Dean raised his hand and grabbed a strange eyeball that seemed to have been removed from some kind of creature. He casually crushed it, splattering his hand with disgusting green slime, then uttered two syllables in a mysterious, elegant tone.
"διερε?νηση" (Elvish for "Detection")
As the syllables fell, the green slime in his hand automatically floated upward, outlining a simple spell model in front of him that hovered in midair. It looked almost like a three-dimensional projection. After he used the slime-covered fingers of one hand to complete the originally simple spell model, his other hand flicked out a dazzling ruby, striking the model's core.
'Ding~'
A gigantic vertical eye flashed into existence above his head and vanished in an instant, while pale-green ripples surged outward in every direction! The sight was incredibly magnificent!
"One male and one female Three-Star Alpha Wolf, four Two-Star Wolf Guards, and six ordinary One-Star Azure Wolves. It'll be troublesome, but if you buy me some time, we should be able to deal with them together."
In only a moment, Dean had completely grasped the enemy's information after using the Detection Spell. Xuan Ye watched with envy. Magic really was far too convenient. If he weren't still wary of the aftereffects, he would have been tempted to activate the Eyes of Lawbreaking and carefully observe the spellcasting process.
"If the trouble in front of us is all there is, we might be able to handle it by giving it our all. But what do we do afterward?"
Blue-haired Aide said coldly.
His words also caused everyone present to look grim. The Necromancer was an expert at summoning, with hordes of minions at his command, but they had no way to control creatures like Azure Wolves!
Only Human Race Rangers who primarily cultivated the Perception Inner Mansion, as well as Beast Race and Barbarian Race beast tamers, possessed the ability to communicate with animals. Moreover, the Human Race was naturally weaker in this regard. At most, they could raise one or two pets. To control a wolf pack like this—
Could another race have gotten involved?!
What kind of huge mess had they gotten themselves into?!
"Tsk~ A-Man, pay a little attention later and conserve your strength. Make sure we retain at least seventy percent of our combat strength after the battle!"
As a Spellcaster representing high intelligence, Dean spoke calmly. Perhaps his emotional intelligence wasn't very high, but his thoughts were extremely clear.
"Huh? Conserving strength isn't my strong suit. Let Young Lady Aitiya and Aide preserve theirs instead. I don't like holding back."
Ye Man sounded somewhat dissatisfied as he grumbled.
"Don't be willful! There are twelve Azure Wolves, and their combined strength exceeds that of our team. We can only fight them with Aitiya's Blessing and aura! And as a Guardian, Aide can't possibly not stand at the front!"
Dean's expression was extremely serious as he rebuked Ye Man.
A Paladin's frontal combat ability was not necessarily stronger than that of an ordinary profession at the same level, but its versatility was something ordinary professions could never match. The Paladin's signature skills were Blessing and aura!
These were unique skills even a Light Priest could not control. Only by having an extremely thorough understanding of one's own body could a person use Blessing to continuously stimulate the body with Holy Light and strengthen it. Light Priests usually mastered recovery-type Divine Arts instead.
Blue-haired Aide also stepped forward reluctantly and said,
"I'll stand at the front then. Ye Man, just assist me in attacking, and help protect Dean as well."
It was clear that Aide did not really want to do this, but there was indeed no one else available. He had to step up. Yet from the way his eyes flickered and how he occasionally glanced toward Xuan Ye and the others, it seemed he had some kind of plan.
"All right, all right, I understand. I'll just protect Dean from beside him."
Ye Man spoke with a slightly sullen expression. Watching from the side, Xuan Ye wanted to kick him. Damn it, if you don't want to do it, let me do it! Fighting Azure Wolves to the death isn't my specialty. I'm just an archer. Who's going to protect me?
Before Xuan Ye's resentment could erupt, several light and agile figures had already leaped onto the distant dune. Their glowing blue-green eyes looked especially eerie in the desert night, and with the Silver Moon above, they created an indescribable sense of oppression.
At this point, Xuan Ye could only obediently draw an arrow and assume a stance ready to fire at any moment.
"My path shall be one of fairness, mercy, benevolence, protection, justice, and valor."
Her voice was calm and ethereal, without stirring the slightest emotional fluctuation, yet it revealed an unwavering conviction. When Aitiya finished chanting, her massive shield gave the ground a "gentle" tremor, and a silver-white hexagram rapidly spread from beneath her feet, covering the ground beneath everyone present.
It then slowly rose, sweeping over everyone like a scan. Every part of their bodies, from their toes to the tips of their hair, was stimulated by a sacred power.
A power that surged from the deepest parts of both his heart and body made Xuan Ye, who was experiencing a Paladin's Blessing for the first time, genuinely astonished. His strength had increased by at least forty percent! Moreover, he seemed filled with boundless vitality, and even his heart had developed a subconscious sense of fearlessness.
It strengthened both the mind and the body? Even if the enhancement to a profession-rank warrior wasn't as obvious as it was for him, the effect was already outrageous enough! Paladins truly were terrifying!
After his face flushed slightly, Xuan Ye quickly calmed himself. He exhaled deeply, expelling the stale air from his lungs. Luo Luoji had said that Rangers had to maintain a tranquil heart at all times.
The twelve Azure Wolves stood in a line. Their calf-sized bodies were enormous for wolves, making them truly ugly and menacing. None of them seemed to be in a hurry. They simply stood there in silence, facing the group without attacking, as if they were waiting for something.
Clearly, however, Dean understood that time was not on his side. Seeing that the other side was not approaching, he decisively pulled an ancient scroll from his robes and threw two large and four small Magic Crystals into the air.
Just as Dean began activating the spell, the Azure Wolves, which seemed willing to wait until the end of time, suddenly charged one after another like arrows loosed from their bowstrings, without the slightest warning!
Two Alpha Wolves led two Wolf Guards in a frontal assault, while on either flank, one Wolf Guard led three ordinary Azure Wolves in an encircling attack!
Their timing and formation perfectly displayed the battle intelligence of magical beasts!
The reason they had not attacked at first was that they had been waiting for the Spellcaster to make a move!
They were natural hunters!
Perhaps they lacked human creativity and intelligence, but they possessed their own hunting instincts, passed down through the ages.
"So fast!"
The Azure Wolves' movements startled Xuan Ye. The speed they suddenly burst out with was astonishing. An ordinary Azure Wolf could cross a hundred meters in just one or two seconds!
At such speeds, his difficulty in taking aim increased dramatically. Xuan Ye did not even consider shooting at the Alpha Wolves charging from the front. Leaving aside their speed and cunning, even if he actually hit them, he probably would not be able to break through their defenses.
Xuan Ye did not know much about Azure Wolves. The only thing he remembered was that the second young master of the Kende Family had a suit of armor made from Azure Wolf hide. It was said to possess astonishing defensive power and even allow the wearer to ride the wind!
In this situation, attacking Alpha Wolves whose strength was comparable to Three-Star profession-rank warriors would only be asking for trouble. With the Blessing currently enhancing him, at the peak of his condition, several fully powered arrows should be enough to threaten a One-Star profession-rank warrior!
But...
That required him to actually hit them!
Before you continue