Chapter 48: Inner Turmoil

At this moment, Ain was grateful for the equipment on his body; otherwise, his foot might’ve been injured in that clash. Even with the armor, his foot was numbed due to the residual lightning.

The lightning continued to streak across the Voltic Wolf’s frame, and the shadows in the surroundings continued to dance. The small cloud of dust from their exchange began to settle.

The result of the Scan flashed through his mind at this moment.

[Species: Voltic Wolf]

[Attribute: Lightning]

[Rank: Advanced Rank-1]

[Quality: Noble | Max Quality: Transcendent]

[Innate Skills: Overcharge]

[Skills: Lightning Dash, Lightning Strike]

Of course, Ain wasn’t distracted because of it. The wolf was staring at him with ferocity in its purple eyes. It opened its vicious mouth once more, making its next move. But unlike last time, it didn’t charge directly using Lightning Dash.

Before Ain could think further, the deafening sound of thunder drowned his senses once again.

Boom! Crack!

A shield appeared between them but was instantly shattered by a thick bolt of lightning originating from the wolf’s mouth. From the build-up to the impact, less than a second had elapsed.

The Voltic Wolf used Lightning Strike, attacking Ain from afar and catching him by surprise. Due to Overcharge, the Lightning Strike was strengthened, shattering his Shield instantly. But the Shield also managed to exhaust the attack at the same time.

He expected the wolf to use Lightning Dash once again, so he planned for a follow-up after the wolf crashed into the Shield. But his opponent’s intelligence didn’t seem to be low.

Ain didn’t think too much as the wolf followed the Lightning Strike up with a Lightning Dash, instantly appearing before him once again. But this time, there was no Shield in-between them.

That being the case, Ain didn’t change his follow-up. He was already aware of the wolf’s skills, and his following actions wouldn’t change because of this change. Similar to before, what followed Shield was a Spirit Blast.

As the wolf closed in on Ain, with jaws wide open, ready to tear into his flesh, Ain’s finger was pointing straight at it.

A smug glint flashed past the Voltic Wolf’s purple eyes, having succeeded in its cunning ploy.

But the next moment, its eyes suddenly twitched, and it halted its charge, before twisting its waist and using its claw to slash behind it.

At the same time, Nox, who ambushed the wolf, was swinging its claws towards the back of the wolf’s neck.

From the beginning, Nox had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.

As the wolf abruptly turned around, Nox’s slash missed, but due to the awkward angle and positioning, the Voltic Wolf also failed to connect with Nox. But Nox wasn’t its only opponent in this battle.

Boom!

All parties were within a two-meter radius, and a Spirit Blast at this proximity exploded on the wolf’s unguarded waist.

“Howl!” A pained howl escaped the wolf’s mouth as it watched the white, gaseous creature suddenly disappear from the corner of its eye.

As the wolf’s survival instincts clashed with its emotions, it forcefully ignored the throbbing pain and turned to face its opponent.

But when it turned around, what greeted it was a large, clawed hand, slashing past its vulnerable neck.

It was too late to dodge, and a streak of blood flew out as the claw, like death’s scythe, now covered in blood and lightning, swept past.

At this moment, all sound seemed to disappear. The Voltic Wolf’s figure turned sluggish and paused, as it moved its hazy purple gaze towards Ain. It saw an eternal black in his eyes, swallowing all light, as his right hand was morphed into a large, gaseous, white claw, beginning from the middle of his forearm. There was residual lightning still crackling on it, with blood slowly dripping down.

The wolf wanted to will its body to move, for its claw to slash at the opponent, but amidst its rapidly blurring vision, all was for naught.

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It collapsed on the forest floor, with blood flowing freely from its neck, as the final vestiges of its life continued to fritter away. It thought back to what it left behind, and turned its head towards the east, reluctance evident in its eyes. It breathed its last breath and departed from this world.

Ain watched on as the Voltic Wolf collapsed and the lightning surrounding its body dissipated. Because he was in the possession state, he clearly sensed the wolf’s lifeforce deteriorating. But what really caught his attention was that final look in its eyes.

Among all the spirit beasts he had hunted so far, this Voltic Wolf displayed the highest intelligence and emotion.

Analysis and Deduction had been active throughout the fight, and everything that occurred in the past few minutes flashed through his mind.

In less than a second, all the dots were connected.

Ain exited the possession state, and Nox appeared beside him. The encounter didn’t last long, and they were both in good condition.

Ain looked east, where the wolf had turned to in its final moments. He wanted to confirm his conjecture, so he quickly used the scent-masking powder to block the scent, and the sealing gel to seal the wolf’s wound, before packing up.

After his experience with the Razor Panther, Ain always carried around fasteners. He used them to efficiently tie up the Voltic Wolf and carried it on his back.

Looking around for the last time, he instructed Nox as he gestured eastwards, “Go investigate the vicinity carefully."

Nox complied and flew over to scout. Ain also began walking eastwards slowly.

About twenty minutes later, Nox returned. “Wooo…”

Nox’s investigation confirmed his conjecture, and Ain’s expression remained neutral. He gave it further instructions, and it flew back again.

As he now knew the location, Ain followed behind towards a small rocky hill, covered in plants, that was visible in the distance. When he arrived at his destination, what greeted him was a dark cave, tall enough for him to explore.

Ain removed the Voltic Wolf’s body from his back and placed it against the cave’s entrance before walking inside.

With a slight spirit energy fluctuation, a sphere of radiant light appeared before Ain, guiding his path as it cleared away the darkness. After mastering the Rank-0 core spell, Illumination, not only could he cast it instantly, but there was no need for gestures either. It quietly materialized within range, in his desired location. It moved forwards along with Ain’s footsteps.

The cave was about twenty meters deep, and its width increased as he walked further in. Sensing Ain’s arrival, Nox flew up to him, reporting the completion of its duty. Followed by Nox and a floating light sphere, he arrived at the end of the cave and looked around.

What entered his sight were two wolf pups. Their fur was a dull black, with white fur on their belly and waist. There was a tiny, black, and white peppered tail behind them, and their closed eyes were suspected to be the same bright purple as their parent’s.

This scene was the conclusion Ain arrived at using Analysis and Deduction. Even without these abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult for Ain to reach this conclusion.

There were multiple clues throughout their encounter, all alluding to this.

First was the beginning of the encounter. When Ain first met the Voltic Wolf’s gaze, it was already staring at him. It had clearly discovered Ain before he saw it. With its deviousness, it should’ve prepared to ambush him, instead of standing in place and observing him. Only when Ain walked out to openly confront it did it display hostility. It was clearly hesitant to engage.

Second was the aggression. Even unranked animals and beasts would probe before an all-out attack. But this Voltic Wolf, despite being an Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Beast, used Overcharge, its trump card, right from the get-go. Urgency and haste were apparent in its actions.

Third was the desperation. After getting heavily injured by Ain’s Spirit Blast following Nox’s ambush, with its cunning nature and survival instincts, it should’ve escaped instead of turning back to face Ain once more. The intent to thwart Ain’s path was evident.

Fourth was its final moments. With a gash on its neck, its blood flowed away like a stream as it collapsed. Despite the painful effort, it turned its injured neck to face east, with clear reluctance, unwillingness, and sadness in its eyes. In this final moment of its life, the target of its sentiments was perceptibly not itself.

Ain continued to stare at the sight before him, as various complicated emotions entangled his heart.

“Wooo…” Nox sensed Ain’s inner turmoil and was unsure of what to do.

In this competition between species, cruelty and savageness are often associated with spirit beasts, as all humans learn growing up. But what do the spirit beasts view humans as? Cruel and savage? Invaders who want to hunt and harm them?

Humans live confined to their cities, building tall walls to isolate themselves from the wilderness and the roaming spirit beasts. Venturing out is always a test of life and death, whereas the cities are their last bastion.

But what about the other perspective? The vicinity of any human settlement is barren of spirit beasts. In the Duskfield Forest, isn’t the periphery void of spirit beasts because they are fearful of the humans who reside in Duskfield City? Yet humans will still venture out into the depths of the forest to hunt. Is there a last bastion for spirit beasts?

Can it be determined who is really confined and who is free?

Ain understood things weren’t as simple as they appeared. However, when the fog is lifted, the perceived constructs are broken down, and all the complications are washed away, what truly remains in the end?

Who is right and who is wrong?

There are countless tragedies in the world, but not all the victims are humans. Today, Ain’s hands orchestrated a tragedy, in which he saw shadows of his own past. The wolf pups are just like him, with their parent taken away, powerless to stop it.

Just like him, they’ll be unaware of the circumstance, forever left questioning.

And just like him, they’ll be alone in this world.

“No, you’re not alone. You’ll have each other.” Ain muttered as he corrected himself before continuing, “And I’m not alone either. There’s Nox, the cat, mentor, Ms. Livia, and even Hugo.”

“Spirit pets used to be spirit beasts, and there’s no difference between any of us either. There is no point in arguing who’s right or wrong because who really cares?”

Ain took a deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, and then released it. As the air rushed out of his lungs, Ain’s entangled emotions began to clear up, and his heart became tranquil once again.

He wasn’t sure if these were his true thoughts, or just another construct to mask his uncertainty, but at least it brought him peace.

Nox, who was beside him, also cheered up upon Ain’s resolution.