Chapter 59: Werewolves
The sky was just beginning to brighten. A figure darted through the dense forest, which at this moment was a truly primitive place with no signs of a path. If it weren’t for Soren’s sturdy clothing, he would have probably been torn by branches after walking for a while. Various small animals could be seen everywhere in the woods, with squirrels and wild rabbits being the most numerous, followed by all kinds of birds. It has to be said that places devoid of human activity are indeed full of life; no wonder druids are so resistant to others encroaching and destroying the forest.
They have even fought several times, killing many people.
Following the direction pointed out by the militia captain, Soren soon arrived at the edge of the woods.
It was around noon.
There were obvious signs of logging nearby, and intelligent creatures in the wilderness also established gathering places; some large-scale werewolves would even set up their own camps. Soren dared not get too close because his current stealth ability could not produce the same effects as an invisibility spell; he only became blurred in the shadows and could not be detected without careful observation. Sneaking up on enemies from behind required skill and the right environment, especially against creatures that were full of hostility.
Invisibility spells do not truly make one disappear; perceptive enemies can still detect someone’s proximity. The main advantage of stealth lies in the ability to slip into the shadows at any moment. Often, once out of an enemy’s sight, it becomes much harder for them to discover you again.
A thief’s backstab ability is powerful, but it requires too many conditions to activate.
Soren circled nearby in the shadows and discovered three werewolf guards. Among large groups of werewolves, there are often young, elderly, and females remaining behind to guard the camp while the adult males go out to hunt. The werewolf gathering place had no buildings; it was merely encircled by a ring of logs. They knew how to make fire and craft equipment, but this was limited to making leather armor. Female werewolves would skin their prey and crudely sew the hides into armor.
Some werewolves would fight using weapons; if not, they would be using their claws.
“There are three guards; this group’s numbers should be significant.”
Soren took out his crossbow and loaded a poisoned bolt. It was impossible to sneak in during daylight because the visibility in the area was too good; the werewolves could spot him at a glance. A stealth skill of 150 points was required to achieve invisibility-like effects, and he was still dozens of points short. Although the invisibility effect may render the eyes unable to see, slight sounds produced during movement and the movement of air still existed. Therefore, to deal with enemies skilled in blind fighting and with high perception, a high stealth skill level was essential!
Soren’s goal was to earn killing experience, not to wipe out this group of werewolves. Naturally, he did not need to launch a strong assault on the camp. He circled around and hid in a nearby bush, then crawled on the ground, inching closer. Walking openly, even with invisibility, was useless because footprints and disturbed ground would reveal his position, especially on saturated ground. When a wizard casts an invisibility spell, they usually combine it with a lightness spell and oil on their feet.
In the shadow plane, there are some creatures that are permanently invisible. Soren had previously encountered them, and they were quite troublesome foes.
The werewolves were clad in leather armor.
Soren frowned and moved in closer. If he didn’t hit a vital point, the penetrating power of the crossbow would be reduced against leather armor. Even if he didn’t intend to rely on the crossbow to take down the enemy, he needed to ensure that the poison would seep into their bl**d.
Suddenly, one werewolf let out a scream, startling the nearby guards, and there was a commotion coming from within the camp.
Soren swiftly reloaded his crossbow and shot at another approaching werewolf.
The venom of the bipedal dragon acts quickly; he drew his curved blade and charged in. The werewolves were at biological level 3 and often had warrior abilities ranging from levels 1 to 3, making them not so easy to deal with.
“Awoo!”
In response to Soren’s sudden attack, the first reaction of the werewolf was not to surround him but to howl and call for its companions.
Werewolves do not remain in their gathering place for long.
During the day, they would seek out prey; if it was a wild beast, they would attempt to k*ll it. If it was a humanoid creature, they would quietly track it and then launch a surprise attack at dusk.
As carnivores, they have a large appetite and can consume as much prey as they find.
When extremely hungry, they also eat grass roots and mushrooms. Most of the werewolf’s time is spent hunting and preparing for hunting.
A werewolf’s food intake when fully gorging is comparable to that of an adult tiger.
They are the most greedy and hungry creatures in the wild.
Among the three adult werewolves, one used claws, one wielded a bone-crushing hammer, and another brandished a crude wolf’s tooth club.
Soren’s advantages were not particularly significant.
These creatures could reach about 2.2 meters in height and weigh around 300 pounds, having heads similar to those of a coyote. Their skin is mostly gray, and their mane is a messy mix of colors, but overall, they tend toward dark hues. Their strength and agility exceed that of humans, reaching over 15 points, but their intelligence is relatively low. While there may be priestly worshippers of the werewolf god, sorcerers and wizards are typically scarce.
From a distance, the response of howling wolves could be heard.
Soren raised his curved blade and struck down, slicing into the werewolf’s arm and directly severing half a paw. Behind him came the heavy sound of rushing air; he had no time to dodge and could only roll forward while swinging his blade towards the werewolf’s ankle. The bipedal dragon’s poison was now reduced to a third; he had already applied it to his curved blade earlier.
Bang!
The wolf’s tooth club struck the ground with a thud, creating a pit; if it had hit his head, it would have splattered brain matter. They have many who prefer to use heavy weapons because it’s convenient for smashing bones, and marrow is a supreme delicacy for werewolves. A noticeably smaller werewolf charged out, followed by two smaller coyotes.
— Shadow Assassination.
Soren had anticipated the number of enemies and, with a spin, rose and plunged his blade into the originally poisoned werewolf.
A series of data appeared:
“Killed Werewolf Warrior!…”
“Target dead!… Gained 270 points of Killing Experience!…”
Whoosh!
The sound of weapon slicing through the air rang out as Soren parried with his blade, stumbling back slightly. In an instant, he lunged forward directly into the werewolf’s arms, a disgusting stench filling his nostrils. He did not hesitate to plunge his curved blade into the opponent’s abdomen and, with a twist, cut open a twenty-centimeter-long gash, vast amounts of bl**d and intestines spilling forth. Despite being so severely injured, the werewolf still had not died; it stuffed its intestines back in and swung the bone-crushing hammer again.
A throwing kn*fe shot out.
It struck instantly at the opponent’s throat, finally becoming the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The werewolf let out a low growl and weakly knelt on the ground before collapsing with a thud.
bl**d gushed forth, and intestines fell onto the ground.
The coyote howled as it lunged for Soren’s legs. He twisted and kicked out, sending it flying, then raised his curved blade to block a sideways attack. The heavy force forced him to kneel and absorb the impact, and as he twisted and stepped, his curved blade slashed open a wound on the opponent’s leg.
Another coyote lunged at him, its jaws aimed for his throat.
In an instant, Soren slammed the hilt of his blade down, hitting the coyote’s nose. bl**d sprayed out; although the injury wasn’t fatal, the pain caused the coyote to howl and back away.
More howls echoed from afar; it seemed the hunting werewolves were returning.
Soren pounced towards the last werewolf warrior. The venom of the bipedal dragon had already started to take effect; the opponent’s reaction speed had noticeably slowed.
“d*e!”
In the moment their figures intertwined, Soren knelt and slid to evade the wolf’s tooth club, then gripped his curved blade with both hands, slashing at one of the opponent’s legs.
The charging werewolf lost its balance in an instant, and a torrent of bl**d gushed forth as one of its legs was severed.
Clang!
The smaller female wolf lunged onto Soren, knocking him down to the ground. Its sharp fangs aimed for his throat, but Soren instantly turned his head, and the creature bit into the leather armor on his shoulder. The sharp fangs pierced the armor but did not injure his shoulder, only breaking the skin.
Pfft!
A spray of bl**d burst out as Soren kicked hard, sending the female wolf flying, before swiftly striking down with the blade and decapitating it.
Swoosh!
He calmly reloaded a bolt and shot down the last approaching werewolf guard. The coyote whimpered and fled, but he shot it in the waist. The returning werewolves were about five hundred meters away from Soren. He tightened his grip on his curved blade and entered the camp, where a circle of wolf pups watched him with fierce eyes, occasionally letting out low growls filled with threats.
bl**d sprayed.
Soren swung his blade, killing five pups that were less than a year old, then swiftly slipped back into the forest, merging into the shadows.
The battle had just begun.
He needed to drive that group of werewolves completely insane if he wanted to k*ll more targets.
