16 – Wolf Boom!
The heavy impact exploded through the gloomy forest.
The pile of stones shattered.
Rock fragments flew in every direction.
More than three hundred jin of Rek’Sai plus two hundred kilograms of Wolf King—both bodies carrying enormous kinetic force—slammed solidly into the rock heap.
The Wolf King let out a piercing, wretched scream.
Its dark-gray body convulsed violently.
A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed from its jaws, staining Rek’Sai’s chest red.
The fangs that had been locked on his shoulder had already loosened without him noticing.
Rek’Sai stood up, casually wiped the wolf blood from his face, and looked down at the giant wolf panting among the broken stones.
He grinned and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
“High attack, low defense little wolf cub.” These bite wounds were nothing to his hybrid physique.
The earlier display of weakness had only been to make sure he could catch this Wolf King.
If it truly ran, he really might not have been able to grab it.
Savage light still burned in the Wolf King’s ghostly green pupils.
It struggled with all four limbs, trying to rise, discontinuous growls tearing from its throat.
Rek’Sai strode forward.
His left hand seized a thick fistful of the mane at the Wolf King’s neck.
The muscles of his right arm swelled and knotted as he lifted the enormous beast one-handed.
He turned, took a step, and swung his arm.
Boom!
The Wolf King was smashed hard into the trunk of a towering ancient tree beside them.
The canopy shook violently.
Dead leaves rained down.
The Wolf King tumbled to the ground.
Before it could rise, Rek’Sai’s heavy boot was already planted on its spine.
It struggled to get up, but the effort was useless.
The wolves circling nearby finally could no longer hold back when they saw their leader wounded.
More than a dozen adult giant wolves overcame the fear deep in their bloodline, howling to encourage one another, and leapt from the undergrowth at the same time, fangs bared as they charged Rek’Sai.
Rek’Sai snorted two thick jets of air from his nose.
His previously heavy breathing lengthened and steadied with the rhythm of breath.
The body that had looked slightly fatigued a moment ago suddenly locked tight, erupting with a terrifying aura several times stronger than before.
During the entire attrition battle he had been holding back strength and deliberately taking wounds.
Without a little bitter-meat strategy, this cunning Wolf King would never have entered the fight itself.
One giant wolf lunged straight at his face.
Rek’Sai neither dodged nor blocked.
His right palm swept out with overwhelming force.
The crisp, ear-piercing sound of shattering bone rang out.
Half the wolf’s skull caved in.
It spun through the air for more than ten meters and smashed through a wide patch of thorns.
Another wolf bit toward his thigh.
Rek’Sai’s hand shot down, slapped its lower jaw, then seized its hind legs and lifted it upside-down.
Power flowed.
He treated the living wolf like a weapon.
He swung it in a full circle and smashed it down!
In his heart he muttered: This still shouldn’t count as using a weapon, right?
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three more wolves that had just charged in were smashed until bones broke and tendons snapped.
Blood sprayed wildly.
The wolf in Rek’Sai’s hands had long since gone silent, reduced to a limp pile of meat.
The remaining pack abruptly stopped their charge.
They tucked their tails and whimpered as they retreated step after step.
Rek’Sai threw the wolf corpse aside and looked down at the Wolf King beneath his foot.
The Wolf King had stopped struggling.
It obediently rolled over, exposing its softest belly to the air.
Its ghostly green eyes were full of pleading.
Soft, fawning whimpers came from its throat.
The posture of submission.
Rek’Sai glanced at the system panel at the edge of his vision.
[Quest: Tame the Wolf King] The progress bar had not moved at all.
“Playing mind games with me.” Rek’Sai gave a cold laugh.
If he let it go now, this beast would definitely wait for a chance and run with the entire pack.
He moved his foot.
He ignored the Wolf King on the ground and instead turned toward the first few wolves he had crippled.
The one on the right with the shattered lower jaw.
The one on the left with the broken spine.
Both still had a breath left, twitching in pools of blood.
The Wolf King thought Rek’Sai was about to finish them all off.
The pleading disguise in its eyes instantly tore apart.
Savagery flared once more.
All four limbs slammed into the ground.
The Wolf King leapt silently from behind, jaws wide open, going straight for the back of Rek’Sai’s neck!
Rek’Sai’s back seemed to have grown eyes.
He neither turned nor dodged.
He simply raised his right arm and shoved it backward.
Thud.
The Wolf King’s sharp fangs sank deep into Rek’Sai’s right forearm.
Blood ran down the leather armor.
Rek’Sai did not even frown.
He allowed the Wolf King to lock its jaws around his arm.
His massive body remained as steady as a mountain.
Then he reached out with his left hand and pressed it onto the dying small wolf whose spine had been broken.
Mana inside his body surged out along his arm.
[Mend Pet] Soft green light bloomed in the gloomy woodland.
The light wrapped around the small wolf’s ruined body.
The grating sound of bone grinding against bone rose.
The broken spine reconnected at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Torn muscle fibers grew back rapidly.
In only ten short seconds, the wolf that had been on the verge of death stood up.
It shook its fur.
Confusion filled its ghostly green eyes.
Then it moved to Rek’Sai’s left side, stuck out its tongue, and gently licked the blood from the back of his hand.
Its tail began to wag happily.
The surrounding pack let out startled cries.
The Wolf King hanging from Rek’Sai’s right arm froze.
It kept its fangs buried in that thick forearm, looked at the lively small wolf, then looked at the expressionless humanoid giant who was allowing itself to be bitten.
Slowly, it released its hold on Rek’Sai’s right arm and dropped to the ground.
This time it did not roll onto its back.
It simply stood in place and watched him.
Rek’Sai bent down and, one by one, used the healing skill on every wolf that still had a chance of survival, restoring them until they could move again.
The aggression in the Wolf King’s eyes gradually faded.
The Wolf King began to cough violently, blood foam accompanying each cough.
Rek’Sai walked over, sat cross-legged in front of it, and with both hands hauled the Wolf King straight into his arms.
The Wolf King had just started to bare its teeth when a wave of extremely comfortable energy began healing it.
After a while, the Wolf King slowly opened its previously narrowed eyes.
Its entire body felt wonderfully at ease.
It pulled free from Rek’Sai’s arms, turned in circles to stretch its tendons and bones, then turned its head to look at the now clearly exhausted Rek’Sai—who looked as if he had been completely drained.
The Wolf King glanced at the surrounding pack.
Every wolf silently lowered its head.
Then the Wolf King lowered its proud skull, dropped its front limbs to the ground, pressed its forehead against the blood-soaked earth, and let out an extremely long, extremely deep whimper.
The more than ten remaining giant wolves all lowered their bodies at the same time and bowed their heads in Rek’Sai’s direction.
[Ding!
Quest “Tame the Wolf King” completed] [Reward: Skill “Beast Taming” issued] [Special condition achieved.
Advanced skill “Beast Mastery” obtained] [Battle pet loyalty locked.
Will never betray.] Rek’Sai shook the blood from his right hand.
A satisfied curve touched the corner of his mouth.
It had been worth pretending to be so weak.
He reached out with one large hand and firmly ruffled the dark-gray head of the Wolf King.
“From now on, your name is Wolf.”