Chapter 21: Slay the Sand Wolf! Rune Charging Stone

Nick had never imagined that his reunion with Sally after their last encounter at the trading market would be like this.

She was already at a disadvantage facing the earth-colored Sand Wolf, which was as large as a calf. In a few more rounds, she would probably have been torn to pieces...

The Sand Wolf noticed Nick's arrival but didn't shift its target. Due to its charging pounce, its sharp claws left several claw marks on the hard ground.

Just as Sally relaxed slightly, the Sand Wolf pounced without hesitation, intending to finish off this creature before dealing with the uninvited guest, Nick.

"Watch out!"

With Nick's shout, Sally snapped back to reality and realized the danger. With only a few meters separating them, and given the Sand Wolf's speed, there was no chance to defend. She dove sideways, attempting to dodge the Sand Wolf's pounce.

Nick seized the opportunity and took the Rune Bow slung across his body, holding it in his hand.

He pulled the bowstring with his right hand. As the bow curved, the rune array emitted a faint glow. A circular whirlwind formed around Nick's feet, sweeping up the dust on the ground.

Countless streams of air converged around him, making his clothes flutter. Nick's expression was serious as he looked through the bow's sight, aiming at the Sand Wolf not far away.

"Whoosh!"

Without hesitation, he released the bowstring. With a short, sharp sound of air being torn, the invisible wind arrow shot out, stirring up a mighty gust of wind in the enclosed dungeon.

Without any surprise, the wind arrow accurately struck the Sand Wolf's body. Even the Sand Wolf's massive body was pierced straight through.

The force distributed to the Sand Wolf slammed its body heavily against the wall, taking its life.

"..."

Nick had witnessed the power of the Rune Bow before, so he wasn't particularly surprised. If he had been a few seconds slower, Sally's fate would have been dire.

With a brief, blinding flash of light, an iron chest appeared next to the Sand Wolf, stopping Nick from delivering a finishing blow.

Nick glanced at Sally, who was staring blankly in the distance. He looked at the Sand Wolf's corpse with some dissatisfaction, thinking, "Look how scared you've made the poor girl..."

With a hint of helplessness in his voice, he comforted her, "It's okay, it's just a Sand Wolf, right? It's normal to be scared the first time you face one, but they're really nothing to be afraid of!"

"..."

Sally pursed her lips and staggered up from the ground. The short sword in her hand was already worn, not to mention her dusty and disheveled appearance.

What she really wanted to say was that it wasn't the Sand Wolf that was scary, it was you!

After struggling with the Sand Wolf for so long, Sally had only managed to inflict minor injuries on it, let alone kill it. Surviving this dungeon creature was a luxury.

And yet...

This Sand Wolf, which she couldn't defeat, had died before Nick without even knowing how.

After all, Sally had witnessed Nick's fighting style firsthand, and the only word she could use to describe it was "inconceivable."

He simply pulled the bowstring, without even nocking an arrow, and the massive, powerful Sand Wolf was instantly killed.

If he used this method on other survivors, there were probably few in the entire dungeon world who could be his match!

Sally took a deep breath, bowed slightly to Nick, and expressed her gratitude, "Thank you for saving me... If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be standing here talking to you."

"..."

Nick waved his hand dismissively, "You're one of the few people I know in this dungeon world. I couldn't just watch you get killed by a Sand Wolf, could I?"

After saying this, he didn't focus his attention on Sally, but looked at the iron chest not far away.

When he killed the two-headed dog, he obtained the powerful weapon, the Rune Bow. He wondered what reward he would get from this iron chest.

Nick approached the chest with anticipation and slowly opened it.

Sally didn't say anything about this. The Sand Wolf was killed by Nick. Instead, she looked at him with gratitude.

If it weren't for Nick, her fate would have been death...

"What is this thing?"

Nick looked at the palm-sized, translucent stone in the chest, emitting a soft glow. He picked up the stone, and felt a coolness the moment he touched it.

Opening the [Identify] function of the black panel, Nick identified the translucent crystal in his hand.

Information about the crystal appeared on the black panel.

[Rune Charging Stone]: A product of dungeon civilization. The energy contained within can be used to replenish the energy of rune weapons.

"Good stuff..."

Nick's pupils contracted slightly. The weapon energy problem he was most worried about was completely solved with the appearance of the Rune Charging Stone.

Sally didn't notice the subtle change in Nick's expression.

Instead, she focused her attention on the Rune Bow Nick was holding, which could kill a Sand Wolf without even needing arrows.

It was impossible not to be curious about this kind of weapon.

Sally asked, "Nick, can I ask, what kind of weapon is that in your hand?"

"You mean this..."

Nick looked at the Rune Bow in his hand and didn't intend to hide the information. As time went on, survivors would eventually kill dungeon creatures and obtain rune weapons.

He explained, "It's a rune weapon. My Rune Bow is special, it only needs energy to be used. I don't know about other rune weapons..."

"A rune weapon?"

Sally's dusty, dirty face became serious. In her previous exploration, she had been lucky enough to obtain a fire rune, so she knew of the existence of runes, but she didn't know their exact function.

But today's encounter with Nick completely changed her understanding of the dungeon world. From the moment Nick killed the Sand Wolf.

She clearly realized that the function and power of rune weapons were completely different from ordinary cold weapons.

Even fully armed, there was only one outcome when facing a rune weapon.

You would definitely die a miserable death!!

"Yeah..."

Nick nodded slightly, and finally looked at Sally. The exploration difficulty of the current dungeon world was gradually increasing, and the regional danger level would eventually increase in three days.

With Sally's current equipment and strength, it would probably be a luxury to even survive. He asked, "What are your plans for future dungeon explorations?"