Jake's level had finally climbed from level three to level four. It wasn't easy, but with each level increase, all his attributes received a boost, further enhancing Jake's strength.
Of course, Jake's ability to solo monsters ten or more levels higher than him was mainly due to the elite equipment he had. This gear greatly elevated his attributes and strength. The attribute improvements resulting from his level-up were not as evident.
However, this was just temporary. As his level continued to rise, the significance of level-based attribute growth would naturally increase. Moreover, the increase in strength from equipment attributes wasn't always convenient, especially in reality.
In the real world, Jake couldn't constantly wear a helmet or carry weapons. At times, he wouldn't even wear armor or wristguards because it wasn't practical. Therefore, the strength gained from his level was particularly important in such situations.
"Hmm, what's this?" After the red-eyed wolf king was slain, its body didn't disappear. However, Jake couldn't exactly stash it into his backpack in front of everyone, especially since Eli and the others were right beside him.
Yet, beside the corpse of the red-eyed wolf king, Jake noticed a metal badge flickering with a faint green light.
Equipment drop?
Jake was filled with excitement. Seizing the moment when Eli and the others weren't paying attention, he picked it up. He didn't bother to see exactly what it was and quickly stored it in his backpack.
Jake examined the area around the red-eyed wolf king's corpse once more but found nothing else of interest, so he gave up.
"Jake, are you okay?" Eli walked over and asked.
"Just a few injuries, nothing serious," Jake replied.
Eli examined Jake's body. At this point, Jake had wounds all over, and his clothes were torn in several places, due to being scratched by the red-eyed wolves. Blood seeped out from the wounds, staining his attire.
"You stay in the middle; we'll get you out," Eli said, looking at the lifeless red-eyed wolf king. Their purpose for rushing in had been to kill the wolf king, and now that the objective was achieved, they could retreat.
"I'm fine," Jake assured, aware of his situation.
As a "player," as long as his health bar wasn't emptied, he wouldn't die. Even if he got injured, the impact on his body was not as significant as it was for others. Currently, his health bar was still about half full, so he couldn't die.
However, Eli wasn't aware of this fact. Seeing Jake covered in wounds, he felt genuinely concerned and insisted that Jake stay among the group while they made their way out.
While there were still many red-eyed wolves around, without the skill and strength boost from the wolf king, their power had declined significantly. Furthermore, lacking a leader, their attacks and retreats were disorganized. Dealing with them wasn't as troublesome as before.
Eli and the others successfully broke free from the wolf pack and then the injured members, including Jake, received treatment from the field medic.
Watching the somewhat clumsy medic tend to his wounds, Jake couldn't help but speak up, "Let me do it myself." With that, he began to tend to his wounds, expertly cleaning and bandaging them.
Eli and the others successfully broke free from the wolf pack. After that, a few injured individuals, including Jake, received treatment from the army medic.
Jake watched the medic somewhat clumsily tend to his wounds. Unable to resist, he said, "I'll handle it myself." With that, Jake began to clean and bandage his wounds skillfully.
"Are you also a medic?" The medic asked Jake in surprise, noticing that Jake's movements were even more proficient than his own.
"I've learned some medical knowledge," Jake replied.
It's worth noting that Clark was a Grandmaster-level pharmacist, incredibly skilled. His understanding of pharmacology far surpassed that of others.
Although Clark had primarily taught Jake about alchemy, he occasionally touched on simple wound treatment. Even with just a few basic instructions, he was already better than this current half-baked medic in terms of knowledge and skill.
Pharmacists and medics were scarce talents in this era. Skylark Camp was just a makeshift force, and it wasn't feasible to have highly skilled medics on hand. As for pharmacists, whose status was even higher, they were even more unlikely.
"Your skills are better than mine, and your treatment is superior," the medic said to Jake, feeling both embarrassed and impressed.
In reality, the medic was merely an apprentice doctor still in training. He had been assigned to the supply convoy, thinking that he wouldn't need to get involved in any medical procedures. But he hadn't expected the situation that unfolded today.
"I'm just at a mediocre level," Jake said.
Indeed, Jake hadn't extensively studied this field. He was capable of simple wound treatment, but he wouldn't be able to handle more complex cases.
Thinking about this, Jake's desire to learn comprehensive medical skills from Clark became even more pressing. In this era of melee combat, having some pharmacological skills could save lives, including his own and those of others.
While Jake rested, the battle on the other side had already come to an end. With the loss of their leader, the red-eyed wolf pack's strength had greatly diminished. They were defeated by the combined efforts of the group, with some wolves dead and others fleeing.
The crisis was over for the group, and the next step was to clean up the battlefield. Quite a few red-eyed wolves had been killed, which was a chance for these poor individuals to have an extra meal. Thus, the spirits of the group were quite high. As for the mysterious disappearance of some red-eyed wolf corpses, they didn't seem to mind. It appeared they had grown accustomed to such peculiarities.
At this point, Jake got up and walked toward the corpse of the red-eyed wolf king he had been eyeing. He gently touched it with his hand, and the wolf king's body vanished, entering his backpack.
Afterward, Jake nonchalantly turned around and walked away. As for the other red-eyed wolf corpses, he didn't compete with the others to claim them.
"Hey, where's the red-eyed wolf king's body? I distinctly saw it here just now. How did it suddenly disappear?" A voice of confusion came from behind Jake.
"Maybe the red-eyed wolves took the body with them when they left," another voice suggested.
"Perhaps." Unable to find the wolf king's corpse, the two individuals had to give up and continue looking for other red-eyed wolf bodies.
Hearing their conversation, Jake smiled faintly but didn't reveal anything. He walked back to the area where his own unit was resting.
After the battle concluded, people from various units gathered together as a group to rest, clearly distinguished from one another.