Killed it

The merchant Toby stayed behind in the cave to look after the luggage, while Ye Chuan, carrying the fine steel longsword he had picked up, walked side by side with Bess.

Bess walked in front. Her silver armor gleamed with a cold light in the dimness, and her hand rested constantly on the hilt of her sword. Every few steps, she would stop to observe the tracks around them, fully displaying the professionalism of a true knight.

Having a teammate made Ye Chuan feel much more at ease.

"I happen to have the Adventurer's Guild files for this area. In the past three months, the Demon Wolf has attacked seven merchant caravans and three herb-gathering squads. All the victims were gnawed beyond recognition." Bess pointed to a fresh paw print on the ground. "Look at this print. It obviously belongs to the Demon Wolf. We've found its trail."

Ye Chuan nodded, tightening his grip on his sword.

This paw print was truly massive.

Just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes on their left, and a white shadow flashed by.

"Watch out!"

Ye Chuan's expression changed drastically. He shielded Bess tightly behind him while raising his longsword in a defensive stance.

The trauma left by that rabbit yesterday was just too deep. Now, whenever he saw any fast-moving white shadow, he reflexively thought it was that terrifying monster.

Bess stumbled from his sudden push but reacted immediately, raising her shield in front of them. Her eyes, sharp as an eagle's, locked onto the bushes.

"Swish—"

A snow-white rabbit the size of a palm hopped out of the bushes, a clover dangling from its mouth. It looked up blankly, blinking its ruby-like eyes.

"Gale Slash!"

In the next second, Bess's figure flashed. Her longsword left its sheath, drawing a silver arc.

"Pfft."

Without even a squeak, the rabbit was cleaved in half by the sword, its blood splattering across the emerald grass blades.

An instant kill?

Ye Chuan was stunned.

"Mr. Ye Chuan, you overreacted just now." Bess sheathed her longsword and wiped the blood off the blade with a cloth, looking at him with amusement. "This is just an ordinary rabbit. It doesn't even count as a Tier 1 monster. Aside from running a bit fast, it has no attack power whatsoever."

"Ah... well..." Ye Chuan scratched his head awkwardly. "I ran into a really fierce rabbit yesterday. It slapped my sword away with one paw and knocked me into a tree. I almost couldn't get up... I thought it was that one again."

Bess paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud. "So that's why. It must have been a rare mutant variant. Occasionally, some individual mutants can reach the strength of Tier 1 or 2."

"But don't worry. With me here, I won't let a little thing like that hurt you again."

She clearly didn't take Ye Chuan's words to heart, simply assuming he was too weak and thus got bullied so badly by a mutant rabbit.

Ye Chuan didn't explain further; after all, no one would believe him even if he did.

The two continued forward, encountering several waves of low-tier monsters along the way.

A few goblins shot arrows from the shadows and then charged out wielding wooden clubs, only to be dispatched by Bess in a few quick strikes.

Bess's experience was even more impressive than Ye Chuan had imagined. She handled various monsters with absolute ease.

As time passed, the paw prints on the ground grew denser, and the stench of blood in the air became thicker.

The surrounding trees began to thin out.

"We're here." Bess's expression instantly turned serious. "Hold your breath and don't make a sound. The Demon Wolf's hearing and sense of smell are extremely sharp."

The two lightened their footsteps. Ye Chuan could feel a pair of cold eyes staring fixedly at them from the shadows.

Suddenly, a strong, foul wind struck from above!

"Miss Bess, above us!"

Ye Chuan shouted, shoving Bess out of the way.

Bess reacted incredibly fast, rolling with the momentum while raising her shield above her head.

"Clang—!"

A deafening crash rang out, as if a heavy hammer had smashed into the shield.

Bess felt her arm go instantly numb. The webbing between her thumb and forefinger split open, and blood streamed down.

Her fine steel shield was actually smashed into a deep dent by sheer brute force. She was sent flying by the tremendous impact, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Miss Bess!"

Just as Ye Chuan was about to rush over, a massive dark shadow landed between him and Bess, blocking his path.

Only then did Ye Chuan clearly see the true face of the Demon Wolf.

It stood over four meters tall at the shoulder, covered entirely in pitch-black fur. Every strand of hair was as hard as a steel needle, gleaming with a metallic cold light in the dimness. Its thick tail thrashed like an iron whip, striking a nearby rock and instantly smashing it to pieces.

"This isn't an ordinary Demon Wolf!" Bess struggled to her feet, her face as pale as paper. "This is bad... It's actually a Demon Wolf King! A Tier 4 monster! We're no match for it at all, run!"

She never expected that the Guild's bounty was not for a common Demon Wolf, but for a Tier 4 Demon Wolf King!

She was only a Tier 3 knight, and she had to protect Ye Chuan, who seemed to have no combat ability.

There was no chance of winning!

"Awooo—"

The Demon Wolf King crouched low, a deep, muffled growl rolling from its throat, its scarlet eyes sweeping back and forth over the two of them.

It didn't attack immediately; instead, like a cat playing with a mouse, it enjoyed the sight of its prey's fear.

Eventually, its gaze locked onto Ye Chuan. In its eyes, this human without armor was an easier target.

He was the weakest!

"Mr. Ye Chuan, run! I'll hold it off!"

Bess raised her broken longsword and stood in front of Ye Chuan. Even though her body was trembling slightly, her eyes were incredibly resolute.

"I am a knight of the Hill Empire; protecting civilians is my duty! Hurry back to Isu Town and deliver the message, let the mayor hire high-level adventurers!"

"No!" Ye Chuan raised the sword in his hand, knowing full well that if he abandoned Bess, he probably wouldn't survive either. "I won't leave you here alone!"

"Don't be foolish!" Bess said. "If we both stay, we'll only die together! Go, quickly!"

At that moment, the Demon Wolf King finally moved.

Its four limbs kicked fiercely against the ground, and its massive body lunged toward Ye Chuan like a bolt of black lightning.

Its speed was terrifyingly fast; Ye Chuan could only see a blur.

"Watch out!"

Bess shouted, using all her strength to push Ye Chuan aside, while she raised her shield and charged forward to meet it.

"Combat Skill, Power of Protection!"

"Bang!"

The Wolf King's paw slammed brutally against the glowing shield, instantly shattering the already damaged defense.

Bess let out a muffled groan as she was knocked flying once again, crashing heavily against a boulder and falling unconscious.

"Miss Bess!"

Ye Chuan looked at Bess lying unconscious on the ground, then at the Demon Wolf King approaching step by step. An unprecedented surge of fury rose from the depths of his heart.

Ye Chuan's gaze gradually turned cold as he slowly tightened his grip on his fine steel longsword.

An invisible, oppressive aura radiated from him, making the surrounding air feel as though it had frozen.

The previously arrogant Demon Wolf King actually stopped in its tracks, a look of fear appearing in its scarlet eyes for the very first time.

It could sense that this seemingly frail human before it harbored a terrifying power within, a power that made its very soul tremble.

Ye Chuan stomped the ground, his figure instantly vanishing from his spot.

The Demonic Wolf King's pupils constricted sharply. Just as it tried to turn and flee, Ye Chuan was already standing right in front of it.

"I want you dead."

Ye Chuan's voice was completely flat, devoid of a single ripple of emotion, yet it carried a bone-piercing chill.

He raised his longsword. Without any flashy movements, he simply brought it slashing down.

This strike was fast to the extreme, and heavy to the extreme.

Time seemed to stand still in that moment.

The Demonic Wolf King froze in place, still caught in its fleeing posture. Its eyes were wide open, brimming with absolute terror and disbelief.

The next second.

Squelch—

A thin line of blood appeared between its brows, then rapidly traveled downward.

The Demonic Wolf King's massive body was split neatly into two halves, right from its forehead down to its tailbone.

Crash!

The two pieces of the wolf's carcass fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Ye Chuan stood between the remains of the wolf, gripping his longsword as his clothes whipped wildly in the wind.

After a long while, he snapped out of his daze and subconsciously looked down at his sword.

...

Did I... just one-shot the Wolf King?