Slaughtering Wolves

However, Du Pont hadn't anticipated that even with his flamboyant twisting, the Gray Wolf, whether exceptionally cunning or simply terrified by its previous imprisonment, showed no inclination to pounce. Instead, its eyes darted around, as if searching for an escape route.

Seeing this, Du Pont cursed inwardly, signaling the Skeleton Warrior to advance while he followed closely behind.

Boulderstone's mission for him was to kill this wolf, and if it escaped, his score would naturally be zero. He didn't want to miss this opportunity.

After all, he was a level 2 Classed individual; failing to handle this would be truly embarrassing.

Of course, more importantly, he needed to learn a counter-spell. If he knew Fear or Sleep, he could almost guarantee a harmless first strike. Even a simple attack cantrip would be better than just waiting around.

This wasn't Boulderstone's original intention, but he was planning to venture out on adventures. What if he encountered a Goblin and couldn't confront it? Wouldn't he be ambushed and surrounded?

Once this matter was settled, he would learn an attack cantrip and self-study Magic Missile, ensuring he had ranged suppression capabilities to seize the initiative.

Over there, the Gray Wolf saw Du Pont and the Skeleton leaving the gazebo and quickly retreated another step, twisting its body as if trying to escape.

Du Pont couldn't let it slip away. He quickly ordered the Skeleton Soldier to pursue, but just as the Skeleton Soldier was about to lunge forward, the Gray Wolf accurately gauged the distance between it and Du Pont, changing its retreat into an advance.

The Gray Wolf's hind legs propelled it forward, its previously crouched body instantly transforming into a pounce. Before the Skeleton Warrior could react, it bit down on its thigh bone, violently shaking its head and sending the bone flying.

This caught Du Pont completely off guard. This beast could even play with timing?

The Skeleton Warrior he summoned didn't disappear, but losing a leg bone rendered it incapable of moving quickly. It crashed to the ground with a 'thud,' and the Gray Wolf dodged the descending longsword.

Seeing this, Du Pont cursed in his heart. He knew it was weak, but he hadn't expected it to be so useless that it was crippled right away. He gripped the Short Spear with both hands and charged forward. The elm wood shaft felt smooth, and even with his sweaty palms, he could still hold it firmly.

Unfortunately, he still missed, only managing to graze the fur on the Gray Wolf's flank.

The gap between him and the Skeleton Warrior had been too large, causing him to be a beat too slow, missing a potentially fatal opportunity.

Before Du Pont could feel frustrated, the Gray Wolf pounced.

Although it wasn't in peak condition and needed to adjust before delivering a killing blow, the two-legged creature had exhausted its old strength and hadn't generated new strength, exposing a large portion of its vulnerable chest and abdomen, offering the perfect opportunity to tear out its intestines.

Watching the Gray Wolf pounce, Du Pont felt as if time had slowed down, allowing him to clearly see the beast's movements. He mustered all his strength to try and parry with the spear, but his actions were always a beat slower than the Gray Wolf. As the wolf's claws swiped, he had only one thought in his mind.

His reflexes couldn't keep up with his awareness, and his muscles lacked the explosive power. Even though he could see the Gray Wolf's movements, his body couldn't react in time. He could only watch helplessly as the hundred-plus-pound Gray Wolf pounced on him.

Damn it, his reaction speed was too low; he couldn't compare to this beast!

Before his frustration could dissipate, the wolf and he were already in close proximity. Du Pont was knocked to the ground, and as the world spun, he felt a burning pain in his abdomen. The unbearable pain and the shadow of death made his mind go blank. He released the Short Spear and used his left arm to block the gaping maw aiming for his neck. The foul-smelling breath made him dizzy.

This dog wants to kill me?

"I'll be damned!"

Fear and anger turned into a curse. Du Pont felt his body fill with strength. He punched the Gray Wolf's wet nose, and as it recoiled in pain, he scrambled to his feet and grabbed for the Short Spear. But the beast was cunning, biting down on his already bloodied left arm, preventing him from retrieving the deadly weapon.

However, the Gray Wolf didn't expect the two-legged creature's skin to be so tough. Biting down made its cheeks feel strained.

But this wasn't a problem for the Gray Wolf. Its teeth couldn't penetrate, but it could still tear. A violent shake of its head would rip the flesh, causing its enemy to bleed profusely. Then, it could simply stand by and wait for him to die before enjoying its meal.

But just as the Gray Wolf was about to shake its head with all its might, it didn't see the exceptionally cold look in the two-legged creature's eyes. Du Pont drew the Skinning Knife from his waist, and a cold glint flashed past the beast's eyes with perfect accuracy.

Its vital spot was hit. The Gray Wolf howled in agony. It could no longer see a single ray of light. Fear and darkness made it release its grip, howling and rolling around in an attempt to make the unbearable pain disappear.

Perhaps the heavens heard its prayers. A few seconds later, accompanied by a sharp pain in its chest, its body spasmed, and it emitted a low whimper. All pain vanished.

Scarlet blood slowly flowed from the wolf's chest, nourishing the land of this mountain courtyard.

A few seconds later, the Gray Wolf's muscles relaxed, and it lowered its head. Its bristled fur all drooped down.

[You have gained 100 Experience Points]

[You have...]

Seeing the Experience Points, Du Pont didn't continue reading. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind.

This thing is finally dead.

After lying on the ground to rest for half a day, telling the Skeleton Warrior, which had been crawling around on the ground without helping at all, to get away from him, Du Pont looked at the blood that was spreading near him, cursed under his breath, and struggled to get up.

Using the Skeleton Warrior to fight was a waste of spell slots. He might as well try using Grease to see if the Gray Wolf would slip and fall.

Pulling out the Short Spear that was stuck in the back of the Gray Wolf's left front leg, he threw the wolf carcass into the shade to prevent it from rotting in the sun. This small task exhausted Du Pont so much that he couldn't stop panting, and he had to rest twice before he could finish it.

His whole body ached, especially his left arm, but when he opened his robe to check the wound, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Thanks to Mage Armor, the wild wolf hadn't caused him too much damage. There was only a layer of skin broken on his stomach, with a few bloody scratches that looked scary but were very shallow, with hardly any blood flowing.

On the other hand, his arm was more seriously injured, and even the sleeve of that part had a few penetrating tooth marks. Four round holes were imprinted on his fair left arm, tearing his fair skin, and blood slowly flowed out.

Du Pont pried open the wolf's mouth to check its teeth, and he finally felt relieved when he saw nothing unusual.

Faerûn had detailed descriptions of various monsters over the years. Some wolves could carry terrible diseases, and if bitten, there was a high risk of death if not treated in time, and it could also turn people into monsters, turning them into Werewolves.

However, the latter was unlikely. The former was probably rabies, and this thing shouldn't be that dangerous.

Even if this method of identification was incorrect, Boulderstone's experience should be able to tell if the wolf carried a disease. If it did, he probably wouldn't want to keep it as a hunting dog.