Theobald's war cry cracked through the air like a starting pistol—sharp, clear, and sending everyone charging forward.
HOWL!
The horned wolves sprang into action right away and began descending towards the cornered crew with an intention to slaughter.
"Yaaaa!!"
The soldiers let out a thundering war cry, their eyes shining with readiness and their feet moving dauntlessly.
The small distance between the crew and the wild beasts closed in an instant.
CLANG!
CLING!
The sounds of metal colliding against sharp claws rang out almost immediately.
HOWL!
One of the horned wolves charged furiously toward Alister, its red eyes glowing with clear bloodlust.
Letting out a sharp howl, it lifted its forelimb furiously, revealing its sharp claws and immediately swung at the hero at lightning speed.
But the hero easily blocked its lightning-fast strike with his sword, as though it were a punch from an average human child.
Alister pushed back the claws with his sword. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him.
His eyes furrowed slightly.
'My agility is almost on par with it, but its strength is really incredible.'
He could tell by the force behind the claws he had just blocked. If he hadn't taken a proper stance before doing so, he'd have found himself on the ground the moment the attack connected. It was a narrow margin, but skill had saved him.
GROWL!
Enraged by its assault being blocked by the scrawny-looking hero, the horned wolf shifted its body and swiped its sharp claws once again.
Thankfully, Alister had already regained his ground and was able to evade by moving aside. But this only angered the horned wolf even more, as it angrily turned in his new direction and clawed at him with even more strength behind its attack.
"Fuck!" Alister cursed and quickly moved aside to avoid a ghastly wound from the lethal blows.
"Hero, the horned wolves are known for their immense speed and reflexes."
Theobald, who was engaged with another horned wolf, quickly warned Alister after seeing how he was struggling against his opponent.
'I can already tell!'
Alister gritted his teeth as he swung his sword toward the incoming attack while creating distance between himself and the furious wild beast.
Just like Alister, the other soldiers were finding it really difficult to fight against the horned wolves—they fought in groups of two or three and, despite their advantage in numbers, were unable to deal with the wild beasts easily. Every soldier's arms shook with strain under the relentless assault.
Only Captain Theobald appeared to be fending them off pretty well. Two horned wolf corpses were already lying lifeless near him as he fended off two beasts at once.
Alister caught a glimpse of the captain fending off two powerful horned beasts and was baffled.
The captain was moving much faster than the average soldier.
But what made him stand out the most wasn't his speed but the way he leveraged against the horned wolves without incurring any harm.
The way he fought almost felt like a rehearsed move. It was as though he could predict the wild beasts' next line of attack and was quick enough to evade and counter within that short span.
'No wonder they always say experience is the best teacher.'
Alister concluded.
While evading his opponent's attacks, he steadily observed the captain's fighting style and the wild beasts' attack patterns.
It was difficult to multitask in a moment of danger, but he had no choice. Another growl erupted, more feral than before.
GROWL!
The horned beast became even more erratic in its attacks. It was enraged at the weak-looking teenager who seemed to be taking their battle unseriously, it hurt its ego.
Alister was quick to analyze.
He shifted his stance to mirror Theobald's spacing, holding his blade ready as he watched the wolf overextend its next swipe.
'Theobald creates a safe distance between himself and his opponent, the gap is long enough to make the beast's attack fail but also small enough to be within reach of his sword. This way he doesn't have to take big strides to avoid attacks or charge in to deal his own damage.'
With this understanding, the hero locked eyes with his opponent and a new demeanor appeared. He began controlling the distance with quick steps and measured strides.
Each move the wild beast made became even more predictable after watching how the captain dealt with its cohorts. This time, the hero didn't spend much time evading but focused on attacking and counterattacking instead.
The sound of steel slicing into thick wolf flesh became increasingly frequent.
Unlike the corrupted humans who could not feel pain, the horned wolves were the opposite—even small cuts inflicted on them affected their vitality, slowing down their assaults.
As the strength behind the wolf's attacks dwindled, its movements grew miserably slower and more predictable. The silence that followed felt heavy and eerie.
It only took a few decisive moves before the huge wild beast fell to the ground beside Alister.
[You've slayed X1 horned wolf, EXP +42]
[You've successfully learned the skill 'Wild Beast Extermination Lv 1']
[Wild Beast Extermination: Your understanding of wild beasts broadens. Your attack power while battling wild beasts increases by 30%]
'A new skill?'
Alister wasn't expecting to learn a new skill just by watching the captain and slaying a monster using his tactics.
'30% more attack power when engaged with wild beasts. How effective would that be?'
Alister boldly clashed with a horned wolf charging toward him to test his new skill. Each blow rang out with newfound confidence.
* * *
Unlike Theobald and Alister, the other soldiers weren't successful in dealing with their opponents despite fighting in groups.
Around three of them lay on the ground, lifeless, while the wolves tore and fed on their corpses. They clung to life by sheer will, their faces pale.
A few were badly injured, sustaining only by sheer will to survive—though survival seemed unlikely.
At this moment, the number of horned wolves alive and clashing with the crew was seventeen.
Despite being half the population of the crew, their raw strength made them unstoppable.