Author's note:

  Hi! A reader asked me if there will be a fight and more blue-boxes. Well, there you go! ^^

  It turned out that Wulves were like gray wolves—but not quite. Their crimson fur, slid reflective like wet barcloth, shimmered uhe two moons’ light. The sheen made them seem strange, as if they had stepped out of some horror. Instead of rolling in the mud like ordinary wolves, they seemed to bathe in blood, the sickly metallig of it hanging heavy in the air.

  Katherine’s swlinted in the moonlight as she strapped on her shield, her eyes full of anticipation just as ireams. With a fierce scream, “e at ma!” she charged first into the darkness, her movements rushed. She still ime to improve.

  [Wulf Lv.10]Type: 1-on | HP: 173/173A sudden gust of wind hit me, carrying the siing stench of blood. We’re not their first target tonight.

  Not wanting to g behind, I followed Katherine’s lead. Willing my shield to unfurl from the bracelet on my wrist, I gripped the handle of my whip. Around us, Wulves crept closer—three growling and baring their teeth in front, and at least two more cirg from behind.

  No time to hesitate. System cast Princess’ Grace!

  I didn’t have time to draw the runes manually or kick myself fn my i skill so far. I could have practiced while waiting in the guildhall. The system took trol, and my hand moved gently, guided by the system. Six glowing runes formed in a perfect circle before me. Watg their precisio me shocked. First try? On my own? Yeah, right…

  The Wulves weren’t polite enough to wait. With a chorus of snarls, they lu Katherine. She back-stepped nimbly—two swipes missed entirely, and her shield blocked the third with a deafening thud.

  The runes finished f just as the Wulves regrouped. P my mana into the spell, I shouted, “Princess’ Grace!”

  The circle of runes bzed blue, and the energy shot forward like a wave, enveloping the only ally I had: Katherine.

  [Pyer Katherine’s strength increased by 15!]Without hesitation I jumped down, my feet met with a muddy ground, burying into it a bit and right away dodged to the right when I felt a warm breath on the bay neck. My maneuver sent the slippery mud flying all around me, and a wulf’s crimson fur brushed over my arm as he missed and crashed headfirst into the mud. Mud wulf!

  My step was obvious - I needed speed!

  [You have used the Agility Potion][Agility increased by 50]Amidst the chaos, the stench of sweat and blood mingled with the rank smell of fear—fear that didn’t belong to us, but to the stupid Wulves. My gaze darted through the fray as I searched urgently for Katherine, my heart hammering against my ribcage. Then, a sharp whimper sounded, and I locked onto the source.

  There she was, a fierce amateur. Katheriomped down hard on a fallen Wulf, her sword fshing in the moonlight as she roared with ughter. “Brin’ it on!” she taunted, her voice carrying over the snarls.

  With a quick swing of my whip, the crack split the air, striking the Wulf between us. Its yelp sent it scrambling backward, clearing a path. Wasting no time, I sprint-stumbled forward. “Kit, hold them! Casting!” I yelled, each word ing in ragged gasps. Stupid stamina. The muddy ground squelched beh my heels as I wobbled to her side, the heels digging into the soil.

  The moment I felt Katherine’s back press firmly against mine, a wave of security flooded through me.

  “Don’ wot ‘em covered!” she shouted, her shield defleg another blow with a metallig.

  With my pulse pounding in my ears, I focused oask at hand. No system shortcuts this time—I’d write the Ice Dance runes myself. My firaced the faint glow of mana into the shapes I needed, but the Wulves had no iion of givihe time.

  The first Wulf pounced, its cws sparking against my shield with a sharp buzz of magical energy. The impact vibrated through my arm, f me to grit my teeth as I held my ground. Before I could recover, a sed Wulf lunged. Its growl echoed around me like a drunken song in the m. In the dim light, its saliva glistened as it ss massive jaws inches from my face.

  I saw it too te.

  The beast’s paw tore through the left side of my robe, rending fabrid flesh alike. Paied ay ribs as a bloody gash opened, hot and stinging.

  [You lost 10 HP.]“Gah!” I hissed, stumbling back. The Wulf’s eyes twinkled with pride, its blood-soaked fur bristling as it prepared for arike.

  Behind me, Katherine roared, “Don’ touch ma Charlie!” Her words cut through the haze of pain, snapping me bato focus. Stupid reality limit. My hand tightened around the whip’s handle, and I took a steadying breath. The fight wasn’t over—not even close.

  Despite the pain in my side and the chaos, as an experienced warrior, I focused on the rurag eae with precision. Somehow, I pleted the sequeny first try.

  “Ice Dance, bastards!” I shouted, pushing mana into the runes. A brilliant blue light burst forth, slig through the darkness like a quadrupled whisky. The air chilled instantly, frost spreading outward in shimmering tendrils. The ground, the Wulves, even the nearby trees glistened under a yer of ice. Katherine, however, stood untouched in the frosty glow.

  “Wau, Charlie!” she excimed, her voice filled with genuine admiration. Her awe was short-lived as four of the Wulves shook off the frost and lu us, relentless in their attack.

  “Kat, jump right!” I anded, leaping to the left without waiting for a response.

  Without hesitation, she darted to the right, her agility higher than mine, as she dodged the snapping jaws. “Attack! Two hours!” I yelled, steadying myself as my heels skidded in the frost-covered mud, steadying me. Footwear advantage now, bastards! My shield rose just in time as I braced for the assault.

  The swift movement had saved us from two of the Wulves, but the pack wasn’t giving up. They quickly regrouped, cirg us.

  Katherine was already in a, her sword fshing. A pitiful whimper followed by a siing ch of steel meeting flesh as one of the Wulves colpsed.

  Their focus shifted to me.

  Two Wulves charged from opposite sides, their cws tearing through the frost as they lunged.

  I raised my shield just in time, smming it into the one on my left with a reverberating g. The force of the impact sent a jolt through my arm, ae my pitiful strength, I held firm.

  The sed Wulf was faster, its bloodshot eyes locked onto me. Its jaws snapped inches from my face, but my whip was quicker. With a sharp crack, the tip shed out, striking its head and coiling around its snout.

  I yanked hard, jerking the beast’s head back, and with another precise snap, I sshed the whip across its eyes, sg critical AP!

  The Wulf howled in pain, thrashing wildly as blood streamed from its blinded eyes.

  “Katherine!” I shouted, gng at her briefly. She was already moving, her bde slig through another Wulf with a lucky strike.

  [Block successful. Mitigated amount of damage: 4, other damage halved. Suffered amount: 3][You lost 11 HP.][Critical hit! Armor pierced. Target lost 30HP (6x2 normal + 9x2 ICE damage)]System, stop the damn notices! I ’t focus!

  Even after my successful hit, the stupid wulf s my shoulder, tearing into flesh and f blood to gush out.

  Wing from the pain, I instinctively jumped back—a mistake. Another wulf was waiting. It lunged forward, mud spraying everywhere as its jaws sank deep into my calf. I cried out, sshing at it with my whip. It wasn’t the best on for the situation, but it was all I had.

  Enough pying around! “Kat, pull!” I shouted, not waiting for her response. I forced myself into a sprint, injured leg and all, retreating just enough to draw the wulves away. Their glowing red eyes locked onto me, their movements brimming with anticipation. They weren’t just hunting; they were separating me from my tank.

  But my retreat wasn’t running away—it was strategy.

  This wasn’t a random attaot with how they coordihe only question was, who was their master? I sed the field, even gng toward the shadowy woodnd to the south, but the darkness revealed nothing. If someone was out there, they were hidden too well.

  “Basterds! I’m yar enemy!” Katherine yelled, her voice cutting through the night; she used warrior’s t. It rang loud and clear, a skill I’d never bothered with—I rarely fought in groups.

  Her sword fred with a silver glow, thin lines of light shooting outward like threads. They ed around the wulves, pulling them toward her as she brought her sword down in a powerful ssh. The impact sent the wulves smming into her shield and armor, makiumble back a step, but she held firm.

  Now’s my ce.

  Faint runes glimmered in the air as I swung my staff. The tless hours spent perfeg Ice Dand other hard runes paid off—this one was simple in parison. “Group Healing!” I shouted, the magic flowing through me as the runes fred to life.

  [Perfect Runecraft! Healing x2 - 30HP]After my gentle light restored our hit points almost to full, I sed the area again, trying to think like an attacker. If it were me, where would I hide? The ck of cover left few options—the sparse trees to the south seemed the only logical pce. It didn’t matter if I flushed them out; we o dispy strength before even sidering a parley. “Focus at 10 o’clock—the oh the wounded eye,” I instructed.

  Katherine’s grin turned wild, and she let out a roar, sshing her sword down with everything she had at the targeted wulf’s head. “Kit!” I shouted in panic. She’d fotten to manage her pull! Three wulves lu her, cws tearing into her exposed sides, but she barely flinched, as if they were nothing more than pesky mosquitoes.

  Damn girl! Instead of joining her reckless attack, I inscribed a quick rune of healing, raising her hit points again. It didn’t st long. The wulves tiheir relentless assault, and I could have sworn their growls sounded almost like purrs of satisfa as they shredded her armor.

  “Katherihis time, I pleaded, my mana draining fast. I couldn’t keep heali this rate. “Wake up! Defend yourself!”

  She ignored me pletely, locked in her bloodthirsty rage. With one final, devastating swing, she crushed the wounded wulf. Its body colpsed to the ground in a pool of crimson—but then it vanished in a puff of pinkish smoke. Yeah, this wasn’t a natural wulf.

  Finally, she raised her shield to block the other wulves’ attacks, turning to me with wide, apologetic eyes. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  I bit back a frustrated sigh. Instead of wasting time scolding her, I swung my whip at the wulf, tearing a k of flesh and fur from its back. Armor-pierg ons are awesome.

  The fight was desperate, but we held round, cutting down one wulf after another. Between the sharp cray whip and Katherine’s relentless swings, the stupid beasts met their end.

  Time to end this.

  When I realized we’d taken out about half of the wulves, I shouted into the darkness, “Hey, you there! Call off your wulves if you don’t want to lose them all! Get over here and tell us why we’re even fighting!”

  Katherine’s mouth dropped open in surprise, her sword frozen mid-swing. That gave the wulves the perfect opening, but instead of attag, they hesitated, their movements slowing. They snarled and sheir teeth bared, but their aggression seemed... uain.

  “Very well, girls, let’s talk,” came a voice, calm and mog, from the dire I’d guessed. One point for me, Charlie!

  A woman emerged slowly from the shadows, stopping a good twenty feet away. The twin moons hung behind her, casting her in a silvery glow. Her hide armleamed, obsg her face, though it didn’t matter—identification worked on her.

  Her voice was ixed with amusement. “Your employer is long gone, isn’t he?”

  [Bandit Leader Lv.13]Type: 3-rare | HP: 246/246With her prompt, I turned back to the road, only to see that the man with the cart had vaypical. Katherine, ever bold, stepped forward and decred, “Workin’? Nope! Only hitched ride to dung. Wouldn’t say no to sin’ ya tho!”

  To emphasize her point, Katherine swung her sword with a flourish, sending the blood still ging to it spttering across the Bandit Leader. The dark red droplets staihe woman’s hide armor—a Katherine’s reminder of what happeo her wulves.

  As Katheriepped aside, the leader's pale face became fully visible in the moonlight. For a moment, the Bandit Leader just stared at her, surprise flickering in her eyes. Then she grinned, a vicious smile spreading across her face.

  Liftiaff with a sharp motion, she barked, “Same! Wulves, get ‘em!”