The wolf with the slight limp had fine eyes and could clearly see the situation of the two humans, so it remained relatively calm.
However, the wolf with the bloody nose had its face covered in blood, and combined with the intense pain, it was extremely irritable.
As the sound of footsteps drew closer, it finally lost its patience.
With a low growl, it made a feint pounce toward the two as a probe.
Whether it was a feint or a real pounce, as long as it moved, it was fine.
This was exactly what Ai had been waiting for!
Instead of retreating, Ai advanced.
With a flick of her long staff, she performed a flourish and thrust the tip straight toward the wolf’s head.
Her strike wasn’t a real thrust either; it was also a feint, returning the favor in kind.
The issue was that when the wolf feinted earlier, Hayasaka’s eyes were fine, allowing her to see the situation clearly and judge how to react.
But this wolf’s eyes were clouded by blood, and it couldn’t tell whether Hayasaka’s move was real or a feint.
So, when the staff thrust toward it, it instinctively tilted its head to the side to dodge.
As a result, this movement caused it to collide directly into the limping wolf beside it.
Normally, being bumped by a fellow wolf brother wouldn’t be a big deal—it wouldn’t even hurt much—but the problem was that this wolf was already injured.
It was limping because its bone had been damaged by Sento.
When the impact hit, the limping wolf felt a surge of sharp pain.
It let out a mournful howl and stumbled several steps to the side.
Sento instinctively knew it was his time to strike.
He took a large stride forward, gripped the back end of the wooden staff with both hands, and swung it powerfully from his waist in a ‘Sweeping Thousand Armies’ move!
The staff slammed solidly into the wolf’s ribs.
With a sickening crack, the wolf collapsed to the ground instantly, its limbs twitching violently as pink foam seeped from the corners of its mouth.
Combat!
Exhilarating!
Sento’s strike had clearly broken the creature’s ribs, and the sharp bone fragments had pierced the wolf’s lungs.
Though Sento couldn’t think of it in such detail, he could roughly figure out that pink foam meant internal bleeding, and he naturally knew this wolf wouldn’t live much longer.
It wasn’t until now that the wolf with blood-clouded eyes finally saw the situation: its companion lay on the snow, barely moving, while the two upright animals opposite them were completely unharmed.
It didn’t hesitate for long.
It turned around and ran toward the distant forest, clearly abandoning the fight.
Seeing this, the Alpha Wolf in the distance, who was still fighting with the two Sled Dogs, also let out a low howl and left without a hint of lingering.
Ai used the staff to support her body and let out a long breath, her face showing signs of lingering fear.
“Ru…
Sento-kun, did we win?”
Sento, feeling his arm cramp slightly after that swing, nodded: “That’s right.
A total victory.”
“Phew, that really scared me to death…” Ai’s body swayed a few times.
Just then, the two Sled Dogs ran over.
Ai immediately crouched down and rubbed their heads.
“Good boys, good boys.
You’re such good dogs.
Thank you so much for your help just now.”
The two dogs wagged their tails back and forth, tongues lolling out as they panted, looking very obedient.
Hayasaka looked them over; they had sustained some minor injuries, but nothing serious.
“Sigh, such good dogs.
If only we could keep raising them forever.”
Sento had also recovered some of his strength by now.
He moved his arm around while walking toward the nearly dead wolf.
He replied as he walked, “There’s no way around it; after all, the Wonder’s effect only lasts for an hour.
But don’t worry too much.
Based on my experience reading novels, these kinds of Wonders usually have the potential to be upgraded.
Maybe these two dogs can stay for good in the future.”
As he spoke, Sento crouched down beside the wolf.
In the game, after any animal died, the basic materials that could be harvested were essentially four parts: fur, fresh meat, internal organs, and fat.
If they had killed a deer, Sento would have had to carry it back to the Camp Office for a proper dissection.
But for a wolf…
From a gaming perspective, if one’s cooking skill hadn’t reached the maximum level, eating the meat of carnivores or omnivores like wolves and bears carried a risk of parasite infection.
From a realistic perspective, wolves are subject to biomagnification—the closer an organism is to the top of the food chain, the higher the concentration of persistent toxins in its body.
While wolves aren’t exactly at the very top of the food chain, they are carnivores.
Coupled with the game’s warning about parasite risks, Sento felt a bit of disdain toward its meat.
Besides, they hadn’t reached the point of running out of food yet.
There was no need to eat wolf meat, so he decided to skip it for now.
However, other parts of the wolf could still be utilized.
For instance, once the internal organs were dried, according to the game’s settings, they were key materials for many items, such as making bows or traps.
As for the wolf skin, it went without saying—natural animal leather.
In reality, it would cost a fortune to get one.
Moreover, they really were short on clothes right now.
Having this for warmth would be perfect.
At the very least, it would make a good cushion.
However, since they had just finished fighting the wolves and weren’t in the best state, Sento thought it over and decided there was no rush to skin it yet.
He glanced at Ai.
She was still playing with the two dogs.
Sento walked over and reached out his hand: “Hayasaka, you must be tired too, right?
Let’s get to the Camp Office quickly.”
Ai grabbed Sento’s hand and used his strength to stand up: “It should be very close now, right?”
Sento pointed to the north side of the tracks: “To be precise, if we walk another ten meters or so and go down the north slope, we’ll see it.
You don’t even have to go down the slope; standing on the tracks, you’ll be able to see that wooden cabin.”
“So these wolves were hiding at our destination to ambush us?
That’s just too mean.” Ai puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
Sento clapped his hands to get the Sled Dogs’ attention, then asked them to help drag the wolf by its front paws to the vicinity of the Camp Office.
Otherwise, if left by the tracks, it might be eaten by other passing animals.
Even if it weren’t eaten, the carcass might be ruined.
“Hey, Sento-kun, are you having the dogs move the wolf near the Camp Office because you plan to eat it?” A hint of curiosity appeared on Ai’s face.
But in her eyes, a flash of worry from careful consideration flickered.
The risk of parasites in wild animals is relatively high, and for carnivores, that risk goes up another level; Ai was well aware of this.
Just as she was thinking about how to advise Sento, he spoke his thoughts: he wanted to find a way to skin the wolf and utilize its internal organs.
Knowing that Sento didn’t intend to eat the wolf meat, Ai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the subject.