Even after landing a blow, Li Heng didn’t let his guard down. Instead, he prepared for another attack, keeping his longsword raised before his chest and his body tilted to the left, waiting for the wild wolf to pounce again.
But the stabbed wild wolf didn’t pounce again as Li Heng had expected.
After landing, the wild wolf tried to get up several times, but its limbs trembled violently, seemingly unable to support the weight of its torso. Meanwhile, more and more blood poured from its abdomen.
A few breaths later, the wild wolf completely lost the strength to stand and collapsed to the ground, barely breathing.
Seeing the wild wolf’s condition change, Li Heng didn’t immediately walk over to deliver a finishing blow. He maintained his stance, his eyes fixed on the creature before him.
Only when the wild wolf before him stopped moving completely and the system displayed a death notification did Li Heng slowly sheathe his longsword and walk toward it.
Wild Wolf: Deceased
Level: 4
Tier: Unranked
Soul Energy: 4
’When I thrust my longsword in, I felt it sink deep. This one was much easier to take care of than the last. Just as I thought! Grinding Dungeons is all about the loot drops!’
Li Heng mulled it over and concluded that his success was likely due to the small strength bonus from the Wolf Fang Bracelet, which added just enough power to his strike to inflict a fatal wound on the wild wolf.
Although he had fought two battles in a short time, Li Heng didn’t feel particularly tired. After all, his usual basic Swordsmanship practice involved thrusting at a wooden dummy for twenty minutes straight.
Besides, as Li Heng saw it, killing wild wolves earned him Soul Energy Points and real combat experience. If he was lucky, he could even get equipment, skills, or pets to drop. This was far more motivating than practicing on the wooden dummies in class.
Most importantly, killing wolves with a sword didn’t take much brainpower. All he had to do was focus and use his basic Swordsmanship and Body Technique.
It wasn’t like English or math problems, where if you couldn’t solve them, you just couldn’t, no matter how hard you concentrated. Forcing it was useless.
This was one of the reasons Li Heng was determined to test into a Soul Energy University. He was simply hopeless when it came to English and math.
’Just one more wild wolf, and I can upgrade the Wolf Fang Bracelet. I’ll see if I can find another lone one.’
After taking a moment to compose himself, Li Heng set out again with his longsword.
With the experience from killing the first two wild wolves, when Li Heng encountered a third one half an hour later, he naturally killed it with ease.
His Soul Energy Points now at 12, Li Heng immediately upgraded the Wolf Fang Bracelet.
Name: Superior Wolf Fang Bracelet
Category: Soul Energy Equipment
Value: Common
Effects:
1. Wearer: Strength +2, Agility +1, Spirit -1.
2. Deterrence against wolf-type creatures +2.
[Consume 100 Soul Energy Points to upgrade this equipment?]
As a blood-red light swirled around it, the Wolf Fang Bracelet on his right hand transformed. The single wolf fang became two, and their color grew slightly paler.
’The next upgrade costs 100 Soul Energy Points? That means I’ll have to kill at least 25 wild wolves. I doubt there are that many in this outer area... But... my stamina is still high, so I might as well keep looking around out here.’
Li Heng figured that killing 25 wild wolves solely in the outer area would be rather difficult. At the very least, he probably wouldn’t be able to finish it today.
Taking everything into account, Li Heng decided to kill another one or two wild wolves to test the bonus effects of his upgraded Wolf Fang Bracelet.
The outer region of Wild Wolf Valley was vast. A forest separated this area from Wild Wolf Valley proper. Only by passing through the forest could one reach the second part of the Wild Wolf Valley Dungeon: the mouth of the valley.
The outer region, outside the forest, was relatively safe.
It was his first day in the Dungeon, and he had already obtained a piece of Soul Energy Equipment with a "Rare" value. Li Heng felt that was an excellent haul.
It was worth noting that, aside from clothes, only equipment and items with the words "Soul Energy" in their names could be freely carried into or out of the Dungeon. All other items would be annihilated into dust upon entry or exit.
Thus, Li Heng was keenly aware of the importance and value of Soul Energy Equipment.
He continued to wander the outer area of Wild Wolf Valley. After killing three wild wolves and upgrading his Wolf Fang Bracelet, perhaps his luck had run out, as Li Heng didn’t see another lone wolf for over an hour.
It was two hours later when he finally spotted a gray wild wolf. Unlike the previous encounters, killing this one took Li Heng a bit more effort than the first three.
This was because the moment it saw Li Heng, the wild wolf didn’t charge. Its hind legs even seemed to subtly shift back as if to retreat, and it simply stared at him from a distance.
Since the wild wolf didn’t initiate the attack, Li Heng’s usual tactic—using his Body Technique to sidestep and counter-thrust at its belly—was unusable. So, after nearly a minute of consideration, he chose to attack.
The wild wolf’s head was much tougher than its belly. Although his training longsword left two deep gashes on its head, the wolf didn’t collapse or lose its ability to fight.
It wasn’t until Li Heng found an opening and viciously slashed at the wild wolf’s neck that he finally landed the killing blow.
Name: Wild Wolf Hide
Category: Soul Energy Items
Value: Normal
Use: Main material for crafting items in the Wolf Hide series.
[Consume 10 Soul Energy Points to upgrade this item?]
One piece of Soul Energy Equipment and one Soul Energy Item from four wild wolves—Li Heng considered himself pretty lucky.
The Wild Wolf Hide wasn’t very big, and since it was a Soul Energy Item, Li Heng didn’t give it much thought and simply tied it to his waist.
As for the upgrade prompt, Li Heng chose to ignore it. Not only did he lack the Soul Energy Points, but even if he had them, he would prioritize upgrading his equipment.
The wild wolf that had dropped the hide was now just exposed bones and flesh. He had been in the Dungeon for some time now, constantly on alert and in combat.
Li Heng had originally planned to rest after killing this wolf, but now, seeing the meat, he decided to head back to the gathering point to rest and eat some roasted wolf meat to recover his stamina.
Carrying the entire wolf back to the gathering point wouldn’t have been a problem for Li Heng, but looking at the bloody carcass, he figured he’d end up covered in blood. So, he just cut off two of its legs.
Although there was food available at the gathering point, it wasn’t cheap. Besides, with pork currently costing 30 Alliance Coins for half a kilo, the price for meat inside the Dungeon was likely double that.
After all, since the school was sending students into the Dungeon, they couldn’t very well let them starve to death or pass out from hunger.
The outer area of Wild Wolf Valley was close to the Dungeon’s entrance, only about a ten-minute walk. Carrying the wolf legs, Li Heng encountered no danger and soon arrived at the gathering point.
As the gathering point came into view, the first thing Li Heng saw was a large group of students in the blue and white uniforms of Thirteenth Middle School.
Some of the students’ uniforms were pristine, while others, like Li Heng’s, were spattered with varying amounts of blood.
Before Li Heng could get a good look at the scene, a voice called out to him.