Dilemma

Dean raised his hand, grabbing a bizarre eyeball that seemed to have been taken from some creature, and casually crushed it. Green, disgusting mucus splattered across his hand as he uttered two syllables in a mysterious, melodious tone.

"διερεύνηση" (Elvish for 'Detection')

As the syllables fell, the green mucus in his hand floated up on its own, forming a simple spell model that hovered in the air before him, like a three-dimensional projection. After he used his mucus-covered fingers to complete the rudimentary spell model, his other hand flicked out a brilliant ruby that struck the model's core.

'Twang~'

A massive vertical eye flashed and vanished above his head, and a faint green ripple burst outward in all directions! The scene was utterly spectacular!

"One male and one female three-star Alpha Wolves, four two-star Wolf Guards, and six one-star ordinary Azure Wolves. A real pain, but buy me time, and we should be able to handle them together."

In just a moment, Dean, using the Detection Spell, had grasped all the information on their opponents. Xuan Ye watched with burning envy—magic was far too convenient. If not for his lingering fear of the side effects, he would have been tempted to activate his Eyes of Lawbreaking to closely observe the casting process just now.

"If it's just this immediate trouble, we might manage with all our strength. But what about after?"

Blue-haired Aide said coldly.

His words made everyone present's faces darken. Necromancers were masters of summoning, with minions in droves, but they had no way to control creatures like Azure Wolves!

Only human Rangers who primarily cultivated the Perception Inner Mansion, along with Beast Race tamers, had the ability to communicate with animals. And humans were naturally weaker in this regard—at most, they could keep one or two pets. To manipulate a wolf pack like this...

Could another race be meddling?!

What kind of huge mess had they stumbled into?!

"Tch, A'Man, pay a bit more attention later. Save your strength—make sure you keep at least seventy percent of your combat power after the fight!"

Dean, as the representative of high-intelligence mages, said very calmly. He might lack social grace, but his thinking was clear.

"Huh? Saving strength isn't really my thing. Let Miss Aitiya and Aide handle the conserving. I don't like holding back."

Ye Man grumbled, sounding somewhat dissatisfied.

"Don't be stubborn! These are twelve Azure Wolves, with overall strength surpassing our team. We can only fight them with Aitiya's blessings and auras! And Aide, as the Guardian, has to take the front!"

Dean's expression was stern as he refuted Ye Man's words.

A Paladin's direct combat ability wasn't necessarily stronger than an ordinary class of the same Professional Rank, but their versatility was unmatched by common classes. The Paladin's signature skills were blessings and auras!

These were unique abilities that even Light Priests couldn't master, because one needed an extremely deep understanding of their own body to use blessings that stimulated the flesh with holy light for enhancement. Light Priests typically mastered restorative divine spells.

Blue-haired Aide stepped forward reluctantly at this point and said, "I'll take the front then. Ye Man, you assist me in attacking and help protect Dean together."

It was clear that Aide didn't really want to do this, but there was no one else available—he had to step up. However, from the way his eyes flickered and occasionally glanced toward Xuan Ye and the others, it seemed he had some plan in mind.

"Fine, fine, I get it. I'll stay by Dean's side and protect him."

Ye Man said with a somewhat disgruntled expression, making Xuan Ye want to smack him. Damn it, if you don't want to do it, let me! Fighting to the death with Azure Wolves isn't my specialty—I'm just an archer. Who's going to protect me?

Before Xuan Ye's resentment could erupt, several lithe, agile figures leaped onto the distant sand dunes. Their eyes glowed with a green light, eerie in the night desert, and under the silver moon, they brought an indescribable sense of pressure.

With no other choice, Xuan Ye could only draw an arrow, ready to nock and shoot at any moment.

"My path is sworn to justice, mercy, love, protection, righteousness, and valor."

A calm, ethereal voice carried no emotional fluctuation but revealed a firm resolve. As Aitiya's chant ended, her massive shield 'lightly' struck the ground, and a silver-white hexagonal star array rapidly spread from beneath her feet, covering everyone present.

Then it slowly rose, scanning everyone like a wave, from toes to hair, as a sacred force stimulated their entire bodies.

A surge of power welled up from the deepest parts of heart and body, and Xuan Ye, receiving a Paladin's blessing for the first time, was genuinely astonished. His strength had increased by at least forty percent! And it felt like endless vitality, even instilling a subconscious fearlessness in his heart.

A reinforcement of both mind and body? Even if the boost for Professional Ranks might not be as pronounced as for him, the effect was already staggering! Paladins were truly terrifying!

After a slight flush of his face, Xuan Ye quickly calmed his emotions and let out a deep breath. Luo Luoji had said that a Ranger must always maintain a calm heart.

The twelve Azure Wolves lined up in a row, each the size of a calf—a truly menacing sight when applied to wolves. They seemed to be waiting for something, standing still in a standoff without attacking, as if they were in no hurry at all.

But Dean clearly understood that time wasn't on their side. Seeing the wolves refuse to approach, he decisively pulled an ancient scroll from his chest and tossed two large and four small magic crystals into the air.

The moment Dean activated his spell, the Azure Wolves, which had seemed content to wait forever, shot forward like arrows loosed from a bowstring, without any warning!

The two Alpha Wolves led two Wolf Guards in a frontal charge, while on each flank, one Wolf Guard led three ordinary Azure Wolves in a pincer movement!

Their timing and formation fully demonstrated the combat intelligence of Magic Beasts!

The reason they hadn't attacked earlier was that they were waiting for the spellcaster to make his move!

They were born hunters!

They might lack human creativity and intelligence, but they possessed their own ancient hunting instincts passed down through generations.

"So fast!"

The Azure Wolves' movement startled Xuan Ye. Their sudden burst of speed was astonishing—an ordinary Azure Wolf could cross a hundred meters in just a second or two!

At this speed, aiming became incredibly difficult. He didn't even consider targeting the Alpha Wolves charging head-on. Not only were they fast and cunning, but even if he did hit them, he probably couldn't break their defense.

Xuan Ye didn't know much about Azure Wolves. The only impression he had was that the second young master of the Kende Family wore a set of leather armor made from Azure Wolf hide, said to have amazing defensive properties and the ability to cut through the wind!

Under these circumstances, attacking a three-star Professional Rank Alpha Wolf would be asking for trouble. With his current blessed peak state, a few full-powered arrows might threaten a one-star Professional Rank!

But...

Only if he could actually hit them!