Chapter 16 - Bloody wolf

"Ellen, now!" I yelled to her.

As soon as my words left my lips, Ellen, who was waiting atop a tree, skillfully leaped and landed on top of an unsuspecting ogre. In the blink of an eye, Ellen's body started radiating sparks, and in an instant, the ogre's entire body was engulfed in the electricity she emitted.

At the same time, suddenly, the ogre's feet began freezing, a reflex of Noelle's power to contract with spirits. At that moment, she showcased her ability, which included an alliance with almost all spirits of natural elements, except for darkness and light, whose existence was still under question for us.

Seeing everything unfold as planned, it was time for me to take action. Without hesitation, I steadied my dagger and activated [Infusion] a skill that significantly boosted my attack strength. Leaping towards the ogre, aiming straight for its neck, I felt my body pulsating with Aether, granting me an unusual strength. With a single precise strike, I executed the necessary attack.

You defeated [Ogre - Lvl - 10] Experience gained.

You leveled up [8] -> [9] and Gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

That wasn't the only monster we defeated, to be honest. We've been hunting for almost two hours, but I'm starting to feel like we're reaching the limit of what these weak monsters can offer us in terms of experience. It seems like either the amount of experience is decreasing or the amount of experience I need to level up is increasing. Ultimately, it seems like we'll need to venture deeper into the forest to find tougher challenges.

Ah, speaking of levels, Ellen reached level 7, while Noelle reached level 5. Noelle's skill seems to demand an exceptional amount of Aether, as even though it's the spirits that attack, it seems like the Aether used still comes from her.

Letting the girls rest for a moment, I directed my attention to my own stats. At the moment, I had 10 stat points and 2 skill points available to use.

Aether: 20 -> Aether: 25

Intelligence: 6 -> Intelligence: 11

You can judge me if you want for focusing my attribute points on intelligence and Aether, but hey, most of my skills rely on that. Even though I don't invest in strength, I achieve similar results by channeling Aether into my body, so I don't see a plausible reason to invest those points in strength at the moment.

Sure, there might be times when Aether is unavailable for battle, so it would be prudent to invest in strength. However, I don't believe that will happen anytime soon, at least not right at this moment. So, I intend to maximize my Aether and Intelligence stats as much as possible.

After adjusting my stats, only my skills were left, and at this point, one could say I was following a defined pattern regarding what to improve.

Infusion [Lvl - 2] -> Infusion [Lvl - 4]

Though the idea of improving the skill [Identify] crossed my mind, I opted to leave it for later. Honestly, I wasn't sure if the benefits of increasing that skill would be advantageous or detrimental. While a higher level might enable identifying enemies' weaknesses, it could also offer no benefit.

Shifting my gaze from the Status window, my eyes rise to the sky through the opening between the trees. The white sun shines brightly, but no matter how long I look, a sinister feeling continues to haunt me. We're nearing the moment when half the sun will turn into an intense red, and the curious thing is that it doesn't seem to affect the brightness around.

No shade of red light was noticeable, and everything around me seemed completely ordinary. However, the sun was hours away from turning completely red and sinister. While it's an impressive sight, it's also deeply disturbing. Thoughts about what might occur when the sun takes on its red hue dominated my mind.

"It's getting redder by the minute" observed Ellen, her voice interrupting my reverie as I stared at the sun.

She too seemed absorbed by the sight, a complicated expression marking her face. Beside her, Noelle snuggled up to Ellen like a koala.

"Have you two rested enough?" I asked, shifting my gaze from the sun to Ellen.

She turned to me after a brief moment of silence, her eyes wandering between me and Noelle before confirming with a nod.

Thus, we resumed our journey through the forests, delving even deeper in search of more powerful creatures. I kept my skill [Ecopulsation] active, both as a precaution against potential ambushes and to locate monsters more quickly. At that moment, this skill was truly a lifesaver.

It didn't take long for my skill to be activated again. It seemed that the further we ventured into the forest, the more monsters appeared around us. Not that I was complaining; after all, more monsters meant more experience points for us.

[Bloody Wolf] - (Lv: - 12): A fierce wolf, resilient after facing countless trials, saw its body grow and adapt to combat. Its insatiable thirst for blood granted it mastery over it, although its ability is limited only to its own blood.

[Wolf] - (Lv: - 10)

[Wolf] - (Lv: - 9)

[Wolf] - (Lv: - 10)

[Wolf] - (Lv: - 8)

As soon as I activated [Identify] 5 translucent screens appeared before me again. Furthermore, once again, a monster with a double name emerged. Speaking of which, this name sounds quite intimidating to me. If the aim was to make its enemies rethink whether they should attack just by the name, then it has my approval.

Anyway, the last monster I faced, with two names, could use magic. I honestly didn't know if this thing would be different or not. At the moment, Ellen, Noelle, and I were hidden among the bushes, watching the wolves.

While the other four wolves seemed normal, the bloody wolf was larger and had a more ferocious and terrifying face. Compared to him, the other wolves looked like newborn babies. Furthermore, its body was completely red, with several burgundy stripes standing out in its fur.

As my eyes admired and at the same time feared the wolf, I quickly noticed when one of its eyes opened. There was no way not to notice, since my attention was fully focused on it. Then it began to smell something in the air. When its two eyes opened, it started to look around. At that moment, my heart seemed to stop for a moment when its eyes fixed directly on me.

"Ellen, be prepared, they've found us" I declared in a serious tone, keeping myself calm and avoiding sudden movements.

Although I maintained a calm expression outwardly, my heart was pounding uncontrollably inside. Ellen, upon hearing my words, fixed her gaze even more on the smaller wolves. Her hair began to rise slightly, and a crackling and subtle sound echoed in the air.

Noelle, next to Ellen, also seemed serious as she watched the wolves. It's surprising how this girl changes personality when she's fighting. Somehow, I think she understands the gravity of the situation and the importance of not making mistakes at this moment.

Slowly, I directed the Ether, guiding it to my heart. My senses sharpened, and the fear began to fade away. With each passing moment, my strength seemed to grow as my heart absorbed more Ether. The feeling of power intensified, completely enveloping me.

At that moment, without a word, I launched myself towards the nearest wolf. There was no need to speak; Ellen and Noelle already knew what they needed to do. Activating [Infusion] I firmly held my dagger and quickly plunged it into the skull of the first wolf.

You defeated [Wolf - Lv - 9] Experience was gained.

But I quickly ignored the warning and focused my attention on my main enemy. As this happened, a wolf tried to attack me from behind but was promptly stopped when a lightning blade struck it from the side, sending it flying away. Additionally, the other wolves were contained by a series of elemental attacks.

The previously passive expression of the wolf quickly turned into a devilish and terrifying face, with several teeth showing and a penetrating gaze. A loud roar echoed through the area, and before I knew it, the wolf had already disappeared from where it was.

But my [Ecopulsation] could sense it. Instinctively, I leaped backward, escaping from where the wolf would attack. Its gaze as it watched me emanated hatred and anger, leaving me completely nervous. However, the fact that I had managed to kill the Horned Boar previously gave me a little more confidence.

But that doesn't even compare. Besides catching him off guard, I had many more daggers to use, not to mention the fact that he seemed to be a slow monster, which is totally opposite to this wolf, who seems agile and deadly.