Chapter 44
“Everyone, get down!”
SWISH!
The moment we ducked, something tore through the air above our heads.
“H-Holy shit... What was that?”
My brother slowly raised his head.
Then he spotted something and froze.
I followed his gaze.
My face hardened.
Long marks resembling enormous claw scars had been carved into the cave wall.
The others immediately realized how serious the situation was.
Their expressions changed as they became alert.
But the surroundings were too dark to see clearly.
[Skill 'Shield Lv.9' activated.]
“Fuck... What the hell is that now?”
My brother stared ahead while grinding his teeth.
[Wolf]
It was a wolf-shaped monster.
At a glance, it looked more than four meters long.
Its eyes gleamed fiercely as it stared at us.
Just looking at it made my legs weak.
Breathing became difficult.
It was on a completely different level from anything we had fought before.
“Looks like it's alone. Let's kill it.”
“Don't move carelessly. This thing feels different from the monsters we've fought until now.”
Han Siwoo grabbed Lee Junhyuk's staff and shook his head.
I swallowed.
We needed a plan.
What happened in the novel?
I tried to remember.
But the details wouldn't come.
If only I hadn't kept telling myself this was something from the distant future...
“Wait!”
I hurriedly pulled the Monster Analyzer from my Inventory and pointed it at the Wolf.
Come to think of it...
The Distorted Dungeon from the novel had been B-rank.
I forced down the dizziness I felt and focused on the system window.
[Monster Analyzer used. One use consumed.]
[Remaining Uses: 3/5]
[Wolf]
[Characteristics: Commonly appears in B-rank dungeons. Lives in packs. Uses Howling to summon allies.]
[Strength: Extremely durable body. Highly resistant to physical attacks.]
[Weakness: Exact center of the forehead.]
B-rank...
“Why? What does it say? What's the rank?”
“It commonly appears in B-rank dungeons.”
“What? Then you're saying that thing might be B-rank?”
“...Probably.”
Everyone's faces darkened.
“What about its weakness?”
“Center of the forehead. Physical attacks aren't effective. Magic attacks are probably bett... Lee Junhyuk! Stop! That thing isn't something you can underestimate!”
“What, then? We do nothing and wait to become wolf food?”
He was right.
If we did nothing, becoming its food was only a matter of time.
I slowly controlled my breathing.
“...Fine. Let's try.”
“It's coming!”
At Han Siwoo's warning, I looked forward.
The Wolf charged.
My brother stepped in front of us with his shield.
BOOM!
“Urgh!”
[Durability of 'Shield Lv.9': 40% remaining.]
Sixty percent of the Shield's durability disappeared instantly.
The impact pushed all of us backward.
Even with the Shield protecting us, the force made my entire body ache.
My brother stared blankly at his own shield as pieces broke off.
“Crazy... Hey, can we actually win this?”
I still had plenty of mana.
I could recreate the Shield as many times as necessary.
The real problem was my teammates.
If they keep taking attacks like this, a hundred bodies wouldn't be enough.
“Hey. Say something...”
My brother called out to me desperately.
I nodded.
“We fight.”
“What?! How are we supposed to fight that thing?! Let's just run!”
If running had been possible, I would have suggested it immediately.
But I had a strong feeling that even if we escaped for a while, it would catch us again.
And if it called its pack...
We were finished.
So...
“We kill it here.”
“Jia's right.”
“I don't want to run blindly either.”
Lee Junhyuk slowly raised his staff.
His face was tense.
“The exact center of the forehead, right?”
“Yeah.”
Mana began gathering at the tip of his staff.
But his complexion looked bad.
Right.
He had already used a huge amount of energy during the fight against the Ice Phoenix.
The Wolf scratched the ground with a front paw the size of a person's head.
It looked ready to attack again.
I glanced at Lee Junhyuk.
“How long?”
“Just... just a little longer.”
“I'll draw its attention.”
Han Siwoo drew his sword and charged forward.
The Wolf stopped scratching the ground and raised its sharp claws as it watched him approach.
Then it swung.
WHOOOOSH.
My hair fluttered.
The same invisible attack that had carved the cave wall shot through the air.
Han Siwoo barely avoided most of it.
But blood still appeared across his skin.
“Haa... haa...”
The Wolf approached the exhausted Han Siwoo and raised its paw.
I immediately used my skill.
[Skill 'Lag Lv.8' activated.]
The Wolf froze for a brief moment.
I had been worried Lag wouldn't work on a B-rank monster.
Surprisingly, it did.
“Ready!”
At Lee Junhyuk's shout, Han Siwoo immediately retreated.
The Wolf's gaze turned toward us.
“Grrrrr.”
Growling deep in its throat, the Wolf charged.
“H-Hey, hurry!”
“Don't worry!”
