The Difference

"Your old man didn't dote on you for nothing! Nicely done!"

The first to react to Xuan Ye's warning was Luo Luoji, who had been constantly hooked around the wolf's head on his back and had clearly felt its strength weaken.

Though he was covered in wounds and blood, he still roared and released the Azure Wolf on his back, which was barely alive and whimpering. Then, using his armpit and elbow together with the arm he had twisted back, he trapped another Azure Wolf that had bitten into his waist!

However, the final Azure Wolf, which had been crouched on his thigh, had clearly taken the warning from its companion's mournful cries. It quickly released its bite and leaped backward, dodging Jack's follow-up slash. Even as it jumped away, it easily used its speed and agility to leave a deep bloody gash across Jack's arm with its foreclaws.

Luo Luoji had already lost too much blood. After facing the simultaneous tearing and attacks of three wolves, he had also expended a tremendous amount of stamina. The fact that he could forcibly restrain another one at this point was already a testament to his extraordinary reflexes!

He was truly powerless against the remaining one!

Having watched its companions die one after another, the Azure Wolf that had leaped away was clearly enraged to the extreme. It lowered its foreclaws to the ground, bared its fangs, and growled as it fixed its eyes on Xuan Ye and the others.

Although they had a local advantage of four against one, Xuan Ye and the others did not feel their numerical superiority in the slightest!

"Hey~ That Sand Rat Mercenary Group was able to kill a Spine Demon with six Advanced Attendants. Don't you have any coordinated attack techniques?"

Xuan Ye's heart was pounding. At this point, he could only quickly ask in a low voice.

"If we had that kind of skill, we wouldn't be scavengers! Besides, their leader is on good terms with an Advanced Apprentice from the Mage Tower and can occasionally get some high-grade poison agents. We don't have any of that."

Counting Xuan Ye, they already had four Senior Knight Attendants on their side. With the Strength Blessing on their bodies, they theoretically were no weaker than the hunting squad the Sand Rat Mercenary Group had sent out back then.

But direct combat and coordinated fighting through traps and carefully prepared ambushes were completely different things. Especially against Azure Wolves with extremely high agility, they still held a considerable disadvantage.

Those wolves had remained completely motionless at first, yet had still managed to use short-range movements in a limited area to forcibly dispel most of the force. Now that they were attacking freely, it was uncertain whether they could even land a slash on their opponents!

"Tsk, forget about us. We can only count on you now. Use some more strange spell to tell us where to hack them. As long as you can do that one more time like before, it'll be enough."

After failing to cling to Xuan Ye's leg, Jack instead set his sights on him.

"It only works when it's standing still. Once it starts moving, it'll probably be over before I can even say anything."

Faced with such an unreasonable demand, Xuan Ye could only roll his eyes. With a normal reaction speed, he had once been utterly beaten by the Third Grade Knight Attendant Gypsy when he had let his guard down. Being able to see the data was useless in a battle that depended on rapid reactions.

Even if he activated the Eyes of Lawbreaking, he had no confidence in launching a close-combat attack. The other party was simply too fast. If it dodged, he would be finished. Ultimately, the gap in their absolute strength had exceeded the limit that techniques could make up for.

Just as he thought of this, the first Azure Wolf that Xuan Ye had nearly disemboweled spasmed and swallowed its final breath. A dense Essence scattered from its corpse, greedily absorbed by the few people closest to it as their depleted stamina rapidly recovered.

Among them, Xuan Ye, who possessed a modified version of the Basic Breathing Technique that suited him perfectly, absorbed it the fastest and in the greatest amount. The bottleneck that had originally reached the peak of the seventh level after absorbing the Wraith loosened once more. His Perception Inner Mansion was completely opened, and he directly advanced to the Eighth Grade Knight Attendant level!

But just as the few of them entered a refreshing and pleasurable state, whether they were absorbing the Essence willingly or not, the Azure Wolf crouching on the ground with its fangs bared launched its attack at the same time!

Relying on its beastly hunting instincts, it had chosen the perfect moment! Clearly, it was wary of these prey that had killed its companions, so it went all out!

'Whoosh~'

Its extraordinary speed meant that even the several Advanced Attendants, including Xuan Ye, could only see a blur of azure flash past.

They could only instinctively raise their weapons in defense or swing them reflexively before feeling a fierce gust blow across their faces.

They hurriedly turned around, only to see that the Azure Wolf had already landed on the sand behind them. All four paws were on the ground as it looked back at them over its shoulder!

Its bloodthirsty, savage eyes sent a chill through their hearts. Under the light of the enormous Silver Moon, they could clearly see that it seemed to be holding something in its mouth...

'Pfft~'

A sound like water being sprinkled rang out. Blood gushed from the neck of a headless corpse like water from a high-pressure hose, filling the air with a rich stench of blood!

Of the four Advanced Attendants, the only one who had not turned around crashed to the ground.

"Uncle Dao! Ah! You beast!!"

Seeing his companion fall, Jack glared viciously at the Azure Wolf with bloodshot eyes. He gritted his teeth so hard that his gums bled, seeming almost hysterical.

To Jack, the man who had died had practically been half his mentor.

They had known each other even before joining Luo Luoji's scavenger team. He had been an old hunter over fifty, still working hard for his grandson and trying to provide him with enough resources to make something of himself.

Although Jack had now surpassed his mentor, their feelings for each other and his respect for the older man had never diminished. Yet he had never expected that this old man, who had planned to finish this year's work and then return home to peacefully guide his grandson, would never make it back. He had not even been given time to react!

However, to Xuan Ye, the scene before him inspired far more fear than anger. The deceased elder had normally been a silent man and was merely an acquaintance to him. It was only because he had witnessed a companion's death with his own eyes for the first time that he felt a wrenching pain in his heart.

Yet above that painful emotion towered another emotion called fear!

If the Azure Wolf's target just now had been him, then even if he had barely managed to activate the Eyes of Lawbreaking again, he probably would not have survived!

The other party far surpassed him in both speed and strength. Its terrifying burst of speed, which could briefly exceed a hundred meters per second, was not something he could dodge merely by seeing the route and knowing its trajectory!

Even taking a step back, even if he had truly dodged with the Eyes of Lawbreaking, he would only have avoided one attack! By then, he would be helpless prey, and the wolf would probably kill him instantly before he could recover from his weakness!

They had lost one person in the blink of an eye despite being four against one. Against such a terrifying hunter skilled in speed, even the people from the Sand Rat Mercenary Group whom they had encountered back then probably would not have been able to deal with it!

All the Professional Rank Experts were tied up elsewhere. Luo Luoji might even bleed to death if this dragged on. Facing the sole remaining Azure Wolf, they could only rely on themselves!

But the difference was so vast, and they were so thoroughly countered. What could they rely on? How could they rely on anything?

'Awoo~'

The Azure Wolf spat out the head in its mouth. The round head rolled down the sandy slope, leaving a trail of blood behind. The Azure Wolf, having claimed its first human head, slowly raised its paw and began to pace.

It narrowed its eyes and stared coldly at the few of them, seemingly ready to seize an opening and strike again at any moment. Its malicious gaze continuously moved across their faces, as though selecting its next target.

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

Jack stared fixedly at the Azure Wolf with grief and fury written across his face. He provoked it with a furious roar, baring his teeth.

"It probably can't unleash that hunting speed without limit. It should be recovering its strength now. We have to think of a way to deal with it before it attacks again, or else..."

Xuan Ye stared at the Azure Wolf as well, speaking anxiously.

With his ability to observe minute details and automatically read parameters, he had naturally noticed the subtle, unnatural trembling in the muscles of its thighs and waist. Even so, charging at it all together would be meaningless. Even if it could not immediately unleash that kind of speed again, this agile magical beast was still beyond their ability to catch.

The initiative to fight or not was entirely in its hands!

"Hey, or else what? Either way, we're going to die! Even if I die, I'm dragging this beast down with me! Come on! Bite here! Keep going!"

Jack looked as though fury had completely clouded his mind. He pointed at his own neck and continued provoking the wolf. He did not care whether it understood him, leaving Xuan Ye to smile bitterly to himself from the side.

Perhaps Jack's provocative gestures had truly enraged it. The Azure Wolf, which had been pacing slowly, once again lowered its body and bared its fangs.

'Whoosh~'

That despair-inducing azure flash of slaughter streaked past again. Its speed still exceeded their ability to react, and another figure among the three was sent flying!

Huh? Sent flying?

When the azure flash appeared, Xuan Ye's heart had sunk as he feared he would lose his head. But after noticing this unexpected change, he immediately looked toward the figure that had been knocked away.

Jack's entire body was gushing blood, with tearing wounds appearing in his muscles from the inside out. He was being pressed firmly to the ground by the Azure Wolf!

At the same time, however, both his hands had locked tightly around the wolf's forepaws! He thrust his head upward and braced it firmly against the wolf's jaw, preventing the bloodthirsty head from biting him!

How was this possible? With Jack's strength, he should not have been able to block this attack. Even if the second attack was slightly weaker than the first, it still should not have been possible!

This was the Azure Wolf's special burst, practically equivalent to a Combat Skill of the Professional Rank. To them, who had yet to enter that rank, it was fatal!

Regardless of the reason, Xuan Ye would never miss such an opportunity once he had reacted. He raised his hand, rushed forward with his short sword, and viciously stabbed toward the Azure Wolf's eye.

The remaining Knight Attendant was even two points faster than him. A hint of grief seemed to show on his lean, resolute face, but the knife in his hand did not hesitate in the slightest!

The Azure Wolf that had knocked Jack down seemed surprised by the counterattack of such a weak prey. Its first strike had missed, and it had failed to bite him when attempting to follow up, so it prepared to withdraw first.

But Jack seemed to have gone mad and unleashed some small universe of strength. He had actually managed to lock down and roll around with a Predator Rank Magical Beast comparable to a Professional Rank Expert, refusing to release it!

Without a doubt, Xuan Ye, whose reading ability was comparable to that of an anatomy expert, would not waste this hard-won opportunity. Working together with his last remaining companion, he ultimately succeeded in driving the short sword into the Azure Wolf's brain...