[You have defeated Redeemer Sentry LV3]

  [You have defeated Redeemer Sentry LV3]

  Enemy combatants defeated!

  Contribution points +30

  ...

  So 5 points per level, huh?

  I sat there for a while, knowing it was stupid to stay. Their friends could show up any minute. Shaking my head, I just couldn't convince myself that killing others like this was normal. A few days ago I'd been just another guy slaving away at my job, and now... well, a look at my surroundings was enough to see that things had changed. Still, I felt strangely fine about it all. As I'd told Colt by the gate, if anything, killing felt easy.

  It was me or them.

  That didn't mean I had to enjoy it like some sort of psycho. Sighing, I stood back up and dusted off my new pair of tight pants. The two sentries had clothes that would probably fit me better, but stripping them was a line I didn't need to cross. I already had my tight set of clothes.

  Iron circled the clearing up high. I felt his eyes settle on me, like he was telling me that what I was doing was right. Maybe not just, but right. Why should I be the one to roll over? I snorted and took a deep breath of the fresh air. "Right. Let's get going!" I proclaimed to myself and left the clearing with a loud exhale.

  I didn't need their spears or gear. I had enough to get by and saw no reason to hoard without any storage. Throwing one last glance at the bodies, I decided to let the forest deal with them, hopefully before their Redeemer friends found them.

  Overall, despite the sour taste the fight left in my mouth, the excursion had been a success. I learned what I needed to, and then some. The only thing still hazy was what the blood moon actually was. Judging by Colt's words, which his brother so annoyingly interrupted, it seemed to be some sort of monster rush, or in other words, a great source of experience. I grinned at the thought and sped up, feeling the rush of excitement surge through me.

  Maybe I was being greedy, or just misguided by hubris, but staying huddled up behind fortifications didn't sound like a lot of fun... even if it did sound safer than aimlessly running around.

  No matter, I could decide how to deal with the blood moon when it was time. For now, I decided to focus on exploration and getting stronger. Might as well enjoy the fall of civilisation before it gets rebuilt.

  I made my way back to camp, refilled my canteen, and grabbed a quick snack before heading back out. I needed a good hunt to cleanse my palate. Iron zoomed ahead, looking for suitable prey. Honestly, I'm not sure if I would have lasted without him. He just made everything so much easier. If I wasn't before, I was really happy now that I didn't choose a cat familiar. I bet they'd just make a mess and laze around. At least Iron pulled his own weight.

  A loud chirp cut through the knit of trees, and I skidded to a halt, looking up at the sky. Iron hovered just below the treetops about a hundred paces away, pointing his beak at a cave. No matter how I craned my neck, I couldn't glimpse what he saw inside.

  "You sure about this?" I whispered, fully aware that I was talking to a bird.

  Imagining a positive answer, I summoned a spear and grabbed my shield. Holding the shield in front of my body and resting the spear against the metallic rim, I approached the cave. My pulse quickened with expectation.

  What type of monsters lived in caves anyway?

  Dirt crunched underfoot as I dragged my shoes against the ground, never quite willing to abandon my footing completely. I didn't know what was in there, and I wasn't planning on letting it get the drop on me.

  I stopped by the mouth of the cave, facing the complete darkness within. There was no movement, no sound. Nothing.

  "Hello?" I shouted.

  My voice bounced against the walls, gradually fading. I swallowed hard as Iron landed on my shoulder and nudged his beak, urging me to go inside.

  I couldn't be more of a chicken than a damn bird.

  Steeling myself, I stepped inside the viscous dark. It flowed around me as if I was getting swallowed until I could see no more. Then, as if a curtain was pulled from my eyes, the dark retreated. Color returned.

  A slow drip of water against stone echoed endlessly. There was no doubt about it, I was in a cave—just not the type of cave I first expected.

  Dungeon entered: Direwolf Lair.

  Objective acquired.

  Slay the dungeon Boss.

  Reward: ???

  Well, now that's something. I wonder what the reward is... armor, perhaps? No, that would be too easy.

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  I shook the thought away with a snort. I'd find out soon anyway, as soon as I dealt with the boss. Just thinking about the fight put me in a better mood. I'd been itching to test my new limits against a wolf. The ones fighting the drake had been freebies and didn't really count as revenge for the wounds I received in the river.

  Looking around, the cave was wide enough for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder, but any more than that would be a tight fit. It was a few heads taller than me, which was nice. It would suck to have to duck as you walked around. But it did get in the way of Iron's mobility. This was probably one of those niche situations where a mouse or a cat would be preferable. The walls were an earthy brown-gray, uneven and filled with natural dents. This was no man-made cave.

  I chewed on my nails and considered what to do.

  "Get behind me," I said, having made a decision.

  Summon Familiar didn't come with a lot of instructions. What would happen if Iron died? I'd rather not find out. He would have to stay in the back as we proceeded. I knew I could just unsummon him, but his company was soothing.

  Clutching the shield close to my body, I proceeded through the cave with my spear at the ready. If it wasn't for the ridiculously tight-fitting clothes and black cape, I would have felt like an ancient Spartan warrior.

  As I wandered the length of the corridor, something odd struck me. Where was the light coming from? I raised an eyebrow and looked to my sides. I could see everything clear as day, but there were no flickering torches or electric lights. Not finding a reasonable explanation, I chalked it down to magic.

  After a while, a deep snore rumbled through the narrow tunnel. I tensed up at the sound of it and cushioned my steps as I proceeded. Up until now, the cave had been a straight road, but up ahead it bent sharply to the left.

  I stopped near the bend, pressing my back to the wall as I peeked around the corner.

  [Direwolf LV15]

  [Direwolf LV19]

  I recoiled back and adjusted my grip on the spear. They were asleep, practically laying on top of each other inside of a large pocket in the wall.

  Easy now...

  Leaving the spear by the bend, I unsheathed my sword. I was much more confident in landing a kill shot with it. I snuck up to them slowly—deliberately—keeping my center of balance low as I stepped down with my toes first before gently rolling down to my heels.

  Subterfuge worked, and I soon found myself standing shin to snout with the two wolves. Their breaths were hot and wafted onto my skin like powerful gusts of air. Standing so close to them, their size was almost baffling. Magic had done a number on them, that was for sure. They were probably twice the size of a normal wolf.

  Trying to keep my breathing silent, I eased my blade into the throat of the first dire wolf, steeling myself for the fight. Then, with a quick slash, I woke it up. Blood gushed out from the wound as the wolf opened its eyes, full of confusion. They grew muddled almost immediately, but not before it managed to let out a pained whine, waking its mate.

  I was already moving, hacking the sword down at the second wolf as it stirred awake. With reflexes as fast as lightning itself, it twisted its neck to avoid a killing blow. Vibrations rattled my sword, moving from the blade down to the handle and into my hand. I'd struck bone.

  Fuck.

  My body reacted before my mind caught up, lifting the shield in preparation. A moment later, the wounded wolf slammed into it, making me slide back across the ground.

  The impact made my arm numb, but nothing was broken or seriously hurt. I rolled my shoulder to stretch it and stared at the wolf as I caught my breath. My sword was still buried deep in its shoulder, making it impossible for the monster to move freely. It limped, trying to compensate for the lack of strength in the wounded leg.

  Time is on my side.

  All I needed to do was wait, and time would do my work for me. It couldn't run either, not with that wound. It could barely even stand. The only thing it could do was approach. And it did.

  Slowly, I backed away toward the bend in the cave. With the fur on its back raised, the wolf followed, leaving bloody spots on the ground beneath its massive front paw.

  I reached the bend and dashed around it. Gravel crunched as the wolf set off in chase, but just as it turned the corner, I met it with my spear.

  It hadn't expected an ambush and dashed straight into it. My steel tip dug deep into its chest, killing it instantly.

  You have defeated [Direwolf LV19]

  You have defeated [Direwolf LV15]

  Skill up!

  Weapon Mastery: Shortsword +1

  "Nice," I mumbled to myself and retrieved my weapons.

  They were slick with blood, so I wiped them off on the wolves' fur.

  My skills hadn't leveled up at all from fighting the redeemers, nor had my class, so I was happy to see some progress. It also made me realize that fighting things of a higher level than myself had a larger impact on my growth, and the wolves honestly didn't feel all that dangerous for their levels.

  I pushed the heavy bodies out of the way, just in case I needed to make a hasty retreat, and headed further inside the cave. Time passed; it was hard to tell how much without the sun to guide me, but I assumed an hour or so had passed. During that time, I ran into a few more wolves, all of them on their own as they patrolled the cave.

  The first one I dealt with by throwing a spear into its flank when it tried to retreat. Without the use of its hind legs, I caught up easily and ended the fight with my sword.

  I was getting used to Enhanced Throw but honestly doubted the efficiency of the skill. It really didn't feel like it had made much of a difference in my throwing power. Nevertheless, I decided to keep working on the skill as I dove deeper into the dungeon.

  I set a goal for myself to end an encounter with a single spear throw but never quite managed it. The wolves always seemed to twitch or jerk at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding kill shots. It started driving me mad when the sixth wolf of the day ducked under my howling spear. Baring its teeth at me, it growled from its lowered position and charged.

  The distance between us didn't mean much to a monster bred for hunting. I already knew as much and had taken it into account when I went into this fight. The wolf zig-zagged toward me, sometimes leaping onto the walls for a short wall-run in a way too elaborate evasive maneuver. I hid behind my shield and summoned a new spear, biding my time and pretending to dig in for the coming impact.

  I could have sworn I saw a hint of a smile tug at the wolf's lips when it finally launched itself at me, but that quickly faded as I hurled my hidden spear forward with all the power I could muster. In the air, it couldn't dodge.

  My spear punched through the wolf's body with the sound of a thunderclap, then tore out the other side and slammed into the cave roof with a bang. I would have gaped at the feat if I wasn't busy facing the consequences of my damn actions.

  The momentum of a supersized monster-wolf.

  It slammed into my chest first and felled me to the ground, all tangled up in its limbs. With my face buried in its warm fur, I scrunched my nose and moaned. "Oh, you fucking stink!"

  Skill up!

  Enhanced Throw +1

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