[3] Midnight Hunting

I looked everywhere, watching and counting how many were starting to walk out of the bushes. Despite having done this quest again and again, I can't help but feel nervous engulfing me. After all, they were in their natural habitat, I was not.

My knives come up to protect my face as soon as I see one of them lunge at me, its jaw open and ready to take a chunk out of my skin.

A strong shield made up of my magic manifests in front of me just as it clamps down, its momentary confusion enough for me to stab and kick it away.

I hear a loud snarl from behind, footsteps growing quicker the closer it is to me. I bring one of my knives up as I turn around and evade the pair of claws away in quick succession.

There is a moment where our eyes meet. A moment where I'm in awe at the detail behind each speck of color, reflecting red in the aggression in its attacks, only to painfully snap back to reality when it successfully nips my finger.

Let's not get distracted now.

With a swift twist of my hips, I kick the wolf a distance away. I don't let up in my assault, following after it as I imbue mana into my weapon that comes to stab its jugular and pry its flesh open with the sharp side.

It tries to move away with the intent to flee but fails as soon as it takes one step, falling to the ground and choking in its blood until death takes hold.

Wolves Killed: 1/19

Elite Wolf Killed: 0/1

The first kill is always a confidence kill for me, if I can kill one I can kill eighteen more wolves.

Instead of waiting for them to reach me like before, I move first. Choosing from the wolves coming to me, I lock eyes with the farthest one I can see. That's going to be my next kill.

With that thought in mind, I begin my work, aiming at the point between its eyes. More mana gathers in my hand, so much so that the tip of my weapon glows in a golden light.

I inhaled sharply before releasing the knife at the climax of my throw, wind bursting in every direction while the knife soared through the air and landed right on target. It goes through the original wolf's skull as well as killing another one right behind it.

The other wolves charging at me are unaware of my deeds, continuing to charge at me in a formation I've seen countless times while completing this quest.

It's like a staircase, their numbers staggering with the intent of directing their target's attention to the first few wolves that attack. If the person focuses solely on the current attack, they will be overwhelmed by the incoming wolves behind them.

The dumber ones would be eaten right then and there, while the smarter ones would try to flee the other way. It's a herding tactic for large prey.

It's when I realize this tactic they use that makes me wonder how that little boy escapes their attacks long enough to get help from me.

I almost died when I first took this quest, blinded by my rage and not yet understanding that there is a difference between a normal civilian and an NPC made by the Gods. I was severely unprepared by their numbers, barely hanging on with broken bones and scars that last to this day.

I am a lot stronger than I was before. Once I would flail and panic but now I assess and counteract appropriately.

I still get deep scratches here and there but my training is starting to come together.

I should make quick work of these wolves before I reach the others and the Elite waiting for me to arrive with the rest of the pack. I'm still not strong enough to take on the Elite with the other wolves as I still find myself lacking.

I clear my head from any unnecessary thoughts, beginning the process of activating my innate skill. The tips of my fingers start to go numb as my body vibrates excitedly.

When I open my eyes, I feel a headache start to emerge from the amount of information that's being fed to me in every direction I look. My ears can reach up to the little squirrel watching our battlefield from a few meters away. My nose can smell so strongly that it picks up the spice in the wolves' pheromones.

With this skill, I can kill them before the Elite notices something's off.

———

[ Innate Skill Activated: Perception (MAX) ]

Effect: All of the chosen one's senses are being amplified to the maximum extent their mind can handle.

WARNING: If the chosen were to exceed the limit of their mind, the chosen could die.

———

Two wolves are coming at me simultaneously from both sides, closing the gap hurriedly and giving me no room to escape anywhere but behind.

Without activating my skill, I would have done that and fallen into their trap.

[Perception] is essentially a time skill. Everything around me slows down significantly. It gives me ample time to react. The only downside is that my body has yet to match the speed of how I see things.

I grab two more knives from my stash and run to the wolf on the left. I am moving and weaving as fast as my body allows me and use the two knives to carve deep wounds to its face and body. Without stopping, I do the same to the wolf's partner.

This doesn't kill them but it should slow them enough that I can handle the others without worrying about their interference.

Another wolf came to my side, trying to bite my head. I would have been dead if I didn't move. My focus is already fluctuating so soon in the fight. The adrenaline rushes to my ears and removes an essential asset.

I retaliate at the wolf before it can recover, bashing the knife so hard against the top of its head that I can feel it go out the other side.

Wolves Killed: 4/19

Elite Wolves Killed: 0/1

I kick the body away and turn to the rest of the wolves. They are moving faster than earlier, proof that despite having a pretty powerful skill, I was still too weak to wield it properly.

That doesn't change the fact that I was still in combat, I can mull over my shortcomings while drowning in too much gold.

The two wolves behind me were busy tending to their wounds, looking closer to death than killing me. The others look angrier, their faces hideous as they sneer.

I slash and thrash at the wolves. Another one of them dies just as one of my knives flies out of my hand. I fight with my body: clawing at them, kneeing and elbowing, using everything at my disposal to fight the ones in front of me before more could join them.

The skill is fading the more my heart beats frantically in the heat of the battle.

The thoughts in my head were screaming and overheating from the information it was receiving, accounting for every twitch of my muscles and beat of my organs. My body is slow to take in the rapid-fire, growing slower as the battle continues.

Every breath that I take and all of the blood rushing to the limbs exerting in the effort of killing these monsters is overwhelming.

I think of King back at the inn. I think of the lost boy that these wolves left to die alone in this forest. I think of the people in a distant memory. The thought of them is the only thing keeping me grounded as I work through the pack.

I kill three in quick succession. I can barely feel my right arm at this point and I'm not surprised when I try to stab at another wolf only to find that my knife was missing.

My legs flex as I skid on the forest soil from the force of the wolf's tackle. I put up a shield before it can claw at my stomach and spill my guts for Mother Nature to absorb. I pull two more knives from my arsenal, hacking at the creature's eyes as soon as I dispel the shield.

With a burst of energy, I strike at every wolf I come across. Most of them by now should be injured greatly, at the edge of death.

Mana gathered on both of my knives, running toward the back of the pack where the last two wolves were. I stop just behind their ears and bring down my weapons as hard as I can to their heads. Killing them instantly.

Wolves Killed: 11/19

Elite Wolves Killed: 0/1

The only ones left from the first squad are severely injured courtesy of me, none of them are looking to be killing me at any moment as they whimper at the sight of their blood staining the earthy floor.

[Perception] had already been deactivated by the time I killed the last two wolves. My mind feels numb and far away at its overuse.

I walk to the remaining wolves, killing them to end their misery.

Wolves Killed: 15/19

It won't be long before the Elite and the rest of the pack realize that their prey isn't coming and the blood that starts permeating the air doesn't belong to a human, but it should give me enough time to catch my breath and recuperate.

When I wiped my face from sweat, I accidentally smeared the wolves' blood instead. The smell and the sensation feel so uncomfortable that it works to ground me in the moment.

I look over the dead wolves around me, assessing their wounds and recounting how they died. If I'm quick and do everything correctly, I should get over fifty kilograms of materials from these wolves with my butcher skills. That should set me for a week or two in gold with a decent bargain, giving me ample time to prepare for the upcoming entrance exams.

With that said, I was too frantic earlier. When I look down at my hand, I see the slight tremble of my fingers. If I had held on tighter, my weapons wouldn't have been batted away. My focus easily dissipated, breaking my innate skill sooner than my maximum output.

On the good side, I'm not majorly wounded, just some scratches here and there that a few herbs and bandages can't fix. I think I broke my previous record in clearing the first wave of attacks in this quest by a few seconds. Despite my shortcomings, I still improved slightly from last time. It's not up to my standards but it's better than nothing.

All of this only tells me that I should train harder.

It's almost been a year since I was transported into this world. I am not blessed by luck or any God. There are things and people out there that can easily kill me. I need to do better.

The bushes to my right start rustling, the familiar growls of a wolf reaching my ears. So the next fight is starting.