Chapter 7: First Fight

Chapter 7: First Fight

The trail of blood that hung in the air like a lingering haze led Xen to a bend in the dungeon. Up ahead, he could hear the shouts of humans and the pained howls of fellow wolves. Slowing to a cautious trot, Xen sniffed the air.

It reeks of nothing but wolf blood. The humans must be overpowering them.

Having devoured both wolves and humans, along with the effect of his new skill, Blood Scent, Xen could easily discern the origin of the blood.

What should I do? Xen looked over his back down the corridor he had charged down. Along the way, he hadn't encountered any monsters—only blood-stained walls and traces of combat. These humans are strong and efficient at killing as they leave nothing behind and keep pressing deeper.

A frustrated snarl escaped Xen. If I go back the way I came, it leads me to where Sarah is coming from with people in tow to retrieve Jonathan. Once they see him missing, they might investigate deeper and run into me.

Xen slowly crept forward and poked his head around the bend to see what he was dealing with. The scent of blood told half the story, but he needed to witness the fight with his own eyes.

I am only a level one wolf, so despite being one of the apex creatures of this floor, if I get ganged up on, I could even lose against enough slimes. What I do have, though, is speed, so I should be able to run if they see me.

This was all speculation, of course. Xen had never been in a real fight before. As a Mind Slime, he could only cower and watch from the cracks in the wall while disguised as simple dungeon moss. But now he had limbs ending in claws and teeth so sharp he could chomp through iron.

New found strength gave him options for the first time in his short life, but also risk. Nobody went out of their way to kill a Mind Slime nestled in the cracks, but Xen knew for a fact that a lone level one wolf was well worth the hassle of hunting. He had seen Hunters lay traps and wait for hours to kill a single one; they would then skin the wolf for its fur and harvest its meat. Leaving only a sad pile of bones for the dungeon to reabsorb.

Rounding the corner, Xen got a good view of the fight. He could see the backs of five humans. It was still hard for him to differentiate between male and female as they all looked similar in his eyes, but if he had to guess, it was three men and two women. They seemed to have a well-balanced party as three took up the frontline against numerous black fur wolves while the other two attacked from behind with spells and arrows.

More bizarre was this metallic aura that coated their skin. Xen had seen it many times before and always wondered why some had it while others didn't.

"Gerald, could you cast Beserk on me? I'm going in deep." One of the men on the front line holding a large tower shield asked the robed man in the back while hurling a wolf gnawing on his arm into a nearby wall.

The wolf let out a helpless yelp as it was crushed against the stone. The impact knocked the wind out of it, so the wolf let go of its vicelike grip on the man's arm and tried to limp away.

"Thank the Legion for the aura," the man grinned as he checked his arm, which had no bite marks or blood despite how ferocious the wolf's bite had been.

Xen searched his fragmented and scattered memories for anything to do with this metallic aura but came up short. He was still clueless about so much. He could only remember seeing it coating large groups like this, but never on solo Hunters.

"Buff of the Berserker," Gerald—the robed mage—infused his voice with mana, and Xen noticed how the world bent to his will. A ferocious red brilliance that blazed with concentrated rage engulfed the shield-holding man, causing him to roar like an animal.

The poor wolf, limping away, turned and growled just in time to see the human raise his shield overhead by the rim and smash it down on the monster. Obliterating the beast in a shower of blood and bone. The ground shook from the impact, and Xen didn't need to sniff the air to know that the wolf was dead.

Howls filled with grief echoed through the hallway as the dead wolf's pack circled the man, and Xen almost joined in on instinct as the remainder of the pack charged at the human. He shook his head to remind himself those weren't his pack mates howling with sorrow. They were mana constructs birthed by the dungeon. He needed an opening to get past these humans, not a bitter fight to the death.

"Bunch of mangy dogs," the man roared as he swung his arm, hitting one of them square in the face and sending it flying back.

Annoying humans and their strength in groups. Xen glanced around and noticed a wooden platform on wheels stacked high with corpses between him and the Hunter's backs. It smelled delicious, like a buffet. Subconsciously, he ran his tongue along his sharp teeth and licked his lips.

[Biomass: 230]

[Repair body with biomass?]

He agreed with the system prompt and spent 80 biomass to repair his body. The overwhelming pain from being ripped apart while alive was screwing with his thought process. As a Mind Slime, he knew all too well that having a cool head and focused mind was crucial for victory.

With the numbing sensation of his spent biomass spreading through the wolf corpse he was controlling, Xen could finally think. Continuing with the idea of abusing his shapeshifting abilities, he thought of claws growing on his neck where the wolf currently had him pinned down.

[25 biomass consumed]

The area around his neck sizzled and let off a pungent stench, an attack in its own right as his bones extended upwards through his dissolved flesh and fur into ivory spikes. They pushed up into the black fur wolf's paw on his neck, causing the wolf to reel back in surprise and pain.

Xen raised his head and eyed the confused wolf. "Holy Smite," he snarled.

Golden lightning crackled between his teeth, burning his mouth and numbing his tongue, but Xen didn't care. As if letting out a howl, the lightning shot out his mouth. The hallway flashed with light as the lightning lashed out at the wolf.

It was... pathetic. The tiny spark didn't even contain enough power to make the distance and hit the wolf looming over him. Why do wolves only have 1 magic per level? Xen mentally cursed his luck. If he had been an elf or human, the [Holy Smite] skill would have hit and maybe even stunned. But as a wolf, it was nothing but a small flashbang.

I need to get closer. Xen hauled his body upwards. "Savage Bite," Mana surged toward his teeth, coating them in a red light as he chomped into the still confused wolf's neck. The skill may not have stunned in the intended way, but the wolf was distracted nonetheless. Giving Xen the perfect opportunity to strike.

His teeth sunk deep, giving him a mouthful of foul-tasting fur. The wolf, clearly unimpressed by his attack, tried to throw him off, sending his body lurching sideways with such force he felt his neck snap. But he held on.

"Holy Smite." Xen snarled again. Lightning gathered in his mouth once more, but it had a direct route to the wolf's neck this time. The wolf convulsed as the spark went off. Yet it remained standing and was even more motivated to smash him into the nearest wall. "Holy Smite." "Holy Smite." "Holy Smite." Xen kept chanting as he felt his brain grow fuzzy from expending too much mana. Each shock slowed the wolf's movements until the final one hit home. The black-furred wolf fully seized up and fell upon Xen.

It was stunned.

Xen rolled over to get on top of his opponent. "Savage Bite," Xen spat out the fur before clamping down on the wolf's head. It cracked like an eggunder his empowered jaw.

You have killed an opponent 2 levels above your own. Bonus experience awarded.

Experience split between [Mind Slime] and [Wolf] form.

[Wolf] has leveled up: 1 -> 2.

Xen took a moment to enjoy the refreshing feeling of a level-up as power filled his limbs. The joy of victory, however, didn't last long as two more wolves emerged from the shadows and encircled him.

Each was bigger than the one he had just killed with all he had. It was at this moment that Xen realized his mistake.

Why did I think this wolf would be alone?