The streets were empty, the marketplace closed, and the only noise came from rowdy locals spilling out of nearby taverns. The nightlife in this small town was a stark contrast to the bustling city, where streets were crowded with people, food stalls, and chatter so loud it was hard to hear one's own thoughts. But that was to be expected; small towns didn’t offer much in the way of entertainment. This made Bones’ task—leveling up his Soul Magic—more challenging.
With no other option, Bones entered the rowdiest tavern on the street and found a secluded table in a corner on the upper floor. Contrary to his expectations, the crowded tavern would serve him well. There were plenty of people to blend in with, and intoxicated individuals made for easy targets. Bones had his targets lined up.
His first target was on the ground floor, already swaying, wobbling, and bumping into others. An easy mark, no doubt. Bones focused on the man, establishing a soul link. The connection worked as intended, but Bones was overwhelmed by a chaotic flood of information that was difficult to process.
slam
Bones slammed his mug of beer onto the table. What a mess. This won’t do! He dismissed the link, picked up his mug, and stood up to stroll around the upper floor. He noticed several easy targets, but they were all as intoxicated as the first. Ignoring them, he turned his attention to a group of people gambling and playing cards at a nearby table. He slowly circled the crowd, observing the players, and decided they would make for better targets—nervous, distressed, and impatient, just the kind he needed to liven up the tavern.
After establishing a link with each of the players, one at a time, Bones focused on a fuming man with the least amount of currency on the table. Applying pressure to the man’s soul would be the easiest approach. He had done it before in Hagos, but this time he aimed for more precise control. Luckily, his targets were simple men, without combat classes, low-level, and easily influenced.
Bones’ second class was Soul Weaver, a class focused on manipulation rather than direct soul damage. He aimed not just to read the emotions of his targets but to influence them, forcing them to act out. Slight pressure on the soul was essential—just enough to make the man feel his heart tighten. Bones carefully timed his actions, and when the players went all in on the table, he amplified the emotions they already felt: excitement, nervousness, doubt, and, where Bones excelled most, fear.
The fuming man lost it all. His teeth gnashed in anger and regret, and then the fear set in.
slam
He slammed his fist against the table and pointed at the man sitting across from him, the winner of the pool.
"You cheating bastard!" the man yelled, leaping over the table and grabbing the other’s throat. The other players backed away, while onlookers rushed in to separate the two. Hiding behind the crowd, Bones grinned and turned his attention to the other two players. After all, they had also lost money, and when they learned about the cheating…
By midnight, the upper floor of the tavern was in chaos. Furniture was broken, drinks spilled all over the floor, and the patrons were forced to close off the upper area. Meanwhile, Bones switched taverns and continued to stir up trouble wherever he went. Before dawn, he was back in his room, reflecting on the experience he’d gained.
"Failed to earn a single level, huh?" Bones muttered to himself. The evening had started promisingly, and he gained experience as usual, but after repeating the same actions over and over, the experience began to diminish. Midway through the night, Bones concluded that his targets simply weren't challenging enough to provide sufficient experience.
He was close to leveling up, so without waiting for morning, Bones left the inn and headed toward the eastern exit. If the townsfolk weren’t challenging enough, the wolves should provide a more suitable challenge for the level-up he desired.
The hunting grounds were about six kilometers from town, at the edge of one of the largest forests in the kingdom—Silent Gale. The forest was aptly named after the Wind Blade skill, the signature move of the direwolf alphas.
The forest was home to many different creatures, but the dominant species were direwolves, led by two elite direwolf alphas—a male and a female—who commanded the largest pack of forty wolves. Upon entering the hunting grounds, Bones realized he wasn’t alone. It was a frigid morning; the forest was covered in frost and already crowded with hunters working in pairs.
The wolves were easy to find. A pack of low-level wolves appeared soon after Bones entered the grounds, but he didn’t waste time. He wasn’t interested in hunting small fry, so he bypassed their weak attempts at engagement and quickly made his way deeper into the forest. His goal was to reach the alphas, whose territory began at the ten-kilometer mark and extended all the way to the forest’s edge.
Bones followed a party of three from a distance as they slowly cull the number of wolves and made their way toward the center of the forest. His decision to follow them came after realizing he didn't know where to go. The party, averaging level twenty-six and experienced in working together, easily repelled the wolves’ initial attacks. However, as they progressed, the wolves’ levels began to outmatch theirs. Soon, the wolves became too much for them, and the party was forced to retreat. Bones had observed enough to understand how the wolves fought. He stepped up from the sidelines and proceeded into the heart of the forest.
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The wolves were more intelligent than Bones had initially given them credit for. They always appeared in packs and would retreat after losing one or two members. They used tactics to bait, maim, and strike only when given an opportunity. Upon reaching the central area, Bones encountered exactly what he was looking for—the direwolves of the main pack. Leading them was a single elite alpha: a female with a striking white coat, larger and more formidable than the others.
The elite alpha positioned herself behind the pack and growled commands that seemed to communicate with the rest of the wolves. Bones tried to approach unnoticed but failed; the pack, or perhaps the elite alpha, detected him. The pack of nine direwolves closed in and began to encircle him. Bones let them.
Relying on his Omnipresent Perception, Bones carefully tracked their movements from all angles, including any blind spots he might have had. He waited for them to strike first and prepared to counterattack. When two direwolves pounced from his blind spots, Bones grinned and unleashed a perfectly timed Mana Blast. The rest of the pack, reacting swiftly, followed closely behind.
The Mana Blast tore through the first direwolf and knocked back the second, heavily injuring it. The rest of the pack halted their charge, recognizing the danger of the blast and retreating with only light injuries.
After this initial attempt, the elite alpha reorganized the pack and approached with caution but did not retreat. Bones laughed, somewhat expecting this behavior. He felt a thrill of excitement. He locked eyes with the elite alpha, spread his arms wide, and smirked, deliberately provoking the pack to come at him.
Hours later, Bones wasn’t smirking anymore. The direwolves proved too tricky to handle, and the elite alpha was too cautious—and too nimble—for Bones to catch or hit with his Bone Lance. Despite optimizing his use of Quick Steps, he barely managed to keep up.
The rest of the pack, ranging between levels twenty-nine and thirty-two, weren’t much of a challenge individually but followed orders effectively, minimizing their casualties. After the initial Mana Blast, which had killed one direwolf and heavily injured another, Bones hadn’t had another opportunity to use the skill effectively.
The direwolves scattered, kept their distance, and attacked one at a time. Bones chased them, but they retreated. Whenever he managed to catch up to one and was about to deliver a finishing blow, the elite alpha would intervene. After a prolonged struggle, Bones' initial enthusiasm for the fight waned. The elite alpha was no joke—its intelligence ensured that pride didn't influence its decisions. Bones realized he was being led on, but he continued his pursuit, driven by curiosity about where it would lead.
The central area of the forest grew denser with trees, saplings, and shrubbery. Bones' chase brought him to the entrance of a large grotto, hollowed out from the elevated forest floor. Thousands of vines from nearby trees encased the grotto, nearly obscuring the entrance. A large boulder sat atop the entrance, and atop the boulder, two predatory eyes watched him warily.
It was another alpha, larger than the one Bones had been chasing. After a moment of mutual assessment, the female elite appeared on the boulder beside the male. Bones had only a moment to Identify the two before the male alpha raised its head and howled.
Elite Gray Direwolf Alpha, Level 39
Elite Gray Direwolf Alpha, Level 37
As if summoned by magic, the direwolves began appearing in large numbers. Bones offered a faint smile upon identifying the two alphas and watching the pack close in on him. At a glance, he estimated around thirty direwolves encircling him. He turned his attention back to the alphas and noticed a light green hue enveloping the female, healing the wounds he had inflicted during the chase.
The male alpha leaped down from the boulder, taking a defensive stance in front of the den, while the female remained behind, focusing on her healing. The rest of the pack surged forward in a full sprint, charging at Bones.
“Cautious as ever,” Bones scoffed. He dropped the golem core beneath his feet and sprang into action, charging straight at the alpha. A moment later, Skully appeared, swinging his spear in a wide arc and deflecting several of the attacking direwolves. The male alpha howled and met Bones' charge head-on. Though physically stronger and faster, what made the alphas formidable was their experience.
The alpha dodged Bones' thrust with his lance, leaping to the side and attacking from the flank, aiming for Bones' neck. Bones didn’t hesitate. He spun around and swept his lance in a wide arc. The alpha narrowly avoided the attack, ducking mid-air and landing in a low stance. The sweep grazed the fur on his back. As Bones prepared to follow up with an overhead strike, the alpha leaped back out of reach. In his place, more than twenty direwolves charged, forcing Bones to retreat, circle, and search for another opportunity to strike.
The situation grew more complex when the female alpha joined the fray. Bones had expected the two alphas to become more aggressive, but instead, they adopted an even more defensive stance. Bones used Soul Gaze to freeze their movements momentarily. The alphas, recognizing Bones as a serious threat, coordinated their efforts to avoid direct confrontation.
Over time, Bones analyzed and identified the alphas' skills. The male alpha utilized Wolf's Howl to summon reinforcements and had a reinforced bite, resulting in a fractured forearm for Bones when he defended himself. He also experienced the Wind Blade skill firsthand.
While both alphas shared the Wind Blade skill, the female had a different skill set. The green hue was a regeneration ability, and her third skill was Swiftness, a support ability that buffed nearby allies. The alphas complemented each other well. As dusk fell and shadows lengthened, the fighting power of the alphas diminished. Bones' interest in continuing the battle throughout the night waned. He had gained the insights he came for and was overall satisfied with the result. He decided it was time to retreat.
The alphas' cautious nature allowed them to avoid capture and maintain their dominance despite the constant presence of hunters in the forest. Bones was not about to be the one to bring about their end, nor was he sure he could. At the very least, he was confident that the two alphas could escape safely. The pack remained vigilant for a long time after Bones left, undoubtedly exhausted and wounded from the ordeal.