Chapter 1754: Found Wanting.
They drew the attention of the ice wolves immediately they entered their domain. Exactly nine wolves stood up to confront them. 8 of the clones decided to stand back. Only Legion-1 continued forward to confront them.
The wolves snarled at each other. Some backed out and decided to lie down. They intimidated each other until only one remained. This one decided to confront Legion-1 alone.
They expected this to occur because of the information they got from their angel. As long as their threat level is undetermined or determined but low, the divine beasts won't overwhelm them with numbers. Their angel called it the aggression gauge.
They wanted to see what they could with their bodies first before they went all out hunting. So they sent Legion-1 to have a one-on-one fight with an ice wolf.
In the void universe, skill is oftentimes more important than raw power, or in this case, raw divinity. They are not in their normal body and can't control this one perfectly, so they don't know the level of skill that they can bring into this world.
Legion-1 is the most durable one among them, so he was selected to perform the test. If he makes mistakes, he is most likely going to survive them. He will bear the danger of learning, meanwhile, whatever he gains will help the whole of Legion.
Legion-1 moved steadily towards the ice wolf. His heavy armor and the shield in his hand collided occasionally to make noise. His two feet also crunched on the ice as he approached the wolf.
These were the only sounds apart from the occasional howling of the wind and incessant growling of the ice wolf. A single fighter might be too focused on the growling of the wolf to hear the other sounds, but Legion-1 is not a single fighter.
He perceived everything about his environment, down to the length of the ice wolf's claws or the sway of its tail, even though its body blocks his vision. Not even the other ice wolves could escape his perception.
Apparently he wasn't the only one examining his opponent. The ice wolf had done the same thing and found him wanting. It sneered and growled mockingly at him.
He is an orc with 3 meters of height, but this ice wolf didn't lose to him in height whatsoever. Height doesn't translate to power, but it warrants caution. In that vein, he used insight on the divine beast.
He felt some resistance, but it was ultimately overcome.
-Using Insight.
-Tier equal to target's (draw).
-Level greater than target's (pass).
All of this information flashed through Legion-1's mind as he approached the ice wolf.
He thought inwardly, "All I need to kill it is to whittle down its vitality. I am no stranger to that."
The ice wolf pounced at him. It jumped with its hind limbs and used the weight of its large body falling to empower its forelimbs for a swarth at Legion-1.
Legion-1 stepped back. His speed was faster than the wolf's, even if it was by just one point. Plus, it was easier and faster to take a single step as opposed to what the wolf did, so his action was successful.
The wolf missed and had to land in front of Legion-1. Even before it landed, he was already rushing forward again.
The timing was perfect. His large shield smashed into the face of the wolf.
-You Hit Ice Wolf with Large Shield.
-Strength (1) vs Endurance (6)
-Judgement: Attack failed.
-Damage: -ohp.
The wolf barely staggered. It wasn't damaged at all because he didn't attack it with his axe. The boost from his large axe doesn't affect his whole body, so only his innate strength was used in the judgment. Unfortunately, his strength of 1 was too small to overcome its defense of 6. However, the hit prevented it from reacting to the next attack.
The ice wolf reeled back from the hit, only for the large axe to swing down at its head. The
timing was also perfect.
-You Hit Ice Wolf with Large Axe.
-Strength (11) vs Endurance (6) -Judgement: Attack successful.
-Damage: -6hp.