After flicking away the Scavenging Wolf's claw with a single sword stroke, Leilin was startled by the beast's strength.
Immediately, his Cross Sword traced a shining arc, following a trajectory calculated by the Chip, and thrust towards the Scavenging Wolf opposite.
A direct stab!!!
Cross Sword Technique was a secret knightly move of the Viscount Farell family, its core principle being to attack the enemy with powerful rotational force.
Now, Leilin channeled power from his waist, the Cross Sword in his hands piercing the air with a whistling sound as he charged at the Scavenging Wolf.
Pfft!!!
Leilin felt the long blade sink into muscle. The Cross Sword felt as if it were caught in a tight grip; a tremendous force, accompanied by trembling, tried to wrench it from his hands.
"Heh!!!" Leilin pulled back with both hands, wrenching the Cross Sword out with force. Blood sprayed wildly!!!
A cry of pain came from the Scavenging Wolf opposite. It turned out that Leilin's strike had pierced right into the base of the wolf's forelimb—a classic weak spot. The wounded wolf now hobbled backwards, apparently one of its claws completely disabled.
Watching the retreating Scavenging Wolf, a sharp glint flashed in Leilin's eyes, but he did not move to pursue.
"Most of the pressure I'm under right now is being borne by the Black-robed Knight beside me. If I leave the defensive perimeter, it would be courting death. Besides, a wounded Scavenging Wolf is unlikely to attack again. It won't be long before it becomes a corpse, or... food for its companions!"
"Well done!" George shouted approval from not far away. He was also splattered with blood, his swordsmanship elegant and graceful, looking more like a performance than a fight, yet carrying matchless power! He had single-handedly held off two Scavenging Wolves without being at a disadvantage.
"The sword techniques of high nobles are truly formidable!" Leilin mused briefly before turning his attention back to the wolf pack opposite.
The brutal man-wolf battle continued for half an hour as the sun gradually set, plunging the prairie into twilight.
At that moment, the Scavenging Wolves' eyes all emitted a pale green luminescence. The camp perimeter looked as if it were encircled by a ring of green eyeballs, an eerie and terrifying sight.
"Huff... huff..." Leilin panted heavily. He looked as if he had been fished out of a pool of blood, his face smeared with it, yet he had no time to wipe it off.
Even with the Chip allowing him to dispatch wolves in the most efficient way, he was nearly exhausted.
"I'm in this state, so the other apprentices must be doing even worse. Only the Black-robed Knights still have energy left, but they can't hold on much longer. In this situation, are the White-robed Wizards still not going to act?"
Leilin glanced and saw a clear space at the camp's center, amidst the female apprentices. Three figures in white robes sat there, emanating a cold, sinister aura. No apprentice dared to come within three meters of them.
Meanwhile, a third of the Scavenging Wolf pack besieging them had already been eliminated. Few apprentices like Leilin remained on the front lines; most were wounded and being tended to by the girls behind them.
"If I were the Wolf King, these losses would be enough to justify giving up! The rest will surely be one final, furious assault!"
Leilin slashed a Scavenging Wolf back with his sword, then took the opportunity to pull a few plant berries or similar items from his pouch and toss them into his mouth, chewing twice before swallowing.
These were useful plants he had gathered along the way to quickly replenish stamina, but even these supplies were almost exhausted.
"Awooooo!!!" A mournful wolf howl echoed, but this time it seemed to carry a different meaning.
Hearing the howl, the Scavenging Wolves went berserk, attacking with reckless abandon.
"Here it comes! The final wave!!!" Leilin's eyes narrowed, and he charged forward with his Cross Sword.
Bam!!! A tremendous force jolted through his hands; the Cross Sword nearly flew from his grasp.
"The Scavenging Wolf in front of me seems a size larger than the previous ones!" Leilin flexed his slightly numb arms. "Chip, scan the Scavenging Wolf before me!"
"Scavenging Wolf. Strength: 2.3. Agility: 4.1. Constitution: 3.1. Note: Within Scavenging Wolf packs, there are always some individuals significantly larger than the rest. These are selected as the Wolf King's guards. They often possess strength far greater than their kin and are utterly loyal to the Wolf King!"
This was a piece of information the former wastrel Leilin had apparently read in some guidebook, now called up by the Chip.
"Impressive. It seems the Wolf King is really putting everything on the line this time," Leilin thought, then went to clash with the enormous wolf.
In his previous life, he had been a researcher, thinking his hot-blooded passions had long been worn away. But now, in this primitive world, fighting desperately against a wolf pack, Leilin suddenly felt something primal stir within him, setting his blood racing.
"Unlike the comfort of my previous life, this is the beast nature awakened by the biological imperative to survive!" Leilin had a sudden moment of clarity.
"Haha!!! Come on!!! Come on!!!" Having practiced his family's Breathing Technique to a profound level, Leilin now needed this bloody battle to gain insight and awaken his own Life Energy, to become a true Knight!!!
"Kill!!!" Leilin's eyes turned red as he fought wildly against the Scavenging Wolf.
In this moment, he finally let go completely. With every swing of his sword, he released the fear of death from his past life and the anxious uncertainty of arriving in a strange world.