Rain noticed that some wolves were injured and whining. 'Did my team attack?' He doubted it—there had been no movement from the building. Two of Helen's teammates, a man and a woman, were still standing guard at the door. From his vantage point atop the tower, Rain remembered that many wolves had been missing from the group a few hours ago, likely hunting sheep—judging by the sheep carcasses scattered around. Perhaps his team had taken advantage of the wolves' absence to thin their numbers by taking out the wandering stragglers.
He began counting the remaining wolves: 57 were still there, including the C-rank Alpha, six peak D-rank wolves, eleven late D-rank wolves, and the rest, middle D-rank. His mind raced as he processed the odds.
Suddenly, one of the wolves stood up, growling, and as if on cue, the entire pack joined in, their growls growing louder and more menacing. The C-rank Alpha stepped to the front of the pack and began moving toward the building where his team was. Rain followed its gaze and saw his teammates emerging from the building, with Sky and Helen at the forefront, leading the charge. Siobhan was bringing up the rear. Rain quickly calculated—there were twelve of them, including him. That meant three of his team members had already fallen.
The weight of the battle ahead pressed down on him. The odds were still against them, but they had come too far to turn back now. As if on cue, the wolves charged toward his team. Rain, not wanting to be left behind, leaped from the tower and began running as well, keeping a wide arc as he circled around to join Siobhan at the back.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rain noticed the Alpha wolf moving with incredible speed, already closing in on Sky. But before the Alpha could strike, Sky spread a thick mist, shrouding their confrontation in a swirling fog. The Alpha disappeared into the mist, obscuring the battle between them.
Meanwhile, Helen and another man—bald-headed, towering at seven feet with a muscular build—charged straight toward the wolves, bypassing the mist. Rain, still running, observed the man's speed and the aura radiating from him. It matched Helen's—a true Body Realm warrior. As they tore into the pack, Helen wielded a vine spear while the bald man swung a massive rock club, both targeting wolves with precision. Rain noted that neither of them focused on killing a wolf outright; instead, they struck once, then moved to the next target.
Rain quickly grasped Helen's strategy. It mirrored their previous tactic: weakening the wolves by delivering crippling blows. Helen's plan was clear—injure as many wolves as possible, especially the middle D-rank ones, so that the rest of the team could either finish them off or at least hold them back without suffering fatal injuries. It was a battle of attrition, and Helen was buying them precious time.
Rain pushed himself harder, knowing every second counted. He had to reach Siobhan and help the others. The battle for survival had truly begun. As he reached her, he caught her gaze and gave a nervous smile, his thoughts racing. His newly discovered abilities gave him hope—he now had a real shot at achieving his dreams, rising to the top of the world, and maybe even finding a path to immortality. Thinking of those ambitions, he pushed aside his fear, replacing it with determination.
Ahead, Rain saw the peak and late D-rank wolves surrounding Helen and the bald man. They were stronger than any of the wolves and had already taken down two or three, but against a total of 17, they had to be careful, picking their targets wisely. Meanwhile, the remaining middle D-rank wolves charged at the rest of the group. Fortunately, the team was made up of mostly peak or late D-rank Genetic Warriors, and each one could handle between three to five wolves on their own.
Rain and Siobhan, however, were the weakest members of the team, both only at the beginning of D-rank. Rain watched as three wolves slipped through the main group and charged toward them. He could feel Siobhan tense beside him. Two of the wolves were injured—one with a purple claw mark and the other limping on three legs, its joint severely damaged—but the third was uninjured and ready to strike.
Having mastered the first six moves of Poison Claw, Rain felt confident his power had reached the level of a middle D-rank warrior. He turned to Siobhan and said, "I'll handle the uninjured one. You take the two injured ones."
"But—" Siobhan began to protest.
"Did you forget I have beast genes in my body? We just need to hold them off." Rain's voice was steady now, filled with resolve.
Without waiting for her response, Rain stepped in front of the charging uninjured wolf. As it lunged at him, he barely managed to dodge, but still took a painful claw mark on his thigh. Wincing, Rain glanced to the side and saw Siobhan dart past him, heading toward the two injured wolves.Seeing Siobhan move into action, Rain knew she had accepted the plan.
He quickly pushed aside the pain from the claw mark on his thigh, focusing entirely on the wolf in front of him. The beast was much stronger and faster, so Rain took a defensive stance, preparing to counter. He understood that if he tried to match the wolf's speed head-on, he would likely fail, leaving his more vulnerable areas exposed to a deadly strike. His hands and legs, strengthened by his training, could at least endure some damage, but the rest of his body wouldn't be so lucky.
The wolf leaped at him again, claws outstretched, aiming for another vicious attack. Rain anticipated the move, launching a counterstrike with one of the Poison Claw techniques, directly targeting the wolf's extended paw. The collision of their attacks sent both of them staggering back.
Rain's mastery of the first six moves gave each strike a power boost, multiplying his strength by 2.25. This allowed him to match the wolf's force, but the increased power came at a price—it drained his genetic energy much faster. Even though the surge in confidence steadied his nerves, he knew he couldn't sustain this level of energy expenditure for long.
As the wolf was pushed back, Rain quickly put an energy-replenishing pill into his mouth, ready to swallow it when his energy reserves dropped below half. He watched closely as the wolf charged again, this time lower to the ground with its mouth open, aiming for his thigh. Rain thought to change his tactic, quickly pulling back the leg the wolf was targeting. But the wolf's reaction was lightning-fast, shifting its focus and sinking its teeth into his thigh.
The force of the attack nearly knocked him down, but Rain gritted his teeth and held on. Pain surged through his body, but it was still within his tolerance. The wolf began shaking its head violently, trying to tear through the muscle in Rain's leg. Instinctively, Rain acted. With his free leg, he kicked at the wolf's side, determined to loosen its grip. The wolf took the kick without releasing its bite. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Rain lashed out with a move from the Poison Claw technique, aiming for the wolf's eyes. His fingers struck true, damaging the wolf's left eye, causing it to release him with a pained whine.
Rain took the brief reprieve to swallow another pill, feeling the rush of genetic energy spread through his injured thigh. His leg throbbed, the deep bite marks visible, but the energy worked quickly, mending the wound just enough for him to keep fighting. The wolf, now more cautious, circled him with a wary growl, blood dripping from its injured eye. Despite the pain, Rain steadied his stance. He knew he couldn't outrun the wolf or match its speed, but with the Poison Claw technique, he could meet its strength head-on. As the wolf lunged again, Rain braced for the impact, directing his defenses toward his upper body, letting his arms and legs take the brunt of the attacks. Every move he made burned through his genetic energy, forcing him to keep popping pills to stay in the fight.
The battle dragged on, each exchange leaving Rain more battered, his arms and legs covered with bite marks and gashes from the wolf's relentless onslaught. Every time the wolf tore into him, his body would heal, draining his reserves of genetic energy. But with each passing moment, Rain was slowing down. His reactions grew sluggish, dulled by the exhaustion and the sheer force of the fight. The wolf's relentless attacks gave Rain no time to recover—its strikes were too fast, too unyielding, leaving him no chance to take another genetic energy pill. Rain's mind raced as he realized the wolf had found his weakness: his slow speed and reaction time. His body could withstand the damage, but his speed simply couldn't keep up.
Sensing Rain's growing fatigue, the wolf grew more aggressive, its predatory instincts kicking in, sensing victory was close. It lunged at him with savage force, and Rain, barely able to react, threw his forearm up just in time to protect his head. The wolf's jaws clamped down viciously, its teeth digging deep into his arm, the pressure unbearable as it crushed down on his bones. Pain surged through him, but he had no strength left to fight back.
His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, the wolf standing over him, its fangs still embedded in his arm. Blood poured from his wounds, and Rain, nearly drained of genetic energy, felt his healing abilities falter. He struggled to stay conscious, his vision blurring as the wolf pinned him down. His body, pushed to its limits, couldn't keep up with the rapid damage. The battle was slipping away from him. Just as everything began to fade, the wolf suddenly fell limp across his chest, and in his last moments of consciousness, he heard a familiar voice—Siobhan's, calling out, "Rain, Rain…" Siobhan's voice broke through the darkness before everything faded away.
When Rain came to, he was back in his soul space, but the urgency of battle pulled him out quickly. As he returned to reality, he found Siobhan shaking him, her voice frantic as she cried, "Rain, Rain!"
"I'm okay," Rain said, his voice weak but steady. He pulled out an energy pill and quickly swallowed it, feeling a surge of relief as the energy began to restore his drained strength.
Siobhan wasn't convinced. Her eyes scanned him over with visible worry. "Are you really okay?" she asked, her tone thick with concern.
Rain stood up, pulling Siobhan up with him. He gestured to his body, showing her that, apart from his forearm which was visibly knitting itself back together, the rest of his injuries had already healed. "Look, I'm fine," he said, offering a small, reassuring smile.
His attention shifted to the fallen wolf beside him. A gaping hole marred the skull of the beast, and in Siobhan's hand, he noticed a gleaming, crystal-like knife with a blue hue. Siobhan followed his gaze. "This was given to me by Teacher Sky for today's battle. It's made from ice crystals found in the Ice Hell domain. It amplifies my abilities," she explained, her voice calm but tinged with pride.
Rain nodded in acknowledgment, his focus drifting back to the battlefield. The situation had shifted. Many of the middle D-rank wolves had been slain, and his team was now firmly in control of the fight. Some had even moved to assist Helen and the bald man, who were still locked in combat with the stronger wolves. Though no wolves from their group had fallen, Helen and the bald man were slowly losing ground. Meanwhile, the fight between Sky and the Alpha wolf continued, shrouded in thick, cold mist.
As Rain and Siobhan stood watching the battle, something caught their attention—suddenly, a dark shape rose from the mist. The C-rank bone wolf was flying, its body now encased in black bone armor, with two massive bone wings sprouting from its back. The mist around it dissipated, revealing Sky below, her stance firm, dual ice swords gripped tightly in both hands as she stood atop the frozen ground.
The bone wolf let out a bone-chilling howl toward the blood-red moon. In response, jagged bone spikes erupted from the earth. One of them impaled Sky before she could react.
"Teacher Sky!" Siobhan cried in horror, starting to rush forward.
Rain quickly grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her to stop her from running into danger. He could feel her trembling in his grasp, her fear and desperation palpable.