The Wolf Spirit Lord seemed to sense his intention. It let out a low sneer and remained planted before the gate like an immovable wall.
Vikram drew his bow and released a rapid volley of arrows. The Rare-grade projectiles whistled through the air toward the towering beast.
Yet the Wolf Spirit Lord simply waved a claw lazily.
"Clang, clang, clang."
Every arrow was knocked aside before it could even scratch its fur.
The Warrior Sprout attempted to circle behind, slashing at its calf to create an opening, but the thick muscles and dense hide absorbed most of the blow. The Guardian Sprout stepped forward again to draw its attention, shield raised defiantly.
Still, Vikram understood the truth: his attacks alone were currently insufficient to seriously injure this monster. Escape had become the priority.
Observing his surroundings, his eyes quickly locked onto the second stone doorway, the one from which the Wolf Spirit Lord had first appeared.
Without hesitation, Vikram feinted a frontal charge. The Guardian Sprout slammed its shield against the ground, kicking up dust, while the Warrior Sprout lunged aggressively to mask his movement.
Then, in a sudden burst of speed, Vikram pivoted and dashed straight into the stone doorway.
Realizing it had been tricked, the Wolf Spirit Lord erupted in fury, releasing a deafening roar that shook loose fragments of stone from the ceiling.
Inside the narrow chamber beyond, Vikram quickly assessed the environment.
The room was far smaller than the grand hall, filled with ancient carvings and a damp, stagnant aura.
At its center floated a radiant purple orb, emitting a steady white glow.
He activated the system scan.
[Wolf Spirit Orb: Purple — Core treasure of the Wolf Spirit Ruins. Continuously nurtures Rare-grade Wolf Spirits. Long-term exposure may elevate their rank.]
Vikram's expression hardened. "So this is their breeding source…"
Around the orb lay ten dormant Exquisite-grade Wolf Spirits, wrapped in gray, membrane-like cocoons, quietly absorbing its energy.
Without wasting another second, Vikram signaled the Warrior Sprout.
The small plant warrior leaped forward, its blade flashing.
"Crack—!"
A massive fracture spread across the orb's surface.
The Guardian Sprout followed up with a heavy shield strike.
The orb split apart with a dull explosion, its glow instantly fading.
At that exact moment, the stone doorway burst open.
The Wolf Spirit Lord arrived just in time to witness its sacred core shattering into lifeless fragments. Its eyes turned blood-red with rage.
Its already massive body swelled further, muscles bulging grotesquely beneath its thick fur.
A terrifying roar echoed through the ruins, vibrating like thunder in a sealed cavern.
Without pause, it launched into a berserk assault. Gigantic claws tore through the air like storm winds.
Despite its increased size, its movements remained frighteningly swift.
The Guardian Sprout repeatedly stepped in to intercept fatal blows, its shield splintering at the edges.
The Warrior Sprout darted in and out like a green shadow, striking joints and tendons to slow the beast.
The Healer Sprout hovered desperately between them, mending wounds and restoring stamina with pulses of warm light.
Even so, Vikram was gradually driven backward.
Stone pillars cracked under the monster's strikes, debris scattering across the floor.
Finally cornered, Vikram deflected a claw strike sideways with his Iron Sword.
The redirected force slammed into the wall, carving a deep groove into the ancient stone.
Seeing this, an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.
While the Guardian Sprout once again rushed forward to draw the beast's attention, it slammed its shield into the descending claw with all its strength.
The impact echoed like a drumbeat inside the ruined chamber. The tiny body of the sprout was pushed backward several steps, yet it still stubbornly held its ground.
At the same instant, the Warrior Sprout darted in from the flank, its blade flashing repeatedly as it struck at the Wolf Spirit Lord's wrist and forearm.
Though the attacks could not truly injure the monster, they successfully disrupted its momentum and forced its focus away from Vikram.
Sensing the opportunity created by his plant warriors, Vikram clenched his teeth and shouted, "I'm not ending this today… next time, your life is mine!"
Behind him, thick vines suddenly burst from the cracked stone floor, rapidly twisting and drilling into the ancient wall like living augers.
Within seconds, the old structure, already weakened by the Lord's previous strikes, split apart under the relentless pressure of the plants.
With a deafening rumble, a rough opening large enough for a man to pass through was torn into the ruin wall.
Vikram immediately turned and sprinted toward the breach.
The Healer Sprout hurried after him, its soft green glow flickering as it kept pace at his heels.
Seeing Vikram's escape route appear, the Guardian Sprout forcefully shoved its shield forward one last time, staggering the Wolf Spirit Lord for a brief moment.
The Warrior Sprout followed with a sharp upward slash to further delay the monster before both of them swiftly disengaged and retreated through the newly opened gap.
The Wolf Spirit Lord roared in fury and lunged after them, but just as it reached the boundary of the ruins, its body abruptly halted as if restrained by an invisible force.
Its enraged howl reverberated through the snow-covered mountains while Vikram and his Sprout Team fled into the frozen wilderness.
Only after running a long distance did Vikram finally slow down.
The Healer Sprout's glow gradually steadied.
Moments later, the Guardian Sprout and Warrior Sprout caught up from behind, battered but resolute.
Vikram exhaled deeply into the icy air.
The Wolf Spirit Lord had been about to give chase, but then, as if remembering something, it stopped.
Finally, it let out an unwilling roar, watching him slip away right under its nose.
Vikram, still sprinting away, looked back and found that no one was chasing him.
The Wolf Spirit Lord merely watched him escape, looking frustrated, but did not pursue.
However, Vikram didn't dare stay there. This monster was cunning, and it might simply be acting to trick him.
He quickly left, taking large strides, and during that time, the Wolf Spirit Lord truly did not follow.
He was a bit surprised.
Since he had left the ruins, the Wolf Spirit Lord hadn't followed.
Combining this with its expression and reaction, Vikram guessed, "Perhaps… are there some restrictions?"
"Speaking of which, this secret realm is very similar to the game dungeons of my previous world, Earth. It can continuously spawn monsters and even has a big boss."
"Could it be that the Wolf Spirit Lord, as the boss of this dungeon, cannot leave the ruins?"
Thinking of this, a wicked idea suddenly popped into Vikram's mind.
"…"
"Never mind. I'm already back in the Territory. I'll try it next time."
This time, while entering the ruins, although he didn't kill the boss inside, he did figure out its strengths and weaknesses.
The Wolf Spirit Lord's strength was very imbalanced.
Its speed was only slightly faster than that of a regular Exquisite-grade Wolf Spirit Guard, but its strength was ridiculously high.
Vikram, with his current 31 Strength value, could unleash a full-force swing of his sword, yet that terrifying monster had caught the blade with a single hand as if it were nothing.
He estimated that the Wolf Spirit Lord's Strength must be 50 or even higher.
Recalling the moment when his Iron Sword had been firmly gripped by the Lord, a lingering chill still crept along Vikram's spine.
But as his gaze shifted, he saw his Sprout Team standing beside him.
The Guardian Sprout, though its shield was cracked, stood upright with a stubborn little grin.
The Warrior Sprout silently wiped the blood from its blade and gave a confident nod.
Meanwhile, the Healer Sprout moved gently between them, its soft green radiance flowing like warm spring water, steadily knitting their wounds back together.
Watching this scene, the heaviness in Vikram's heart gradually eased.
He finally understood that his survival just now had not been due to luck alone; it was because they had fought together.
Feeling the soothing warmth from the Healer Sprout's continuous healing, Vikram could clearly sense his fatigue fading away.
He even realized that after a few more intense battles and repeated healing cycles, the Healer Sprout would very likely reach its next level soon.
This exploration of the ruins was not without its rewards.
The corpses and drops from a full twelve Wolf Spirits were now safely stored in his backpack.
Although they were only Rare-grade materials, their sheer quantity more than compensated for the lack of quality.
With the existing food reserves in his warehouse, combined with these new supplies, Vikram was confident that he could survive the coming stretch of extreme cold without needing to hunt for quite some time.
For now, he had no intention of challenging the Wolf Spirit Lord again, not until his strength, and the strength of his Sprout companions, had grown to an entirely new level.
After entering the Territory, Vikram began tallying the supplies he had acquired today:
Plastic (Green) ×7
Toilet Paper (White) ×4
Brick (Green) ×1
Pig Butcher Knife (Green) ×1
Fashion Magazine (White) ×2
Postpartum Care for Sows (White) ×1
Fourth Grade English Test Paper (White) ×1
Leaves (White) ×8
Over-the-Knee Black Stockings (Green) ×1
Dog Food (Green) ×2
"…"
Vikram couldn't keep a straight face after tallying only half of the items.
"What the… what is all this?!"
"I've been rummaging around for so long, and the seemingly most useless toilet paper turns out to be the most useful?"
"You said more diverse supplies would appear. Are you sure you're not just sending me trash?"
Vikram then remembered that the Survival Platform had said yesterday that supply drops would be adjusted, but he hadn't expected such a huge mess.
"This is even worse than the previous drops."
Still complaining, he pulled out a book, and looked closely at the title.
"Teacher Sunny's Seaside Writ… Oh, this is good."
He instinctively glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then secretly tucked it under his pillow, continuing to sort the supplies as if nothing had happened.
"Treasure Chests are so hard to get, and you pull this stunt. It's too difficult~"
He grumbled, then suddenly opened another promising item. After looking around, he hid it under his pillow as well.
"How am I supposed to live my life like this~"
He said it, but his eyes were gleaming with anticipation. In a blink, another book appeared.
Vikram was grinning as he prepared to put it under his pillow, but then he saw the words "Philosophy of Gay Men" written on the cover.
"Get out of here!"
He kicked the philosophy book into the bonfire with a flying volley.
Still annoyed, Vikram opened the chat channel, wanting to see what other Survivors had obtained today.