They say that a man's scars are his medals. But as Zenith gazed at the scars covering Wood's body, all she felt was heartache.
As a former healer in the "Fang of the Black Wolf" group, Zenith could easily recognize that many of the scars on Wood's body were from wounds that had likely been life-threatening at the time.
Yet, despite everything, Wood had never spoken of any of this to his family.
Paul and Zenith had always believed that Wood, with his immense talent, maturity, and vast knowledge, must have had a smooth journey as an adventurer.
But now, seeing the sheer number of scars on his body, Zenith felt nothing but bitterness.
They had lived comfortably, spending the money Wood earned, but they had never stopped to consider what he had gone through to complete those missions.
For all these years, their son had never changed. No matter the hardships or trials he faced, Wood would always silently bear them, showing only his best side to his family.
After taking a direct hit from a fireball spell as strong as advanced-level magic, Wood's shirt had been burned away, leaving large patches of his skin covered in severe burns.
But before long, green magic circles began to appear across Wood's body. As the circles formed, his burnt skin peeled away, revealing fresh, unscarred skin beneath.
To push his body beyond its limits and master the otherworldly version of the Six Powers, Wood constantly challenged himself.
Fighting monsters and bandit groups barehanded had become routine for him. Sometimes, he even suppressed his own magic to make the battles more difficult.
It was these relentless challenges that left Wood covered in the scars he now bore.
To enjoy battle without being killed by a fatal injury, Wood had also developed a healing magic of his own.
He carved magic circles on his vital points and limbs, storing magic power in them.
Whenever his injuries reached a critical point, the magic circles would activate on their own, healing his body immediately.
That was why Zenith saw so many life-threatening scars on Wood's body, yet he was still alive and well.
"Tch, I was too careless earlier. That fireball used up more of my stored magic than I thought.
But now it's time to settle the score—for draining my magic, and for scaring my precious little sister!"
The wolf king, having seen Wood take a direct hit from its powerful fireball without falling, and noticing his wounds healing at an unnatural speed, began to feel uneasy.
But as the ruler of this territory, and with its pack watching, the wolf king knew it couldn't show weakness. With a loud howl, it leaped forward, charging straight at Wood.
While the other wolves were only about a meter tall, the wolf king was an enormous three meters long. If the regular wolves looked like ordinary predators, then the wolf king was a massive armored war machine barreling toward Wood.
"Good! Don't think just because you're big, you're invincible. Even if you were a dragon, I'd tear you apart if you tried to hurt my family!"
Wood showed no fear as the massive wolf charged at him, and instead, he rushed forward to meet it head-on.
The wolf king sprinted, its mouth open wide, launching fireballs in rapid succession, each aimed directly at Wood.
The reason it didn't target Zenith and the others again was that Zenith had been holding her staff since earlier, ready to cast a spell in case of another attack.
Each fireball, the size of a human head, streaked through the air like they were locked onto Wood, but he didn't falter. He raised his staff, summoning a stream of water, which gathered around his fists, forming two flowing spheres of water.
As the fireballs approached, Wood tucked his staff into his belt, raised his fists, and met the fireballs head-on with punch after punch!
The water encasing his fists shielded him from the flames, and each punch shattered the incoming fireballs with brute force.
The water surrounding Wood's hands now looked like a pair of boxing gloves made entirely of liquid.
At the same time, Wood and the wolf king closed the distance, finally meeting in the middle of the battlefield.
The wolf king, its fur blazing like fire, reared up on its hind legs and unleashed a powerful downward slash with its claws aimed at Wood.
At that moment, the water flowing around Wood's fists transformed into a sharp water blade, slashing upward to meet the wolf king's claws.
"Boom!"
The impact of the clash between the wolf's sharp claws and Wood's water blade sent a shockwave rippling through the surroundings, causing the ground beneath them to collapse.
To everyone's surprise, the wolf king's seemingly indestructible claws were no match for Wood's water blade, and half of its claws were sliced off in an instant.
The wolf's claws were its pride and a symbol of its strength and fierceness.
Seeing its prized claws severed, the wolf king was enraged. With a furious snarl, it opened its massive jaws wide and lunged at Wood, intending to bite him in half.
Its fireballs had failed, and its claws were useless, but the wolf king was certain its powerful jaws could crush this human boy.
Its foul breath filled the air as the wolf king's massive maw came down on Wood, aiming to bite him clean in two.
But Wood wasn't some overconfident marine who blindly trusted in Iron Body. He knew his Iron Body wasn't mastered yet, so he wasn't about to just stand there and let himself get bitten.
As the wolf's jaws closed in, it suddenly realized that it couldn't shut its mouth.
The reason was simple: Wood had caught the wolf king's fangs with both hands, using his body's strength to physically hold its jaws open!
This wolf was the king of the red demonic wolves, and magical beasts had tremendous biting power. Yet, this human boy was somehow matching it in raw strength.
At first, the wolf king felt disdain, thinking it was ridiculous that a mere human would try to resist its bite.
But soon, the wolf king's confidence began to waver as it realized that, even with all its might, it couldn't close its jaws to finish off its prey.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a