Cunning Wolves

Li Wei had only managed to make three Fletchingless Wooden Arrows and two Wolf Fang Arrows so far. The former were simple enough, but the latter were much more troublesome to make, and he didn't have much experience.

Penny came over to inspect his work and pointed out plenty of shortcomings, including problems with his carving technique.

"These are more or less ready. Practice with them first and get a feel for it."

Penny eagerly set up a simple target for Li Wei. He walked twenty paces away and, by the light of the fire, clumsily nocked a Fletchingless Wooden Arrow. Penny immediately pointed out several small mistakes. She seemed to know a great deal about this, even though she didn't seem to be a hunter.

After shooting seven or eight arrows in a row, Li Wei gradually got the hang of it. On his eleventh shot, he finally hit the target dead on.

As he loosed that arrow, he felt the invisible boost granted by the One-Star Hunter Card.

That was right: he could control his heartbeat and breathing with ease. The effect was especially obvious as he slowly drew the bow.

In other words, the boost from the One-Star Hunter Card didn't mean that every arrow fired at random automatically came with 30% accuracy. If it didn't even hit the target, how could accuracy come into it?

He had to keep adjusting his state until he was at his best—or at least above the passing mark. Only then would he receive the extra accuracy boost.

After that, Li Wei seemed to get into the groove and grasp the fundamentals. He could hit the target with nearly every arrow, and his accuracy kept improving.

He could even sense the center of gravity of each Fletchingless Wooden Arrow and roughly predict its flight path. It was incredible. The One-Star Hunter Card was freaking amazing.

"That's enough for today. George, go get some rest. Phila and I will keep watch."

Penny picked up a Wooden Spear. Wolves howled constantly outside the camp, and some gray wolves even tried to jump over the wall. It was a blatant harassment tactic, and there was no way to stop it.

But their family wasn't strong enough to face the pack in a decisive battle yet. They could only put up with it.

Li Wei knew that well. He nodded and went inside to rest, taking the Hunting Bow and a Wooden Spear with him. He had to make sure he was in the best possible shape. He was the main fighter now.

Another night passed, and Li Wei slept soundly. Even the wolves howling all night hadn't woken him.

Not only Phila and Penny, but Li Wei himself found this amazing. He hadn't known he had such a talent.

The pack hadn't broken through the wall last night, but the harassment had continued without letup. Phila's voice had gone hoarse, and she and Penny both had huge dark circles under their eyes. They were exhausted.

The good news was that Penny's wounds had nearly healed, and she was already practicing thrusts with her Wooden Spear.

There was no doubt that her vitality attribute had also reached Level One Awakening. Otherwise, she wouldn't have recovered so quickly.

"Let's end this tonight!"

When Li Wei came over, Penny said it right away. She was ready, and they couldn't put it off any longer. The wolves would wear them down.

Phila was too tired to speak. After collecting the dew, she didn't even eat breakfast; she went straight back to her room to sleep.

Penny, meanwhile, insisted on finishing breakfast. She gave Li Wei some pointers, then finally went back to rest.

After eating, Li Wei didn't rush to practice archery. Instead, he wandered around the camp. The mountain valley was quiet in the early morning. Bright sunlight streamed in from the east, and mist drifted through the low-lying areas. From a distance, it looked like a fairyland. But who knew how many dangers were hidden here—or where the wolves were lurking?

At the thought, he climbed up a simple ladder. Penny must have made it last night. It was a little unstable, but very useful.

From up there, he would have a wider view for shooting arrows.

Maybe we could build an archer's tower someday?

The impractical thought crossed Li Wei's mind. Just then, he seemed to hear something. His heart stirred, but he pretended not to notice and kept looking around from the ladder. He even leaned half his body out as his mind rapidly ran through possible scenarios.

A few seconds later, a gray wolf burst out of the nearby grass and charged over, brazenly leaping up outside the wall. It almost reached the top. Li Wei could even clearly see the gleam of its fangs in the sunlight!

That damn thing was audacious!

But Li Wei had been ready. He planted his feet, lowered his center of gravity, and drew the bow and nocked an arrow just as the gray wolf leaped. His movements were still a little clumsy, but the target had practically delivered itself to him.

Li Wei barely needed to aim. In an instant, the Wolf Fang Arrow pierced the gray wolf's throat.

But almost at the same time, a gust of foul breath swept toward him. Li Wei caught sight of a dark blur from the corner of his eye. Before he could react, a tremendous force slammed into him, knocking him off balance and sending him over the wall!

At that critical moment, Li Wei decisively let go of the Hunting Bow and grabbed the wall. With all his strength, he scrambled back over and crashed heavily to the ground. Cold sweat poured down him, his heart pounded, and his mind went blank for several seconds!

Damn it!

He'd set a trap for the gray wolf, never realizing he was the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole waiting behind him.

That Black Wolf King was far too cunning!

"George! Are you all right?"

Penny and Phila rushed out when they heard the commotion. Seeing Li Wei sitting on the ground, drenched in sweat, pale, and in a sorry state, they were both badly startled.

"I'm fine. I killed a gray wolf, but that Black Wolf nearly dragged me away. I lost the Hunting Bow, too. That thing's practically a demon."

Li Wei was still shaken as he spoke.

"That's right. I think the Black Wolf King recognizes bows and arrows, too. It killed Sam with the same trick before—luring its prey from the front, then attacking from behind. It's unbelievably cunning."

Penny spoke with a grave expression, then climbed the ladder. Outside the wall, she found nothing but a fresh pool of wolf blood. Not a wolf remained, and the Hunting Bow had been torn apart and smashed.

What a cunning beast!

Still, it wasn't a big problem.

In fact, it could even be considered good news, because Li Wei had now killed three wolves.

Penny looked at Li Wei expectantly.

Li Wei understood her look. He couldn't say it outright, so he asked indirectly, "Sis, could you make me another Hunting Bow?"

"No problem. Can we fight them tonight?" Penny answered confidently. It was only a Hunting Bow. If she could make one, she could make another.

Even if she was doing it for free, even if it meant her competitor would grow stronger and might eventually have the final say in the family, so what? At least they could make sure they cleared the task.

Besides, as a Professional Craftsman, she was indispensable to the family.

In any case, it was best to complete the Wolf Menace Task as soon as possible and get everything back on track.

"No problem! We'll fight tonight."

Li Wei repeated his answer solemnly. The Wolf Menace Task had given him the greatest benefits, making him the biggest winner. It was about time to bring it to an end.