Chapter 47: Voltic Wolf Hunt

It was Saturday once again, and it was time for Ain’s regular trip outside the city. Despite having more freedom from the academy, he still designated weekends for these trips out of habit.

Yesterday’s alchemy practice had been fruitful and was another potential avenue for income, but Ain’s knowledge and skills in that regard had yet to improve to the point where alchemy could replace his weekly trips.

Ain brought along the Rank-0 Spirit Recovery Pills he produced yesterday and stopped by Liberty Firm on his way out of the city. With the 15 medium-grade pills and 63 high-grade pills, he received 6,100 star coins. It was equivalent to hunting a small Beginner Rank-1 Spirit Beast like the Horned Wind Rabbit.

After his first outing, Ain focused on exploring the plains and the Rocky Region, neglecting the Duskfield Forest.

Due to the complex terrain and reduced visibility, the Duskfield Forest required one to be constantly on alert, which he personally experienced.

Now, over a month had passed, and Ain ventured into the Duskfield Forest once again. As an Intermediate Rank-1 Spirit Tamer, he was more confident and experienced, actively attempting to hunt Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Beasts like the Razor Panther.

The Metal Golem from the Rocky Region, despite also being an Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Beast, was incomparable to the Razor Panther, whether in lethality or value. The almost intact body of the Advanced Rank-1 Razor Panther from his first hunt netted him 160,000 star coins, whereas the only valuable material from the Advanced Rank-1 Metal Golem, the Metal Golem Core, was only worth 40,000 star coins.

Moreover, not all Metal Golems he found in the Rocky Region were at Advanced Rank-1. The only reason Ain preferred the Rocky Region was due to the compact size of the golem cores, conveniently allowing him to harvest a large number of them at once.

But hunting golems had become monotonous and wasn’t helpful to his training anymore.

There were also the vast plains around the city, but the spirit beasts there were relatively weak, especially in the regions within Ain’s range of travel.

All these reasons propelled his decision for another adventure in the Duskfield Forest.

Of course, he also planned to harvest any Misty Herbs he came across, as they were the main ingredient for the Rank-1 Spirit Recovery Pills.

As soon as Ain stepped out of the Forest Gate, he equipped his fluxboard and began cruising towards the Duskfield Forest. He didn’t stand out among the crowd of spirit tamers entering and exiting the city. Many were similarly riding various vehicles, with a fluxboard being the most prominent amongst solo adventurers.

Just like his previous visit, Ain accepted a mission from the Spirit Tamer Association. Unlike before, where he chose permanent missions that were always available, he was required to register this mission in order to accept it. Unless Ain completed the mission or conceded it, this mission won’t be available to others.

...

[Mission: Voltic Wolf Hunt]

[Description: Hunt the Advanced Rank-1 Voltic Wolf at the specified location. Its body is required for submission.]

[Reward: 210,000 star coins]

...

This was a Hard mission, different from the Easy and Medium missions he completed before. Despite also being an Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Beast, the Voltic Wolf was more valuable than the Razor Panther due to its uncommon lightning attribute.

Following the stone path, Ain arrived near the forest. Just like before, he veered off the set path to avoid others and entered from a distance.

‘Nox.’ Ain mentally called out his spirit pet, and Nox appeared beside him with a flash of light.

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“Wooo…” Already aware of its duty, Nox began to survey the surroundings while sitting on Ain’s shoulder.

After entering the dim forest, Ain saw the familiar thriving undergrowth, filled with dead plant matter and dirt. Since this was the periphery where even Rank-0 Spirit Beasts were uncommon, he didn’t alight from his fluxboard but slowed down and continued to maneuver around the trees and bushes.

The fluxboard was silent, even better than walking on the shady and quiet forest floor, leaving no trails.

Ain listened to the chirping insects and headed deeper while glancing at the map on his hololink. His destination was much further than where he encountered the Razor Panther last time, but Ain had the advantage of the fluxboard as well as no other distractions.

The Duskfield Forest was vast. As time passed, he ventured deeper, and the probability of encountering other spirit tamers decreased, while the probability of encountering spirit beasts increased. Only a coincidence, deliberate tracking, or an ambush could lead to an encounter with a spirit tamer here.

“Wooo…” At this time, Nox sent Ain a message. It spotted a patch of Misty Herbs towards the right. Ain followed its directions and confirmed its findings.

“Good job.” Ain encouraged Nox with a smile and promptly harvested 12 Misty Herbs. So far, including the 12 he just found, there were 39 stalks in his bag. The two spotted other spirit plants on their journey here, but they were wisely ignored.

After moving forward uneventfully for a while, Ain glanced at the map once again. ‘Hmm, I’m close to the reported location.’

Only a general region was provided in the mission detail. Upon reaching the vicinity, he alighted from the fluxboard before stowing it away. The rest of the search would be on foot.

Ain’s tracking abilities were average, but he still attempted it, nonetheless. Soon, he found some scorch marks on a tree trunk. The mark was peculiar because it was in the shape of branching lines, rather than a large uniform scorch mark.

‘This looks like a lightning-attribute attack. I’m close.’ Ain increased his vigilance at the thought. He sent some instructions to Nox, and it flew up into the sky.

After a few minutes, it returned and transmitted its findings. There was a black and white wolf roughly one kilometer towards the south. It seemed to be looking for prey.

Ain compared Nox’s description with the information he knew before telepathically praising his spirit pet. Receiving the mental message, Nox’s jubilant emotions were transmitted back to him.

What they discovered was the Voltic Wolf, Ain’s mission target. Nox already surveyed the general vicinity, and there was no one else around.

Ain quickly made his way towards the location of the Voltic Wolf. Before long, the Voltic Wolf finally came into view. As Nox described it, the wolf’s fur was a dull black, while its belly and waist were white. There was a peppered tail behind it, almost reaching the forest floor. Its eyes were a bright purple, shining like stars in the shadowy forest.

Ain saw its eyes so clearly because it was already staring in his direction.

Seeing this, he didn’t attempt to hide and emerged from behind the tree. His location was already exposed.

Ain walked out confidently while maintaining eye contact with the wolf. Purple lightning began to flicker on the Voltic Wolf’s body as it bared its teeth. It had already marked Ain as its prey.

Crackle!

After a couple seconds of silence, the lightning around the Voltic Wolf exploded like a chaotic storm, threatening to rob its opponent of their senses. The originally shaded forest floor lit up, and the flickering lightning caused the shadows in the surroundings to dance an evil ritual.

Amidst all that, the wolf shot forward with explosive speed, instantly closing the distance. Sharp teeth, covered in saliva and lightning, were visible in its mouth as it aimed for Ain’s neck.

The sudden thunder and blinding lightning impeded Ain’s senses, fulfilling the wolf’s objective. But when it was only half a meter away from Ain, it forcefully crashed into a golden spirit energy shield that emerged instantly.

Cracks covered the shield, having reached its limit after just one attack.

With the rebounding force, the Voltic Wolf was knocked back a little but managed to maintain its balance and land on its feet.

Soon after casting Shield, Ain took a step back before aiming at the disoriented wolf with his finger.

A radiant sphere of golden spirit energy condensed instantly, before shooting off towards the Voltic Wolf. Although Ain’s aim was accurate, the wolf swiftly jerked its body, dodging it effortlessly. It had recovered from its blunder instantly.

A small explosion rang out as the grass and dirt were lifted due to the blast.

‘Is that Overcharge?’ Ain analyzed as his body continued to move.

Overcharge was the innate skill Voltic Wolfs awakened at Noble quality. It could provide a comprehensive boost in physical abilities, while also augmenting lightning-attribute skills for a short duration. It was characterized by the dense lightning surrounding the Voltic Wolf’s entire body.

On top of that, it used Lightning Dash simultaneously, increasing its speed and agility immensely. If Ain hadn’t prepared Shield preemptively, the outcome would’ve been different.

The wolf didn’t hold back at all, instantly erupting with its strongest power.

After its first attack failed, the Voltic Wolf dashed towards Ain once again. It raised its claw and attempted to tear at Ain’s chest.

It didn’t use Lightning Dash this time, allowing him enough time to react. Instead of dodging, Ain countered with a kick.

Bang!

Ain had aimed at its elbow joint, but the wolf changed its trajectory, using its claw to clash with his kick. With Overcharge as well as it higher rank, the wolf’s strength was greater, but Ain used Spirit Impact, barely balancing the scales. As a faint shockwave swept past, both sides retreated.