The situation was becoming more and more tense. Neither side had launched the first attack. The Night Wolves continued tightening their encirclement with slow, deliberate steps, their glowing yellow eyes fixed on the humans trapped within the circle. Jinn and the others gripped their weapons tightly, ready to fight the wolves to the death. Every breath someone took sounded louder than it should have, as if the air itself had grown heavier.

  Finally, when the wolves drifted into the effective range of long-range attacks, Jinn raised his sword and shouted with all the strength he had.

  "ATTACK!"

  The command cracked through the night like thunder. Mages unleashed spells in rapid succession while archers fired volleys of arrows into the darkness. Explosions erupted across the field, blasting Night Wolves backward and showering dirt everywhere. Flames and lightning danced briefly before fading, leaving behind scorched earth and smoking craters.

  Then the melee adventurers charged. Jinn and Krome were among the first to clash with the wolves.

  Jinn’s sword carved through Night Wolves in precise, deadly arcs. Krome targeted their weak points with his throwing knives, each blade flying with uncanny accuracy honed through years of instinctive combat. Jinn’s sword glowed faintly, coated with aura. It was the mark of an Aura Swordsman, and his aura was refined, smooth, and stable, proof of a warrior who had trained relentlessly.

  Jinn fought like a beast. His instincts were sharper than any ordinary fighter’s. Even if a Night Wolf pounced at him from behind, he reacted without turning to look, reading the shift in the air and the killing intent around him. This combination of instinct and aura control had earned him the A-Rank, not raw strength alone. Wherever he stepped, wolves fell one after another.

  So far, everything was going surprisingly well. No wolf had managed to break through their lines. Adventurers shouted and fought in rhythm, pushing forward little by little, confident they could hold out.

  Then Jinn felt something.

  A sudden spike of danger from his right.

  His instincts screamed loudly, and his body moved before his mind finished processing the threat.

  He swung his sword instantly.

  A loud metallic clang erupted as his blade met something unbelievably hard. Sparks shot out as metal clashed against a magically reinforced surface. Jinn turned and saw the source.

  The claw of the Night Wolf King.

  The King had enchanted his claw with hardening and strengthening magic. The aura surrounding it shimmered thickly with unnatural density.

  Jinn gritted his teeth and let out a war cry as he pushed the claw away. The impact sent a small tremor through the ground.

  Before he could recover, two crescent-shaped magical slashes flew toward him. He dodged just in time, and the slashes carved deep trenches where he had been standing moments before.

  He wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered,

  "Magic-using monsters…"

  Normally, monsters could not use magic without study or guidance. But high-ranking monsters were different. They learned magic instinctively, as naturally as breathing.

  Jinn repositioned himself and fixed his gaze on the Night Wolf King once again. The King stared back with unmistakable mockery in his eyes. Two Night Wolf Queens stood behind him, their stances graceful yet threatening.

  Only then did Jinn fully understand.

  The three wolves had deliberately lured him away from the group, trapping him in a triangle formation.

  He let out a humorless laugh and smiled fiercely.

  "Since when did beasts become this intelligent?"

  But the smile faded immediately. His allies would not last long without him. They still had a few B-Rank adventurers and one other A-Ranker, but none of them could withstand such overwhelming numbers. There were more than two hundred Night Wolves pushing aggressively against the human formation.

  He prepared himself to force a breakthrough and return to the group.

  Then the Night Wolf King’s expression suddenly changed.

  The mockery disappeared.

  In its place was something Jinn never expected to see from a monster.

  Fear.

  Real, primal fear.

  The King’s eyes widened. Its ears flattened. The Queens behind him stiffened and instinctively retreated a step, trembling slightly.

  A chill crawled down Jinn’s spine as he slowly turned to see what caused that reaction.

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  Then he saw it.

  Behind him, rising from the ground like a living tide, a massive wave of black, shining liquid surged upward. It glimmered under the moonlight and moved with unnatural fluidity, like a creature made of metal and shadow. It roared forward and swallowed Night Wolves whole, devouring them like crumbs tossed into an endless abyss.

  It consumed them silently, mercilessly, like a giant, hungry monster that knew no mercy or limit.

  Jinn’s eyes widened.

  "What… is that?"

  ---

  A few minutes earlier.

  Krome moved between Night Wolves as smoothly as flowing water, slipping past snapping jaws and slashing claws. Every step he took was precise and quick, each dodge only a breath away from death. His daggers flashed, piercing vital points with astonishing accuracy. Blood scattered behind him as each wolf collapsed.

  His daggers were coated with aura. It was not as refined as Jinn’s, but still sharp enough to cut monster hide with ease.

  After killing another wolf, Krome paused to take a quick breath. His lungs burned, and sweat dripped down his temple. But he had no time to rest. Even a heartbeat wasted could cost a life.

  He tightened his grip on his daggers and scanned the battlefield for Jinn. He spotted him in seconds.

  Jinn was facing the Night Wolf King alone, completely separated from the others.

  Krome’s eyes widened.

  "It is a trap! Oh hell no, boss is trapped!"

  He tried rushing over to help, but more Night Wolves jumped in front of him, blocking the way. Krome clicked his tongue in frustration.

  "Think, Krome. Think. Boss’s life… no, everyone’s lives are in danger."

  He forced his mind to work faster.

  Then a memory flashed suddenly.

  A girl with short blond hair.

  Strange clothes.

  Calm eyes.

  Helena.

  "Yes… that woman! But where is she?"

  He scanned the battlefield, but she was nowhere in sight.

  "She is not here. Did she run away? No, my instincts cannot be wrong. She is strong. Stronger than anything here. Terrifyingly strong. She would not run. So where is she?"

  Then he remembered.

  Laysandra.

  Helena had gone to sleep in the tent with her.

  He sprinted toward the carriages where the non-fighters sheltered. Pulling aside a curtain, he looked inside. Several frightened people stared at him with hopeful, desperate faces.

  One asked, "Did you drive off the monsters?"

  Krome ignored him. His eyes landed on a girl he recognized from Helena’s tent. He hurried to her.

  "You. Tell me where that woman is."

  "Wh-who?" the girl whispered.

  Krome raised his voice, "That woman!"

  The girl blinked, confused.

  Krome repeated urgently, "Where are the people who shared the tent with you?"

  She finally understood.

  "I do not know. Sasha and I ran into the carriage when the attack started."

  Sasha was curled in the corner, trembling.

  Krome asked, "And the other two?"

  "I think they are still in the tent."

  That was all he needed.

  He sprinted to the tent and threw open the flap.

  He froze completely.

  Inside was a scene straight out of a bizarre dream.

  Helena had wrapped herself around Laysandra like a giant snake coiling its prey. Both her arms and one of her legs held the poor girl securely in place. Laysandra looked exhausted, but when she saw Krome, she gave him the saddest puppy eyes ever seen.

  Krome instinctively stepped back out of the tent.

  "Oh. Sorry wro…"

  "Help me, Mr. Adventurer!" Laysandra cried in despair.

  Krome snapped back to reality.

  He rushed in again. Outside, people were fighting for their lives, screams echoed through the camp, but Helena was peacefully asleep like a child in her soft bed.

  "Please… help…" Laysandra begged.

  Krome grabbed Helena’s shoulders and shook her.

  She did not move.

  He shook harder.

  Still nothing.

  Her body felt unmovable, like solid metal.

  Krome stared at her, half terrified.

  "Is she even sleeping? Or pretending to mess with me…?"

  He sighed heavily and looked at Laysandra.

  "I apologize in advance."

  "What?" Laysandra asked, confused.

  Krome pointed his palm at Helena. A small glowing magic circle appeared. Even though he was not a mage, he knew basic spells. A ball of water formed instantly and shot at Helena.

  Cold water splashed across both Helena and Laysandra. Laysandra screamed softly as she was drenched.

  The moment the water touched Helena, Krome felt something terrifying.

  His senses exploded.

  A heavy, suffocating pressure crushed down on him.

  His legs trembled violently.

  Helena’s golden eyes opened slowly.

  She stared at him as if she would tear him apart for daring to wake her.

  Krome swallowed with difficulty and forced out the words.

  "We are under attack."

  Instantly, the terrifying pressure vanished. The danger retreated like a shadow fleeing the sun.

  Helena released Laysandra. The girl gasped for air.

  "I am free…" she whispered with relief.

  Helena, half soaked, looked at Krome.

  "I demand an apology after this."

  Krome stood stiffly as she walked past him and left the tent.

  He clutched his chest.

  "This much stress is not good for my heart…"

  ---

  Helena stepped out of the tent and into chaos. Screams, growls, steel clashing, and magic crackling filled the night. Adventurers fought desperately, facing a sea of Night Wolves from every direction.

  To Helena, it was nothing special.

  She had seen far worse.

  A world drowned in monsters.

  A world torn apart by an apocalypse.

  Helena whispered calmly,

  "Let us finish this all at once."

  A huge surge of black liquid erupted from her ring. It should have been metal, but Helena’s matter manipulation had transformed it into a shimmering fluid.

  Krome, still at the tent entrance, stared with wide eyes.

  He had no idea what to call this. Magic? Skill? Something else?

  Helena raised her hand slightly.

  "Go."

  Her voice was cold and commanding.

  The black liquid moved instantly. It surged forward like a living sea and rose higher and higher until it turned into a full tsunami.

  It crashed into the Night Wolves with overwhelming force. Wolves were swallowed whole. Their bodies crushed and devoured within the shifting black mass.

  Some adventurers trembled when they saw it coming toward them. They thought they were about to die as well.

  But the liquid flowed harmlessly around them. It ignored friend and consumed only foe.

  Night Wolves tried to flee, but the liquid rose again, splitting into hundreds of sharp black spears. They shot out at incredible speed, piercing wolves one after another.

  Blood sprayed. Bones snapped. Bodies dropped.

  It was a complete massacre.

  Every adventurer understood what was happening.

  Helena had saved them all.

  ---

  On the other side, Jinn watched the Night Wolf King trembling in terror as the black tide devoured his pack.

  Jinn smirked.

  "I forgot to mention. Today, I am not the strongest one here."

  The King did not understand the words, but he understood the meaning.

  He was being mocked.

  But survival mattered more than pride.

  He turned and fled at full speed, with his two Queens running beside him. Instinct screamed that he would die if he stayed. That black thing was death itself.

  ---

  Helena walked across the battlefield calmly, as if strolling through a garden. All around her, Night Wolves lay in various states of destruction, crushed, pierced, or shredded. Silence began to settle as the chaos faded.

  She raised her hand.

  The black liquid immediately returned, breaking apart into streams and absorbing back into her ring. Even the spears dissolved and flowed into her storage.

  In seconds, the field was clear.

  The adventurers watched her with gratitude and awe.

  They knew without a doubt that Helena had saved them.

  Jinn approached her. His armor was dented, his sword covered in blood, but his eyes were steady.

  "I cannot thank you enough, Miss Helena."

  Helena waved casually.

  "Do not mention it. And did you not allow me into your group? So it became my duty to help my friends."

  She extended her hand.

  Jinn blinked. He remembered telling her earlier, "We are not your friends."

  Now she called them friends without hesitation.

  He laughed and shook her hand firmly.

  "We are friends after all."

  Then he sighed.

  "It is a shame we lost the chance to obtain the magic core of that rare Night Wolf King. He ran away when he realized he could not win."

  Helena tilted her head.

  "Oh, that big puppy. Do not worry. I am not someone who lets my enemies walk away."

  She reached into her ring and pulled out a sniper rifle.

  An artifact sniper rifle, marked with the golden apple emblem.

  Jinn stared wide-eyed. He did not know what the weapon was, but he knew it was dangerous.

  ---

  The Night Wolf King ran desperately with his two Queens. His paws pounded the earth, breath ragged, limbs burning. He knew he would have died if he had stayed. But now he had lost his entire pack. Rage twisted inside him.

  Then he felt something.

  A sharp whistle.

  Something fast.

  Something impossibly fast.

  The Queen beside him exploded. Her upper body vanished, and a crater formed in the ground ahead of where she had been.

  The King skidded in shock.

  Another whistle.

  Another shot.

  The second Queen exploded as well.

  Fear gripped him.

  He knew he was next.

  He ran harder, pushing his body beyond its limits.

  But a sniper bullet is faster.

  In the next second, his world turned upside down.