Wolf Slaying

But what Du Pont hadn't expected was that no matter how alluringly he twisted, he had no idea whether the gray wolf was exceptionally cunning or had been scared witless by its previous captivity. It had no intention of pouncing. Instead, its eyes darted around as though searching for a way out.

Seeing this, Du Pont cursed under his breath and had the Skeleton Warrior go first while he followed behind.

Boulderstone had tasked him with killing this wolf. If it ran away, his score would naturally be zero. He did not want to lose this opportunity.

He was a level-two Classed individual, after all. If he could not even handle something like this, it would be truly humiliating.

More importantly, he needed to learn a countermeasure spell. If he knew Fear or Sleep, he could practically seize the initiative without taking a scratch. Even an offensive cantrip would be better than being stuck waiting around like this.

This was not Boulderstone's intention, but Du Pont planned to venture out and adventure. If he ran into a goblin and ended up in a standoff without a way to break it, would he not just be surrounded and finished off?

Once this was over, he would learn an offensive cantrip and study Magic Missile on his own. He had to gain the ability to pressure enemies from range and seize the initiative.

When the gray wolf saw Du Pont and the skeleton leave the pavilion, it quickly took another step back, twisting its body as though preparing to flee.

How could Du Pont let the thing get away? He immediately ordered the Skeleton Soldier to pursue it. But just as the skeleton broke into a sprint, the gray wolf sized up the distance between it and Du Pont and abruptly turned its retreat into an advance.

The gray wolf pushed off with its hind legs, its previously crouched body instantly springing forward. Before the Skeleton Warrior could react, it bit down directly on the thigh bone and violently whipped its head, flinging the bone away.

Du Pont was dumbfounded. This beast actually knew how to exploit timing?

The Skeleton Warrior he had summoned did not vanish, but losing one leg bone left it unable to move quickly. It fell to the ground with a clatter, and the sword it swung down was effortlessly dodged by the gray wolf.

Du Pont cursed inwardly at the sight. He knew the thing was weak, but he had not expected it to be so useless that it got crippled the moment the fight began. Gripping the Short Spear in both hands, he charged forward. The elmwood shaft felt smooth in his palms, and even though his hands were sweating, he could still hold it firmly.

Unfortunately, his thrust still missed, merely slicing through the fur along the gray wolf's waist and belly.

There had been too large a gap between him and the Skeleton Warrior earlier, making him a beat too slow to catch up. He had missed what might have been a fatal opportunity.

But before Du Pont could regret it, the gray wolf had already pounced.

Though it was not in the best condition and needed to adjust before delivering a killing blow, the biped had exhausted his old momentum before gathering new strength, exposing a large section of his vulnerable chest and abdomen. It was the perfect chance to tear his guts out.

As the gray wolf lunged at him, Du Pont seemed to enter slow motion, seeing every movement of the beast with perfect clarity. He used all his strength to raise his spear and block, but his movements remained a beat slower than the wolf's. As its claws came down at him, only one thought remained in his mind.

His reflexes could not keep up with his thoughts, and his muscles lacked explosive strength. Even though he could see the gray wolf's movements clearly, his body could not react in time. He could only watch helplessly as the hundred-pound gray wolf crashed into him.

Damn it, his reaction speed was far too low. He could not compare to this beast at all!

Before his frustration faded, man and wolf had already collided at close range. Du Pont was knocked to the ground by the pounce. As the world spun around him, he felt a searing pain in his abdomen. The unbearable agony and shadow of death blanked out his mind. He released the Short Spear and used his left arm to block the jaws snapping toward his throat, the beast's foul breath making him dizzy.

This filthy thing wanted to kill him?

"Go fuck yourself!"

Fear and rage turned into a curse. Du Pont felt his body fill with strength, and he punched the gray wolf squarely on its wet nose. As it recoiled in pain, he scrambled up into a crouch and reached for the Short Spear. But the beast was incredibly cunning. It immediately bit down on his already bloodied left arm again, refusing to let him retrieve that deadly weapon.

But what the gray wolf had not expected was that this biped's skin was unbelievably tough. One bite made its jaws strain.

Still, that was nothing to the gray wolf. Its teeth could not pierce through, but it could still tear. All it had to do was shake its head violently to rip open the flesh and make its enemy bleed heavily. Then it could simply stand nearby and wait for him to die before enjoying its meal.

But just as the gray wolf shook its head with all its strength, it failed to notice the icy coldness in the biped's eyes. Du Pont pulled the Skinning Knife from his waist with his right hand. A flash of cold light streaked across the beast's eyes with perfect precision.

Its vital point struck, the gray wolf let out a miserable howl. It could no longer see even a trace of light. Terror and darkness made it loosen its jaws, and it wailed and rolled around endlessly, trying to make the unbearable pain disappear.

Perhaps the heavens heard its prayer. Several seconds later, accompanied by a sharp pain in its chest, its body convulsed and it let out low whimpers. All pain drifted away from it.

Bright red blood slowly flowed from the wolf's chest, soaking into the earth of this little mountain courtyard.

Several seconds later, the gray wolf's muscles relaxed. Its head drooped, and all its bristling fur fell flat.

You gained 100 Experience Points

You...

Du Pont did not continue reading after seeing the Experience Points. At that moment, there was only one thought in his mind.

This thing was finally dead.

After lying on the ground and resting for a long while, Du Pont told the Skeleton Warrior—who had spent the entire fight crawling around on the ground without being of any help whatsoever—to get lost. Looking at the blood that had nearly spread to his side, he cursed softly and struggled to his feet.

Using a Skeleton Warrior in battle was a complete waste of a spell slot. He might as well try Grease and see whether the gray wolf would slip and fall if it stepped on it.

He pulled out the Short Spear lodged behind the gray wolf's left foreleg and dragged the corpse beneath the shade of a tree to keep it from stinking in the sun. Even such a small task left Du Pont panting. He had to rest twice before finally finishing.

Every part of his body hurt, especially his left arm. But when he opened his robe to inspect his wounds, he finally let out a breath of relief.

Thanks to Mage Armor, the wild wolf had not caused him much harm. The skin on his abdomen had merely been scraped open with a few bloody marks. They looked frightening, but the wounds were shallow and had barely bled.

His arm, on the other hand, was more seriously injured. Even the sleeve over that area bore several puncture marks from teeth. Four round holes were stamped into his pale left arm, tearing his fair skin as blood slowly flowed out.

Du Pont pried open the wolf's mouth to inspect its teeth. Seeing nothing unusual, he was finally reassured.

Faerûn had detailed records on all kinds of monsters. Some wolves could carry terrifying diseases. If bitten and not treated in time, there was a high chance of death. They might even turn a person into a monster—a werewolf.

But the latter was unlikely. The former was probably rabies. This one should not be that dangerous.

Even if his method of judgment was wrong, Boulderstone's experience should be enough to tell whether this wolf carried a disease. If it did, Boulderstone would most likely not want to keep it as a hunting hound.