Chapter 7: Encounter

On a wide path, ten Level 3 skeletons attacked a pack of Rock-Tail Jackals.

[Rock-Tail Jackal]

[Level: 3]

[Attribute: Strength 10, Constitution 7, Agility 9]

[Trait: Pack Instinct – For each nearby Jackal, their Agility increases by +2 and their damage increases by +5%, stacking up to three members.]

In the Scarlet Rock Canyon, the Rock-Tail Jackals were among the most deadly beasts to encounter on windy canyon paths.

They moved in packs of five or ten. Facing them, a party of Level 4 warriors would struggle, and most often many warriors would lose their lives to their terrifying trait.

Thus, everyone avoided the Rock-Tail Jackals inside the canyon. Thoren, however, did not intend to avoid them.

To him, they were prey that would help him grow stronger quickly.

Standing five meters from the battle, he watched his skeletons fearlessly battle the Rock-Tail Jackals.

The Rock-Tail Jackals were five in the pack, biting the skeletons with savage ferocity.

However, against four Level 3 Venomfang Serpent Skeletons and six Crimson-Horn Lizards Skeletons, their attacks were futile.

Slowly, the Rock-Tail Jackals began to fall one by one. They stood no chance against the Level 3 Skeletons.

Two minutes later, all the Rock-Tail Jackals had been killed.

[Experience Gained +300]

[Summoned Entities: Experience Gained +150]

[Spirit +0.3 Copper Coins +30]

Looking at the notification, Thoren smiled and walked toward the dead Rock-Tail Jackal.

[Undead Summon]

[Bone Manipulation]

Quickly, he turned the five Rock-Tail Jackals into his undead and walked deeper into the canyon.

With fifteen Level 3 Skeletons, he decided not to summon the weaker skeletons any longer.

This fifteen would be his main force until he became a Level 5 Warrior. As he headed deeper into the canyon, the temperature rose and the wind grew fiercer.

Howl!

Soon, he encountered two Crimson-Horn Lizards. Under the assault of the fifteen skeletons, the two Level 3 Crimson-Horn Lizards stood no chance.

They were killed in seconds, and he turned them into skeletons.

After killing the two Crimson-Horn Lizards, Thoren did not encounter any more beasts. But he was not willing to give up.

His plan was to strive to become Level 4 before nightfall, and he wouldn’t return until he succeeded.

After walking for thirty minutes, he heard a deep howl in the distance. He concentrated his ears and realized it was the sound of battle.

“From the sound, the battle wouldn’t be small,” he mused, looking at the seventeen skeletons and thinking for a moment.

Whoosh!

Without hesitation, he withdrew all his skeletons and kept them inside his undead space. His plan was to be cautious and not reveal his strength until the right time.

Without his skeletons, no one could detect his strength. With that, he rushed toward the direction of the battle sound.

As he drew closer, he heard various miserable screams and the fierce howls of the Rock-Tail Jackals.

When he was only a few meters from the battle, he climbed the nearby slope to watch.

Beyond the slope, five humans were fighting desperately against a pack of Rock-Tail Jackals.

On the ground lay the bodies of both humans and beasts scattered everywhere.

Leading the group was a girl with an imposing presence. Each of her strikes contained a powerful red flame.

She alone was confronting more three Rock-Tail Jackals.

“She should be a Level 5 Warrior,” Thoren muttered, then turned his attention to the others.

Compared to the others, they were a bit weaker. Nevertheless, their strength was beyond anything he had ever seen.

“I need to gain an appraiser skill,” he thought before refocusing on the Rock-Tail Jackals.

[Rock-Tail Jackals]

[Level: 4]

[Attribute: Strength 12, Constitution 8, Agility 13] [Trait: Pack Instinct – For each nearby Jackal, their Agility increases by +3 and their damage increases by +6%, stacking up to three members.]

Looking at their stats, Thoren’s eyes shone with delight, and he couldn’t wait to rush into the battle.

Among the packs, there were six Level 4 jackals. The girl was handling three all by herself.

Although there were no Level 5 Rock-Tail Jackals among the pack, even with only Level 4s, their trait made them difficult to deal with.

Apart from that, there were fifteen jackals against five of them.

“Ahhhh! Ahhhh!” A boy screamed as a Jackal ripped flesh from his shoulder with its claw. The team’s situation grew grim instantly.

Their formation shrank as they tried to protect their teammate.

“We need to find a way out before we all die here.” another young man shouted.

He cast wind magic and attacked the jackal before him, sending it tumbling. Yet more jackals closed in on him.

“Alright. I’ll use my hidden skill to clear a path for us,” the girl who led them declared. “Remember, we must escape with all our strength.”

The others nodded as they tried to push the Rock-Tail Jackals back.

Suddenly, a powerful flame erupted from her sword as she swung it in an arc. The Rock-Tail Jackals howled in fury and fear and retreated quickly from the powerful attack.

“Now!” she screamed.

She grabbed the injured boy and escaped from the encampment with her greatest speed. Behind her, the others were also pushing their speed to the limit as they rushed to escape.

Watching their prey try to escape, the Jackals howled fiercely and gave chase.

Thoren watched everything without any intention of helping them. He waited patiently on the slope for the right moment.

A minute later, the Jackals returned to their spoil of war, ready to feast on the human bodies.

He watched the packs with glowing eyes. Especially the Level 4 Jackals. With them alone, he could level up to Level 4.

After waiting another minute with no more Jackals coming, Thoren came down from the hill.

“Now is my turn…” He mused and summoned his undead army.

With such a huge pack, he was not going to hold back.

Instantly, twenty Level 3 skeletons appeared before him, but he was not done; he summoned another batch. Behind the Level 3 skeletons, twenty Level 2 skeletons appeared, and finally, the last batch of his skeleton army appeared: twenty Level 1 skeletons.

Looking at the skeletons, Thoren’s eyes shone with confidence as he watched the Rock-Tail Jackals, which had already detected his presence, growl.

Howl!

They were furious and rushed toward the skeletons. Others might fear such a ferocious pack, but he did not.

Instantly, he commanded his army of the undead to attack the packs.

…

Outside the canyon, a party of five rushed out with ragged breath and torn robes. Their bodies were covered in cold sweats.

“Ah! We made it out!” a girl muttered, trembling from the near-death experience.

“It is all thanks to the captain’s hidden skill,” a boy said with a flattering smile.

The party looked at their leader with awe and respect.

Just then, one of them asked.

“Do you see the boy hiding on the small hill?”

“Of course we see him. I thought he would join the battle to save us, but that bastard ignored us,” the injured boy said with anger.

“Enough! Let’s return to town. It’s close to nightfall,” their captain commanded and left.

*****

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