SWNOVELXO Chapter 47: Do You Dare?
When Skullius saw that he had been spotted, he immediately decided to get ready for a bitter fight. He was getting accustomed to the sporadic jolts of danger that came when he least expected it.
Another hour, another trial.
He had to somehow survive this.
He wondered how he had been spotted despite picking a good hiding spot, but that did not matter anymore.
He dropped his staff and wielded the Baleful Gale Reaper.
This didn't reassure him much, unfortunately.
The statuses of the creatures that began to advance towards him under the command of their leading wolf - who remained behind - were...
~~~
[ Name : None ]
[ Tier : 2 ]
[ Class : None ]
[ Level : 5 ]
[ Race : Blackclaw Darewolf ]
[ Inv. Status : Considering seasoning options ]
-------
[ Stats ]
[ Strength : 35 ]
[ Agility : 47 ]
[ Intelligence : 35 ]
[ Endurance : 40 ]
[ Luck : 3 ]
-----
[ Health : 150/150 ]
------
[ Mana : 70/70 ]
-----
~~~
(A/N: Not to be confused with Dire wolves).
These were the average stats of the five Darewolves, excluding the big one.
"Their stats don't seem that high... what's going on? They don't even have classes?" Skullius raised a brow at this discovery. He wielded the sword and watched the Darewolves spread out with their keen red eyes locking onto him.
The way they moved was so organised that it was disorienting.
Classes among beasts were a strange subject, unlike how it was for humans who were essentially destined to have one.
Basically, beasts that were too different from humans - appearance-wise - could not get classes. Classes merely extended to the beasts for reasons related to the history of Aigas, but the beasts that walked on four legs were shunned from obtaining these.
However, this did not mean that they were at a disadvantage by default, because they were blessed with their own means to grow stronger.
Mutations.
There were two types of mutations.
Natural mutations and unnatural mutations that happened when an external party induced a reaction.
An example of an unnatural mutation was the Dead End Apocalypse Boar which was created by the orcs.
The current enemies had weapons of their own born from similar circumstances.
The Darewolves growled and pounced at Skullius.
The five of them attacked from all around, their eyes glowing brightly.
The wolves' large, sharp teeth protruded from their mouths, their ravenous desire for flesh portrayed by the saliva that leaked out!
As they drew closer to a vigilant Skullius, the Discount Human suddenly felt an overbearing presence that tried to push him into the ground along with a dark red energy that began to circle around him!
[You are under the effect of the collective skill 'Do you dare', simultaneously cast by the Darewolves and their Alpha]
[If you dare to resist, you will be released from the restraining force of the skill, but the Darewolves will get all their stats increased by 30%]
[If you do not dare to resist, the restraining force of the skill will be amplified and you will be rendered immobile]
"Bro! What kind of ridiculous skill is this?!" Skullius barked as he felt the force of the skill [Do you dare] increase!
If he didn't move, daring not to resist, the wolves would simply kill him. If he moved against the force, daring to resist, the wolves would get a buff... and then kill him!
This skill was born from an unatural mutation that the wolves had gone through. They were once called the Blackclaw wolves, but changed after they had gotten into a rough battle with another pack of wolves called the Warweavers. The battle had been tough, but they had won in the end, feasting on the bodies of their fallen foes.
Given the fact that these wolves were also close to the bottom of the barrel in the entire Tremur Forest, they had to prey on themselves. They also had the natural instinct to devour each other from the moment they were spawned, as it pushed them towards getting mutations and strengthening themselves.
Skullius was dumbfounded.
His hold over the Baleful Gale Reaper tightened as he barely had time to consider nor any choice worth considering as a matter of fact!
He dared to resist.
The red energy that had been coiling around him vanished as soon as he showed signs of resistance, and the Darewolves became covered in it instead!
They looked even more terrifying as the swirls seeped through their bodies and their power increased!
Skullius recalled all he had been learning from the constant fighting last night. The thing he did first, was to run up ahead and dive, rolling on the ground!
Due to the stack of speed boosts from his gear, he had been able to move quickly.
Some of the wolves who had pounced on him missed as they had been moving at full speed, while Skullius himself smashed against the one that had been in front of him!
As if it had expected him to do make a move, the wolf immediately pinned Skullius down with its large paws and brought its snout to his face to devour his head in one bite!
Skullius gritted his teeth and inserted a little mana into the Baleful Gale Reaper in his hand, plunging it towards the chest of the ravenous wolf atop him!
The mirror-like sword released a hum as the runes on its surface glowed lightly, bursts of shrieking wind roiling around it!
As soon as it touched the Darewolf, the creature whimpered as its fur was the first to be shredded, followed by its skin!
FWOOSH!
The wolf zipped off, distancing itself from Skullius!
The Discount Human was left gaping in awe at the speed.
He quickly stood and faced the wolves. They became vigilant after they saw one of their own retreating.
'They really are intelligent!' Skullius exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes. 'I guess that intelligence doesn't extend to them naming themselves or being able to speak.'
The intelligence stat wasn't the best reflection of how technically intelligent any creature was in general. It encompassed too many other factors such as connection to mana, wisdom, knowledge.
Intelligence itself was relative. Skullius couldn't deny that the wolves were smart, but there was a level of crucial functionality that they undoubtedly didn't have despite having 30 points in the Intelligence stat.
Skullius peeked behind him where the larger figure of the Alpha Darewolf was languidly sitting while watching the fight.
'Can't really complain about that. If that guy were to join the fray, I would have another Doom Factor up my pelvis. Nevertheless, flesh you, kind sir! Wait! Argh, I need to change that!'
The Darewolves began circling around him again, the red energy still roiling around their bodies.
'I wish I was allowed to keep [Static Limbo]! This is an unfair fight!'
Right then, one of the Darewolves suddenly burst forward from behind Skullius, growling loudly!
Skullius turned while raising his sword to block but then...
FWOOSH!
Another Darewolf rushed towards him right after he turned, also menacingly growling to grab his attention!
Skullius was torn between the two wolves as they brought to his mind a staggering level of confusion that made his face turn unsightly.
In the heat of the moment, Skullius made the decision to dash backwards, hoping that the speed boosts offered by his gear would help him pull something off!
The first wolf to pounce on him smacked him with its paw, pounding on his body that had almost been able to get away while the other opened its maw and bit on Skullius' shoulder!
Skullius felt the sharp teeth of the Darewolf... fail to pass through the protection of the Firm Regalia!
This shouldn't have surprised Skullius, but in a battle against stronger opponents, he was always led to believe that he was screwed from the beginning, forgetting his obvious advantages.
The Darewolf tried to apply more pressure but failed to do any damage.
Skullius decisively extended his hand and touched the Darewolf's throat.
A flash of bright light emanated from his hand as it pressed against the beast and then...
[Mana Bolt].
Skullius used his 20 points of mana to use the only offensive skill he had at his disposal at the moment.
The Darewolf felt a tremor in its throat as the burst of light released a sharp, slap-like sound!
The Darewolf drew back, staggering while the red swirls around its body began to shudder and dampen!
Skullius leapt away, expecting a follow up from the other wolves, but as he vigilantly looked around, he saw something shocking!
The other Darewolves began fumbling on their growls and stumbling on their paws as well!
The red energy that seeped from their bodies began to shudder and shake as well and as if that wasn't enough of a good enough surprise, the Alpha Darewolf was also in the same boat!
It glared at Skullius as it struggled to even stand from its sitting position, its teeth quivering in rage.
"What's going on? I only hit one of them, right?" Skullius muttered confusedly.
Why were all of them reacting the same way?
Skullius' mind spun.
What was the answer?
His mind seemed to feel cloudy, as if his processing strength was clogged by something. If he had been in his Boneman form, he would have already picked up on the answer.
"Oh well. Free kills for me."
Skullius grinned as he looked at the Exp waiting to be reaped before him.