Wolf Pack Under the Moon

"We've been discovered..."

At Lynn's warning, the others finally noticed the eyeball-shaped object above their heads.

Whoosh!

An arrow tore through the air and struck the pitch-black eyeball with perfect accuracy.

But it was as if it had hit air, passing straight through without the slightest resistance.

"Looks like it's a creation made of pure magic, with no physical form." Lynn quickly withdrew his gaze and cautiously observed their surroundings.

Ulshi gave a cold snort and lowered the hand that had been preparing to fire a second arrow.

"Ready!" Elaine had finished her preparations as well. The Moonshadow Necklace activated again, and the magical field of [Invisible Shadow] swiftly enveloped the five of them.

But before that concealing power had fully gathered, it was torn apart like a thin veil.

At the same time, a strange dark-red mark appeared above each of Lynn's group, following their movements like a ghost, clinging tight.

Damn it, we've been locked onto! Lynn instantly sensed something was wrong. This surveillance magic is actually this troublesome...

Seeing their greatest safeguard completely fail, everyone's expressions turned grave.

This meant they could no longer use the clever trick of stealth to avoid danger. In all likelihood, they would have to face the enemy head-on.

Wuuu, wuuu, wuuu—

The temperature in the night dropped sharply. Whether it was the sound of the wind or the low growl of some beast, at first listen it was like a baby crying, sending chills down the spine.

Celine's body instantly tensed. Like a feline, she arched her back, her pupils narrowing into vertical slits as she looked into the distance.

The "wuuu wuuu" sounds drew closer and closer. Beneath the moonlight pouring down from the full moon, crouching figures emerged one after another from the shadows of rocks, weeds, and thickets.

They were a pack of massive Magic Wolves, but their appearance was extremely bizarre.

Amid their jet-black long fur, ink-green vine tentacles seemed to have taken root inside their bodies and grown out from within. On some Magic Wolves, even their skulls and eye sockets had been pierced through by these vines.

No blood flowed out. There was only a thick, rancid stench, as if they were corpses that had already been rotting for several days.

"These are all corpses..." Elaine's green eyes were filled with anger. "This is practically what a necromancer would do! It's too hateful!"

As a healing mage who considered saving lives her duty, she was filled with fury toward this kind of parasitic organism, this blasphemy against life.

"Ulshi, get to high ground and keep watch. Stop the enemy from approaching, and be careful of ambushes around us." Celine brandished her spear, her usually lazy tone now exceptionally heavy and serious.

"Liam, keep moving and look for a chance to assassinate. As for me..." She walked to Lynn and Elaine's side, and, by habit, tossed Lynn a charming look. "I'll be responsible for protecting these two little ones."

"These ugly things have no intelligence. They'll definitely only know how to charge around blindly. We'll focus on defense and wait for them to attack. Move quickly. It's been a long time since I got to stretch my muscles."

As she spoke, Celine stretched her bonelessly supple body.

Her arrangements were logical and orderly, which surprised both Lynn and Elaine somewhat.

I almost forgot. This woman has always been the captain of their three-person team. Liam is meticulous, Ulshi is calm, but Celine seems to understand better how to bring out the strengths of her two teammates.

As the group moved, the pack of Magic Wolves also crept closer with low growls.

There were fewer than ten of them, but because the five stood with their backs to the rocks, they could be surrounded very easily.

Even though this pack of Magic Wolves had already been dead for several days, they still retained their instinct to hunt as a group. Once the encirclement gradually shrank, they abruptly drew back, gathered strength, and pounced forward, attacking the group's vital points with sharp claws and fangs.

The ranger Ulshi had already nimbly climbed up a nearby tree, gaining an excellent field of vision. He looked thin and frail, but his arm strength was astonishing, and in an instant he drew the bowstring taut.

Magic was poured into that plain, unadorned bow and arrow, and a faint green light wound around it.

"Whoosh—" The arrow shot out, but in midair it transformed into a dense rain of arrows, covering a large area—precisely the path the Magic Wolves had to take.

In an instant, green thorns dancing wildly like snakes filled that area. The Magic Wolves' enormous bodies happened to charge right in and were immediately entangled by the thorns, unable to move. Spikes sank one by one into their flesh, drawing constant low whimpers from the Magic Wolves.

This is the ranger first-ring spell [Thorn Arrow Rain]? What a powerful control effect!

Liam, the thief hiding nearby, seized the moment. While the Magic Wolves were bound, he flashed out.

He swung the daggers in both hands with swift precision, silver light flickering one after another. Every strike accurately stabbed into a Magic Wolf's abdomen or throat, instantly piercing their vital points.

From time to time, a few fish slipped through the net and pounced toward Lynn's group of three, only to be lifted by the tip of Celine's spear and flung away in one motion.

Watching them, Lynn found it a delight to the eye. Such clean coordination. Their timing is extremely precise too.

The strength Celine's trio displayed seemed even more reliable than what he remembered.

He did not stay idle either. With a casual motion, he kneaded out several Fire Arrows and threaded them through the openings, smashing them onto the heads of those Magic Wolves.

For a moment, the situation seemed completely one-sided.

But after two rounds of attacks, they noticed something was wrong.

These Magic Wolves were corpses to begin with. Even if they were riddled with holes, they still would not fall.

Instead, the Magic Wolves' howls continued, gradually drawing all kinds of sounds from the depths of the forest.

"Damn it. There are quite a few Demonic Beasts around here. Once they surround us, it'll be very hard for us to escape."

This was also one of the major threats in the depths of the Whispering Forest. Aside from the occasional three-star Demonic Beast, the density of one- and two-star Demonic Beasts also far surpassed the outer region.

They had to end this quickly, but the only spell Lynn had with powerful killing force was Frost Ring.

According to the theory in Basic Introduction to Magic—Elements, the cold damage caused by ice-element magic was greatly reduced against undead creatures.

Unless they could hack through the bones by brute force and rob them of movement—but experienced adventurers all knew a Magic Wolf's bones were harder than metal!

Just as Lynn was getting a headache over it, he heard Elaine beside him begin chanting a spell.

At the same time, she raised the staff in her hand. As she chanted, a searing white light flared over the weapons in Celine, Liam, and Ulshi's hands.

"This is a first-ring spell, [Blessing Spell]. It can make your weapons deal additional radiant damage," Elaine explained lightly.

She did not look relaxed. For the first time, she had gone deep into the wilds, facing so many strange, twisted undead creatures. To a noble young lady who had grown up in a great city, pampered and privileged since childhood, it was utterly unfamiliar—frightening, even.

Hearing her words, everyone was pleasantly surprised.

Radiant damage—that was something that greatly countered evil creatures such as the undead!

The magic had a limited duration, so the group no longer hesitated and continued their assault.

Unlike before, when the three of their weapons struck those corrupted Magic Wolves again, a violent reaction erupted the instant they made contact. Waves of black smoke steamed up as if being burned by fire, accompanied by the Magic Wolves' piercing screams.

Their flesh and hide also melted away rapidly like ice and snow beneath the sun.

Lynn summoned Frost Ring to support them from the side, preventing the Magic Wolves from darting about wildly.

At last, the twisted tendrils on the surface of one Magic Wolf's body twitched again and again. Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, they began to wither, until they became lifeless, shriveled vines.

Everyone's fighting spirit immediately rose even higher. Just as they were about to press the advantage, the dying Magic Wolf suddenly twisted around and lunged toward Elaine.

Celine instinctively swung her spear, trying to knock it flying, but the spear thrust into its rotten hide and flesh. In the next instant, she watched that mass of decaying blood and meat swell rapidly.

It was going to explode!

The blood in Lynn's entire body instantly seemed to boil, and his spirituality hurt as if it were being torn apart, erupting with an intense sense of crisis.

Driven by his desire to survive, he should have fled, but for some reason, his steps shifted, and he actually placed himself in front of Celine and Elaine.

Boom!

Black smoke exploded outward in an instant, accompanied by the foul stench of rot. Following it came an extremely dazzling white barrier, like a moon upon the earth.

[Shield Spell] had been passively triggered!