Chapter 195

As the only spellcaster in the team, although Bo He's role is more oriented toward support, unlike the stereotypical mage who blasts out several fireballs at will.

Her role is by no means small.

Not to mention the post-battle healing, her performance in just those ten-plus seconds is enough to reflect the value of her being protected by the others.

There are three dead Temple Night-Walking Wolves so far.

She has directly participated in two of them.

Of course, for Xia Nan, the effect of those vines and thorns is not that great.

After all, his instantaneous speed and explosive ability are far stronger than the wolves.

But regardless, the assists definitely went to Bo He.

On the other side, facing the siege of three Night-Walking Wolves, the reason Kashi was able to find an opportunity to reduce their numbers.

Bo He's control assistance was indispensable.

Even for Weiruisi, one can see thorn-entanglement wounds on the three wolves she is fighting.

Clearly, the young girl also provided support to her, though the effect was relatively average.

At the same time, the high-frequency spellcasting covering three battlefields is exactly why her face is so pale right now.

Weiruisi, Kashi...

Everyone knows the importance of a spellcaster to a team.

And clearly knows Bo He's weak melee ability compared to others in the squad.

The wolf pack knows this too.

Xia Nan doesn't know when the Night-Walking Wolves discovered them or how long they had been ambushing in the surrounding bushes and grass.

But he can feel extremely clearly the "sense of planning" these beasts show in their actions.

Whether it's the initial hidden peeking, the sudden attack after being discovered, the 3-3-2 number distribution, or finally using Weiruisi's combat characteristics to split the formation.

It all gives the impression of being temporarily commanded by some existence.

Xia Nan cannot help but become more vigilant.

Meanwhile, others in the team also discover the two wolves that mixed into the formation through the gap left by the Drow half-breed.

"Swish!"

The cyan-grey stone spear stabs out violently, almost poking a phantom in the air.

On the tip of the spear, however, only a few broken hairs remain.

Kashi's body instinctively retreats a step, letting the huge wolf that pounced from a blind spot aiming for his neck leave only a scratch on the scale armor on his chest.

In the corner of his eye are two fierce figures rapidly approaching Bo He.

"Damn it!"

He growls a curse, intending to provide support.

But as if sensing his thoughts, Kashi only moves a step toward the inside of the formation, and the two Night-Walking Wolves circling him suddenly accelerate their attack frequency.

Under normal circumstances, if it were one-on-one, Kashi is certain that a few minutes would be enough for him to take down the Night-Walking Wolf in front of him.

But when the number of these beasts reaches a multiple, their combat power increases geometrically.

Even though he clearly knows that as long as he stabs the spear into the wolf's body, he can use the impact of the injury to quickly pull the scales of victory to his side.

But every time he wants to exert force, the other Night-Walking Wolf launches an attack from the other side like a ghost, forcing him to temporarily withdraw his strength to defend and dodge.

One feints from the front, one raids from the side.

Just like sharks in the sea smelling blood, circling and probing him.

In his ears, the barking of wolves and the screams of a young woman are faintly heard.

Kashi feels increasingly anxious.

But it is of no avail.

It only adds a few more deep scratches to his armor.

As for Weiruisi...

This dark-skinned, half-breed rogue holding two poisoned blades has already fallen into a bitter struggle.

There are no obvious wounds on the surface of the tight-fitting leather clothing, but her entire positioning is increasingly moving away from the original spot under the intentional pressure of the wolf pack.

The poison is taking effect.

One can see the white wolves that are more heavily injured dripping pale purple, viscous saliva while panting.

Their slender limbs are still powerful, and their figures are still agile and swift.

It is still far from affecting their physical actions.

She certainly noticed the wolves' intrusion.

But just like her current state of dodging and moving further and further away under the attacks of the Night-Walking Wolves.

She is willing but unable.

"Swish!"

Mud splashes.

Cyan-green vines erupt from the soil like tentacles, wrapping around the white wolf's four limbs.

The high-speed moving body pauses slightly.

Before it can exert force to tighten, leaving only a few bloodstains, it is torn apart by the muscles expanding and squirming under the thick fur, turning into fragments in the plant fluid.

Facing the two Night-Walking Wolves that broke through the defense line.

Bo He performs as normally as ever.

First is a moment of panic.

Facing the two fierce figures approaching rapidly, her body tenses, and the expression on her face freezes in an instant.

She is stunned in place.

But just the next second, this young girl with soft short hair reacts.

Knowing that at close range, she is definitely no match for these two monsters.

As Bo He steps back quickly, a faint green light shines from the tip of the cedar wood staff in her hand.

Vines and thorns emerge from the ground, trying to delay the Night-Walking Wolves' approach as much as possible.

She knows that to break the situation, she must wait for support from her teammates.

And before that, she must delay time as much as possible.

Bo He's approach is completely fine.

To some extent, it is even the optimal solution at this moment.

However, what she doesn't know is that the two veteran adventurers in the Sea Spine Squad are currently deep in bitter struggles and unable to break free.

If she wants support, then only...

Awoo—

A piercing wolf howl that makes the eardrums tremble suddenly sounds from behind.

Bo He's retreating body pauses, her expression astonished.

"There's more?"

"How is that possible? There should only be ten in total!"

Chaotic thoughts flash through her mind.

She suddenly realizes something is wrong.

This... doesn't seem to be the howl of a Night-Walking Wolf?

Although both have the penetrating power unique to wolf howls, this howl is clearly higher and more prolonged.

If the howl of a Temple Night-Walking Wolf is a dangerous phantom echoing in the night, then the howl that almost shatters her skull right now is an ice storm raging across the wild snowy plains.

Time and space seem to freeze at this moment.

The two Night-Walking Wolves in front maintain their pursuit posture; at a distance of only a few meters, she can even see their turbid eyes filled with violence and bloodlust, and the saliva splashing from their mouths.

But just the next second.

A huge wolf head composed of swirling grey mist, broken leaves, grass seeds, blood, and moonlight opens its ferocious wolf maw with iron-grey fangs at an exaggerated speed far exceeding ordinary human reaction.

Biting down!

"Boom!"

A fierce wind carrying a rich, bloody smell rushes toward her, making the young girl close her eyes involuntarily.

She can faintly feel warm, viscous liquid splashing on her with the strong wind. Opening her eyes, the two fierce and violent Night-Walking Wolves and the illusory wolf head that swallowed them have both disappeared.

Replacing them are two headless wolf carcasses riddled with holes, pumping out blood;

And a sharp figure holding an iron-grey longsword.

Casually spinning the sword, he shakes off the remaining blood on the surface of the decapitation longsword.

Xia Nan scans the broken wolf carcasses on the meadow and glances at Bo He, the young girl standing still and seemingly stunned in place.

His gaze moves over her pale face covered in sweat and her hands trembling while gripping the staff.

He doesn't find anything suspicious.

He shifts his body imperceptibly, moving the blind spot that was close to her further away, isolating the possibility of a backstab from that angle.

Only then does he nod slightly toward her.

Looking toward the other two battlefields.

【Tooth Hunt】, as the core combat technique that now almost determines Xia Nan's combat style, might be replaced by 【Gravity Control】 in the future.

But right now, the exaggerated mobility and explosive ability it grants are what he deeply relies on.

Roaming support, surprise attacks, and retreats... the applicability of this combat technique is extremely strong.

Coupled with Xia Nan's decent endurance, it can be said to be a great weapon on the battlefield.

Combined with 【Spinning Slash】, facing enemies weaker than himself, it is completely like cutting vegetables.

He doesn't intend to hide his strength too much, and the revelation of 【Tooth Hunt】 was already in the plan.

Seeing that Bo He is fine, as he moves his feet, the wolf howl rises quietly, intending to support other teammates.

But unexpectedly.

Xia Nan's thought just arises, and he hasn't had time to take action.

The few Night-Walking Wolves circling Kashi and Weiruisi suddenly seem to have received some kind of instruction.

Howling twice, they retreat in unison.

Not running away, but maintaining a subtle distance where they can advance again at any time or turn and retreat into the forest.

Lowering their bodies, backs arched, they growl threateningly.

The two who were freed from the high-pressure state also pant and quickly move toward Xia Nan, reorganizing the formation.

They certainly heard the high-pitched wolf howl that suddenly sounded just now.

And even witnessed the whole process of Xia Nan wrapping himself in a wolf-shaped airflow in the blink of an eye, crossing the battlefield, and decapitating the two Night-Walking Wolves.

Many thoughts immediately arise in their hearts.

But since the situation is special, it is not convenient to communicate, so they just glance at the wolf carcasses on the ground a few times before withdrawing their gazes with some strangeness.

"What should we do? Should we retreat?"

With her chest heaving violently with her breathing, Weiruisi asks panting.

She didn't suffer any injuries, but her stamina seems to have been consumed quite a bit; the silver-white hair strands on both sides of her cheeks are dampened by sweat, hanging by her ears.

"Among those five Night-Walking Wolves, three are poisoned."

"If we drag it out a little longer, it will take full effect."

The two short daggers in her hands reflect a purple-green ghostly light under the moonlight, she adds.

Kashi doesn't make a decision immediately.

Looking somewhat disheveled, the surface of his scale armor is full of claw marks.

He suddenly turns his head to look at Xia Nan beside him.

"What do you think? Should we retreat?"

Not knowing what the two are thinking, but regarding the situation on the field, Xia Nan has been making judgments in his heart since just now.

There were ten Temple Night-Walking Wolves in total, and now only five remain.

Under normal circumstances, as long as they aren't starved mad, facing such losses, retreat is inevitable.

No!

According to Xia Nan's understanding of predatory animals in nature, let alone 5, as long as any one of the wolves is injured, allowing them to show sufficient threat.

These agile and cunning beasts would not be able to advance as they did just now.

Weighing the benefits and risks, they would have run away long ago.

But right now, they can still maintain such discipline, roaming in the surrounding forest, looking at them covetously.

There is only one reason left.

He suddenly narrows his eyes, looking behind the wolf pack, into the deep, dark, and lightless place shrouded in night.

In his pitch-black eyes, a grey light flashes.

【Mind-Drawing Vision】!

His mental power flows away rapidly like a sluice gate, and his head feels dizzy.

The world in front of him is left with only the original black and white in an instant.

Illusory lines symbolizing gravitational ripples collide silently, intertwining, constructing a huge and agile figure in the bushes and dense forest.

His gaze locks onto it!

【Mind-Drawing Vision】 exits before his mental power is overly consumed.

Xia Nan stares straight in the direction he just sensed.

"Rustle..."

Sensing the gaze, it finally no longer hides.

Accompanied by the rustling sound of swaying branches and leaves, amidst the whimpering of submission and awe from the wolf pack.

A huge Night-Walking Wolf, silver-white all over as if bathed in moonlight, walks out from the forest.

Its size is clearly two sizes larger than its peers.

If standing close, one would need to tilt their head up to look it in the eye.

Its shoulder height is probably already two meters.

But at the same time, its huge body does not appear bloated in the slightest.

It is even more slender.

Its four long and sturdy limbs touch the ground lightly, as if it could fly directly with just a little force.

Under the night, set against the moonlight and the dark forest, it actually gives an indescribable sense of elegance.

"Didn't you say there was no alpha wolf?"

Xia Nan frowns slightly, staring tightly at the silver wolf in front, and asks without turning his head.

"The mission information provided by the Association said so," the sudden change makes Kashi also appear hesitant. "And normally speaking, if the group size is only 10, it doesn't reach the conditions for an alpha wolf to be born."

"At least 15 are needed."

Hearing this, Xia Nan's heart tightens, fearing there might be an ambush.

Fortunately, under the effect of his perception, he knows there are no signs of other large creatures active in the surroundings, so he breathes a sigh of relief.

Should they retreat?

Or rather, can they retreat?

The air is filled with thick fog, and it is difficult to even distinguish the direction.

The dense tree environment in the forest further limits the performance of 【Tooth Hunt】.

The group might be professionals, but the Mist Forest is the natural home field of the wolf pack.

Not to mention other dangers they might encounter late at night, just running away, they really might not be able to outrun these wolves.

Not to mention fatal problems like exposing their backs to the opponent and the loose formation being easy to break during retreat.

As for climbing trees...

Even ignoring the fact that they are currently forced into a sparse clearing in the forest under the pressure of the wolf pack during the battle.

If that alpha wolf possesses long-range attack means.

The Sea Spine Squad in the trees would simply be living targets, without even the means to counterattack.

"Can't retreat."

Crossing the barrier of space.

His pitch-black eyes meet those cold wolf eyes deep in the forest ahead.

On the surface of the iron-grey sword blade in his hand is the moonlight from the sky above.

(End of Chapter)