Yang Bin's heart thumped loudly in his chest as he sprinted away with all his might. With his adrenaline racing, he could hear the snarls of a wolf behind him. The sound of the wolf's paws hitting the ground let him know that it was catching up to him. He quickly pivoted aside, throwing off the Wind Wolf that was at his heel.
But the danger wasn't over; the sneaky Dark Wolf was now in front of him. It opened its maw and lunged at him.
Watching the sharp teeth rapidly approaching him, Yang Bin didn't panic.
Phantom tracks!
Activating his movement technique, he quickly backpedaled right out of the Dark Wolf's reach, narrowly dodging it. Then with adept steps, he weaved around the Dark Wolf's attack before finding an opening to escape.
Realizing that it had failed once again, the Dark Wolf growled unwillingly and disappeared back into the shadows. The Wind Wolf, who was about to join the fight, was thrown off again.
While it looked like Yang Bin was at ease, internally he was distressed. The effects of my speed rune are slowly wearing off. I probably only have two minutes left before the effects completely wear off. Once it does, it'll be a matter of time before I get eliminated.
Even though Phantom Tracks excels in agility and dodging, it's not very effective against opponents who are overwhelming faster than the user. Not to mention, Yang Bin's mastery over Phantom Tracks is still considered elementary. If not for the speed rune making his speed nearly on par with the Wind Wolf, he would have been caught already.
Yang Bin was already on his last speed rune. When the effects of his previous rune wore off, Yang Bin didn't immediately activate his last one. Wanting to test the speed of the wolves, he tried to dodge the wolves without the use of the rune.
It was disastrous.
He was able to dodge the Wind Wolf's attack quite easily, but it wasn't just the Wind Wolf attacking him. The Dark Wolf would be hiding in the shadows and striking whenever he left an opening. Because of the coordinated attack of the two, he had suffered three gashes on his arms within a span of a couple seconds. Although they weren't deep wounds, it hurt plenty. In the end, Yang Bin was forced to use his last speed rune in case a watching supervisor would disqualify him at his next injury.
For the next two minutes, Yang Bin continued to run and dodge. If he ever became careless, he would end up with a light scratch or a tear on his shirt, but as the effects of the rune wore thin, these scratches became more frequent.
Observing the faint green qi around him, Yang Bin knew he had to do something. Looking around the complex terrain, he found a low branch on his right. Immediate, he turned and dashed towards it with the wolves following close behind.
Once again, Yang Bin heard the sounds of paws hitting the ground right behind him, signaling that the Wind Wolf was about to catch up, yet the branch was still a little off. Clenching his fist, he decisively activated his final strength rune. He sprung up with all his might. As if he was weightless, Yang Bin flew over the wolf and grabbed onto the low branch. Without pausing, he frantically pulled himself up on top of it.
Realizing that their prey had once again escaped their clutches, the wolves were furious. They barked at him and the Wind Wolf leaped up, biting the edge of Yang Bin's pants.
When Yang Bin felt a strong tug on his pants, he became alarmed. Panic stricken, he hurriedly scrambled back and up the branch. The sounds of jaws snapping accompanied him. Feeling his back hit the truck, he stood up and flung his arms around the trunk to keep balance. Just as he was considering fleeing, he noticed that the wolves weren't reaching him. No matter how many times they tried jumping, they were always a bit off.
Still, Yang Bin wasn't going to let down his guard yet. He continued to tightly hug the tree until he ascertained that the wolves truly couldn't get to him. After a few moments of intense studying, he slowly loosened his hold on the trunk. He slumped his back against the tree as relief washed over him.
The wolves, seeing how relaxed Yang Bin was, redoubled their effort but to no avail. Not even their barking fazed Yang Bin.
Watching their futile attempts, Yang Bin revealed a tired grin. His body felt heavy as the effects of the speed rune ran out. I'm finally safe. Now all that is left is to wait for Mengyao to arrive.
With how far Yang Bin ran plus the complex terrain of the forest, it was inevitable that Yang Mengyao would take some time to catch up. A minute slowly passed, and the wolves had become quiet. Instead of jumping, they prowled around the tree.
Noticing their change in behavior, Yang Bin glanced down at them curiously. He watched as the Wind Wolf backpedal further and further away from him, but the Dark Wolf still remained close by.
Is the Wind Wolf leaving? No, that can't be right. If it was leaving, the Dark Wolf would also leave. Not only that, the Wind Wolf is still facing me. Yang Bin's brows creased, as the wolves' abnormal actions instilled a sense of anxiety inside Yang Bin.
When the Wind Wolf retreated almost out of Yang Bin's view, it started sprinting towards him, quickly gaining speed.
Yang Bin tensed. He wasn't sure what they were planning, but his instincts told him to be cautious.
Right when the Wind Wolf was about 5 meters away, the Dark Wolf leaped up, and it clicked in Yang Bin's mind. Horror crept up on his face. The Wind Wolf is planning to use the Dark Wolf as a platform!
Sure enough, the scene unfolded just as Yang Bin predicted. The Wind Wolf jumped onto the Dark Wolf's back and sprung off of it, reaching Yang Bin.
With only seconds to react, he clenched his fist and channeled qi into it. A silvery white sheen surfaced. It was the same move he used during his fight with the wolf beast. Since it was derived from the technique Iron Palms, he called it Iron Fist.
Iron Fist! Yang Bin punched out, aiming at the snout of the Wind Wolf.
A loud thud rang out upon collision. Following it was the Wind Wolf's pained howl. Since Iron Fist made Yang Bin's fist as hard as iron, the Wind Wolf felt like it ran into a boulder, not to mention, Yang Bin's strength was enhanced by the strength rune. Knocked off the branch, blood slowly began to trickle from the wolf's nose.
Similarly, Yang Bin didn't get away scot-free either. Even though Iron Fist greatly reinforced his fist, it didn't strengthen his arm or wrist. Feeling the explosive force of the impact transmitted into his wrist and arm, he groaned in pain, as he was knocked off the branch.
Realizing that Yang Bin was in a vulnerable state, the Shadow Wolf immediately attacked. Leaping up, it pounced on Yang Bin who was still falling.
Seeing the black blur swiftly reaching him, Yang Bin grit his teeth and clenched his other fist. Once again, a silver gleam surfaced. Another loud thud rang out in the forest, as his fist collided with the Shadow Wolf's claws. Though the punch separated the two, it also made Yang Bin's fall even faster.
"Ah!" Landing on his back, Yang Bin felt the air knocked out of his lungs. He found it difficult to move, as pain rolled around his body like waves, but he couldn't wait; the two wolves were slowly approaching him. Dragging his tried and injured body, he stood up with much difficulty to face the two wolves. One was bleeding from its nostril and the other was limping. Both parties were in poor conditions, but the wolves still had more fighting capabilities.
Yang Bin knew this as well. Sighing to himself, he determined that he was no longer able to fight. Just as he was about to cry for help, the wolves froze. The words he was about to say were swallowed back, as he watched the wolves shrink in size.
From absolute terrors, they shrunk to weary limping beasts.
Initially surprised, a spark of hope blazed in Yang Bin's eyes. Pack resonances had run out! I have a chance!
Feeling their weakness, the two wolves looked worriedly at each other, debating whether they should continue or retreat. In the end, they choose the former, charging at Yang Bin together.
Despite them being a lot slower than before, Yang Bin still wasn't sure that he could avoid the two. Fortunately, he didn't need to, as a shout resounded in their surroundings, causing the wolves to pause.
"Brother!"