185 Baiting a Wolfpack

Mowry Woods. Shikai kingdom. Gilaahan. Well past midnight.

Eren was out hunting Rank-1 Copper Tail Fire wolves.

He had hung the Alpha of the pack along with a bunch of other wolf cubs to a giant tree. They were hung by their limbs, their necks, and even by one of their four limbs.

Of course, some of the hung wolves had died of asphyxiation. And some were on the verge of dying. These Rank-1 mana beasts had their mouths sealed with the elemental ropes as well, which didn’t let them howl or whimper.

The Igni Chains and Blitz Whip had been used as ropes to tame these cruel mana beasts. This would have been tagged as animal abuse by mortals back on earth. However, Eren wasn’t doing this to torture his targets. He was using the Alpha and a few other wolves as bait to lure an entire pack.

“Awooooo!”

A variety of wolves’ howls sounded from various angles, waking up Eren. He was trying to take a nap on the same giant tree to which the mana beasts were tied. He stretched his arms as he saw the moonlit darkness surrounding him suddenly wasn’t indistinguishable anymore. There were loads of shining eyes that surrounded him.

“Perfect timing.”

Eren said to nobody in particular before taking out his set of crossbows. He then summoned his Bear armor to act as a conduit for his Hex spells.

Eren had upgraded his arsenal once again, granting him the serious long-range versatility he needed. He had been fighting close and mid-range so far. However, a battlemage must be equally adept as a long-range fighter.

Both crossbows were dual-compatible with his fire and lightning elements. It meant that both artifacts could be used for firing either lightning or fire element spells.

The dual-element artifacts were rarer than their normal counterparts. As such, they were more expensive and not easily available.

Malcolm had asked Eren not to spend money on Rank-1 artifacts anymore since he was going to enter the Awakened rank soon. However, Eren had the confidence that he could always make more money to get what he wanted. As such, he preferred polishing his long-range skills now that he could afford to do so.

Igni Bolt Blast

Blitz Arrow

Blitz Quadro Bolt

The battlemage climbed higher on the tree and stood on the tallest branch before firing his spells through his runic bolts. The mana-solidified arrows and bolts cut through the air and approached the targets before they could run away from them.

The approaching wolves half-hiding in the grasslands were suddenly bombarded with spells by Eren. One of the wolves had his eye pierced by Blitz Arrow. It died before the lightning-element mana started acting on its body.

Several Copper Tail wolves were obliterated by a single Igni Bolt Blast detonated in the middle. The amount of mana that had been packed into these spells was so dense that it allowed them to exert 120% of their capped potential.

Since Eren was using Hex spells, they allowed him to pour more mana into them without destabilizing them. As a result, these spells wreaked havoc on the incoming wolf pack.

Eren had killed around 30 Copper Tails wolves by attacking them with his long-range attacks. But there were still quite a few beasts left, which approached him with maniacal body language and angered expressions.

The mana beasts had a higher level of intelligence and emotional spectrum than mortal ones. They started hating Eren to the core for appearing in their pack and abducting the Alpha wolf along with a lot of cubs.

Even Eren knew that abducting the Alpha might not bring the pack to follow him. Other wolves vying for that position might make the best use of the Alpha’s absence and claim the pack for himself.

However, he had sealed the deal by abducting the wolf cubs. He knew he would be ambushed by the pack in the middle of the night and was prepared for it. After all, he wanted to test the effectiveness of his two new spells.

Blitz Arrow

Lightning Seed

Lightning Tree

Eren held both his crossbows, carrying both of them in either arm. The pair of crossbows was raised and five Blitz Arrows appeared on their loading bays. However, this time the Blitz Arrow had something different going on at its tip.

Each tip of the Blitz Arrow was now carrying a tiny, compressed ball of mana. Since Eren could fire off 10 Blitz Arrows at a time using both his crossbows, he was also able to manifest 10 Lightning Seeds.

Raise. Aim. Shoot.

The lightning arrows were shot forth in all directions. Unlike the last time, they didn’t connect with any approaching wolf. Instead, they landed in the middle of a group of wolves.

The Lightning Seed and Lightning Tree were a form of combo spells that needed to be performed together. The first spell would pave the way for casting the second spell.

These types of combo spells were often called chain spells. What made chain spells different from other forms of combo spells was the fact they had a set order of deployment. The chain spells won’t work the way they are supposed to if the order of the spells is not right.

The Lightning Seed burst open before it could hit the ground. It stayed levitating just an inch above the ground and allowed Eren to cast his next chain spell.

A bunch of lightning rods appeared all over the grassland surrounding Eren. These lightning rods were up to three meters high and bluish-purple. They started developing lightning branches of their own after their forms were stabilized.

These lightning rods with their lightning element branches looked like dry trees that had no leaves on them. Hence the name– Lightning Tree.

These crooked lightning branches attacked the wolves that surrounded them mercilessly. The wolves were electrocuted so badly that their bodies started releasing white smoke. They were cooked to perfection by lightning mana.

Eren kept on firing his spells using his infinite mana core. 30 seconds after waking up from his nap, he had almost finished an entire wolf pack on his own.