Since no more wolves are coming after me, I turn toward where Ronan is and limp over, trying to move the bitten leg as little as possible.

As I do, I ask the pup for a healing lick. Also tell him to stay as he is, close to me and avoid joining the fight. Those wolves could hurt him; the pup still isn't a match for them.

I lower my glove slightly so he can lick my hand and I'm surprised. I asked for it because of the mana, but it healed my leg. It's no longer white, nor does it have wounds. I guess, then, I would have achieved the same with my healing spell.

Approaching Ronan, I see him draining a wolf on the other side of the wall, while several others trying to reach and attack him are being held back by skeleton wolves. I apply an earth channeling to myself, which protects my entire body. While I'm doing this, I see a wolf manage to approach Ronan from his right. I can't even shout "watch out" because I'm muttering the words of my spell. No need. He's already noticed and what he does leaves me stunned. The guy must mentally command one of the small golems at his feet to levitate. As soon as it rises, he pushes it with his free hand—the one not draining that dark energy—and shoves it between the wolf's jaws, even though it doesn't fit, undoubtedly dislocating its jaw.

This is Ronan, coming up with things that wouldn't even cross my mind.

And yes, everyone here is fighting, even the bats; but visibility is so bad I mostly see movements, bodies passing within my limited one-meter visibility range. And with the storm's noise, it's like I'm disconnected.

I look for enemies; with my two channelings I'm more than ready. Then I see it. The alpha, besides commanding its pack, is coming for Ronan. I see the yellowish glow of its eyes approaching and how it destroys one of the skeleton wolves fighting on the other side of the wall with one of its powerful bites to the neck. Now I can make out its shape, though blurry. Also the skeleton it flings aside with a head toss, clearing its path.

"Ronan!" I shout instinctively, and obviously he doesn't hear me.

I repeat the warning mentally while spending a mana point to control the earth, making a spiked forest of branched thorns erupt beneath the boss and between it and the wall.

But the hardened earth shatters without piercing its hide. And I don't have time to apply earth channeling to reinforce the remaining spikes, even though I don't need to verbalize the entire spell. It charges toward me at full speed. Apparently it considers me a more urgent target than the young man who desecrated its dead.

At this rate, I'll get used to drawing aggro. This is what happens without a proper tank using taunt. In many games, mages wait to cast until the tank has aggro. Though of course, if the tank's skill isn't great or the mage deals too much damage, they end up becoming the target anyway.

In any case, I wait with my sword ready. My plan: the moment it jumps the wall, I'll duck and stab its vulnerable belly.

I'm not summoning the shadow wolf. I think we can win this battle on our own, plus the 24-hour cooldown hasn't passed yet.

The alpha, which I can barely see from more than a meter away but know it's him by its yellow eyes, approaches, crushing the hardened earth spikes under the tough pads of its paws. It doesn't even need to jump. It's so tall that its head protrudes above the wall. For an instant we stay like this, as if frozen under the merciless snowstorm, with its eyes a little below mine and looking at me with hatred. Then it leaps, and I duck. Or that was the idea—I slip and I end up with my knees on the ground. Luckily my agility is high enough to let me raise the sword and aim it at the beast as I fall. It doesn't sink in as deep as I intended; rather, the tip goes in a few centimeters and the creature's own jumping force makes the blade slice a clean longitudinal wound along its belly. The extra penetration from my fire channeling was enough to break through its defenses. Fortunately, the wolf lands on the other side of me, passing over my body and head.

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And no guts or anything fell on me, as I'd momentarily feared when I saw what the sword did.

The creature, despite being badly wounded, growls and turns around. All the wolves nearby try to come after me. But my allies don't let them. I get up, ignore the pain from the bruise of the fall, and brandish my sword in front of me.

"Come, yellow-eyed wolf," I say, though really it's for myself, to steel my nerves and gather strength. "I alone am enough to stop you."

The wolf attacks and I direct a slash toward its muzzle. It jumps back to my right and then sees it. The pup. Who is standing there motionless, not entering the battle, as I asked him.

Immediately its fur bristles and the growl that comes from its throat carries so much hatred it paralyzes me for a second.

The seed of darkness, the divine beast. My mind flashes back to when I first found it. Oh, the other wolves didn't, but the alpha has recognized him.

Before I can react, the white wolf has already lunged at the pup. It dodges. Those level-ups that have raised its agility to 7 possibly just saved its life. The alpha, wounded, doesn't move as fast as before, but is still very dangerous. I seize the opportunity to slash at it while it's turning to face the pup again. The sword goes in, right across its back, stabbing deep thanks to the armor penetration from the fire channeling. An ice bolt hits it in the side, causing it to lose balance. I take advantage to pull out my sword and give it another slash, this time in the neck, which has to be critical. Then the pup approaches, growling threateningly. The alpha looks at him with those yellow eyes, and I can see saliva dripping from its jaws, from how close I am to it. Its HP bar is below 5%.

"Go ahead," I give permission to the pup.

This boss has no special attacks left. All its potential was in buffing its pack, which the others are taking care of.

I withdraw my sword and the pup sinks its teeth where I've opened a wound in the creature's thick hide. It takes effort, it's not instantaneous, but the wolf can't do anything to the divine beast. Though it thrashes with its last strength, it can't bite where the pup is. Can't attack with its paws either. When the pup releases it and the alpha collapses, heavy and lifeless, to the ground, the storm begins to subside.

It really seems like its fury was tied to the white wolf.

The black pup sits back on its haunches, raises its muzzle and howls.

It's a cub's howl, nothing like the two the alpha emitted before. Yet it sounds like a challenge, as if daring the other wolves to come for him.

But without the boss, the buffs disappear. Now that I can see better, I observe that the wolves are falling at the hands of my allies or trying to flee. Some succeed. Not all. And there were many more than 20 or 30. The alpha, during the storm, must have also called the rest of its pack.

My goodness...

What a battle. I feel tired, and it's not because of the mana, but from the fight's tension.

I look toward Ronan and he looks fresh as a daisy. Yes, because now that he's been in the sun and isn't pale as a corpse, he looks like a normal young man our age. I imagine that drain he did on the wolves works wonders.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Ronan asks me.

"Yes, the pup completely healed both my leg wound and the frostbite. Thank you, Tom," I say, turning toward the skeleton. "If it weren't for you, that frostbite would have been worse, and the other wolf could have done me serious harm. Not killed me, of course, since I'm wearing the major protection necklace that prevents my HP from reaching zero."

The addressed skeleton bows his head slightly.

"Thank you very much, my friend. You have performed your duty excellently," I hear Ronan tell him.

"My lady," Ronan then addresses me, "why didn't you thrust your sword into the wolf's mouth?"

"And slice my own leg in the process?" I reply, horrified.

Though now that he mentions it... I suppose yes, inserting the sword and using leverage against its teeth might have easily freed me from its grip while minimizing damage to myself.

I notice Ronan looking at me thoughtfully.

"You are absolutely right; I had not considered that aspect. You acted wisely by waiting for Tom's assistance."

I wasn't actually waiting for help, but I decide not to correct him. Better to change the subject.

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