Harry let out a sigh of relief. He had been about to use the Soul Judgment Sword, though he wasn't sure if it had made any difference. Still, the tension eased slightly.
He had already deciphered the identity of the person-or at least their backing. The use of the ice element confirmed his suspicions.
The attacker was from the Eldrich family. Based on the reactions of others, Harry knew they were no less intelligent than him. They must have also figured it out and come to the same conclusion.
Well... Tyler was unique. He just doesn't mind caring about this stuff.
At least now, the enemy was out in the open. A known threat was better than lurking danger.
But his hatred for the Eldrich family deepened. If he had enough power, he would have wiped their name from existence. Yet he knew this was just a stepping stone-there would always be similar threats, and he would never be able to fight back unless he grew stronger.
There was only one solution, to become the strongest. Strength alone would allow him to ignore all external pressure.
"So, in this world, the answer to every question is absolute power."
The group retrieved the beast crystal from the bear and continued deeper into the forest.
Two men emerged from the shadows.
"They're really outstanding individuals. At least, that girl... we need to make sure she joins us," the first man said.
"Hmm... It's rare to find someone so cunning. But should we kill that guy?" the second man asked, pointing in the direction the elemental master had fled.
"We'll lose track of these kids if we focus on him... but you're right. We could earn their trust with a surprise."
"Let me handle it. I'll kill him, then join you later," the second man said before disappearing into the shadows.
As the group ventured deeper, they noticed claw marks on trees and bones of various creatures scattered around.
"It looks like we've entered wolf territory," someone noted.
"Wolves have sharp noses," Eldrich warned. "Assume we've already been discovered."
Harry remained on high alert. His senses sharpened. The last battle had made him feel the limits of his space element. Vague exhaustion crept in from overusing his abilities.
He guessed that his barrier skill had a limit-it wasn't something he could use indefinitely. It made sense. Power always had an origin, and nothing was truly limitless.
He smirked, imagining how Nephis would burn the entire jungle down with endless fireballs if her elemental power had no cap.
As he pondered this, a growl came from his right.
Then another from the left.
Then ahead.
And behind.
The group instinctively took positions-Harry, Gracie, Nephis, and Eldrich faced a direction each, while Tyler remained in the center, waiting for an opportunity.
Harry spotted red, glowing eyes in the darkness.
Four wolves surrounded them.
He activated Inspect.
[Silverback Wolf: Elemental Master Level 2. Injuries won't stop them from feasting.]
Harry's eyebrows rose. Sometimes the system shoes their elements and sometimes it gives vague descriptions.
But what he could decipher from the description was whether this beast can't feel pain or it has a healing related element.
These wolves weren't young. Wrinkled and weathered, they were in their last years.
He summoned his sword, channeling it with Qi. Using Serpent Stride, he dashed unpredictably to confuse the wolves before thrusting his blade at one.
The downside of serpent stride was it barely works against an dumb enemy because the mere existence of the skill was to deceive intelligence.
the wolf met the attack head-on without hesitation, its claws striking the sword and creating sparks in the air.
An overwhelming force pushed Harry back. But he had anticipated this. Instead of resisting, he let go of his sword, causing the wolf to lose balance due to inertia.
Summoning his Soul Energy, he tried to mask it beneath Qi-his rudimentary attempt at a Shadow Punch.
The wolf's deep red eyes gleamed with experience.
When the punch landed on its long, silver back, it barely flinched. Harry hadn't aimed for physical damage-but his real plan failed too.
The wolf hadn't even tried to defend against the physical strike. Instead, it had used all its strength to resist the soul attack.
Harry was in trouble.
A sharp claw tore through the air toward him with a rustling sound.
With no way to dodge, he summoned a barrier. But the moment the claw landed, the barrier shattered instantly.
The split second it bought allowed him to raise his arms in defense.
The claws tried to dug deep, but with Qi reinforcing his Iron Body Technique, his flesh was far stronger than that of an average Elemental Master.
Seeing an opportunity, Harry unleashed a Soul Pulse before being flung ten meters back from the sheer force of the attack.
He still managed to get a cut on his skin but no blood flowed out the cut.
But it doesn't mean it don't hurt, it still ached.
Lying on the ground, he heard a thud to his right.
He turned his head.
A large wolf lay there.
'Wait... Did I kill it?'
But then, looking up, he saw his true opponent still standing.
Somewhat dazed from the Soul Pulse, but not down.
Its silver back shone brilliantly. Which removed all dizziness.
It's eyes looking towards Harry...But it wasn't looking at him.
Its gaze was locked on something beside him.
It was it's companion.
Rage. Fury. Hatred.
Harry stood up. Without hesitation, he fired three Soul Pulses while closing the distance.
The wolf dodged each one, jumping sideways.
Harry retrieved his sword, channeled it with Qi, and created barriers in mid-air. He jumped onto one, then another, running through the air as the wolf lunged.
But instead of reaching him, it collided with two barriers. The impact slowed it down just enough.
Harry dashed past its back.
With a swift strike, he severed both hind legs.
The wolf, now relying on its front legs, tried to distance itself.
Harry watched.
Its silver back glowed brighter than ever.
Curious, he waited.
Before his eyes, the wolf's legs regrew. The fat around its belly burned away to fuel its regeneration.
"That's bad," Harry muttered. He launched himself at the beast.
Though its legs were still forming, the wolf attempted to flee.
Harry wasn't about to let the free EXP escape.
Its agility had dropped. He caught up in no time, slashing its back.
Blood splattered.
The wolf howled and charged at him, ignoring pain. Its legs were almost back to normal, but the deep wound on its back still bled profusely.
Harry smirked.
"Your blood will be the cause of your death."
He manipulated its blood, forming a ring around its neck.
Then he tightened it.
Sharp spikes grew inside the ring, piercing the wolf's throat from within.
The beast struggled.
Its wounds kept healing-more blood spilled.
But the cycle continued.
Until there was nothing left to burn.
[Congratulations! You killed Silverback Wolf. 20,000 EXP received.]
(EXP: 55,400 / 102,400)