Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 201 The Alpha Wolf
As the only spellcaster in the team, Mint's role is more support-oriented, unlike the stereotypical mage who can casually unleash a few fireballs.

But her role was undeniably significant.

Leaving aside the post-battle treatment, his performance in those few seconds alone was enough to demonstrate his value in being protected by everyone.

There are now three dead Temple Night Wolves.

She was directly involved in both of them.

Of course, for Xia Nan, those vines and thorns were not of much use.

After all, his instantaneous speed and explosive power are far superior to those of a wild wolf.

But regardless, the assist definitely went to Mint.

On the other hand, facing an attack from three night wolves, Cash was able to find an opportunity to reduce their numbers.

Peppermint played a crucial role in controlling the effects of the peppermint.

Even on the three wolves that were fighting with Veris, one could see the wounds left by thorns.

Clearly, the girl also offered support to the other side, but the effect was rather limited.

The high-frequency spellcasting covering three battlefields at the same time is precisely why her face is so pale right now.

Veris, Cash...

Everyone knows how important spellcasters are to the team.

They also clearly knew that, compared to the others in the squad, Mint had weak melee abilities.

The same applies to wolf packs.

Xia Nan had no idea when the night wolves discovered them or how long they had been lying in ambush in the surrounding bushes and grass.

But he could clearly sense the “sense of planning” these beasts displayed in their actions.

From the initial covert observation to the surprise attack after being discovered, to the 3-3-2 number allocation, and finally to using Veris's combat characteristics to divide the formation.

They all give the impression that there is some kind of temporary command.

Xia Nan couldn't help but become more vigilant.

Meanwhile, the others in the group also noticed the two wolves that had slipped into their formation through the gap left by the drow half-elves.

"Shh!"

The bluish-gray stone spear thrust out suddenly, almost leaving a phantom image in the air.

Only a few tattered hairs remained on the spearhead.

Cash instinctively took a step back, leaving only a scratch on the chest scales of the huge wolf that pounced from his blind spot, aiming for his neck.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two fierce figures rapidly approaching Mint.

"grass!"

He let out a low growl and cursed, then prepared to go and provide support.

But as if sensing his thoughts, Cash simply took a step closer to the center of the formation, and the two night wolves that had been circling around him suddenly increased the frequency of their attacks.

Under normal circumstances, if it were a one-on-one situation, Cash was confident that a few minutes would be enough for him to take down the Night Wolf in front of him.

However, when the number of these beasts reaches a plurality, their fighting power increases exponentially.

He knew perfectly well that as long as he pierced the wolf's body with the spear, he could use the effects of the injury to quickly turn the tide of victory in his own favor.

But every time he tried to exert his strength, another night wolf would relentlessly attack from the other side, forcing him to temporarily withdraw and defend himself.

One feigned an attack from the front, while the other launched a surprise attack from the side.

Like sharks in the sea that have smelled blood, they circled around him, probing and attacking.

In their ears, they could faintly hear the howls of wolves and the screams of young women.

Cash felt increasingly anxious.

But it didn't help.

It only added a few more deep scratches to his armor.

As for Vera...

This mixed-race wanderer, with slightly dark skin and wielding two poisoned blades, was already locked in a fierce battle.

The leather jacket clinging to his skin showed no obvious marks, but his position, deliberately forced by the wolves, was increasingly far from his original spot.

The toxins are taking effect.

You can see that the white wolf is more seriously injured, and it is panting with thick, light purple saliva flowing from its mouth.

Its long, powerful legs remain strong, and its agile and swift movements continue.

It is still far from affecting physical movement.

She certainly noticed the wolf's sudden appearance.

But just like now, under the attack of the night wolves, it is dodging and weaving but getting further and further away.

Weakhearted.

……

"Hey!"

Mud sparks flew everywhere.

Green vines burst forth from the soil like tentacles, wrapping around the white wolf's four paws.

The rapidly moving body paused slightly.

Before it could tighten, leaving only a few bloody marks, it was torn apart by the writhing, expanding muscles beneath the thick fur, turning into fragments in the plant sap.

Facing two night-walking wolves that broke into their defensive line.

Mint behaved as usual.

The first thing was a moment of panic.

As the two fierce figures rapidly approached, her body tensed, and the expression on her face froze instantly.

The whole person froze on the spot.

But just a second later, the girl with short, smooth hair realized what was happening.

Knowing that he was no match for these two monsters at close range, he realized that he was no match for them.

As Mint quickly retreated, a faint green light shone from the tip of her yew wood staff.

Vines and thorns sprouted from the ground, delaying the approach of the night wolves as much as possible.

She knew that to break the deadlock, she had to wait for her teammates' support.

Before that, I must delay as much time as possible.

There's absolutely no problem with the way you prepare mint.

In some ways, it may even be the optimal solution at this moment.

However, what she didn't know was that the two veteran adventurers in the Seathorn Squad were currently embroiled in a fierce battle and unable to break free.

If we want support, then all that's left is...

Ow—

A piercing wolf howl that made your eardrums vibrate suddenly rang out from behind you.

Mint paused as she staggered backward, her expression one of surprise.

"besides?"

"How is that possible? There should only be ten in total!"

A jumble of thoughts flashed through my mind.

She suddenly realized something was wrong.

This... doesn't seem to be the howl of a night wolf?
Although both have the penetrating power unique to wolf howls, this howl is clearly higher and longer.

If the howling of the night wolves in Temple is a dangerous phantom echoing in the night, then the howling sound that almost shatters one's skull is a raging ice storm sweeping across the desolate snowfield.

Time and space seemed to freeze at this moment.

The two night wolves in front of her continued their chase, only a few meters apart, allowing her to clearly see their murky eyes filled with violence and bloodlust, and the saliva spurting from their mouths.

But only for the next second.

A gigantic wolf head, composed of swirling gray mist, broken leaves and grass seeds, blood and moonlight, opened its ferocious wolf mouth with iron-gray fangs at an exaggerated speed far beyond human reaction.

Take one bite!
"boom!"

A fierce gust of wind, carrying a strong smell of blood, rushed towards her, causing the girl to unconsciously close her eyes.

He could faintly feel a warm, viscous liquid being sprayed onto his body by the strong wind. Opening his eyes, he saw that the two ferocious and violent night wolves, along with the illusory wolf that had swallowed him, had vanished.

Instead, there were two headless wolf corpses riddled with holes and gushing blood.
And a sharp figure wielding an iron-gray longsword.

He casually twirled the sword, flicking away the remaining blood from the surface of the decapitation sword.

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the mangled wolf carcass on the meadow, then glanced at the girl Mint standing motionless beside him, seemingly stunned.

His gaze moved over the other person's pale face covered in sweat and their trembling hands gripping the staff.

Nothing suspicious was found.

He subtly shifted his body to the side, further away from the blind spot that was originally close to the other party, thus eliminating the possibility of using this angle to backstab.

Then he nodded slightly to the other party.

Looking towards the other two battlefields.

【Fang Hunt】, which is now almost the core combat skill that determines Xia Nan's fighting style, may be replaced by 【Gravity Control】 in the future.

But right now, the exaggerated mobility and explosive power it possesses are what I rely on deeply.

Roaming support, surprise attacks and retreats... this combat skill is extremely versatile.

In addition, Xia Nan has a decent battery life, making it a formidable weapon on the battlefield.

Combined with [Whirlwind Slash], it's like cutting vegetables when facing enemies weaker than yourself.

There was no intention to conceal their strength too much; the revelation of [Fang Hunt] was part of the plan.

Seeing that Mint was unharmed, as she moved, the howling of wolves quietly rose, indicating that she was preparing to send reinforcements to her other teammates.

But something unexpected happened.

The idea had just formed in Xia Nan's mind, and he hadn't yet put it into action.

The few night wolves that were circling around Cash and Veris suddenly seemed to receive some kind of command.

They let out two howls and retreated in unison.

It wasn't about running away, but rather maintaining a delicate distance—a distance that allowed them to either advance again at any time or retreat into the forest.

He lowered his body, arched his back, and growled threateningly in a low voice.

Freed from the high-pressure situation, the two, panting, quickly moved towards Xia Nan and regrouped.

They had, of course, also heard the sudden, high-pitched wolf howl.

He even witnessed firsthand how Xia Nan, enveloped in a wolf-shaped aura, traversed the battlefield in the blink of an eye and beheaded two night wolves.

Many thoughts suddenly arose in my mind.

But given the current special circumstances and the inconvenience of communication, he only glanced at the wolf carcass on the ground a few more times before turning his gaze away with a strange expression.

"What should we do? Should we retreat?"

With her chest heaving with each breath, Vera asked breathlessly.

She wasn't seriously injured, but she seemed to have used up a lot of her strength. The strands of silver hair on both sides of her face were damp with sweat and hung down by her ears.

"Of those five night wolves, three were poisoned."

"If we delay any longer, it will fully manifest."

The two short daggers in her hands reflected a purple-green glow in the moonlight, she added.

Cash did not make a decision immediately.

It looked rather disheveled, its scales covered in claw marks.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Xia Nan beside him.

"What do you think? Should we retreat?"

Xia Nan wasn't sure what the two were thinking, but he had already made his own judgment about the situation on the field since the beginning.

Of the original ten Temple Night Wolves, only five remain.

Under normal circumstances, unless one is starving, retreat is inevitable in the face of such losses.

Do not!
Based on Xia Nan's understanding of predators in nature, let alone five wolves, just the fact that any one of the wolves in the pack would pose a sufficient threat to them if injured would be enough.

These agile and cunning beasts would no longer be able to advance as they had before.

Having weighed the risks and benefits, they would have already left.

Yet, they still maintain such discipline, roaming the surrounding woods, watching them with predatory eyes.

That leaves only one reason.

He suddenly focused his gaze, looking behind the wolf pack, at the dark and unlit depths shrouded in the night.

A flash of gray light passed through his dark eyes.

【A World That Opens Your Mind】!
My mental energy was draining away rapidly, like a floodgate being opened, and my head was spinning.

In an instant, the world before my eyes was reduced to nothing more than the original black and white.

The illusory lines, symbolizing gravitational ripples, collide and intertwine silently, constructing a massive yet agile figure amidst the bushes and dense forest.

Your gaze immediately locked on!

[Guiding Vision] Exit before your mental energy is excessively depleted.

Xia Nan stared straight ahead in the direction she had just sensed.

"Wow..."

Sensing that they were being watched, they finally stopped hiding.

Accompanied by the rustling sound of swaying branches, and the wolves' whimpers of submission and awe.

A huge, silver-white wolf, seemingly bathed in moonlight, slowly emerged from the forest.

Its size is significantly larger than that of its kind, by about two sizes.

If you stand close to them, you need to tilt your head back to make eye contact.

Its shoulder height is probably already two meters.

But at the same time, its huge body does not appear bulky at all.

Even longer and thinner.

Four long, slender, and agile limbs lightly touched the ground, as if they could take flight with just a little effort.

Under the cover of night, bathed in moonlight and surrounded by secluded woods, it evokes an indescribable sense of elegance.

"Didn't they say there was no alpha wolf?"

Xia Nan frowned slightly, staring intently at the silver wolf in front of him, and asked without turning his head.

"That's what the association said in the mission information." The sudden change made Cash hesitate. "And normally, if the group only has 10 members, it's not enough to meet the conditions for the alpha wolf to be born."

"At least 15 are needed."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan's heart tightened, fearing there might be an ambush.

Fortunately, thanks to its senses, it realized there were no signs of other large creatures around, which put it at ease.

Should we retreat?

Or rather, are they even able to withdraw?
The air was filled with thick fog, making it difficult to even discern directions.

The dense forest environment further limits the effectiveness of [Fang Hunt].

The few individuals may be professionals, but the Misty Forest is the natural home ground for wolves.

Putting aside the other dangers they might encounter in the dead of night, they might not even be able to outrun these wolves if they simply tried to escape.

Not to mention the fatal problems of exposing one's back to the enemy and having a loose formation that makes one vulnerable to attack during retreat.

As for climbing trees...

Even ignoring their current location, the fighting had already forced them into a sparsely wooded clearing under the pressure of the wolf pack.

If that alpha wolf possesses ranged attack capabilities.

Once the Seathorn Squad climbed up the tree, they were simply sitting ducks, with no means of retaliating.

"We can't withdraw."

Overcoming spatial barriers.

His dark eyes met those cold, wolf-like eyes deep within the dense forest ahead.

The surface of the iron-gray sword in my hand is bathed in moonlight from the sky above.

(End of this chapter)