“Layla, Sylvia!” Haus called out.
Pierce instinctively looked toward Layla.
No one understood Layla’s current physical condition better than he did.
Even though Layla insisted she could still fight, in her weakened state, she could barely manage to cast one more spell at most.
Moreover, forcibly channeling Mana to release a skill would likely cause physical damage afterward.
If possible, Pierce preferred that Layla not participate in the battle.
Just as Pierce was about to remind Haus, he heard Haus speak: “You two don’t need to fight.” “Huh?” ×2 “Pierce and I should be able to handle them.” Haus’s tone was steady, carrying a calm confidence.
This was a perfect opportunity to test his newly leveled-up [Slash] skill, now at lv3, against these wolves.
“Pierce, can you handle the leader?” Watching the several gray wolves closing in step by step, Haus, who had already passed the fledgling bird from his shoulder to Sylvia’s arms, quickly asked.
With the fine armor Pierce wore, worth five gold, the wolf king probably couldn’t even scratch him.
If Haus were to face the wolf king himself, the risk would be too great, and accidents were far more likely.
“Absolutely no problem!” Pierce’s voice brimmed with confidence.
His armor, worth five gold, gleamed with a dazzling sheen under the increasingly bright firelight.
After quickly finalizing their battle plan, the seven gray wolves stepped into the campsite’s perimeter.
They were now less than thirty meters from Haus and the others.
“Hey!” Pierce stepped forward, raising his longsword to point at the wolf king.
“In the name of Anderson, I challenge you to a duel!” Though language was a barrier, the confrontational stance, the hostility of a drawn blade, and the eyes filled with fighting spirit needed no translation.
The wolf king narrowed its eyes, a hoarse growl rumbling in its throat, and it alone stepped forward from the pack.
It seemed to accept Pierce’s duel invitation.
Of course, it was more likely that it had assessed the situation within Haus’s group, recognizing that only Haus and Pierce possessed combat capability.
Compared to the frail presences of Layla and Sylvia in the group, and the seemingly slender Haus, Pierce who was clad in fine armor and wielding a longsword was undoubtedly the greatest threat.
So the wolf king intended to hold off the strongest warrior alone, tying up his combat power, while letting the remaining gray wolves split up and launch surprise attacks, tearing the others apart one by one to complete the hunt.
Seven against two was not as fast as six against one.
It only needed to delay Pierce for a moment, and the remaining wolves could quickly finish off Haus and his companions, then regroup to surround and completely tear apart the isolated Pierce.
Haus had no idea what the wolf king was thinking.
But this move of its played right into Haus’s hands.
Pierce and the gray wolf leader, man and beast, faced off against each other, their steps slowly shifting as they moved further away from the campsite, opening up a separate battlefield for a one-on-one duel.
The remaining six ferocious gray wolves bared their fangs in savage grins, their crimson beastly eyes locked firmly on Haus before them, killing intent palpable in the air.
“Haus, be careful.” Sylvia’s face was tense, her voice filled with worry.
Compared to goblins, Gray wolves were far more troublesome.
Whether it was their robust and massive bodies, their swift pouncing speed, or their flesh-tearing claws and fangs, they were nothing like the weak goblins.
In a one-on-one situation, gray wolves held an absolute advantage.
And now, Haus had to face six gray wolves all by himself.
Even six goblins would be too much for newcomers like them to handle at once.
Let alone six gray wolves!
Thinking this, Sylvia raised her hand and slowly drew her longbow.
Although she hadn’t recovered enough to use a skill yet, she could still manage to fire ordinary arrows to cover Haus.
After a brief standoff.
When the sounds of Pierce and the gray wolf leader clashing echoed from afar, the remaining six gray wolves, as if receiving an attack command, instantly tensed their bodies, growled lowly, and charged toward Haus in unison.
Now!
Haus moved his feet.
[Slash] The skill activated, Mana flowing through his body’s pathways toward his arm and blade.
The cold blade reflected the orange-yellow flames, tracing a beautiful arc through the air as it effortlessly passed through the body of a gray wolf.
With one strike, the wolf’s head was split in two.
Smooth and seamless, like a hot knife cutting through butter.
The [Slash] skill, now at lv3, combined with Haus’s own physical strength, left these ordinary gray wolves, which didn’t even qualify as monsters, with no chance to resist.
[Favorability +1] “?” Just after finishing off one gray wolf, Haus suddenly received a notification from the handbook.
The Magic Falcon chick in Sylvia’s arms had inexplicably gained 1 point of favorability?
After only a brief moment of confusion, Haus swung his sword again to attack the five gray wolves before him, simultaneously finding the right angle to prepare for another skill release.
In the midst of battle, Haus had no time to figure out why the chick’s favorability had suddenly increased.
But in the very next moment, as the skill was unleashed, Haus understood the reason.
With one strike, he adjusted his posture, tilting the blade diagonally.
Haus executed a diagonal slash.
This was a unique convenience of lv3.
With each breakthrough, Haus’s control over skills became more proficient, allowing him to release them more easily.
This also gave Haus a new idea.
Perhaps he didn’t need to follow fixed postures when releasing skills.
He could completely swing his body and arm horizontally, attempting to turn a “vertical slash” into a “horizontal slash.” This achieved an effect similar to a crescent slash.
Back at level 2, Haus could only awkwardly twist his body, contorting his posture to barely alter the angle of the slash, resulting in stiff movements and severely diminished power.
It wasn’t until [Slash] advanced to level 3 that the upper limit of skill control greatly expanded, with increased room for adjusting the angle of force and body coordination.
After a few practice runs, Haus smoothly mastered the diagonal slash.
However, wide horizontal slashes remained difficult to control.
The twisting of his body, the swinging of his arms, and the modulation of his strength couldn’t keep up with the rhythm.
The horizontal slashes he barely managed to execute were only slightly more powerful than ordinary strikes, far from reaching the intensity the skill should have.
It was probably a matter of insufficient proficiency.
Perhaps only after Slash reached level 4, granting him greater control, would he be able to smoothly execute horizontal force and transform his horizontal slashes into a complete Half-Moon Whirl-Slash.
Still, diagonal slashes were sufficient for now.
With a single swing of his sword, the gray wolf leaping into midair, along with another that had crouched low to coordinate an attack on Haus alongside the airborne wolf, were instantly enveloped by this cunning diagonal slash.
A slight, viscous sensation of the blade cutting through flesh reached him.
Having taken down two wolves in one strike, Haus once again received a notification of increased favorability from the fledgling.
[Favorability +10] Not only did the notification appear again, but this time the increase in favorability jumped tenfold compared to before.
Haus was slightly surprised, and a conjecture suddenly surfaced in his mind.