"We can move now," Riurgus announced, clenching and unclenching his fists while he turned to his party members. He was relieved to see that all of them could move, and now they have a higher chance of going against the Black Gem Wolves compared to before.
Unbeknownst to them, the Black Gem Wolves totally underestimated their use of Zecian Aura, and now they've depleted most of their stockpile of that said supernatural energy. Had they not focused on buffing their pack of Silverback Wolves, they'd have stood a better chance at engaging the party in combat.
However, it didn't change the fact that the party members' ranks were low. Even if they teamed up together, they'd still have great difficulty defeating the Black Gem Wolves. Although the Black Gem Wolves were drastically weakened.
"Don't worry about it. We can certainly take these two down." Riurgus shakily grabbed Albrecht on the shoulder and reassured him. In this case, Albrecht wasn't actually the one who needed assurance, Riurgus needed it.
"I'll engage both of them in combat." Albrecht chose to single-handedly take down the two Black Gem Wolves. But after thinking about it, he realized that he still had his 'Blessing of the Divine Paladin' skill up.
[Blessing of the Divine Paladin— active skill, negates status effects and boosts 30% of all the user's stats. Passive and active skills are also boosted by 30%. Grants a buff of 30% in party members' defense stat. If the user has less than 50% health points, boost 60% of the user's stats. If the user has less than 30%, boost the user's stats by 90%. Grants a shield at 1% hp that mitigates a fatal blow.]
The defensive stats of everyone in the party were currently boosted at 30%, and it's a constant boost until he deactivated his skill. Even with their raw stats, they should be able to take a defensive stance against the two Black Gem Wolves while everyone whittled away at the beasts' health points.
Things were looking up, and now Albrecht had the utmost confidence that the group would be able to defeat the Black Gem Wolves even though only one of them was a Gold Rank adventurer.
"..."
"..."
Before Albrecht could speak up and tell everyone that he changed his mind, the System rang in his mind and a window popped open in front of him. He was about to ask for everyone's assistance in the subjugation of the two Black Gem Wolves. The System just had to interrupt him.
[You've unlocked an Emergency Quest]
[Emergency Quest: (Difficulty Level S+) Defeat the Black Gem Wolves without the assistance of your party and without the assistance of your skills.]
[Accept this quest? Yes/No]
[Rewards include: Riurgus's locked unique skill]
It's as if the pause button was pressed and everything seemed to move by slowly. This was just an illusion on Albrecht, however, since his senses shifted into overdrive as the urgency of the subjugation kicked in. He skimmed through the emergency quest that suddenly popped out. It was definitely a tempting quest, but the risks far outweigh the advantages, and there was a good chance that he'd lose his life while undergoing that trial. He heaved a deep breath.
All his life, he had stayed in his comfort zone, doing just enough to satisfy the masses and it had never given him any accomplishment. Even when he was transported into the future, he stuck to his old ways, staying comfortably as a porter without pushing himself to the limits. He wasn't a risk-taker, sure, and it brought about an inferiority in him whenever he compared himself to the other Heroes of Relics. Even then, he didn't change.
But now, he's got the choice to change his outlook. If he was going to stay as the timid guy he was that always stays in his comfortable corner, nothing would happen. He had been given a second chance after he was banished from the party, and that chance gave him the choice to change himself for the better.
He gritted his teeth. Now that he had thought and weighed everything in his mind (and this happened in a span of a split second), the choice was very clear to him.
"Yes," Albrecht said out loud. He then heard a ping in his head, marking the acceptance of the emergency quest.
[You have accepted the Emergency Quest]
[Deactivating 'Blessing of the Divine Paladin']
[You cannot use any of your skills. But, using a weapon is allowed]
[Your Zecian Aura has been blocked by the System]
[Failure to complete the Emergency Quest will result in penalties]
All these windows appeared in front of Albrecht simultaneously, and they all vanished within a split second. The moment he got back to the present, the two Black Gem Wolves lunged at him with their fangs bared.
Riurgus jumped into the fray without missing a beat. Before he could do anything, though, Albrecht felt his mind warning him about the penalties of a failed emergency quest, and it made his entire body shudder. He immediately pushed Riurgus away.
"I can handle this by myself. Please don't interfere." Albrecht called out. Instinctively, his hand reached into his spatial storage space and he grabbed a pair of daggers. His body moved automatically as if he had trained all his life for this moment.
Albrecht leaned backward, avoiding the bites of the Black Gem Wolves by a hair's breadth. He then twisted his core and delivered a slash right on their stomach. Somehow, his mind knew about the Black Gem Wolves' weaknesses.
One, they're weak underneath on their stomach part. and two, shattering the gem on their forehead would instantly kill them.
His insane display of dodging riled up the Black Gem Wolves even more, and their aggro was wholly directed at him. (All according to plan!)
"Albre—" One of the damage dealers of the party tried to step forward, but Riurgus extended his hand and stopped her.
"Let's trust him on this one," Riurgus said, gently smiling at the members of his party. As his gaze wandered back at Albrecht, he could see the fighting spirit burning within his eyes. It reminded him of the time when he was just a young adventurer. "This is his fight, and he must see it through to the end."
This was Riurgus's reason why he wanted to bring Albrecht along with him. The moment he saw him unconscious in the city clinic, and after hearing about his encounter with the Tri-Horn Minotaur, he immediately knew that Albrecht was having a crossroads in his life.
As a Gold Rank adventurer, he wanted to give Albrecht a slight nudge, a new perspective. While he didn't expect such a hellish encounter with two Black Gem Wolves, he knew that this was the push Albrecht needed. He could see his old self reflecting from Albrecht. "You can do it, kid." He let out.
It didn't even occur to him that Albrecht would lose. He was a hundred percent positive that Albrecht would emerge victorious.
The Black Gem Wolves increased their speed. And utilizing their Zecian Aura, their claws started emanating a black glowing smoke. It was one of their skills, which allowed them to hurl slashes in the air as a ranged attack.
"No, you won't" Albrecht uttered, rushing at one of the Black Gem Wolves before it could charge its dark slashes.
Flailing his arm, Albrecht aimed for its throat. However, the Black Gem Wolf was faster than him, and it dodged his attack. At the same time, the other Black Gem Wolf flanked him. Since he couldn't pay attention to the other beast, it was able to charge its dark slash, striking him in the back and leaving him wounded.
"Aghk~!" Albrecht screamed as blood spurted out of the wound on his back.
That wasn't enough to put him down though, and he turned around, grabbing the Black Gem Wolf by the scruff of its neck. It let out a yelp and Albrecht directed his killing intent on the Black Gem Wolf.
Caught off-guard, the second Black Gem Wolf couldn't resist Albrecht's hold. The adrenaline coursing through Albrecht's veins gave him enough strength to keep the beast at bay. With one slash, he aimed his dagger at the black gem on the wolf's forehead.
In his peripheral vision, the first Black Gem Wolf utilized its Zecian Aura again. This time, it aimed to bite his head off. A smile appeared on Albrecht's face as he remembered a couple of things he learned from the alternate versions of himself via the System.
He didn't dodge. Rather, he proceeded to destroy the black gem on the wolf he was holding.
The bite of the Black Gem Wolf should have been fatal. It was aimed right at Albrecht's face, and his head should've been squeezed into a pulp like an overripe tomato.
Clench!
Everyone in Riurgus's party gasped as the bite closed in on Albrecht. They were ready to jump in and sacrifice their lives for Albrecht, but they saw the confidence in his eyes, and they decided to hold their ground.
Without looking back, Albrecht swiftly swiped his hand at the oncoming Black Gem Wolf. The bite had connected, but somehow, a shield enveloped him right before the attack got through. His attack got through, and he was able to destroy the gem on the wolf's forehead without even looking at it.
"What on— I can't believe I just did that." Albrecht breathed heavily, relieved that his plan worked and he managed to complete the emergency quest.
[Emergency Quest complete]
[Generating rewards...]