back, evading the strikes as the alpha advanced fiercely. 

However, with each strike the creature made, Sief delivered a quick jab, enraging the beast that started bleeding from small points. The alpha then made a wider slash, advancing further, causing Sief to raise his blade, now enveloped by a faint aura, and this time, he lunged forward, surprising the wolf as his dagger lightly pierced its belly. Sief smiled. 

In an instant, the wolf raised its arm and struck Sief's side, throwing him aside and causing him to roll. He saw the wolf leap, eyes glowing yellow, and he quickly jumped back, dodging the ferocious beast. 

Sief once again let the dagger's aura fade and leaped to retreat, but the monster's claws dug into his belly again, making blood spurt and the young man grunt as he retreated far from the wolf. The beast inclined its body to follow, but a weight came over it, and it fell to the ground, supporting itself with its limbs. 

From afar, Sief brought his hand to his wound, grunting but with a smile, he sighed in relief and said, 

"Took too long, damn it. I still can't use it all the time in combat, or I'll tire out before you." The beast raised its gaze to the assassin, who looked back with a pained expression, but again raised his dagger, saying, "Now I understand, I can face you with this." 

Looking down, the wolf saw its wound glowing faintly green from the residual poison and felt the same weakness in its back. 

"I should have been faster, but your skin is too tough." Sief raised the dagger, with less than half of the blade covered in blood, making him sigh as he said, entering a combat stance, "So you'll suffer a bit more." 

The wolf grunted and lifted its head, howling, its eyes glowing a stronger yellow. It quickly lowered its head, but when it did, the assassin was already close to its face, eyes glowing green. 

The wolf couldn't react, and the dagger quickly pierced its eye. The beast screamed, trying to retreat and strike, but the dagger was swiftly removed, and the beast's claws hit only air. 

The wolf's remaining eye widened as it saw Sief crouched in front of it, making a straight cut across its abdomen and dodging another strike aimed at his head. 

Sief stopped far from the wolf, maintaining steady breathing, his eyes still glowing. The beast advanced to strike, but Sief easily passed under the blow, slashing the monster's armpit. The wolf grunted and turned to strike again but was once more frustrated by Sief's swift movements, cutting its body with each of the beast's attempts. 

Cuts began to appear in the wolf's fur, slowly staining it red. As it moved, the monster grew weaker, until it saw the assassin standing in front of it. 

The monster's eyes widened once more, glowing, as it slashed with a cross cut, but its speed had greatly diminished. Sief jumped over the wolf, landing on its shoulders, and finally bathed his blade in a greenish aura. 

"It's time to end this." 

With a swift motion, he brought the blade down on the wolf's skull, piercing the alpha's head, silencing its scream. The beast collapsed, hitting the ground with a dry thud. 

Sief looked at the beast seriously but soon grunted, falling to the ground, clutching his wounds. 

Though the strikes had barely hit, the grazing cuts stung, making him groan in pain, clenching his teeth, and finally sighing with a furrowed brow. 

"If I hadn't cut its back with the poison... I wouldn't have won..." Sief leaned on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in his abdomen that nearly stopped him, but he eventually faced the alpha before him and said, head lowered, "This is my way of fighting... I can face opponents stronger than me... but it's still not enough... I wonder what the most dangerous territories must be like..." 

He continued to stare seriously while feeling the cold wind blow over the monster's fur and his own body, looking toward the valley exit and sighing. 

Turning back to the beast, he clicked his tongue and grabbed his dagger, saying, 

"At least for today... maybe I won't need a campfire..."