Leo shook off the momentary shock. It wasn't that he cared for the wolves; what stunned him was that they had died despite having such tight coordination and discipline. Another thing—that number. It was far greater than what he had seen at the treasure location. Instead of eleven, he counted over fifteen bodies sprawled across the scorched forest floor. And none of these included the alphas or the betas.

He judged most of them to be Low 1-star to High 2-star. He even spotted the female omega lying still, the charred pups clutched beneath her as if she had tried to shield them from the inferno. A grim heaviness settled in his chest—this looked less like a battle and more like a family wiped out in one stroke.

Two noble lines should've been here as well, but their corpses were nowhere among the torn bodies. Leo specifically searched for the mid-1-star female with the distinct crescent-moon mark like her mother bore across her forehead.

Above him, the clouds still churned like a spiral maw, refusing to fade. They circled tighter and darker—ready to strike again.

And they did.

Trunnndd—BOOOM!

Another bolt ripped downward—and with it came a howl. The alpha's howl… except this one was ragged, like something dying. The sound echoed from a few hundred meters away.

Putting away the corpses in his spiritual space, Leo sprinted instantly.

When he reached the clearing, he froze.

A wolf. But not just any wolf—its fur was pitch-dark, almost absorbing the faint light, and a single horn jutted from its forehead like a sharpened obsidian spike. Deep cuts and bruises covered its body, but the dark mist rolling off its skin made it appear more feral and starved.

But the danger wasn't in its wounds.

It looked like Shyra.

And not just in appearance. The way it moved it melted into shadows and reappeared behind its opponent with razor-sharp claws—was exactly the same as Shyra. That same ghost-step and the silent, murderous rhythm.

Tempest Starwolf (Low 3-star) – Super Bloodline [Shadow Variant]

HOOOWWWLLL!

Its cry trembled through the storm.

A lightning bolt immediately stabbed down, straight toward the wolf it was battling.

The other wolf reacted quickly, conjuring a projection barrier. Leo recognised it instantly—the signature ability of the male alpha and the beta Peak 2-star wolf. Except that this projection was simpler and less refined. That alone made it easy to recognise.

Highfang Direwolf (Pseudo 3-star) – Noble Bloodline

But the defence held for only a heartbeat—

Crack—crackle—BOOM!

The projection shattered like glass, and lightning slammed into the direwolf's flank. The creature was hurled across the clearing, tumbling until it skidded to a halt, smoke rising from its fur. Even after forcing its way into Pseudo 3-star, it couldn't withstand the strike.

All of this occurred in seconds. Leo hadn't even had time to decide whether to intervene before the direwolf whimpered and exhaled its last breath, body collapsing limp.

Only then did Leo take in the full scene.

The male alpha lay not far away, abdomen torn open, and the flesh around the wound burnt black. The female alpha sat frozen upright, as though caught mid-exhale—lightning had struck her where she stood, leaving her in that eerie, statue-like posture.

Now, the only one left moving was the shadow wolf.

Breathing hard and bleeding wounds, it still forced itself toward the fallen alpha. Its intent was clear as it lowered its head—it planned to devour the corpse and replenish its energy right there on the spot. Leo noticed that he behaved strangely, like it didn't feel pain... more like drugged when he looked at its bloodshot eyes.

And of course, Leo wasn't about to stand by and let the shadow wolf devour the Alpha; that corpse was now his spoils. Even Shyra agreed—thick strands of saliva dripped from her jaws as she eyed the bodies. The Pseudo and Low 3-star carcasses would be a feast for her starving stomach.

Sometimes Leo wondered how he always ended up in these ridiculous third-party situations—slipping in at the last moment to scoop up all the benefits. Just like with the Mistprowler Tiger.

People called that luck. But Leo wasn't lucky; he was brave.

Anyone else who saw the thunderstorm spiralling overhead would have sprinted in the opposite direction. But Leo? The thought of running didn't even cross his mind. Instead, he felt that familiar thrill crawl up his spine—a new challenge, another near-death experience to dive headfirst into.

Years in the military had carved that into his bones. Facing death wasn't scary to him; it was routine. He had learned to push through it, to stare it down the way he did when protecting Max—his only friend. And not once had he regretted it.

Most people, if tossed into this situation, would call it a "fortunate encounter"—but only because they were forced into it and had no escape. Leo, however, had every chance to run earlier.

Yet he still charged straight in.

Fortune favours the bold.

But the boldness wasn't baseless; he had the strength to back it up. In this region, Leo alone counted as a top-tier predator with raw Mid 3-star strength (200 to 300 stat points). That was why he wouldn't let Shyra fight here. She was still only a Pseudo 3-star, and a moment ago, another Pseudo 3-star beast had been fried to death in a blink.

Leo summoned his dagger, mana surging through his veins like liquid fire as he activated his skills.

[Violet Hellbrand] – 100% – 400 mana units/second

[Umbral Rift Pounce] – 500 mana units/second (Stealth included)

[Critical Strike] – 50% (300% limb damage boost) – 100/200 mana units/second

In an instant, his figure blurred out of existence. The dagger in his hand ignited in violet flames, the heat prickling against his forearm, and the limb holding it pulsed with a blinding 300% power surge.

Finally.

An opponent worthy of testing these skills on.

But he misjudged one thing.

300% increase

Strength: 135.2 [235.2 → 705.6]

Within heartbeats, Leo was already above the seven-meter-tall wolf, winds whipping at his clothes as he twisted midair, dagger tucked to his chest.

The shadow wolf sensed him—instinct flaring too late. It jerked its body, attempting to melt into the shadows in a panic, but—

Teeearrr--Slash!

The dagger carved through flesh like tearing silk. A horizontal arc ripped from the base of its neck to the start of its tail, splitting skin, muscle, and ribs in one clean, brutal stroke.

Blood sprayed out in a steaming wave as the beast's howl broke into a gurgle.

---

A/N: I think I have followed 2 different ways to increase the damage of [Critical Strike] by 600%.

At some places, I added the 600% and some multiplied it by 600%.

Check the difference by taking 210 from the base value

600% Added:

210 -> 1470

600% Multiplied

210 -> 1260

From now I will always multiply the increase for any skill that increases output by a percentage value; please overlook the previous mistakes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.