The wolf that bit more than it could chew

Elian got out of bed and took out some clothes and placed them on the bed, then walked towards his desk and sat on the chair next to it, after which he took out his phone and searched online for "The Great Empire of Duren".

[Exploring the Great Empire of Duren: What is this empire?]

[The Great Empire of Duren was a vast and powerful nation with a long and rich history. Spanning across several provinces, it was known for its impressive military strength, cultural neutrality, and economic prowess. Its origins are rooted in mystery, but we speculate that it was created with the unification of several small kingdoms. All of it was done by a single individual called XXXXX, who managed to do this with his brutal and fear-inducing methods, all of which made his enemies bow before his might. But just as it was growing so vastly, it abruptly fell, as it was in a war with all the other kingdoms, empires, and churches, but not without taking them with it. Sadly, we have not found any other history regarding what happened after this, but we think that what followed after their fall was destruction.]

Elian turned off his phone, went to the bathroom, and got in the shower.

'This does confirm what the diary said, but why did they even enter a war that was going to end in the destruction of all?'

Elian exited the shower, dressed up, and went to the kitchen. His father had already left the house to do his own thing. Elian proceeded to prepare his breakfast before heading to the garden. The garden was neither big nor small, it was the perfect place for someone to train or to relax in the shadows. 

Elian took off his shirt. He then unsheathed his sword, the gleaming blade catching the light as he withdrew it from its scabbard that was hanging from his belt. The weight of the weapon felt familiar and comforting in his hand as he started performing different strikes and slashes, all of which his father once taught him. In his training, he had created, with his father's guidance, a combat style that revolved around patience and strategy and honed it to his best. He would wait for his opponents to make the first move, studying their technique and looking for openings in their defense. And when they finally struck, he would swiftly counterattack, his movements calculated to take advantage of any weakness he had observed. He was a master at defending himself, capable of blocking and evading strikes with ease and quickly turning his opponents' attacks back against them.

After a while, he sheathed the sword, took his shirt, and made his way to the living room couch because, regrettably, he had no testing dummy to use it on. He jumped on the couch and took out his phone. (oh wow this guy is an addict) Then he opened his messages and started typing.

[You: I will enter a rift today too and will not be home by tomorrow. Will you be able to survive without me for a day or two?]

[The Old Man that lives with me: I will probably. I hope...]

Elian couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he stood up from the couch. He quickly went about gathering his equipment-a breastplate under his clothes and a sturdy backpack that was capable of storing equipment much bigger than it, much food, and water, and then threw the backpack over his shoulders. He took a moment to check himself in the mirror by the door, adjusting his sword and making sure he had everything he needed for the journey ahead. Satisfied, he turned to the door and pulled it open, stepping out into the day that was turning into a beautiful night.

He took a breath and started running towards the closest Arieste headquarters. After some time, he arrived at the entrance and gazed at the logo above it. He always wondered how this organization managed so fast to get ahold of the rift industry and anything related to it, it was like something was controlling it behind the scenes and destroying any competition. Maybe that was why they didn't have any, but anyway. Elian entered the building, and a guard greeted him.

"Do you have a pass, or do you plan on buying one?"

Elian took out his phone and showed the guard the pass he bought while running. The guard nodded his head and showed the way to the rift. They bid their farewells, and Elian started walking towards the rift. He sighed and entered it.

He found himself in an expansive field, the tall grass swaying gently in the breeze.

"Status."

[Elian

Race:human

Rank: D

Professian: Swordsman

Ability: Necromancy

Traits: Unyielding;]

Elian clicked on necromancy.

[ Necromancy is an art from ancient times, with it, you can reanimate dead people and converse with them. You can reanimate a body if it has died recently (maximum 2 hours), up to 5 people a day).

'Hmm, does this work only on people? Or does it work on anything?'

Elian looked around the field and started walking, searching for a on which he was going to use his ability. While he was walking, he was daydreaming about raiding a dungeon, sadly, that was out of his capabilities, as dungeons were available only to B rank or above.

-RUSTLE

Elian unsheathed his sword and aimed it at the creature behind him, sadly, it dodged at the last moment and jumped towards his leg, trying to bite him. But Elian kicked it in the head, and it flew away from him, giving him time to see what exactly attacked him. The wolf monster stood on four legs, its muscular form covered in gray fur. Its face had a nasty grin, with a long snout and sharp fangs protruding from its mouth. Its amber eyes gleamed with feral intelligence, and its ears were pricked forward, listening for any sign of movement from its prey. Sharp claws flexed on its paws, ready to do serious damage. The creature bared its fangs at Elian and started circling him, trying to catch him off guard.

'A Grayfang, huh? It's a D-rank monster that specializes in swift and powerful attacks.'

Elian didn't have more time to think as the Greyfang pounced towards him, ready to take a bite of this five-star meal. He quickly brought his sword up to block the attack, bracing himself for the impact as the creature slammed into him. He grunted as he held the creature at bay, its powerful jaws snapping just inches away from his face. The force of the attack almost caused him to buckle, but he swiftly kicked the wolf at the chin and then at the neck, causing it to wimper and jump away from him.

Seizing the opportunity, Elian lunged forward and drove his sword deep into the Greyfang's right paw. The beast let out a pained screech, its body thrashing wildly in an attempt to dislodge the blade embedded in its flesh. With a quick sidestep, he dodged its retaliatory swipe, just barely avoiding the creature's sharp claws as they narrowly missed his face.

Elian had hoped to finish the beast off with a final strike to its neck, but the Greyfang was too quick for him. It dodged the blow and lunged again, its powerful jaws clamping down tightly on Elian's right arm. The pain was excruciating as its fangs sank deep into his flesh, but Elian only grunted as he seized the chance and slammed the Greyfang to the ground with a powerful blow. It let out a pained yelp as it hit the dirt, its body sprawling out across the field of grass. Then he impaled it with his sword as the beast finally perished. Then Elian fell on his butt, took out his medkit from his backpack, and started bandaging his wound. He chose not to use a potion, as they were expensive and not needed for such light wounds.

Then he stood up on top of the corpse and used his ability.