[Astor's Pov]
'That's a Dire Wolf... and it seems like it's bigger than normal ones...'
Standing in front of the huge, gray wolf with white lines spread across its body, there was no doubt that this could be a fight that would mark the end of group 2's excursion. With a body that reached a height well above seven feet into the air, it was at least four or five times bigger than the normal wolf-type monsters that we had fought previously.
Even though we didn't need to fear for our lives, as we knew there should be at least one teacher ready to assist us in case it was needed, if that did happen, we would lose any and all prospects of getting a good grade. By extension, this would surely mean our rankings would get affected.
And we all knew that one of us couldn't allow herself to get a bad ranking, lest she was prepared for her household to take a large hit.
Unreasonable expectations, that's what it honestly was, but it didn't actually matter how unfair they were. Because the world outside of the academy, as well as inside it, still expected Levi to perform, or rather, overperform in every single instance.
The monster was now bending his forelegs a bit, signifying the fact that we didn't have much time before it would attack.
'Can we run? Probably not. If we try, I think that at least one of us will get chased down... Man, if Aarick knew that this thing was here, he should have been more persistent!'
Even though I laughed a bit inwardly, I still drew my sword out of its sheath, making my trusty katana reflect a bit of moonlight falling from the night sky.
"Hey, Levi, how much mana do you have left?"
With her back still turned against me, our leader gave me the answer that I expected, an answer that was unavoidable due to how we had spent the day fighting like maniacs.
"....not much."
Unable to stop myself from sighing when hearing her answer, I took a step forward, well aware that if we were going to somehow defeat this monster, I had to do something.
It was pretty lucky that we had encountered this beast in one of the groves, where we at least had some room to move around in, while at the same time not getting hindered by any roots on the ground or trees.
"Then, I'll be the main vanguard this time. Just make sure you use the rest of your mana to finish him..."
*GRRRR!*
"...off."
The [D]-rank boss monster finally had enough of us chit-chatting in front of it, now dashing forward as if to say that it would punish us for the blatant disrespect. Therefore, in response, even though I could see that Levi's face opened up a bit with surprise, I also dashed forward, with my katana at my side.
In less than a second me and the monster reached each other, with it now lifting one of its big clawed, paws, swinging it at me with the intention of ripping me apart.
'[Electric Nerves]'
Activating my ability, everything felt like it was slowing down, more than enough for me to see the incoming attack and its trajectory. The problem was that even though my body was now fast enough to not only see the attack but also dodge it, I still wanted to keep myself close enough that the monster saw me as its opponent.
"Hupp!"
As a result, I dashed even closer to the body of the wolf and swung my sword from a downward angle up into its torso.
*Awoo!*
Despite the wolf howling in anger, my attack didn't do more than put a light scratch on its body, not even able to make a single drop of blood emerge from the wound.
Luckily, I had at least bought enough time for me to hear the clacking sound of a crossbow being fired from behind me and the whistling sound of the iron bolt that was launched from Gerald's weapon.
Once again, even though Gerald made a direct hit with one of the forelegs of our enemy, it merely scowled a bit in annoyance, without sustaining any real damage.
"[Nature's Grasp]!"
Following this, the ground beneath the wolf shook. A moment later, a horde of thick roots erupted from the grassy ground, quickly taking hold of its four legs, determined to keep the boss monster in place for as long as possible.
And as I was still standing in a bit of a precarious spot, I didn't hesitate to take my chance to retreat a bit, while still making sure I stood in front of my team.
*Growl!*
Very unsurprisingly, it didn't take more than a couple of seconds before the wolf freed himself from Celina's spell, now putting us back in the same neutral position as when the fight began.
During all this time, I could see our leader standing on the side, frustrated but at the same time understanding that she had no choice but to conserve her energy while trying to find an opening to make a decisive blow.
After all, she was likely the only one among us who was strong enough to actually injure the boss monster.
*Grrr!*
And so, the dance repeated itself, with me dodging the claws and teeth that wanted to rip me apart, only to get bailed out by Celina and Gerald when I was put in a tight spot. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we still didn't manage to create an opening big enough for Levi to find a chance to strike one of the wolf's vitals.
"Huff...huff..."
My mana had begun to run dry, after being forced to uphold my ability to keep up with the monster's speed, and my body slowly started to slow down, with my muscles rejecting the notion of continuing.
At the same time, the wolf looked completely unscathed, with only minor scratches and some tufts of hair having gotten damaged from our attacks. Despite this, our enemy was still careful about how to approach us, showing the amplified intelligence of a monster who had climbed to the top of his domain.
"I'm going."
For better or worse, Levi decided that it couldn't be helped anymore, positioning herself next to me while readying her spear. Taking a peek at the flawless face that was now showing her conviction, I didn't even try to argue with her. She had already made her decision,
"Alright. Then, shall we?"
"Yes."
With that, we dashed forward, knowing that our party members behind us also prepared themselves to see how things would go.
****
[Will's Pov]
Running through the dark forest, I knew that it couldn't be helped that Aarick didn't understand why it was so important that the teachers didn't have to save Levi and her party.
Because he didn't carry the same unreasonable expectations that we did.
Therefore I went ahead on my own, despite me knowing that I put my own team in an awkward situation.
The only problem was that I didn't have any skills for navigating the dark forest, and although I knew that I was going in the correct general direction, I had no choice but to keep moving while keeping my ears focused on any kind of sounds that I might catch.
*Awooo!*
'Over there!'
After running around for a lot longer than I wanted to, I finally heard something. The howling of a wolf that, judging by the power behind its howl, was a lot bigger than any of the wolf monsters that we had encountered previously.
Therefore, I sped up even more, making sure to run toward the direction of the sound.
"Levi?!"
It didn't take long until I arrived at a small valley, where I was instantly met by a sight that made my heart grow cold.
Using her spear as support, a heavily bleeding Levi was standing in front of her three teammates, who looked equally as weary as her, desperately struggling to keep themselves on their feet.
At the same time, I saw the monster that Aarick had warned them about, a monster in the form of a giant, gray wolf, who was now showing its teeth in anger as blood trailed down its right eye socket that had gotten demolished.
"Will...? What are you..."
*Growl!*
Unfortunately for us, the wolf didn't allow us to speak to each other anymore, instead pouncing forward, wanting to get rid of Levi before I could come to her rescue. Luckily, most likely due to its injuries, it was slow enough for me to be able to react.
"No, you don't! [Arc of Flames]!"
Seeing what the wolf was about to do, I quickly swung my sword, letting my flaming mana into it so as to then send out a huge wave of flames toward the monster, successfully making him stop his approach.
Jumping back, the huge wolf stopped for a moment, contemplating for a bit, before it made a decision. And that decision was to retreat, not wanting to continue a fight against us now that I had arrived at the scene.