Demon Hunter: School of the Wolf.

Chapter 634 The Wolves Break Free from the Shadow of Fate
"Dong Dong Dong~"

Horse hooves pounded on the wooden bridge.

He awoke again amidst shouts, the sound of wheels, and the clatter of hooves.

The cacophony of sounds, mixed with the smells of horse manure, hay, and dust, left the newly awakened witcher's mind foggy.

However, this state did not last long.

"Click~"

He was probably in a carriage, and the wheels seemed to have run over some hard gravel. The jolt and the intense pain all over his body felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, instantly bringing him back to his senses.

He instinctively tried to open his eyes, but all he saw was a blank white expanse.

bandage.

His entire face was wrapped in bandages, leaving no gap for his eyes.

"At least I'm still alive..." he thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

He carefully activated his Witcher's Senses, and the faint voices of Vinsenna and Colin could be heard amidst the noise.

The distance wasn't far, probably only a dozen or so steps, but it was clearly not something he could summon in his current state.

[A wide wooden bridge... a bustling crowd... but without the stench of sewers and fermenting human and animal excrement found in human cities. This isn't a city, but rather a major road between Elland and the royal capital Vizima, a place similar to Temeria...]

Such a great road is the lifeblood of a kingdom. Unless the king is truly incompetent and the upper echelons of the court are corrupt and chaotic, there will be no bandits or monsters roaming around.

It is safe for the time being.

The Witcher secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

What I fear most is waking up to a desolate wilderness, surrounded by silence. If I were woken up by screams and shouts of killing, it would be even more terrifying.

If I were to die at the hands of bandits and monsters, I'd rather perish together with the Wild Hunt in a spectacular fashion.

Fortunately, reality is not a novel; it's not so convoluted or full of twists and turns.

[That makes sense, though. Vinsenna is the future mistress of the Ring of Maidruid, and Colin is a wandering knight who has been traveling the world for many years, and even seems to have been a bandit. They're not naive young adventurers. With an injured person in tow, they would definitely want to find a safe place as soon as possible, rather than wandering around aimlessly.]

If Vinsenna and Colin changed their plans because of me and escaped their destined deaths, I would consider it a small way of repaying their life-saving debt in advance.

I don't even know where they rescued me, or under what circumstances.

Bored and lost in thought, the Witcher gradually relaxed.

The scents of juniper and mint filled the nostrils, masking the smell of rotting wounds and fresh blood.

Vincent and Colin must have just changed his dressing.

Although he could faintly smell the stench of decay, he felt much better now, at least not as dazed and confused as before, when even his thoughts were hard to form.

He cautiously tried to move, but the intense pain that shot through his limbs made him quickly abandon the dangerous idea.

The intense pain he experienced while struggling before losing consciousness left a deep shadow on him. He never imagined that even after becoming a Witcher Master, he would still experience pain so intense that it could drive him to the brink of madness, and he even contemplated suicide.

He instinctively shivered, no longer recalling the horrific scene before he lost consciousness.

However, on the other hand, since he was experiencing excruciating pain throughout his body, it at least meant that he was still intact and had not suffered any irreversible injuries such as amputation or paralysis.

Although this world is more magical than the original story and the game, injuries such as severed limbs and paralysis cannot be completely healed with a single spell or divine magic.

However, what puzzled him was how much damage Erudin Brick Glass had inflicted on him, or rather, how much damage the black dragon had withstood for him, so that even with such severe injuries, he hadn't lost any hands or feet.

Make sense.

At that time, he was hundreds of meters in the air. Without any self-awareness, it was already a miracle that he didn't fall to his death.

It seems that only the presence of a black dragon as a buffer could have allowed for a safe landing.

[But how did this buffer zone manage to cover two thousand kilometers?]

His thinking had reached a dead end again, and he had a premonition that this problem would remain unsolved for a long time.

After all, the person involved, Erin Bricker Glass, "self-destructed" and fell into a coma.

Not necessarily, there's also the Black Dragon...

[Does the black dragon... truly possess self-awareness...?] He had some doubts.

The black dragon summoned by "Beast Roar: Dragon Summoning" was intact. It is unlikely that it was completely constructed by "Beast Roar: Dragon Summoning". At most, it was summoned from another world in some form.

An empty shell of a dragon without consciousness would hardly grow to that size naturally.

[Perhaps it's just that my own consciousness was concealed when I was controlling it? But why would it be concealed? Was it suppressed by the "Path of the Beast's Roar"?]

[And that dream about the black dragon…] He frowned, recalling the black dragon in the dark abyss. [I transformed into a black dragon, and then separated from it to exist alone. Does this dream symbolize anything?]

[And what was the meaning behind the black dragon's final, meaningful roar?]

He was thinking about it.

However, none of the questions that followed were easy to answer. The only one that might be resolved in the near future was the roar of the last black dragon.

【Name: Summoning Dragon】

[Type: Beast Roar]

[Learning Requirements: Introduction to the Way of the Beasts, mastery of "Beastshout: Berserk", "Beastshout: Wild Words", "Beastshout: Whisper of Life" and "Beastshout: Anti-Air"]

[Passive effect: Maintains the power flow of "Beast Roar: Summon Dragon" on a daily basis, can]
1. Slowly increase all attributes.

2. Enhance dragon nature

[Active Effect: Consumes energy to roar and summon a giant dragon from another world.]

[Note: Guess what dragon-like qualities are?!]

……

[Dragon nature?] Recalling the "Dragon Roar: Summon Dragon" panel, he pondered, [I guess only by maintaining the beast's roar and accumulating dragon nature can I answer this question.]

However, this can't be rushed. Maintaining the beast's roar puts a lot of strain on the body, and I need some time to recover.

The Witcher still feels lingering fear when he recalls the battle after Eredin Brick Glass possessed Renakins.

This time, I really messed up terribly; I almost died.

[I should have killed Sunny and left. Henry Gedimidis has already been rescued, and Sunny and his group, who witnessed his relationship with Vigforts, have been silenced.] He thought, [Why bother provoking the Wild Hunt again…]

As for tracking...

The Witcher paused for a few seconds, then shook his head inwardly.

[Alright, the tracking and sensing abilities that somehow managed to pinpoint my location are indeed hard to ignore. The Wild Hunt under Renagin's command is a problem we have to deal with. Even if it's risky again, I'll do it again.] [Otherwise, if this time, even with all our methods—"Beast Roar: Anti-Air," "Beast Roar: Dragon Summoning," and "Extraterrestrial Fusion"—we couldn't solve it, the next time Renagin comes knocking, he'll be on guard, making him even more troublesome than the possessed Wild Hunt King.]

[Besides, if Renatinus is really let go, he'll be even more doomed if he lets Eridin possess him again while he's in good health.]

After much deliberation, Erin felt that he had done his best. Although it might not be perfect, he had not made any wrong choices.

to be frank.

He was cautious enough when dealing with the Wild Hunt.

He carefully gave up many opportunities to command the black dragon to bend down and breathe fire one more time, and instead wore down the Wild Hunt until it died.

The response to Renakins was also near perfect; the fight was quickly resolved without relying on the black dragon's physique to engage Renakins in prolonged combat.

Instead, it relied on the Black Dragon's advantage of flying high in the sky to slowly wear him down.

Ultimately, it's because Erin Brik Glass's strength is too terrifying.

He clearly overestimated Eredin Brick Glass by pointing out the unusually high magic levels in the Witcher world compared to the original books and games.

Unexpectedly, it was still far from enough.

[To be able to unleash such immense power using only a broken and battered body, it's hard to imagine what the true King of the Wild Hunt would be like...]

[Eridin Brick Glass is undoubtedly a being more powerful than any god. He is a true ancient being who led the Red Riders to conquer all realms for the Alder People.]

[It's absurd that Geralt could fight this monster to a standstill and even win in a 1-on-1 duel.]

The Witcher shook his head inwardly, reaffirming a principle once again.

The timelines and events in both the original work and the game are unreliable, especially the game.

Both can only be used as a reference and cannot be relied upon completely.

"But on the bright side, at least for the time being, we don't have to worry about the Wild Hunt anymore," Erin consoled himself. "Trading a serious injury for a long period of peace is worthwhile no matter how you look at it."

Moreover, with Sunny dead and Henry Gedimidis rescued, the Wolf School's threat from the supernatural world was significantly reduced.

Moreover, the covert attacks from the secular nobility, and the potential hostility from the Ottoland and Risberg civil cooperatives, were utterly insignificant after the Wolf School united with Henri Gedimidis and Tissaya de Veres.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, this battle effectively averted the Wolf School's impending annihilation in the defense of Kaer Morhen.

[Next, we'll only have the Wild Hunt and White Frost to face.]

[After waiting another lifetime, Iva the Evil Eye, the Grandmaster of the Viper School of Witchers who dedicated himself to eradicating the Wild Hunt, led the Viper School Witchers to Kaer Morhen. When Hen Gedimidis returned from his weakened state, the Temple of Meriteli was restored to its powerful divine magic system...]

Almost the entire transcendental world could unite to fight the Wild Hunt...

The extraordinary world is once again putting pressure on the secular kingdoms...

[Tsk tsk,] the Witcher clicked his tongue in admiration, [Life seems to have suddenly become better, there's hope for the future!]

As for the white frost...

Thinking of Bai Shuang, he suddenly remembered something.

【Name: Spiral】

……

Passive effect:
Dream Shadow: In your dream, you will have a chance to communicate with Spiral.

Active effects:

Insight: Consumes 40 Experience Beads (-10) to create a vision within the spiral. Possessing a vision allows you to observe the spiral. (Visibility can be detected and destroyed.)
Storage cavity: A storage cavity is carved out at the corner of the spiral. Storage cavities can store inanimate objects.

The passive effects of the skill "Spiral" and Spiral Summoning usually occur when the injury is very serious, but this time, the injury was more serious than ever before, and he was unconscious three or four times in a row.

But they never went there, not even once, to that spiral that leads to all the heavens and the myriad worlds.

[Was it just a coincidence that there was no chance of psychic communication, or did something unexpected happen in the spiral?]

He recalled the pure, lifeless, hazy white light at the bottom of the spiral, that sublime yet indifferent light that, just by looking at it, made one feel as if instantly transported to the snow-capped peaks of the Blue Mountains, that chilling cold that froze the soul, and his expression hardened.

[It's most likely the latter,] the Witcher thought for a moment and made his judgment. [Although the description of "Dream Shadow" is based on probability, in reality, both times he entered a dream and reached the Spiral, the first time was when he was severely injured in the Wild Hunt's warranty event in the Passoron Forest, and the second time was after the descent of the evil god, when he was extremely weak from injuries.]

From this perspective, the probability is almost 100%.

Furthermore, the Wild Hunt, led by Renakins, deliberately stayed away from the central void as they sped through the spiral. This must be because someone in the past had performed actions similar to mine, and the experience passed down has formed a set of taboos.

The white frost within the spiral is currently in a dangerously active phase, which is why the spiral has not triggered any passive effects.

【but……】

The Witcher pondered in silence for a moment, considering the impact of White Frost's activity.

[However, this is not a bad thing,] he thought to himself, [the White Frost and the Spiral are active, at most making it difficult for me to keep track of the Wild Hunt's movements in time, but for the Wild Hunt, they are a huge obstacle. The Spiral may even be their only passage into the Witcher world...]

If that's the case, perhaps... I can use this to prevent the Wild Hunt from arriving?

[As soon as the Wild Hunt appears in the Spiral, I will activate the Frost to hinder their arrival until we are ready.]

However, this "good" idea was quickly rejected by the Witcher.

[No,] he shook his head inwardly. [Whether the activity of the White Frost in the spiral will cause the White Frost in reality to arrive earlier is still unknown, but it is very likely that the White Frost will follow the clues and affect reality, and besides...]

[In the spiral, constantly provoking Bai Shuang is the ultimate act of courting death...]

As he thought about it, the Witcher found it somewhat amusing.

Triggering "Dream Shadow" now requires being severely injured and extremely exhausted, monitoring the Wild Hunt in the Spiral, and using "Insight," but activating White Frost requires him to go there in person.

Does that mean I always end up covered in bruises?
However, such reckless behavior can be avoided, but it's essential to have it at all, so that you have a backup plan in case of an emergency.

Perhaps only by finding more fragments can the power of "Dream Shadow" become a regular ability, and the "storage space" ability added by the fragments is also very useful...

But where to find the fragments is another question...

The fragments of the Ard Gais Gate are not easy to find, and Ciri is even further away in another Witcher world that seems to be in a parallel universe...

Erin sighed softly to herself.

[As soon as one problem is solved, another pops up; I have no idea when they'll all be resolved.]

After a moment of reflection, he stopped pondering these questions that couldn't be answered in a short time. With a thought, he prepared to take advantage of his improved mental state and open the Witcher's Handbook to check the spoils from killing Renakins and his Wild Hunt gang...

"Hercules~"

Suddenly, the Witcher heard the coachman's shouts.

The old horse neighed, and the carriage came to a stop.

(End of this chapter)