I was dreaming as the wolf again. This time I was with my siblings and father, we were staring at some stones as our father showed us how to move them with his mind. His eyes glowed gently with the color of earth and the stone immediately rolled over.
I concentrated on the stone again and again but nothing happened, it was as if I didn’t even try. My father lightly shook his head with disappointment. On the other hand, my brother, who had dark brown colored fur same as our dad, was easily able to move the stones.
He smirked at me as he did that, even my sister that looked nothing like father was able to move the stone after trying for a few minutes, but no matter how long I tried no matter how much effort I placed into trying it didn’t matter, as all my efforts were for nothing as I was a failure.
*****
*”Overtake” leveled up to Lv2*
“Ah!” I suddenly woke up with cold sweat on my body as I looked around. It was already morning and it meant I had more work to do.
“Another dream from our puppy, don’t worry friend I don’t think that you are a failure.” I patted the wolf's head, it felt kinda weird as I was feeling the patting.
I noticed the message of the *Overtake* skill leveling up and said, “Well at least I am getting something positive from these dreams.”
I removed the roots from the ground and walked towards the tunnel after having breakfast which was made from some Mungo fruits.
“I'm almost out of fruits. I should go grab some later, and as it's on the way I should bring some lovely paralyzing flowers too.” I said as I looked at the empty corner where I stored the fruits near the tree.
After coming to the front of the entrance to the hideout I send a few *Detection* skill pulses outside to see if the Kobolds returned and even smelled the air just to be sure but found nothing.
“Good, they are keeping their distance from me. Was the painting just a warning?” Of course it wasn’t but how could I know that?
I walked to the twelve trees and pulled them out of the tunnel then I started to cut and whack the branches off them leaving the stalk completely naked. I left the leaves and branches to dry in a pile inside one of the tunnels. Later I will take them and place them near the tree in the hideout.
Their height was around two meters before they started to shrink and deform so I shortened those deformed parts so that they are around the same height and placed each stalk near each other, their combined width was around a meter and their height was around two.
“Perfect for a gate, its width is even a little bit too long but it's alright as I can just make the tunnel wider.” After that, I walked and made more rope at the workbench, before coming back outside and tying it all together.
“Hmm I must not forget about the locking mechanism. It would be cool if it was something that could only be opened while not needing a key, hmmm…” I thought for myself for a moment before a few ideas popped into my head.
“I guess I'll go with that.” I said as I went and cut a few more trees for the door mechanism.
I brought the trees and cut them the same way as I did with the old ones but these trees I cut in two, as I did that I already was getting tired.
“So much work and only for a door, couldn’t I just trade with some random merchant for a door?” I asked almost out of breath as I was losing quite a lot of stamina and mana, and the burden of every hit was ricocheting back at the wolf too.
“Alright, now what's left is to dig some holes at the right place and widen the tunnel a little bit.” I stood up and went to dig the tunnel.
*Skill learned “Dig” by Young Wild Wolf*
“Took you long enough.” I smirked as I found it kinda stupid that only now had the wolf learned that skill.
“Maybe it's because I am using the skill through me and not as its original from the wolf?” I asked and tried to use the skill a few times, the wolf skill usage was pathetic then I tried them together with mine and it worked a lot better when I combined them both.
“I am glad that there is skill synergy but it eats a lot of mana…” I said as I dug a few holes, made the tunnel bigger, and removed a lot of stones from the ceiling while making some kind of open space only in one part where the door would stand.
“Alright now let's check if this works.” First I placed the closing mechanism at the smaller hole that was deeper, then I moved the door into the tunnel and then back so I would be able to place it in the hole.
A quarter of the door was under the floor and a quarter of it was above the ceiling, as the tunnel was around little less than one meter wide and high it was a perfect door for it. Well, it looked more like a gate bridge that went in the wrong direction than a door but it was good enough for me.
“Alright let's try to close it.” I grabbed the rope with the wolf's mouth and my hand as I made it, especially for this, and started to move back. The gate slowly rose until it completely closed the tunnel.
“Perfect!” I said but I still wasn’t done as I wanted to close the locking mechanism.
At first, I wanted to use the *Wood Element Control* skill to do so but the smaller gate was too heavy for that so I moved some roots to the wall of the tunnel and dug a hole around the gate. I made it go around in a circle especially so nobody would be able to open the door by just sticking a stick into it.
After coming out of the other side I started to push the locking mechanism forward until it was laying on the gate.
“And now for the final test!” I shouted as I released the gate rope and it stood as if nothing happened. I even made a run on the gate and hit it with the full weight of mine and the wolf's body but it still stood tall.
“Great, the locking mechanism creates a counter force on the gate while being stuck between it and the smaller hole I dug behind it, creating a perfect lock that only I can open with my roots, only if I have mana though…” I mumbled the last part as I knew that there was a little flaw that could gently fuck me if I would barely survive a battle that was almost to the death.
“Never mind, let's see if I can open it.” I said with a tinge of fear as it would be really hard to break it now when it closed, I didn’t even know if I could do it before night came if I had to.
But luckily for me, everything went as planned and after I pulled the gate again on myself I was able to push the locking mechanism away from the gate, after that I just pushed the gate forward and it fell on top of the locking mechanism which made a weird small bridge.
“Perfect." I said as I checked the position of the sun to see if I would be able to get more fruits from the Mungo tree and even bring out some flowers from the sleeping death field.
“I still have time.” I immediately left the hideout, closing my awesome new gate behind me.
I picked up some fruits and got some flowers too and returned back to the entrance, even though I still had some distance from the entrance I was able to sense the smell of Kobolds.
“Those bastards, did they come back?” I asked as I ran faster to the gate, I wasn't prepared for what I saw in front of it.
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More than twenty Kobolds stood in front of the entrance while some were surely hitting and hacking at my new gate inside, all of them had short spears as weapons and some of them had even torches. I couldn’t do anything but just stand there and look in shock thinking that I must be dreaming.
But of course, I wasn’t, it didn’t take long for one of the Kobolds to notice me. He pointed the spear at me and gave out a menacing growl.
“Well fuck…” I said as slowly all the angry gazes of the Kobolds started to turn to me, and I only could hear an ensemble of angry growls directed towards me.
*Groowl!* *grrowwwl!* *Gggrowll!* *Ggrowwwl!* *ggrowl!*...
I even started to feel a very heavy pressure descending on my body. It reminded me of the feeling I hated the feeling I got every night from the Shadow Mark the devil cat left, it was very thick killing intent.
“You dare!!!” I shouted using the *Soul Link* skill and releasing my and the wolfs *Killing Intent* skill to its maximum capacity, but there was no reaction from the group of Kobolds as they had zero reasons to be afraid of me.
Some of them started to move toward me while holding their spears up front.
“Goddammit the only time I left the hideout without a spear and this is what I am coming to…” I murmured as I even left the axe behind the gate as well. I thought that it would be a simple run to bring some fruits and flowers, and even if I encountered a few monsters I could have just run away using *Adrenaline Rush*.
“Damn it the wolf's body is in a better condition than it was in the past but it is still not good enough for such a fight. I doubt that I will win even if I am in perfect condition, I need to run.” I said to myself before turning around and booking it some spears flew in my direction but they were nowhere close enough to hit me.
“If I survive till night time I will have a chance that the Kobolds would have to retreat because even with their numbers I doubt that they can easily kill a monster of the night.” I hoped to myself but I knew that this would only move the fight to tomorrow, I needed a different solution.
“I need to do a huge amount of damage to them so they will think twice before attacking me again… But how?” I asked myself before suddenly stopping as something came to mind, I looked to the east and a smile appeared on my imaginary face, before running there while not overdoing it so that the Kobolds wouldn’t lose me.
“Today will be your biggest mistake!” I shouted at the Kobolds before using the *Taunt* skill with a few lovely curses from the bottom of my heart. Our little fun chance continued for a few minutes before I started to smell a sweet sweet smell of victory.
“We are almost there…” I said as I saw a beautiful white field of flowers suddenly appear in front of me, I smiled once more before running towards it without fear as I knew that I can always enter the field and walk out of it as I already did that once, but would the stupid Kobolds be able to do the same?
I stopped in front of the field and turned around to see the group of at least twenty Kobolds still on my tail, I looked at them all and released the biggest *Taunt* skill that I could muster using *Soul Link* skill and howling with the wolf at maximum ability.
*AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!*
“Twenty against one and you still can’t catch me pathetic losers!!!” I was sure that my message had gotten to them as they all started to sprint at me even faster than before surely some of them even used some kind of springing skill similar to *Adrenaline Rush* as I had to use it to barely make some distance between us.
I entered the field of flowers and moved deeper and deeper into it. I saw that many Kobolds entered the field after me. They were all running in a frenzy but as they were running in the field their speed got slower and slower.
I passed the point where I stopped in the field last time. “Any minute now.” I murmured as I started to see some of the Kobolds start to wander around as if they lost their direction, some of them even completely forgot why they were even here and some continued walking towards the fruit lure tree.
*Skill learned “Paralyze Resistance” by Young Wild Wolf*
“Hmm, this changes things.” I murmured as I opened my status window to check how the flowers were affecting us, to my surprise the wolf was barely affected.
***
-Visavil Bush Lv4-
Experience: 29/90
Rarity: Uncommon
Health: 6/14
Mana: 8/47
Stamina: 1/12
Status: Intelligent(Unique), Withering(Strong), Symbiosis
***
-Young Wild Wolf Lv11-
Experience: 4/110
Health: 20/43
Mana: 1/7
Stamina: 8/19
Status: Weakened(Medium), Paralyze(Mild), Symbiosis
***
“I guess eating those flower stalks every day wasn’t a waste.” I murmured as I looked at the Kobolds, “This would be such a waste if I just left them to die like this, sadly I barely have mana to use *Life Steal*, on the other hand, I have enough health and stamina so I can just attack them from stealth.” I thought to myself.
Thankfully the flowers were quite high and if I crouched a little bit I was almost completely hidden, so when I saw the Kobolds wander around I dropped to the floor and changed my direction while using the *Stealth* skill.
Raising a small branch to see above the flowers as if a submarine raising its periscope to look for unsuspected enemy ships, and one such ship was found. I started crouching in its direction, while the kobold looked around confusingly while slowly walking towards me at the same time.
“What an idiot.” I said as the Kobold was already in front of me, he suddenly stopped and looked down as he heard something rustle. He tried to raise his spear but it was already too late.
I jumped from the flowers as if a shark jumping from the water, my teeth pierced the flesh of the Kobold's neck, it could only release a small *Yelp…* before falling with me into the field of flowers and quietly dying there as I shredded his throat while pinning him down and not letting him move or scream.
“One down I think I have enough time for three or four more before I will need to leave, or even I will get affected by the flowers' paralysis and confusion poison.” I said as I licked the blood from my nose not noticing that it was quite a gruesome and disgusting scene, then I raised a root above the flowers once more looking for another target.
Another *Yelp* sounded in the field of flowers as I killed another Kobold. This time I wasn’t able to be so quiet, but it didn't matter as some of the Kobolds started whimpering around us as they started to understand that something was going wrong.
I looked for another target and found one Kobold with its back to me. I started to crawl in its direction and was already in front of it ready to jump on him from behind and just as I was a meter away two messages popped out.
*”Stealth” leveled up to Lv5*
*”Stealth” leveled up to Lv3 for the Young Wild Wolf*
“Eh?” I asked myself as I lost my attention for just a moment and just in this moment the Kobold turned around.
*Aaaaawwwwuuuuu!* He released a howl as he attacked me with its spear. It scratched the wolf on the side of his back but I caught it just in time with my roots that twisted around the Kobold arm and spear like the nightmares of all crabs.
*Splash!* Blood splashed at my face as our teeth tore through Kobold's throat. His body was still shrugging uncontrollably a little bit as I left it in the field while it bled.
“Shit this was a close one, thank god those Kobolds have weak small hands…” I said as another stronger howl sounded from the direction of the entrance of the field of flowers.
*AAAAAAWWWWWWWUUUUUUUU!!!* I raised my roots to see what made that howl and there I saw a bigger Kobold, the biggest of them all at least by two heads.
“Looks like someone was eating their breakfast every morning.” I mocked him a little as I continued examining him.
*Awwwuuuu!* *Awuuu!* *Aaaawwuuu!*...
More Kobold howls started to spread around me. I looked around and saw that most of the Kobolds started to return to the big Kobold as if they suddenly got some kind of a buff. I looked at him with a careful eye as I inspected him.
***
-Black Forest Kobold Lv7-
Health: 25/25
Mana: 4/7
Stamina: 12/16
Status: Variant, Alpha, Paralyze(Weak)
***
“Well look at you, this is the first time I face a pack leader in this world.” I thought to myself as I remembered a wolf pack attacking Glad and Scarlet and how powerful they were while they had an alpha leader.
“I know I can’t kill you but I can still drag at least a few more of your Kobolds down before running away, to show you that I am not joking around!” I shouted at the Kobold using *Soul Link* skill and sending both of our *Killing Intent* skills towards its direction as I raised my bloody head and body above the flowers.
He immediately looked over in my direction and *Growled* while showing its teeth and I did the same in return as my body slowly submerged back into the flower field and with it, I completely hidden my presence as I started to move to another Kobold.