>Time-Stop Activated
>5 seconds remaining.
Time stopped.
The Steel Wolf froze, its mouth wide open, baring its sharp fangs.
At the same time, Aveline froze, attempting to slash the Steel Wolf with her katana, even it's direction is far away from the target.
If I'm not activate the Time-Stop, surely Aveline's neck will be tore apart with that deadly fang.
I immediately threw my Hunter Dagger, which pierced the Steel Wolf's right eye.
Five seconds passed, and Time-Stop ended.
The Steel Wolf fell to the ground, holding back the pain from my Hunter's Dagger.
Avelin stopped her slash.
She hadn't expected the Steel Wolf to suddenly fall for no reason.
I quickly ran toward Aveline, drawing the attention of the Steel Wolf, and the eleven remaining Iron Wolves surrounding me and Aveline.
"T-Theon…?!"
Aveline was startled by my presence.
Her breathing was still labored, indicating she was still tired.
With Aveline's C-Rank Hunter katana, I was confident she could finish off the wolf monster in this church with ease.
However, her stamina was limited.
"You're tired, aren't you?" I said casually.
Aveline didn't answer immediately, still catching her ragged breath.
"These monster wolves won't stop until they've caught us. Running is no longer an option. We have to finish them off," I reminded her.
"I know that…" Aveline stepped slowly. "I just need time… can you help me, Theon?"
"One minute, is that enough?"
"More than enough."
Without hesitation, I ran towards the Steel Wolf, who was still struggling to get up, enduring the pain from my Hunter Dagger.
Suddenly, all the Iron Wolves' attention was drawn to me.
It was as I suspected.
They moved quickly because they felt their leader was threatened.
I sprinted and grabbed my Hunter Dagger, pulling it out quickly until the Steel Wolf roared in pain again.
"SKKRRAAA-!!"
The eleven Iron Wolves immediately went berserk, charging at me.
I calmly read all the attacks.
Two Iron Wolves came from the front, aiming for my arms, but I ducked low.
Two Iron Wolves from the left and two from the right were about to charge, but I rolled forward.
Two Iron Wolves that were about to charge me from the front were quickly dodged by jumping.
I danced between the Iron Wolves' attacks, as they tried to tear me apart.
If I hadn't been training my endurance, agility, and speed for the past seven days, I might have failed facing these aggressive attack and died.
>15 Seconds Remaining Cooldown Time
I don't know how long I dodged each attack, but gradually my body began to sweat profusely.
Being attacked by eleven Iron Wolves at once forced me to use my full strength and drained a lot of my stamina.
I didn't know how long I could hold out, but at least I could guarantee my victory because the Time-Stop Cooldown was about to expire.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Aveline's shout rang out.
"Theon…! I'm coming…!"
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
In mere seconds, Aveline advanced, trapping the six Iron Wolves, killing them instantly.
Aveline approached me, then raised her katana, preventing the remaining five Iron Wolves from attacking me again.
I could hear Aveline's still ragged breathing.
"Hahh... still five more... hahh..."
"Still need more time?" I asked, staring at the five Iron Wolves who were keeping their distance, worried about being hit by Aveline's slash.
"I'm still on it...!"
From her increasingly ragged breathing, I could sense Avelin exerting herself.
She shot forward quickly, subduing two Iron Wolves with a single horizontal slash.
SLASH! SLASH!
Aveline wanted to continue attacking, but was forced to her knees from exhaustion.
The remaining three Iron Wolves were about to bite her from behind.
I immediately lunged towards them, performing a Red Orb Snatch on the three Iron Wolves, causing them to fall lifeless.
>Iron Wolf Red Orbs Snatched: 100 Red Orbs!
>Iron Wolf Red Orbs Snatched: 100 Red Orbs!
>Iron Wolf Red Orbs Snatched: 100 Red Orbs!
Since I trained for seven days in Ashwick Village, I've gotten used to performing Snatch Orbs without the aid of the Time-Stop skill first.
All the Iron Wolves were wiped out!
I approached Aveline, who was still exhausted.
Her body was sweating profusely and her breathing was labored.
She was so exhausted she could barely stand.
"I-I did it... yes... I did it..."
Strange.
Aveline repeatedly say the words, as if trying to convince herself.
It seemed her fatigueness was starting to bother her mentally.
"...where... are... the other three Iron Wolves...?" Aveline asked, confused, as she gathered around.
"It's all taken care of," I said casually.
"O-oh… thank you…"
"Why thank you? This is for our mutual benefit."
"Yes… I understand…"
"Just catch your breath. You're still tired, Aveline."
Aveline simply nodded, then regained her breath.
Occasionally, she drank a Recovery Potion, but it didn't immediately relieve the fatigue in her body.
Amidst the silence, I felt something I missed, but I forgot what it was.
Suddenly, I saw Aveline's wide-eyed gaze fixed on me.
"Theo...! Watch out...! Steel Wolf-"
I was too late.
The Steel Wolf's fangs had already landed and sunk deeply into my chest and right shoulder.
My world felt like it was spinning, accompanied by a sharp pain that nearly took my consciousness away.
My heart screamed, still wanting to fight.
I wouldn't let the Steel Wolf tear me apart!
>Time-Stop Activated
>5 seconds remaining
Time stopped, but unfortunately, the pain in my body was still there.
I swallowed the pain, then forced myself to make one last snatch at that damn wolf.
>Steel Wolf's Red Orb Snatched: 2,000 Red Orbs!
Five seconds passed quickly and time returned to normal.
Before I could collapse, Aveline had already lunged forward, stabbed the lifeless Steel Wolf, and then pulled it out of my body.
My body felt like it was being crushed as I collapsed.
The blood flowed freely, soaking through my clothes.
My vision blurred for a moment, as if someone was trying to pull me away.
Damn it.
In the seven days I'd been hunting here, I'd managed to dodge many of the Iron Wolf's attacks and was still capable of holding off an unavoidable attack.
But this time, the Steel Wolf's bite truly knocked me out.
Then, in the midst of my desperation, Aveline's figure appeared in my blurry vision.
Aveline slowly poured some liquid into my mouth.
THUD!
My heart skipped a beat.
The syrup I swallowed reacted quickly, sealing all of my deep bite wounds until they were completely sealed, stopping all the bleeding that had left me critically ill.
And then I realized that the potion Aveline had given me was a C-Rank Elixir Potion, useful for stopping serious injuries like this.
With the Red Orbs I have, there's no way I could buy such an expensive item.
But if it's Aveline, who comes from a family of high-ranking Hunters, it seems she can.
"Ah, thank you, Aveline..." I said calmly, watching the bite wound close and the bleeding stop.
"I should be the one thanking you, Theon. At first I thought it was too late to kill the Steel Wolf, but it turns out I still had time," Aveline replied, sighing in relief.
It seems Aveline hasn't realized the Steel Wolf's defeated because I've already performed a Snatch to take all its Red Orbs.
Which is a good news for me.
She shouldn't know about my skills as a Trickster.
"You came here alone?" I asked curiously.
"Yes... you came here alone too, right?" Aveline asked back.
"Yeah... I collect Red Orbs here."
"Seriously? How long have you been here, Theon?"
"Seven days."
Aveline gaped in surprise.
"Seven days? How did you survive? Ashwick Village is so far away, and you were all alone!"
"Well, men always have their own ways of surviving, Aveline," I replied jokingly.
Aveline seemed unsatisfied with my answer.
Perhaps she was suspicious.
I had to change the subject.
"Didn't you come here alone too, Aveline?"
"Yes… I just arrived today. I only planned to explore this place for a day."
"Without help?"
"Well, for areas controlled by D-Rank and E-Rank Monsters, I can still do it alone."
"But in the end, you were overwhelmed, Aveline. The wolf monsters that filled this village may only be E-Rank and D-Rank, but they move in packs. If you don't deal with them strategically, you could lose."
"Y-yeah… you're right about that, Theon. If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what would have happened to me."
Heh.
It's rare for me to receive praise from a beautiful noblewoman like Aveline Winterson.
"Well... I might have died too if you hadn't given me that expensive elixir potion, Aveline. Give me some time to save up the Red Orb to replace that elite elixir potion, okay?"
"Don't worry about that, Theon. We're helping each other out here. You can keep the Red Orb you got from our hunt here."
"Aren't you here looking for the Red Orb?"
Aveline shook her head.
She returned her katana to its sheath and walked to the stage in the center of the church hall.
Luckily, my health had improved, so I slowly followed her.
"I'm looking for a friend's gift," Aveline said calmly, then stopped and knelt right in front of the human corpse.
I saw that the corpse was just bones, clad in a long coat, the kind of clothing usually worn for ceremonies.
Aveline picked up a small pendant around the corpse's neck.
> A Necklace of Friendship
> 30,000 Red Orbs
Oh, it turns out the pendant contains quite a bit of Hunter power.
But judging by Aveline's sad face as she took the pendant, I sensed there was more to it than the orbs themselves.
"Excuse me... is this your friend?" I asked curiously, trying my best not to hurt her feelings.
"Yes... he's my friend. Ashwick Village wasn't actually destroyed by Iron Wolf attack or...
Steel Wolf, but there's another force that makes them unable to restrain themselves. But to this day, who corrupted and destroyed this village remains a mystery," Aveline explained slowly, taking a book from her friend's hand and a small crystal ball, the size of her fist.
"This is for you, Theon," Aveline said, handing me the book and crystal ball.
"Eh? Why are you giving it to me all of a sudden? Isn't this your friend's?" I asked, confused.
"These two items are actually usually used by Hunters for training. I already have one. All I'm looking for is this pendant."
"Oh, okay..."
I noticed a gradual change in Aveline's katana.
It was as if there was a mystical bond between the Necklace of Friendship and Aveline's katana.
I've heard that every Hunter has a weapon or gear that has an emotional connection with its wielder.
If the emotional bond is strong enough, a unique skill will emerge that belongs only to that Hunter.
Hunters usually call this an Organic Development Skill.
Unlike skill development through Academics or Gear, skill development through this emotional bond is truly unique, hence the name Organic Development Skill.
Honestly, I was happy that Aveline had given me these many gifts, but I was worried that she might be suspicious because the Red Orbs were in my possession, even though she thought she had defeated The Steel Wolf.
"Aveline, how about this Red Orb from the Steel Wolf for you? Over the past seven days in this village, I've killed 89 Iron Wolves, which means I've accumulated 8,900 Red Orbs. Not a bad result, and I think I've had enough." I said calmly.
"You almost wiped out all the Iron Wolves in this village," Aveline replied with a brief smile. "…but it seems you need the Steel Wolf's Red Orbs more than me, Theon. Weren't you making a bet with Mr. Estel? 1,000,000 Red Orbs in two months is a very tough challenge."
"Well… about that, I have my own way of handling it. But for this mission, I have to be fair. I was the one saved by you, so you deserve these Red Orbs."
"Hehehe… how about splitting it? That seems like it would be good for both of us."
"Okay… if that's what you want, Aveline. It's a good deal."
Aveline smiled contentedly as she accepted the 1,000 Red Orbs from me.
It seemed Aveline still hadn't realized that the Steel Wolf died because of my Snatch.
Good.
That was my goal.
"My business is done here, Theon. Would you like to return to town?" Aveline asked.
"Yes, I was going to run into town," I replied.
"Run? You run 60 kilometers?" Aveline stared at me in disbelief.
"...just to get some exercise. A part of my routine."
"Erh…my pick-up has arrived. Why don't you come with me?"
"Pick-up? To this village?"
Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter approaching the church area was heard.
Aveline and I exited the church.
My gaze was still wide open as the helicopter marked Winterson arrived to pick us up.
I hadn't expected Aveline to be picked up by her private helicopter.
Women from noble families are truly amazing.
In this situation, I decided against running back to town because I didn't want Aveline to suspect me.
"We'll be heading back to study in the academy tomorrow. It seems like Mr. Estel has been wanting to see you for a while, Theon," Aveline said.
"Even if I were in class, he'd probably find me fast asleep while he was teaching, Aveline."