SWISH! SWISH! SWISH……

The familiar sound of projectiles cutting through the air echoed from all directions.

This time, Hulim Heyerar was ready.

She knew that once their melee-focused kin had cleared the area to avoid friendly fire, the wolves capable of long-range attacks would never miss their chance to strike.

“【???????????????????????????????????】”

“Wind Barrier!”

The wind-elemental shield flared to life instantly, blocking the incoming quills.

But Hulim Heyerar did not linger in place, waiting for the wolves to encircle her again. She kept the barrier active and pressed onward toward her target.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH……

The sharp whistle of wind slashes filled the air.

“【?????????????????????????????????????】”

“Rock Barrier!”

The moment Wind Wolves came into view, Hulim Heyerar dispelled the Wind Barrier and switched to another spell without hesitation.

The wind slashes, which the Wind Barrier could barely fend off, were easily blocked by the thick stone walls.

“Rock Barrier!”

“Rock Barrier!”

“Rock……”

Under Hulim Heyerar’s precise control, layer upon layer of stone walls erupted from the ground at regular intervals. She used these staggered obstacles to maintain her forward momentum, inching closer and closer to her target with every step……

“Awooo——!!!”

Watching its pack fail repeatedly to take down Hulim Heyerar, the Forest Colossus Wolf grew impatient.

Its howl turned sharp and commanding.

With the new order, the atmosphere of the wolf pack—previously executing a cautious, methodical tactic—shifted instantly, growing far more brutal and bloodthirsty.

“Awooo!”

“GRRR——!”

“GRRR……”

At that moment, no wolf held back. Not the lowly Horned Wolves and Brush Wolves, nor the Spiny-tailed Wolves and Wind Wolves that had been hiding in the safety of the rear lines—all of them charged straight at Hulim Heyerar.

“【????????????????????????????????????????????????????】”

“Water Cannon!”

“【????????????????????????????????????????????????????】”

“Earth Spikes!”

“Gale Blast……”

Supersonic jets of water smashed wolf after wolf to pieces; jagged spikes erupted from the earth, impaling dozens of wolves mid-leap; a sudden gale swept across the clearing, sending the pack flying in all directions……

At the same time, her mana drained away like water bursting through a broken dam. But Hulim Heyerar dared not stop for even a second. Against this frenzied horde, any pause would mean being pounced on and torn to shreds in an instant.

She knew that if this continued, it wouldn’t be long before she met her end—either torn apart by the wolves, or collapsing from mana exhaustion to face the same fate.

The situation was more desperate than ever before.

But there was still one glimmer of hope.

And Hulim Heyerar was already closing in on it—the hidden Goblin Lord.

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……

When the wolves had been rampaging through the goblin tribe, they had of course spotted the massive Goblin Lord.

Intimidated by its size and formidable aura, the wolves had not dared to attack outright, only probing it cautiously. The Goblin Lord had waved its fearsome stone axe, trying to scare the wolves away—but weakened by the poison coursing through its veins, it hadn’t taken long for the wolves to see through its bluff.

The pack had been ecstatic, thinking they’d stumbled upon an easy feast. But just as they were about to pounce, Hulim Heyerar had attacked them. On the Forest Colossus Wolf’s command, the pack had put the Goblin Lord on hold, deciding to eliminate the more immediate threat of Hulim Heyerar first before finishing off the weakened goblin.

And now,

“Wrrrr!”

The Forest Colossus Wolf, which had been standing calmly in the rear this entire time, suddenly shifted restlessly. A faint sense of unease gnawed at its core.

It couldn’t understand why. In its eyes, the human female should have been as good as dead by now. Yet there was none of the fear or despair that its prey usually showed in her eyes. Instead, her gaze was steady and resolute—as if she still had a trick up her sleeve.

“Woo——, wrrrrr~!”

The Forest Colossus Wolf’s unease stirred the elite wolves guarding it nearby. They tensed up, scanning their surroundings frantically, trying to pinpoint the source of the threat that had unsettled their king.

“Great Fireball!”

BOOM!

A massive fireball smashed through the dilapidated hut where the Goblin Lord was hiding.

The Goblin Lord stared at Hulim Heyerar, who had her wand pointed directly at it—and at the endless sea of wolves behind her. It froze, then began trembling violently in terror.

Hulim Heyerar did not hesitate for a single moment. The tip of her wand glowed brightly as she aimed at the Goblin Lord.

Watching this unfold, the Forest Colossus Wolf suddenly stood tall, a flicker of gravity replacing the indifference in its eyes.

It had no idea what the human female was planning. But no matter how it looked at it, this was the worst possible time to turn on another prey.

This was far too abnormal—and abnormal actions always hid dangers it didn’t know about.

So there was only one thing to do—

“Gale Spear!”

A Third-Tier Spell, the Gale Spear streaked toward the Goblin Lord’s head. In a panic, the goblin raised its hands to block. The spear pierced straight through its palms—but its head was spared by the narrowest of margins.

“Gah——!!!?”

The Goblin Lord let out a scream of agony.

Hulim Heyerar frowned slightly. The creature’s vitality was annoyingly resilient. It was going to be far harder than she thought to kill it while fending off the wolves at the same time.

Though she thought this, her hands never slowed down. She immediately began charging her next spell.

“Awooo——!!!”

Just then, the Forest Colossus Wolf’s howl rang out, echoing through the entire forest.

The surrounding wolves froze for a split second, then sprang into action at once, obeying the command.

“Gale Spear!”

A second Gale Spear shot straight for the Goblin Lord’s head. Terror filled the goblin’s eyes—its injured hands were now too weak even to lift.

“GRRR——!”

At that instant, a Dire Wolf suddenly leaped out from behind the Goblin Lord, throwing itself directly at the incoming Gale Spear. It was killed instantly by the spell—but in doing so, it had shielded the Goblin Lord from the fatal blow.

“What——!?!”

Hulim Heyerar’s eyes widened in shock. She whipped her head around to stare at the Forest Colossus Wolf.

“So it figured it out that quickly……”

The Forest Colossus Wolf no longer looked uneasy. Instead, a mocking glint in its eyes fixed on Hulim Heyerar.

It had given the order purely on instinct—because the more abnormal the human’s actions were, the more they needed to be stopped. But judging by her reaction, it had made the right call!

“……”

Staring at the wolves that had positioned themselves protectively in front of the Goblin Lord, Hulim Heyerar tightened her grip on her wand.

The Goblin Lord had no idea what was going on. It just stared blankly at the wolves shielding it from harm. If it weren’t for the fact that these same wolves had been planning to eat it earlier, it might have even shed tears of gratitude for their sacrifice.

“Awooo——!”

Now that it was certain there were no more hidden tricks, the Forest Colossus Wolf let out another command.

The wolves, which had paused their assault, moved again. A portion of them remained guarding the Goblin Lord; the rest charged straight at Hulim Heyerar.

The battle that followed was more grueling than anything Hulim Heyerar had faced yet……

Her mana continued to plummet, and her stamina was rapidly fading. Every time she tried to attack the Goblin Lord, the wolves would throw themselves at her without hesitation, forcing her to defend. But when she turned to fight back against the wolves, they would immediately pull back most of their forces, leaving only a small group to harass her relentlessly.

Hulim Heyerar knew she had fallen completely into the wolves’ trap. Wolves specialized in wearing down their foes through attrition warfare—draining their enemies’ strength until they were exhausted, then finishing them off with ease.

The scales of victory were tipping inevitably in the wolf pack’s favor.

“I need a breakthrough. I have to find a way out……”

Her eyes scanned the entire battlefield, searching frantically for a way to turn the tide. Even though her body was covered in wounds from wolf claws and fangs, she paid them no mind. Her mind was sharper and more focused than ever before, her thoughts racing at a breakneck pace.

“Fly up and attack the Goblin Lord? No…… the wolves won’t make that mistake twice.”

“Retreat? Impossible.”

“Defeat the wolf pack? No, a pack led by an alpha like that is far too strong. There’s no way to beat them…… Wait a second——”

“The alpha……”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep