The Gap

"I didn't spoil you for nothing! Well done!"

The first to snap out of Xuan Ye's warning was Luo Luoji, who had been clinging to the wolf on his back and clearly felt its strength waning. Though already covered in wounds and bloodstains, he let out a roar and released the half-dead, whimpering Azure Wolf from his back, then reversed his grip, using his armpit elbow and the other arm to lock down another Azure Wolf biting at his waist!

But the last wolf, still latched onto his thigh, seemed to take warning from its companion's mournful howls. It quickly let go and leaped back, dodging Jack's follow-up strike. Even as it jumped, it used its speed and agility to leave a deep gash across Jack's arm with its front claws.

Luo Luoji had already lost too much blood. Facing the simultaneous tearing and assault of three wolves, his stamina was nearly spent. Being able to forcibly restrain one more was already a testament to his exceptional reflexes! The remaining one was truly beyond his power!

Due to the consecutive deaths of its packmates, the Azure Wolf that had leaped back was now enraged to the extreme. It crouched low, bared its fangs, and growled, fixing its gaze on Xuan Ye and the others. Though it was a four-on-one situation locally, Xuan Ye and his group felt no advantage in numbers!

"Hey—that Sand Rat Mercenary Group took down a Spine Demon with six Senior Knight Attendants. Don't you guys have any coordinated attack techniques?"

His heart pounding, Xuan Ye could only whisper the question quickly.

"If we had that skill, we wouldn't be scavengers! Besides, their leader is tight with an Advanced Apprentice from the Mage Tower and can get his hands on high-grade poison reagents now and then. We don't have that stuff."

Counting Xuan Ye, they now had four Senior Knight Attendants, plus the Strength Blessing on them. In theory, they weren't any weaker than the hunting squad the Sand Rat Mercenary Group had sent out back then. But direct frontal combat was a whole different beast from setting traps and ambushing a stationary foe—especially against an ultra-agile Azure Wolf. They were still at a major disadvantage. Earlier, when the wolves were barely moving, they could still rely on small-scale shifts to deflect most of the force. Now that they were attacking freely, even landing a hit was uncertain!

"Tch, forget about us. It's all on you now. Hit us with another weird spell and tell us where to strike head-on. Just one more like before would do."

Just as Xuan Ye's attempt to latch onto a stronger plan failed, Jack turned his attention to him instead.

"It only works if it's standing still. If it's moving, it'd be over before I even open my mouth."

Faced with such an unreasonable demand, Xuan Ye could only roll his eyes. At normal reaction speeds, he'd once been beaten black and blue by the third-level Knight Attendant Gypsy when he wasn't paying attention. Just seeing the data was useless in fast-paced combat. Even with the Eyes of Lawbreaking activated, he had no confidence in close-quarters combat. The enemy was too fast—if it dodged, he was done. The gap in absolute strength between them had exceeded what skill could compensate for.

As this thought crossed his mind, the first Azure Wolf, nearly disemboweled by Xuan Ye, convulsed and breathed its last. A dense surge of Essence scattered from its corpse, greedily absorbed by those closest, rapidly restoring their spent stamina. Among them, Xuan Ye, with his self-adapted Basic Breathing Technique, absorbed the fastest and most. The bottleneck at the peak of the seventh level, which had loosened after absorbing the Wraith, now shattered completely as his Perception Inner Mansion was fully opened, pushing him straight into the eighth level of Knight Attendant!

But just as they all slipped into a state of blissful absorption—whether actively or passively—from the Essence, the crouching, snarling Azure Wolf launched its attack! Relying on its beastly hunting instincts, its timing was impeccable! Clearly, it held a wary respect for these prey that had killed its packmates, and it was going all out!

'Swoosh~'

With extraordinary speed, even the Senior Knight Attendants, including Xuan Ye, could only see a blur of green. They instinctively raised their guards or swung their weapons, only to feel a gust of wind against their faces. Spinning around sharply, they saw the Azure Wolf had already landed on the sand behind them, all four paws planted, turning its head to glare back at them! Its bloodthirsty, cruel wolf eyes sent chills down their spines. Under the massive silver moon, they clearly saw something dangling from its jaws...

'Pfft~'

A sound like water splashing rang out. The neck of a headless corpse erupted like a high-pressure water gun, spraying blood into the air, filling the atmosphere with a thick, metallic stench! Among the four Senior Knight Attendants, the one who hadn't turned around collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Uncle Dao! Damn it! You beast!!"

Seeing his comrade fall, Jack's eyes turned bloodshot as he glared at the Azure Wolf, his teeth biting into his gums until they bled, his voice nearly hysterical. To Jack, the fallen man was something of a mentor. They'd known each other even before joining Luo Luoji's scavenger team—an old hunter past fifty, still running for his grandson, trying to scrape together enough resources for the boy to rise above. Though Jack had now surpassed him, his respect and affection for the man remained undimmed. But he never imagined that this old man, who had planned to quit after this year and go home to guide his grandson in peace, would never return—not even given a moment to react!

For Xuan Ye, however, the scene stirred more fear than anger. The deceased elder, a quiet man he'd only known in passing, was little more than an acquaintance. But witnessing a comrade's death for the first time left a gnawing ache in his heart. Yet above that ache loomed an even greater emotion: fear! If that Azure Wolf had targeted him instead, even barely activating the Eyes of Lawbreaking again wouldn't have saved him! The enemy's speed and power far exceeded his own—a burst speed of over a hundred meters per second wasn't something you could dodge just by seeing the path and knowing the trajectory! Even if, by some miracle, he dodged with the Eyes of Lawbreaking, that was just one dodge! Then, helpless and weakened, he'd be slaughtered before he could recover!

Four against one, and in the blink of an eye, one was gone. Facing such a terrifying speedster, even the Sand Rat Mercenary Group from before would be helpless! All the Professional Rank Experts were tied up, and Luo Luoji might bleed out over time. The only ones left to face this last Azure Wolf were themselves! But with such a gap, such a disadvantage, what could they rely on? How?!

'Awoo~'

The wolf spat out the head it held, which rolled down the sandy slope, leaving a trail of blood. The Azure Wolf, having claimed its first human kill, began to pace slowly, lifting its paws. It squinted coldly at the group, as if waiting for any opening to strike again. Its malicious gaze swept across their faces, seemingly choosing its next target.

"Beast! You beast!! Come on! Your old man's right here!"

Jack's face twisted with grief and rage as he stared at the Azure Wolf, spitting out a challenge through gritted teeth.

"It probably can't sustain that killing speed indefinitely. It's catching its breath now. We have to come up with a plan before it attacks again, or else..."

Xuan Ye stared at the Azure Wolf as well, speaking with some urgency.

He, who could observe the finest details and automatically read parameters, had naturally noticed the subtle unnatural tremors in the wolf's thigh and waist muscles. Yet even so, if they all rushed in now, it would be meaningless. Even if it couldn't immediately unleash that speed again, this agile magical beast was still beyond their ability to catch.

The initiative to start a fight rested entirely in the opponent's hands!

"Hey, so what, so what if I die! It's death either way! If I'm going down, I'm dragging this beast with me! Come on! Bite here! Keep going!"

Jack seemed completely consumed by rage, pointing at his own neck and taunting relentlessly, not caring whether the Azure Wolf understood him. Xuan Ye could only wryly smile on the sidelines.

And whether it was because Jack's provocative body language truly angered it, the pacing Azure Wolf once again lowered its posture and bared its fangs.

'Swoosh~'

That despairing flash of killing cyan light streaked by again, still beyond their reaction speed. Among the three, another figure was sent flying!

Huh? Sent flying?

Just as the cyan flash appeared, Xuan Ye's heart had sunk, fearing for his own neck. But sensing this unexpected turn, he immediately looked toward the figure that had been knocked down.

There was Jack, blood spurting from all over, his muscles torn from the inside out, pinned firmly to the ground by the Azure Wolf!

Yet at the same time, his hands were locked tightly around the wolf's forelegs, and his head was pressed upward, chin braced, keeping the bloodthirsty wolf's jaws from reaching his throat!

How was this possible! With Jack's strength, he shouldn't have been able to withstand that blow, even if the second strike was slightly weaker than the first!

This was the Azure Wolf's special burst, almost equivalent to a Professional Rank Combat Skill—lethal to those who hadn't yet entered the Professional Rank!

But regardless of the reason, the reacting Xuan Ye would never miss such an opportunity. Raising his hand, he charged with a short sword, stabbing fiercely toward the wolf's eye.

Ahead of him by a hair, the last remaining Knight Attendant moved first. His lean, resolute face showed a trace of grief, but the knife in his hand didn't hesitate at all!

The Azure Wolf, which had pounced and knocked Jack down, seemed caught off guard by the counterattack from its weak prey. Having missed its strike and failed to land a finishing bite, it prepared to retreat.

But Jack, as if some mad burst of power had ignited within him, actually managed to lock onto the Predator Rank Magical Beast—capable of rivaling a Professional Rank—and wrestled with it, refusing to let go!

Without a doubt, in this situation, Xuan Ye, whose reading ability rivaled that of a dissection expert, would not waste this hard-won chance. Coordinating with the sole remaining companion, he ultimately succeeded in driving the short sword into the wolf's brain...

Battered beyond belief, even his bowels were still bleeding.