Chapter 40: Chapter40-Desperate Survival

Simultaneously, within the Crimson Realm, at the border between Corpse Plains and the forest, a pack of massive, ferocious demon wolves was in pursuit of a figure wearing a black mask.

John was sprinting ahead, feeling utterly frustrated.

He had thought leveling up here would be a breeze. However, he soon encountered a significant problem.

While the monsters on Corpse Plains were of a lower level, they were gregariously social creatures.

Killing just one would entangle him in an endless vendetta unless he wiped them all out, leaving no chance to escape.

Venturing recklessly into the forest could lead to even greater dangers.

Disheartened, John had quickly reached the forest's edge due to his swift pace across the plains.

But just as he arrived, he was suddenly attacked by a demon wolf, which he killed without a second thought.

And then, the chase by this pack of demon wolves began...

Glancing back, John felt a twinge of pain.

Behind him followed thirty to forty massive black demon wolves, each around level 20, with the pack's leader, a lord-tier beast, at the forefront.

[Name: Bloodstripe Wolf King (Lord)]

[Level: lv20]

[HP: 110,000]

[Strength: 1220]

[Stamina: 1171]

[Defense: 789]

[Speed: 197]

[Skills: Blood Claw, Blood Blade, Blood Shadow, Command...]

Lord-tier monsters occupy a rank between dungeon BOSSes and rare creatures, typically encountered only within large dungeons.

In expansive high-level secret realms like the Crimson Realm, the presence of such lord-tier creatures is quite standard, with the Bloodstripe Wolf King being just one among them.

This Bloodstripe Wolf King chasing John was massive, its fur marked with crimson stripes, spanning five to six meters in length.

Its formidable physique allowed it to move swiftly across the Corpse Plains, leaving a trail of afterimages in its wake.

Now, it was closing the distance to John at a breakneck pace, seemingly just moments away from catching up.

John, running at full speed, didn't bother to look back, casually throwing an ice spear over his shoulder.

The ice spear, bristling with chilling frost, transformed into a streak of light, aimed precisely and swiftly at the Bloodstripe Wolf King trailing behind John.

Unfortunately, the nimble Bloodstripe Wolf King easily dodged the attack.

However, the demon wolf following it wasn't as lucky and was struck in the head by John's ice spear, killed instantly.

"-32379!"

[You have slain a lv19 "demonwolf," earning 19,600 Exp!]

Seeing one of its pack fall, rage filled the eyes of the Bloodstripe Wolf King.

In a battle of equals, this was almost an overwhelming advantage!

The chubby magus marveled internally, clicking his tongue, "Hidden Stars really knows their stuff, finding such a formidable person. And to let him level up here alone... In the great families of the capital, they'd be too precious to let out of sight, let alone allow roaming freely."

However, his admiration soon turned to pity, "A genius indeed, but it's a pity he won't last long."

Despite the newcomer's strong talent, the gap between him and the Bloodstripe Wolf King was just too vast.

Though the Hidden Stars newbie unleashed numerous skills, almost every attempt was dodged by the Bloodstripe Wolf King with its superior speed.

Even the few hits that landed barely slowed it down.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Bloodstripe Wolf King caught up.

And the chubby magus knew all too well the fate of a magus caught in close combat.

On the Corpse Plains, the gap between the Bloodstripe Wolf King and John continued to close, dwindling to just a few meters.

Suddenly, a cyan shield flashed around John, and his speed surged dramatically.

Simultaneously, a flicker of black light in John's eyes preceded the instant formation of a black marshland spanning over thirty square meters beneath him.

The Bloodstripe Wolf King's eyes shimmered with mockery.

In its view, John's efforts were nothing more than the last throes of the doomed.

The chubby magus at the forest's edge shared this sentiment.

The Bloodstripe Wolf King was far faster than John; even with the Zephyr Shield boosting John's speed, it did little to widen the gap between them.

This act seemed only to delay the inevitable, leaving no chance for a turnaround.

With the mask concealing his face, the chubby magus couldn't discern John's expression.

Had he been able to, perhaps he wouldn't have thought the same.

Beneath the black mask, John's demeanor was remarkably calm, like a still pond, undisturbed and serene.

Even in the face of dire straits, there was not a hint of fear or hesitation in his eyes, but rather the demeanor of someone facing a trivial inconvenience.

And indeed, that was the case.

John was no stranger to life-and-death crises, having weathered countless dangers in the underbelly of Stellarburg.

The most perilous moment came when he was nearly beaten to his last breath in an underground boxing ring; had Scarlett Monroe not chanced upon and saved him, he would have died on that platform.

Compared to that ordeal, the current threat seemed trivial.

Moreover, John wasn't without means to escape; he simply chose not to, deeming it unnecessary.

He understood all too well how rare encounters with lord-tier monsters were.

Now that he had finally come across one not vastly out of his league, fleeing would be a waste.

The adage "fortune favors the bold" was a lesson John had learned early on.

His gaze swept back to the Bloodstripe Wolf King and its pack of demon wolves.

Under his deliberate control, he had managed to create some distance between the Bloodstripe Wolf King and the main pack.

A chilling gleam of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, signaling his readiness to turn the tables.