Seven-horned Wolf

Edward suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sachet.

Upon opening it, a peculiar little creature crawled out.

It was entirely white, with a tiny head and two small antennae, resembling a centipede with numerous legs.

"Element Bug Number One, go and scan this tiger for any abnormal elements within its body," Edward instructed.

The little creature nodded like a proper soldier and then soon crawled into the tiger's wound.

The tiger flinched slightly, clearly uneasy, but Edward's gentle strokes on its head calmed it down in a minute.

"Easy there, I'm just having it check you out. Relax, I need to find the cause of your condition to cure you completely," he reassured the beast.

A few minutes later, the bug emerged from the wound, now with three colors on its body: white, black, and red.

"Good job!" Edward said to the little bug. "Now go back and rest. I've got your favorite little pills waiting for you inside the sachet."

The bug wriggled its body as if bowing to Edward before swiftly retreating into the sachet.

Then, Edward spoke, as if to himself or the tiger.

"The white is the natural color of my cute Element Bug Number One. The black indicates an excess of mercury in your body."

The tiger lifted its head slightly, pausing as if waiting for Edward to continue.

"And this red... it's unbelievable! Your body contains a radioactive element--Shadow Crystal 77. No wonder you've mutated and grown so large."

But how could this element be here? Edward wondered.

"You see, this element embeds itself into your DNA's double helix structure, directly interfering with normal cell division and protein synthesis. This means the growth factors in your cells are constantly activated."

"Heavens, if I hadn't discovered this, your body would expand unceasingly.

Eventually, your body would burst like an overinflated balloon, in a catastrophic implosion."

The tiger began nuzzling Edward's body with its head, making strange whimpers.

"Fear not. I promise I'll cure you," Edward quickly patted its head again, soothing the agitated beast.

"If I want to cure you, I need to find licorice and Yellow old. Well, I also need these two herbs to detoxify what's left in my immune system. Can you help me find them?"

The massive tiger gently seized the cuff of Edward's pants with its teeth.

"You're taking me somewhere, aren't you?"

The tiger let out a sudden roar and then began to lope deeper into the forest.

Edward followed closely as the blue mist in the air grew denser.

After a few minutes, the massive tiger led Edward to a very special spot in the forest, a patch of land so arid it was covered with certain plants—stems with white pubescence and leaves with short hairs on both sides.

Edward's face lit up with joy.

"Fantastic. I knew you could find the herb we need. This is clearly licorice growing here."

He rushed towards the plants, but at that moment, a wolf leaped out from behind a large boulder near the arid spot.

The wolf's eyes gleamed like rubies, emitting a fearful and resentful red glow, and its bared fangs shimmered with a chilling luster, seemingly ready to tear any opponent into shreds.

Of course, the most peculiar feature was the seven triangular, long horns on the wolf's head.

Edward gasped, thinking to himself,

"Could this be the legendary Seven-Horned Wolf that guards the licorice?"

Suddenly, the wolf howled at the sky and then lunged straight at Edward.

The tiger roared in response, stopping the Seven-Horned Wolf mid-air.

The two fierce beasts immediately engaged in a fierce battle.

The Seven-Horned Wolf struck the tiger's throat with its sharp claws and tore the tiger's wounds with its mouth.

It was said that the Seven-Horned Wolf was an animal extremely adept at using strategic attacks, and Edward, witnessing this scene, was completely convinced.

Although the tiger had the advantage in size, it was far from matching the Seven-Horned Wolf in speed and agility.

In no time, the tiger was bleeding a dark red from its wounds.

And the Seven-Horned Wolf had a gash torn in its midsection by the tiger's claws, its blood staining the white petals on the ground red.

The Seven-Horned Wolf, with its red eyes fixed on the tiger, clawed the ground under it fiercely—a sign that it was ready to launch a fatal attack.

Sure enough, the Seven-Horned Wolf leaped into the air with all its might, lowering its head so that its seven triangular horns faced forward, and charged at the tiger.

"Look out!" Edward shouted, but it was too late.

The tiger failed to dodge the Seven-Horned Wolf's attack, and soon it had seven massive holes in its body, blood gushing out.

The tiger lay on the ground, writhing in agony.

"This is outrageous," Edward muttered, as he pulled out the purple vial again and sprinkled its contents onto the tiger's fresh wounds.

The purple powder indeed had miraculous painkilling effects, and the tiger quickly stopped struggling.

"Let me finish off this beast," Edward seethed.

The wolf also stared at him with its angry ruby eyes.

"Come on, beast, if you surrender, I might spare your life. Now wag your tail," Edward offered.

However, the Seven-Horned Wolf's tail stood even taller, indicating it would not surrender.

"Well, since you want to die, I'll oblige. Your horns will be perfect for making some Growth Elixir," Edward declared.

The Seven-Horned Wolf leaped into the air again, aiming to tear Edward apart with its sharp teeth.

But Edward moved like a flash of light.

And there was another flash of light in the air, too—a cold, steely gleam.

It was the sharp dagger in Edward's hand.

In a moment, Edward and the wolf had switched places.

They both stood still for a few seconds, and then the ground was stained with more red blood.

With a thunderous crash, the Seven-Horned Wolf collapsed, lifeless.

Edward let out a cold laugh, walking slowly towards the inert Seven-Horned Wolf. He had already gutted it with his dagger.

With a few swift strokes of his dagger, he removed the seven horns from the wolf's head.

The horns of the Seven-Horned Wolf were perfect for brewing Growth Elixir.

"Nicholas is lucky," Edward smiled, "once I brew the Growth Elixir, I'll have a nice surprise for him."