Chapter 23 -23-Hunting to Death

Chapter 23: Chapter23-Hunting to Death Just as I was about to click on the quest, another wolf sprang out from a nearby bush, aiming straight for my neck. My guard was completely down, and I barely had time to react. I instinctively raised my daggers to defend myself, but in a split second, the wolf shifted its attack and targeted my left arm instead. The wolf's jaws clamped down on my arm with brutal force. Pain surged through me, and I couldn't hold onto the dagger in my left hand any longer. It fell to the ground as I shouted in agony, "Ahhhhhhh! Leave-Ahh! My arm, motherf*cker! Leave it!" I tried to shake the wolf off, but it only bit down harder. Panic set in, and my mind went blank. Blood flowed from the wound like a fountain, soaking my clothes and pooling on the ground. Desperate and with no other choice, I began stabbing the wolf's head with the dagger in my right hand. The first stab made the wolf snarl, but it didn't loosen its grip. With the second stab, the wolf's jaws finally released my arm, and it fell to the ground, but I was too enraged to stop. My anger peaked, and I continued stabbing it repeatedly, each thrust fueled by fury and pain. I was too angry to think clearly and completely lost control in the face of my pain and rage. "Fuck you! Fuck you mother! Fuck your whole family!" I yelled, driving the dagger into the wolf's head over and over until its skull was a bloody mess. After continuously stabbing for a few minutes, my rage finally subsided. I realized the wolf was long dead, its body lying motionless in a pool of blood. I finally stopped and took a moment to calm my head. I looked at my arm, which was still heavily injured and bleeding profusely. 'Damn, if only I had kept my guard up, I wouldn't have been bitten by that wolf.' My entire outfit was drenched in wolf's blood, and I felt exhausted. I slumped to the ground, my back against a tree, trying to steady my breath. 'Ahhh, my arm is still bleeding. I need to heal it fast, or I might pass out from the pain.' Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out a healing potion. I uncorked the bottle, and the scent of herbs and magic filled the air. "Here goes nothing," I muttered, bringing the bottle to my lips. The potion was cool and smooth, sliding down my throat like a refreshing drink. But it would still take a few seconds to fully heal, and unable to bear the pain, I bit down on my lips to endure it. A few seconds later, I felt a warm sensation spread through my body, starting from my chest and radiating outward. The pain in my arm began to fade, and I watched with joy as the wound started to close. Within moments, the bleeding stopped, and the deep gashes in my arm were replaced by faint scars. I flexed my fingers, feeling the strength returning to my hand. The potion had worked its magic. I looked at the scene around me: the dead wolf, the blood-soaked ground, and the eerie silence that had returned. After taking a moment to calm down and checking my wounds, I realised that I hadn't looked at my system messages since the wolf attack. When I opened it, I was surprised to see numerous messages appearing on the screen. (Ding, congratulations host, Monster Core (Common) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, congratulations host, Healing portion (Iron) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, congratulations host, 10 Monster Essences of Wolf has been added to your Character Profile!) "Hmm?" That wolf was an Common-Rank, that's a little surprising. But anyway, it is good for me though; I got some extra essences. Curious about the previous quest, I began to scroll through the system window to find it. After a few seconds of scrolling, I found the quest page and clicked on it. A new screen appeared: Chain Quest: [Death March] 1st Quest: Opened 2nd Quest: Locked 3rd Quest: Locked 4th Quest: Locked 5th Quest: Locked I found it odd that the other quests were locked, but I brushed it off. Usually, in chain quests, completing one quest unlocks the next, so it might be the same here. With a shrug, I clicked on the first quest, and a new screen showed the quest information. 1st Quest: [Change the Destiny!] Rescue at least one hunter you come across in this jungle when He/She is on the brink of death. Objective: Save 0/1. Reward: Upgraded Appraisal skill. (Accept/Reject) "Good!" I exclaimed, feeling a surge of triumph after seeing the reward. I decided to prioritize the reward over the quest itself. If the reward had been low-ranking, I would have turned it down immediately. However, that wasn't the case here. I accepted the quest without much hesitation. Although I said I ignored the quest, certain words still caught my attention, particularly "brink of death." This condition meant that saving someone lightly injured by the monster wouldn't count. That could be a problem, but hopefully, I won't have to worry about it or it might take a long time to find someone injured. "Time to head out and hunt some more." However, the joy of victory was short-lived! Three more wolves leaped out from their hiding spot behind the underbrush. "D*mn it, it was in a pack?" My eyes widened in alarm. They bared their big fangs and closed the distance in an instant. My expression crumpled dismally. I am seriously fucked up. I glanced at the dead wolf and attempted to retrieve my dagger, but it wouldn't budge. "It's stuck," I muttered, frustrated. I must have driven it in too hard during my rage-fueled attack. One dagger was lodged deep in the wolf's head, and the other was a few paces away from me. I realized I had forgotten to pick it up after finishing off the wolf. I was left without both of my daggers. It was at this moment that one of the wolves aimed for my face and leapt up. "D*mn it!!" I cursed, ducking low. The wolf flew over my head and landed face-first on the ground after failing to stop in time. Stab!! When its fangs stabbed into the stone part of the ground, cracks instantly formed on the hard surface. 'I guess it's not called Iron-Fanged for nothing, huh.' Of course, I didn't have the leeway to stay there and admire this scene. One more monster was still running towards me at the moment. My dagger showed no signs of coming free from its deadly prison for the time being. "Screw this!" I had no other option but to let go of the dagger and throw a hard punch at the wolf coming towards me. With a bone-chilling sound of wind, my fist shot straight forward. Just one hit and the wolf's head exploded. The headless wolf's body crashed into the tree before falling to the ground with a thud. "....??" My eyes widened in surprise as I stared at my own fist. Was I really this strong? The two surviving wolves, one that flew over my head moments ago and the other standing in front of me, lowered their tails after witnessing their comrade's death. They both began taking hesitant steps backward. "Huh....?" It's still alive. I couldn't close my slack jaw as the headless Wolf's legs shook like a leaf, before its movement stopped for good. Let's think more... Somehow, it's very hard for me to believe that I am really that strong so, that- That was when I heard the familiar mechanical beep going off again. (Ding, congratulations host, Monster Core (Common) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, congratulations host, 10 Monster Essences of Wolf has been added to your Character Profile!) ... As I glanced at the screen, my suspicions were quickly confirmed upon discovering that the slain wolf was also an Iron-Rank. Now, I'm certain I can't defeat a wolf just by punching it. There must be something I'm overlooking. While thinking about this, another thought struck me as I realized something crucial. Without delay, I decided to use my appraisal skill on the dead wolf to investigate further. Immediately, a screen appeared with the results. Examining the screen carefully, I finally found the reason. One of the wolf's weaknesses was its weak skin, which explained why my punch could easily explode its head. As I closed the screen, confusion washed over me when I saw there were no wolves in front of me. Frantically, I began to search for them until my eyes landed on the bloody footsteps they left behind. The ground was soaked in fresh blood. Without hesitation, I grabbed one of my daggers and sprinted in the direction of the tracks. They must not have gone far. *** After sprinting for what felt like an eternity, I finally caught sight of both wolves running ahead. They were still maybe 100 meters away from me, and I began to think about how to stop them. But then, something unexpected happened. Both wolves abruptly stopped in their tracks, their fur bristling with tension. I didn't stop running though, and closed the distance between us by a lot until I was close enough to see them clearly. But as I approached, I witnessed something unbelievable. Both wolves were... Urinating on the ground, their bodies trembling with fear. I couldn't understand why they would do such a thing until I looked at their faces. They were both terrified, their eyes wide with an unknown fear. Wait! That's means... Realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. They hadn't stopped themselves from running; this fear had frozen them in place. But what could cause such terror in these creatures? I didn't have time to dwell on it as a sudden paralysis overtook me. My limbs refused to move, and panic surged through me as I realized I was also completely immobilized. What the hell? What happened to me? Whatever had frightened the wolves was now affecting me too. Desperately, I tried to shake off the paralysis, but it was futile. What is this sudden fear that is gripping me? My mind raced with sudden fear and confusion as I struggled to understand what was happening. What's going on? What unseen threat had caused both the wolves and me to freeze in terror?