Chapter 43:

Chapter 43:

When the Gigants and the Ironwolfs closed some distance

Awooooooh!

With a howl, four of the Ironwolves rushed forward, two to the left and two to the right. The others continued to run ahead, but Abel was more wary of the detouring Ironwolves than the group in the center, so he quickly changed formations.

Im on the left, May on the right! Keep your eyes on the detouring ones!

Although the position was changed, the Cadets held the formations in a rhombus. The first is Kalian at the front, on the left is Abel, May on the right, Daniel in the back, and then Darin in the middle. Keeping the formation as simple as possible, considering their sum was barely matched.

Swoosh-!

As Kalian settled into position, two Ironwolves leaped high from the center of the pack. Seeing them, Kalian didnt panic and swung his spear with both hands.

Caanng!

The two Ironwolves, which had leaped forward, were struck by the spears in turn and sent flying to the side. Meanwhile, the other Ironwolves werent playing around. Within moments, four of them were charging, aiming for Kalians lower back and side. Then, Darin stepped in.

Whew!

Darin, just like Daniel, used a spear and shield as his primary weapons, but now he put down his shield altogether and thrust his spear with both hands.

Bang!

Charge!

The first Ironwolf to strike to the left was stabbed in the neck with a spear and then fell back as if it were on fire. Instead of attacking that Ironwolf again, Darin immediately followed up and aimed for the other Ironwolfs leg.

Whoo-!

The Ironwolf, halfway through the gap between Kalian and May, leaped upward to avoid the spear. But May took advantage of the opportunity.

Kwajik!

May thrust both swords into its head as the Ironwolf leaped upward. With the head pierced, the Ionwolf died on the spot without even screaming, so the one-sided battle continued.

Whik!

A single Ironwolf crouched down and lunged at Kalians knee with the speed of lighting. It looked like a rare species that had awakened a unique ability.

Ugh!

Kalian quickly swung his spear, but it was too late. But there was someone who reacted in time.

Back!

As if Abel had been waiting, he extended his sword diagonally. The Ironwolf couldnt turn in time at that exquisite timing.

Kwazik!

As a result, the sword dug into Ironwolfs mouth and popped out through its throat. Kalian, who was thankfully unharmed, said to Abel.

Phew thank you.

Huh, youre welcome

Abel smirked at Kalians first thank you and then looked ahead. There would have been a lull if there were only six Ironwolves right before them. But that wasnt the case.

Here they come again!

Tadak-

While the six in front of them drew attention, the ones that had broken away from the herd earlier were closing in. Abel did not take his eyes off the Ironwolves while helping Kalian. There are two frightening things about Ironwolves.

The first was their rare pack life and the fact that they were a species that fought based on it, and the second was that the entire species was born with special abilities apart from the inherent powers. This ability is commonly referred to as stealth or assimilation.

Sussuk-

Abels eyes darted quickly. His eyes were chasing after two Ironwolves, their fur the same color as the grass in the meadow. They repeatedly backed away and moved to the side as if trying to avoid Abels gaze, but when Abels gaze clung to them, they gave up hiding and charged forward.

Awooooh!

It was at that moment that the pack in the middle, which had backed away once, began to charge again. This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.

Swoosh!

Abel slashed the Ironwolf side, which was trying to attack Kalian first, with his sword. He could have easily sliced its neck If he wanted to, but instead, he quickly ducked to his left.

Kwak!

Abel, who gave a quick instruction, moved and drove the remaining Ironwolves in one direction, while the others followed at a distance and swung their weapons at the Ironwolves running toward them. One by one, they were killed.

Kwajik!

The last one was killed by Daniel. Disemboweled by the spear, the Ironwolf collapsed, unable to take more than two steps.

Is it finally over?

Darin muttered at the sight.

Normally, they would have scolded him for saying anything ominous, but Abel was too exhausted and just simply nodded.

Yes.

Abel said as he gazed over the plain where the Ironwolves corpses were littered about.

Its over.

- -

It was an overwhelming battle. But it was not without casualties.

I have some damage on my left shoulder joint. Its not easy to move.

Kalian said in an irritated voice. His role as a frontline had left him vulnerable to damage. It was impossible to avoid damage to his aircraft. Grumbling even more, Kalian looked at Abel momentarily, then muttered in a low voice.

Thank you.

Without Abels help, he probably would have lost not only his shoulder joint, but his entire foot. He would have had a hard time moving around, let alone fighting.

Abel replied lightly, Youre welcome.

Thats surprising,

Able thought to himself, given his usual rude demeanor, he thought he wouldnt say anything.

Or that he would just say he didnt need help.

Abel smirked from inside the cockpit.

Okay. So lets move away from this place and then take a break. Its not the best idea to rest here.

Yes.

Okay.

Yes.

Alright!

Considering this is a practice area, Abel didnt think they would have another Ironwolf attack. He was sure that no other monster would come in after smelling Ironwolfs blood. But aside from that, the idea of resting in a place where gruesome corpses littered the area was unappealing. They dragged their exhausted bodies along and soon settled down near a small hill.

Lets rest for 20 minutes and then get moving.

Abel said and stopped to one side. Although he wanted to rest, he had to check out something. It was the messages that appeared before him right after the battle.

[Notifications]

The first message that came to mind was this. The moment the message appeared, Abel felt a sphere of light being sucked into the pattern on his chest, just as the blades tail had been. He felt the heat and pain. The only difference was that the color of the sphere was green instead of white.

Green and white.

Abel didnt know exactly what that means yet, because at most, he has only experienced it twice. However, if he continued to experience similar things in the future, it would certainly help him understand the phenomenon. With that, Abel checked the following message.

[Absorb part of the abilities of the Ironwolf]

[Leg strength slightly increased]

[Acquired the skill Assimilation]

Leg strength and assimilation. Leg strength literally referred to the strength of his legs. He felt the power in his leg slightly increase after the battle and assimilation. This was a unique ability of the Ironwolf species that allowed them to kill their own existence and change to look similar to their surrounding environments. He didnt use it because he didnt want others to see it, but its definitely a useful skill.

The reward is nice for just one battle.

There were still many more fragments of the gigant to be dealt with during this practice. It would be a great benefit even if only one or two of them were like this one. Abel smiled at that. But the joy was short-lived.

Abel!

Darin called out to him in an urgent voice.

Over there! Gigants are approaching from a distance!

[To be continued.]