Whoosh! Whoosh! Whooshโฆ
The familiar sound echoed from all directions.
This time, Shurim was well prepared.
She knew that once the melee wolves, who were prone to friendly fire, left the area, those wolves capable of attacking from afar would never miss their chance.
โใแืจแบแแแแแปแ แแแกแฃแแ แณแแแพแชแแฃแ แแบแแแ แแขแแกแแ แใโ
โWind Barrier!โ
The wind element barrier magic activated instantly, blocking the incoming barrage of spikes.
Shurim didnโt linger in place to wait for the wolves to surround her again. She kept the barrier up and moved purposefully in a certain direction.
Swish! Swish! Swishโฆ
A torrent of wind blades sliced through the air.
โใแแ แแฑืแ แแแแแแแชแกแแแแบืแคแแแืแ แแแแแแ แชแแแพืแคใโ
โRock Barrier!โ
When wind wolves appeared in her line of sight, Shurim immediately dispelled the Wind Barrier and switched to another spell.
Wind blades, which the Wind Barrier struggled to stop, were blocked by thick walls of rock.
โRock Barrier!โ
โRock Barrier!โ
โRockโฆโ
Under Shurimโs deliberate control, layers of rock walls sprang up at intervals, and she used these scattered obstacles to keep moving, gradually inching closer to her targetโฆ
โAwoooโ!!!โ
Watching as the wolf pack failed again and again to bring Shurim down, the Forest Direwolf grew impatient.
Its howl became more forceful.
With the new order, the atmosphere among the wolves, who had been fighting cautiously, changed instantlyโgrowing more severe, more murderous.
โAwooo!โ
โRoarโ!โ
โRoarโฆโ
At this point, whether they were lesser Horned Wolves or Grass Wolves, or the usually cautious Thorntail Wolves and Wind Wolves lurking at the edge, all charged forward without hesitation.
โใแแแฑแชืแแ แแแแพแแแฃแแแกแแพแแแชแแแ แแณแแฃแแแกแบแแ ืชแคแแแทแณแืแคแแแแแกแแแใโ
โWater Cannon!โ
โใแนแแแแแแแฑแชืแแ แแแพแ แฒแขืแคแแแฒแแแแแชแกแแแแบืแคแแแแ แแแพแ ืแแฒแแแปแแขแ ใโโEarth Spikes!โ
โStorm Impactโฆโ
Jets of water blasted through wolf after wolf, Earth Spikes erupted from the ground, skewering many wolves in midair, while swirling storms whipped the pack into chaos, tossing wolves everywhereโฆ
At the same time, her mana was gushing out like a dam burst, but Shurim couldnโt afford to stop. Facing the frenzy of the wolf pack, even the briefest pause would mean being torn apart in an instant.
Shurim knew that if this kept up, sheโd run out of mana sooner or later, even if she wasnโt killed by the wolves before thenโeither way, the ending was the same.
The situation had never seemed more hopeless.
But there was still one sliver of hope!
And Shurim was drawing ever closer to itโthat hidden Goblin Lord.
While the wolf pack rampaged through the goblin tribe, they naturally noticed the towering figure of the Goblin Lord.
Intimidated by its massive size and powerful aura, the wolves hesitated at first, testing the waters. The Goblin Lord swung its menacing stone axe, trying to scare them off, but the poison it had been afflicted with slowed it down. Before long, the wolves saw through its weakness.
Excited by the prospect of an easy meal, the wolves would have pounced right away, but just then, Shurim engaged the pack. On the Forest Direwolfโs command, the wolves deprioritized the Goblin Lord, deciding to finish off the greater threatโShurimโfirst, and only then deal with the other prey.
At that momentโ
โOoroo!โ
The Forest Direwolf, who had been sitting calmly at the rear, suddenly grew restless, a faint sense of unease pricking its heart.
It couldnโt understand it; under these circumstances, its prey should be doomed. Yet in Shurimโs eyes, there was none of the terror or despair of its usual victimsโonly unwavering resolve, as if she still saw a path to victory.
โOoooโ, oorooroo~!โ
The Forest Direwolfโs agitation infected its nearby guards. They nervously scanned the area, trying to find what was making the Wolf King uneasy.
โGreat Fireball!โ
Boom!
A massive fireball blasted apart the Goblin Lordโs ramshackle hiding hut.
The Goblin Lord stared at Shurim, who pointed her magic staff directly at him, and at the teeming wolves behind her, his face blank with confusionโuntil terror overtook him, leaving him trembling all over.
Shurim didnโt hesitate for a second. Light shone from the tip of her staff as she aimed at the Goblin Lord.
The Forest Direwolf watched, suddenly rising to its feet, eyes grave. It had no idea what Shurim was attempting, but no matter how it looked at it, now was not the time to turn on a different prey.
Something was terribly off. And because it was so abnormal, it had to be hiding a danger the Forest Direwolf could not understand.
So, there was only one thing to doโ
โStorm Spear!โ
A third-tier Storm Spear spell shot toward the Goblin Lordโs head. In a panic, the Goblin Lord raised both hands to block, and his arms were pierced straight through, but his head was saved.
โGaaahโ!!?โ
The Goblin Lord screamed in pain.
Shurimโs brow furrowed. This guyโs vitality was truly troublesome; dealing a killing blow while fending off the wolves was going to be anything but easy.
Still, her hands didnโt falter. She was already preparing her next spell.
โAwoooโ!!!โ
Just then, the Forest Direwolfโs howl echoed through the forest.
The surrounding wolves froze for a split second, then instantly followed the command.
โStorm Spear!โ
A second Storm Spear flew for the Goblin Lordโs head. The Goblin Lordโs pupils were wide with terror; with his wounded hands, he couldnโt even raise his arms to defend.
โRoooarโ!โ
At that instant, a Dread Wolf suddenly leapt out from behind the Goblin Lord, throwing itself in the spearโs path. It was slain in a single blow, but managed to shield the Goblin Lord from the attack.
โWhatโ!?โ
Shurimโs heart tightened as she quickly turned to look toward the Forest Direwolf.
โSo theyโve seen through me this quicklyโฆโ
Now, the Forest Direwolf no longer showed any sign of its earlier anxiety. Instead, it watched Shurim with mocking eyes.
Although its command had simply been out of cautionโthe more unusual her actions, the more they had to be stoppedโit now realized it had guessed correctly!
โฆ
Staring at the wolves guarding the Goblin Lord, Shurimโs hands gripped her staff a little tighter.
At this moment, the Goblin Lord had no idea what was happening. He simply stared blankly at the wolves shielding him. If they hadnโt wanted to eat him from the start, he might have actually been moved to tears by their sacrifice.
โAwoooโ!โ
With all threats behind it handled, the Forest Direwolf gave the order once more.
The wolves, which had halted, resumed their attackโsome remaining to guard the Goblin Lord, while the rest charged straight for Shurim. The coming battle would be more grueling than everโฆ
Her mana was dropping fast, her stamina flagging. Any attempt to attack the Goblin Lord brought a reckless counterattack from the wolves; turn to fight the wolves, and they would draw back most of their force, leaving just a few to keep up the harassment.
Shurim knew she had fallen entirely into the wolvesโ rhythm. Their specialty was wearing down their enemies in a war of attrition, until their prey was utterly exhausted and victory was all but guaranteed.
The scales of victory were inevitably tipping toward the wolvesโ side.
โI need a breakthroughโฆ I must find a breakthroughโฆโ
Her gaze swept over the entire battlefield, searching for a way to shatter this deadlock. Even as her flesh was torn again and again by wolf fangs and claws, Shurim seemed oblivious, her focus sharper than ever, her mind racing at unprecedented speed.
โFly up, attack the Goblin Lord againโฆ No, the wolves wonโt fall for that.โ
โRetreatโฆ Impossible.โ
โI can only defeat the wolf packโฆ No, with the Wolf King leading them, their strength is overwhelming. Thereโs no way to winโฆ Waitโโ
โWolf Kingโฆโ
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