Chapter4-Purple Intelligence, the Supreme Snow Wolf Cub!

Sebastian knew the colors white, blue, purple, and gold represented a hierarchy of increasing rarity, with each successive color being harder to come by. 

This principle in the Ultimate Intelligence System seemed to mirror the setup with equipment within the game. 

Hence, he cherished the purple intelligence he had drawn this time, fearing someone might beat him to it, even though he knew it was unlikely that other players were venturing into the snowy mountains at this time.

Despite being just at level 2, he ventured into the snowy mountains without any hesitation. 

Midway, Sebastian opened the Ultimate Intelligence System panel, pulling up the "Snow Wolf King Cave route map." 

Reconfirming he was on the right path, he continued following the main road to the Snow Wolf King Cave.

Over an hour later, he arrived at a secluded cave from which faint sounds of wolf howls seemed to emanate. 

The barely audible howls caused Sebastian to furrow his brow involuntarily. 

Could it be that the Snow Wolf King was still alive? 

He opened the panel of the Ultimate Intelligence System again to re-read the intelligence. 

"Last night, the Snow Wolf King was gravely injured by a mysterious person..." 

That suggested the Snow Wolf King might still be hanging on to life. 

Facing a level 60 Snow Wolf King could mean instant death for him!

Swallowing hard at the thought, Sebastian found himself at a crossroads: to enter or not to enter? 

After a few seconds of hesitation, he decided to take the risk, reminding himself of the saying "no risk, no reward." 

Besides, death in the game only meant loss of experience points... and he was only at level 2, a small loss to bear.

With a clear mind, Sebastian closed the system interface and boldly stepped into the dark cave. 

As he ventured further, his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, with the surroundings slowly brightening up. 

At the deepest part of the cave, the walls were adorned with countless glowing blue crystals, filling the space with a soft blue luminance.

Guided by the light of the crystals, Sebastian noticed a massive Snow Wolf King lying ahead. 

Its label and the mere sliver of HP remaining were clear indicators that this was the severely wounded beast mentioned in the intelligence note.

Beside the Snow Wolf King, a small wolf, white as snow and about the size of a common house dog, was pushing its head against the Snow Wolf King's lower jaw, seemingly trying to encourage the enormous creature to stand up again.

But the Snow Wolf King was clearly on its last legs. 

Judging from the rate its health was dropping, Sebastian estimated that the level 60 rare-tier elite Snow Wolf King would be completely dead in a few more minutes. 

Monsters of this rare-tier elite caliber spawned in the wild did not respawn upon death like the dungeon bosses did. 

Consequently, their drops were a one-time deal.

Sebastian couldn't help but wonder, "Who could have reduced the Snow Wolf King to such a state?" 

It certainly wasn't a player. 

The average global player level hovered around level 10, with the highest reaching just seventeen or eighteen. 

Even a group of hundreds of these high-level players would be no match for a level 60 Snow Wolf King; they'd be merely delivering themselves as food. 

That left only NPCs as the possible culprits.

"This game is truly different from any I've played before. The realism is too high, even the NPCs seem as alive as real people..." Sebastian muttered to himself as he slowly approached the dying Snow Wolf King.

At this moment, a dangerous thought took root in his mind. 

Since the Snow Wolf King was near death, could he not just wait until it had only a sliver of HP left, deliver the final blow, and receive a massive amount of experience? 

Furthermore, all the treasures dropped from the Snow Wolf King's corpse would belong to him!

In the game, monsters that killed each other in the wild did not drop any items. 

Only monsters killed by players would drop items. 

If he let the Snow Wolf King bleed to death, Sebastian would gain nothing. 

But if he stepped in at the last moment, the system would recognize him as the killer, rewarding him the riches and bounties deserving of someone who killed a level 60 rare-tier elite monster. 

The experience would be substantial, and the loot, even with level restrictions, would surely incite a bidding war among the wealthiest players.

Sebastian glanced at the Snow Wolf King's HP bar again; it had only a few thousand points left. 

Given its current rate of losing over a hundred points per second, it would certainly die within a minute. 

As he drew nearer, the Snow Wolf King seemed to notice him, yet it showed no intention of attacking, perhaps due to its inability to do so. 

From its anxious eyes, Sebastian could sense its deep fear, not for itself, but for what he might do to its offspring.

Sebastian approached it, gently stroked its head, and said, "Don't worry, I won't harm your child."

"I will raise it, train it, and help it become a mighty snow wolf."

The Snow Wolf King seemed to possess a human-like understanding. 

After hearing Sebastian's promise, it lowered its head, the worry in its eyes seeming to diminish considerably.

Seeing the Snow Wolf King's HP bar nearing its end, Sebastian whispered, "You've been suffering for a long time, haven't you?"

"Let me grant you release."

Upon hearing Sebastian's words, the Snow Wolf King gave a slight nod and nudged the wolf cub towards Sebastian with its mouth, entrusting its offspring to him in its final moments.

"Ding! Player has tamed a pet — snow wolf cub."

[Pet name: snow wolf cub]

[Level: lv1]

[Species: snow wolf]

[HP: 300]

[MP: 300]

[Strength: 30]

[Agility: 50]

[Wisdom: 10]

[Endurance: 30]

[Spirit: 10]

Sebastian sighed, holding the cub in one arm and shielding its eyes with his hand. 

With his other hand, he summoned the Fire Cone spell, aiming it at the Snow Wolf King's vital spot. 

The Fire Cone spell was the most basic skill for the magus class, not particularly powerful, but at this point, it was deadly enough for the weakened Snow Wolf King.

"Boom!"

A critical hit number sprang from above the Snow Wolf King's head.

With that strike, Sebastian successfully dealt the finishing blow to the dying Snow Wolf King!

Instantaneously, countless notification messages popped up on the game interface, and before Sebastian's eyes, numerous items emitting various colors of light sprung from the Snow Wolf King's body!

Simultaneously, a golden light burst forth overwhelmingly from Sebastian, with dozens of flashes emerging in rapid succession, signaling the multiple levels he had ascended continuously. 

He opened the Attribute Panel to check.

[ID: ShepherdWind]

[Level: lv17]

[Class: magus]

[HP: 420]

[MP: 504]

[Strength: 42]

[Agility: 42]

[Wisdom: 84]

[Endurance: 21]

[Spirit: 42]

…

"Could it be... lv17?!"

For a moment, Sebastian couldn't trust his own eyes.