Ch 317: A fervent plea.

Noah stood and stretched as Karen and Arianna were crouching near the girls still logged on, informing them it was time to take a break.

"It smells delicious." smiled Noah "What is it?"

"Chicken with coconut sauce, rice and vegetables, Noah-sama." smiled Karen.

Noah had exempted Liliana and Erica from their cooking duties for two weeks, due to the importance of getting a head start in Mystic Moon.

"I look forward to it." nodded Noah.

"Me two." smiled Shuiruo as she left her reclining chair. "Mystic Moon is a lot of fun."

"You think so?" asked Noah, surprised. "The game balance is terrible. Only one offensive skill that cost too much mana for what it does, and the monsters need too many strikes to be put down."

"It has been a long time since I could play a video game." shrugged Shuiruo. "I had fun playing it. I already made a friend as well."

"Oh? Someone we know?"

"No." smiled Shuiruo. "Her name is Ice Heart Demon. She didn't say anything about her real life, but she was interested in me, after she saw me kill a Civet Cat. She saw that I lacked training, but that I had great reflexes and motor coordination, and that made her curious. I think she is a martial artist. She moves like a panther, and her strikes are accurate and always hit spots that would instantly kill the monsters if they were real."

"I see. Well, it's great that you made one more friend."

"She's beautiful, too." smiled Shuiruo, her eyes teasing. "She wears a mask, but I can tell."

"A mask, huh." muttered Noah, refusing to take the bait. "Maybe I should use one as well at some point. I saw some in the Item store, and they're cheap."

"Let's go eat, I'm hungry!" smiled Rikka. "We can compare our experiences while we eat!"

…

A few minutes later, everyone was happily eating as they reported on their status. Shuiruo and teamed up with this Ice Heart Demon and intended to finish the tutorial with her, at the very least. She was Lvl 4 and was about to finish the Boar quest. Rikka, Origami and Liliana were also working on that quest.

"If a 2-star elite boar appears once you finish that quest, it is important that you kill it and loot the ring of the shopkeeper." said Noah. "If you give it back to him, he will reward you with a fruit that will permanently increase your HP by 100, and give you a hidden quest to kill a thousand wolves and will give you some useful attribute-boosting potions, although those only last an hour."

"Whoa, that's a nice reward!" grinned Rikka.

"I will make sure to kill that Boar." nodded Shuiruo with a smile.

"Do you mind if I inform the rest of Cassel College, to make sure no one miss it?" asked Erica.

"I don't." shrugged Noah.

They quickly finished their meal. Karen and Arianna took care of washing the dishes, and Noah and the girls resumed their exploration and grind.

…

Noah was back near the village's entrance, and headed north. He entered the forest surrounding what looked like a large hill. Noah didn't see a cliff, but assumed it was on the side that wasn't visible.

It was inside the forest that he found the first wolves.

"Wolf: Type: Beast: Level: LV5, HP: 170. A type of more violent wolf, group creatures, will attack any outside life forms that get close."

He headed toward the nearest, and the wolf howled as soon as Noah entered his aggro range.

In response to its howl, the five closest wolves joined the fight.

Noah used his free hand to slap away the head of the first wolf and performed a vertical slash to its neck.

-35.

It was from a normal attack, not a critical hit or a Piercing Hit.

Noah smiled, thinking that it would take at most five hits to kill each wolf. This was a vast improvement!

Now, he actually had fun, moving constantly to avoid the snapping jaws from the six wolves trying to get him.

His sword flickered like a tongue of a snake, inflicting injuries on the wolves while he used their number against themselves, constantly positioning himself so that the body of a wolf would block the attacks from most of the others.

One by one, the wolves went down. His attack still resulted in a few Misses from time to time, but those weren't so frequent that they wasted his fun.

Noah collected the fangs on the ground, then continued deeper into the forest. On the way, he crossed paths with a group of six players, five men and one girl. They looked at him with wide eyes, no doubt wondering what he was doing here alone, when Noah engaged another group of wolves. He only needed thirty seconds to kill five of them and collected the fangs.

The group of players were still staring as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Noah didn't care. If he was to make Valhalla the strongest faction within Cassell College, a bit of advertising inside Mystic Moon wouldn't hurt.

He was surprised, however, when one of the male players broke away from his group and ran to him.

"Ah, please wait!"

Noah turned to him, sword still in hand.

"You… You are Noah Enfield, right?" asked the young man.

"Oh? Are you perhaps a student at Cassell College?" asked Noah, frowning.

"Ah, no. It's just that my family gathers a lot of information from everywhere. Being well informed is important for conducting business, and my family is into real estate and finances, mostly. You are the Spirit that entered our world ten days ago, right?"

"I am not actually a Spirit, but yes, that's me. Who are you?"

"Ah, I am Yun Feng." replied the man, his cheeks coloring. "The reason I am standing before you, is because I want to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?" frowned Noah, already imagining the kind of political maneuvering some factions or families might attempt to secure his power.

"I want to invite you to a gaming studio. A game guild, but at the moment it's kinda small..."

"That doesn't sound very appealing." shrugged Noah. "If this is to establish some relationship with your family or country, I am not…"

"That's not it!" replied Yun Feng as he vehemently shook his head. "It is for my little sister!"

"…Your little sister?"

"She is twenty, younger than me by two years." nodded Yun Feng. "Here's how it is… Maybe, you think that the life of the upper-class people would be luxurious and rich… Yes, often time we are easily able to obtain what others couldn’t even hope to, but, there are also a lot of things that others can easily gain that we are destined to walk away from… like our marriage. In this regard, under the influence of the countless chains of benefit, we essentially have no freedom."

Noah nodded, and Yun Feng continued.

“My little sister’s name is Yun Meng Xin. Three years ago, the eldest son of a very powerful political family set his eyes on her, swearing in front of my father and his that he would marry nobody but her. That family really has a lot of power, if our families could link together, it would be of great help towards our family. At the time, this for my father, and for the family’s elders was a huge surprise, my father promised on the spot to marry over Meng Xin when she turned 21… and so, my sister’s marriage was decided like that, without asking for her opinion… and without the need to.”

"And your sister is opposed to marrying that man. Is it because her principles? Or maybe he's a middle-aged, fat and ugly man?"

"My sister would rather marry a middle-aged, fat and ugly man than Long Tian Yun!" bitterly said Yun Feng.

"Who is he?"

"In the virtual world, he is the leader of the Yan Huang Alliance, the world's strongest and biggest Alliance. That alliance has tens of millions of members!"

"Tens of millions?" repeated Noah, his eyes wide as he thought about the sheer logistics such size implied. And the kind of massive armies that could be mobilized in a virtual game, where bottlenecks like food supplies and civilian industries didn't apply.

"Yes. One of the world's strongest Experts, the Sword Emperor, is even the bodyguard of Long Tian Yun. In the real world, he is the young master of the Long family, one of China's wealthiest families! Only the Gu family who support the Skyfall Dynasty is able to compare!"

"Okay, so he's a big shot. How does that compare to a Campione, as an example? To a good Chevalier or a Legatus Legionis?" asked Noah.

"He has the qualifications to hire a Campione, and at least one Chevalier is working full time for the Long family." shrugged Yun Feng. "But my sister is absolutely unwilling to marry him. She would rather die!"

" At the time her reaction wasn’t so strong, but over the last three years, she had been investigating this person. Really if you look at his looks, his family background, his ability, the behavior that he displays, he could almost be considered a perfect human. But she found out that Long Tian Yun is very conniving, and completes objectives at any cost, a ruthless figure… especially, he only sees women as playthings."

"And she failed to convince your parents?"

"My parents along with all of the family’s elders are set on the marriage, they would never listen to her… If the marriage is successful, it would bring the clan great benefits that would continue for many years, if unsuccessful… it might even bring about revenge from that clan. Under such a contrast, why would they even pay attention to my sister’s protests… Ultimately, all they think of my sister as is a trading product that can bring about huge benefits." said Yun Feng with a bitter voice.

"I understand both your sister's and your family's points of view." nodded Noah. "And I definitely lean toward your sister's side. What I do not understand is how you expect me to do something about it. Maybe promote me as an alternative and rising star who would be able to protect the Yun family from retaliation? Or… you're not expecting me to just go and murder that Long Tian Yun, right?"

"Ah?" blurted out Yun Feng, incredulous. "No, of course not…  My sister’s personality has always been stubborn since she was little, under her increasingly intense resistance… one month ago, she and my father made a bet. A bet that is essentially impossible for her to win."

"The conditions were set by my father, he said, if my sister could garner a reputation and fortune that could rival the entire Yun family financial group within two years, then , he will recognize that she has the power and freedom to decide her own future, no one will be able to interfere with her life anymore. If not, then she has to quietly follow the arrangements of the clan, marrying that person two years later, not allowed to have any complaints or resistance.”

"How long did it take for the Yun family to go from nobodies to their current status?" asked Noah.

"Over a hundred years." sighed Yun Feng.

"And your sister needs to exceed them, without any support from the Yun family, in less than two?"

"Yes."

"Wow, such a shameless bet." snorted Noah. "Reminds me of some other bets I made with Claire, Hisui and… never mind. So you are asking me to support your sister by joining her guild?"

"Yes!" vehemently nodded Yun Feng. "Her only chance to win that bet lies in Mystic Moon. Please help her win that bet."

"How many others are helping? You mentioned a game guild."

"I can't help openly. My family would consider it cheating, and my sister would lose that bet. But she has three good friends who are willing to do everything they can to support her. One has her own guild, however, and her own power won't count as part of my sister's. She can only help a little with her resources and influence."

"So your sister's guild currently has three people?"

"That is correct."

"I see." nodded Noah, thinking. This situation reminded him of Rias and Riser Phenex. And his guts were telling him that it was likely part of the fiction's original setting. He didn't need to ask if Yun Feng's sister was cute or not. This situation wouldn't be happening in the first place if she didn't have a face to launch a thousand ships.

"I will not answer right away." said Noah. "I would like to meet your sister and her friends first, either in real life or in Mystic Moon, once we have access to the Forgotten Continent. I sympathize with her situation, but if I am to devote up to two years to helping her, I won't do it for free."

"I understand. Hum, about the price, I am not able to access too much of my family's resources without getting caught, but I will do everything I can!"

"I'm not interested in money." cut in Noah. "And if a price is to be paid, your little sister, as the beneficiary, should be the one to pay it. I will talk with her about it directly. How about we add each other as contact first, and you tell me later if she agrees to meet? I may bring a few more people to that meeting. If I agree to join your little sister's guild, it probably won't be just me."

"Would those people keep my involvement a secret?" hesitated Yun Feng.

"I won't mention you to them, and if you are present during the meeting, we can pretend this is our first meeting. As long as the five players waiting on the side do not say a word about us talking…"

"I understand. Thank you very much." nodded Yun Feng.

Noah opened his contact interface and sent him an invitation that Yun Feng immediately accepted.

"I'll wait to hear from you. See you later." said Noah as he searched for the next group of wolves.

"Yes, farewell. And thank you for hearing me, even if you decline." replied Yun Feng with a respectful bow.

Noah nodded, and walked away. Those wolves wouldn't hunt themselves, and he was still on a world-wide race for power and fame. As a proud Champion of a great Goddess, he wouldn't be satisfied with himself if his name didn't appear at least once in the game's various ranking lists.

As wolves came in packs of four to seven, and Noah had virtually no competition, he only needed 15 minutes to hunt another 70 wolves.

However, as he was walking deeper toward the Wolf's Cliff, he found a single wolf, one as big as a horse.

"Wolf Leader: Type: Beast, Level: 5, Grade: 3 Star Elite, HP: 1250. The leader of the wolves. Possesses an even greater body and stronger biting power. Violent temperament, will attack any being of a different race that gets close, but extremely proud, will not borrow the strength of its companions."

A lv5 3-star elite would net him 15 SP, just enough for Noah to increase the level of Full Power Strike to Lv4. With a smile, he entered the monster's aggro range.

The huge wolf pounced, and Noah evaded to the left, launching a Full power strike, followed by a return slash.

-39, -30.

He noted that this monster was harder to evade. His bigger size, coupled with better reflexes than its lesser versions, allowed the Wolf Leader to follow his moves to some extent. The snapping jaws still missed him, but it had been close.

Noah really felt hobbled by the 100% movement speed of his avatar.

Before aimed at the beast's snout and launched another Full Power Strike, making it recoil in pain for an instant.

-78.

It had been a critical strike.

The Wolf Leader growled in rage and changed its attack pattern. Instead of lunging at Noah's throat, it tried to bite his left leg.

Noah evaded the bite and thrust his sword twice.

-39, Miss.

He had to be careful with his MP. He had started the fight with it only half full and didn't know what would happen if it reached 0.

The Wolf Leader tried several other methods to kill Noah, from swipes with its forelegs to trying shoulder charges, but Noah was fast enough to evade it all and punished each attempt mercilessly.

Eventually, the Wolf Leader went down.

“DING… You successfully killed 3-star elite ‘Wolf Leader’, Fame+15, SP+15.”

Noah was more interested in the loot and retrieved it immediately.

[Sharp Wolf Fang]: Wolf fang from the Wolf Leader, hard as steel, razor sharp.

[Wolf Skin Shoes]: Type: Boot, Grade: Bronze, Equipment Requirements: Any class LV5 or above, rough shoes sewn from wolf skin. Attributes: Defense+8, Constitution+2, Agility+2.

His first bronze piece, and it would replace his useless boots, currently giving him only 1 Defense.

Killing the Wolf Leader had also given him enough EXP to reach level 6, and after thinking a few seconds, Noah put the points into Strength, bringing his Physical Attack Power to 55. He wanted to shorten the future fights against elite monsters.

After spending his SP points in Full Power strike to upgrade it, Noah hunted a few more wolves to reach a hundred kills, then returned to the village.

As he crossed the plaza to reach the other side was the Blacksmith worked, he saw a bunch of players standing a few meters from an old man dressed in black, disheveled and filthy-looking. He was sitting on a stone bench and not paying attention to them.

Noah slowed down, frowning. as one of the players walked closer to the old man.

"How do you do, do you need help?"

The old man didn't move, and didn't even look at the player.

"How about, I carry you back inside? The sun outside if very hot, being exposed isn't too good."

The old man still didn't react, making the crowd confused, and the player who had spoken felt embarrassment. He actually walked closer and bent toward the old man, intending to lift him up.

"Fuck off!!!!" suddenly growled the old man, slapping the player with a upward gesture.

BAM!!

With a miserable cry, the player flew away, and the damage number made everyone gulp and step back.

-90 000.

It wasn't even a pierce or critical, just a 'normal' hit.

Shaking his head, Noah walked the rest of the way to the blacksmith, Old Tie.

"Greetings. I am done with your mission." smiled Noah as he entered the smithy.

"Oh! You already completed the task so soon? And you're already level 6?" smiled Old Tie.

Noah fished a hundred wolf fangs and the Sharp Wolf Fang from his inventory and put them on the nearby table.

"And a Sharp Wolf Teeth as well!" exclaimed Old Tie, looking again at Noah as he reconsidered him.

"It was a hard fight, especially since it was a one-on-one, but I killed a Wolf Leader, yes." nodded Noah.

"To have killed a Wolf Leader and already be at Lvl 6, it seems that you are a real hero. I was ready to give you a steel dagger as a reward, but ordinary weapons do not seem to fit you. If you are willing to give the fangs obtained from the Wolf leader to me, I’ll make you a better weapon."

"I would appreciate it greatly." nodded Noah, pleasantly surprised. He had been about to ask the blacksmith if he could make something with the Sharp Wolf Fang, but the NPC had been a step ahead. "Do you require other materials?"

"No, but I need some time to forge the weapon. Come back in two hours, and it will be ready for you."

"Thank you." nodded Noah. "Do you know the old man who lives in the straw house?"

"All I know about him is that he is a madman. The people in the village don't know anything about him. He is crazy and very dangerous, do not try to go close to him."

"I see." nodded Noah. He hadn't expected to learn anything new, but it didn't cost anything to ask.

Since he had two hours without anything to do in the village, Noah decided to kill some more wolves.

It would take him 15 minutes to return to Wolf's Cliff, so he could hunt a few hundreds more wolves for 90 minutes before returning.

Most players wouldn't look forward to fighting the same monsters for 90 minutes without a break. But not Noah. After countless hours grinding Hollows, he had developed a huge tolerance to repeating monotonous actions. A pack of wolves was a bit too much for him to do on 'autopilot' as he daydreamed about something else, but he still would be fine where others would have their reflexes dull from the mind-numbing repetition.

And it was deep into the forest, at the foot of the hill, when he heard screams for help. Noah instantly broke into a run and

He found a late teen, about sixteen in age, dressed in crude clothes, who was running as far as his legs could carry him. Five wolves were pursuing him.

"Ah!! Warrior! Warrior! Please help me, I will repay you!" shouted the boy as he shifted his course toward him.

“Ding … … You have triggered the quest ‘Save Wang Xiaoming’. Quest Type: Random, Quest Time Limit: None, Quest Objective: Save the NPC Wang Xiaoming from the danger and accompany him back to the novice village item shop. Quest Rewards: Unknown.”

Noah nodded and kept running toward him, then engaged the wolves. The monsters instantly forgot about Wang Xiaoming when Noah slashed at the closest and kicked another away.

Those wolves weren't any more dangerous than the ones Noah had slaughtered earlier, and it only took him a minute to deal with them while Wang Xiaoming watched, amazed.

"Are you alright?" asked Noah as he collected the teeth.

"Y-Yes." stammered the boy. "You were like a ghost! Each time I thought the wolves were about to hit you, you moved just out of their range!"

"I trained a lot in my world." shrugged Noah. "Are you the son of Wang, the shopkeeper?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. He asked me to bring you back to the village if I saw you, since the wolves are getting more aggressive."

"I am very grateful for your help, hero from another world." sighed Wang Xiaoming. "Without you, those beasts would have torn me to shreds!"

"Let's go." smiled Noah, and the NPC nodded.

On the way back, they were attacked by two more packs of wolves, but Noah dealt with them easily.

They reached the village, and Wang's eyes lit up when he saw his son come back unharmed.

"Dad!! It’s good to see you, just now I thought I will never see you again." blurted Wang Xiaoming, almost tearing up.

"How … What’s going on?"

"I just went to the Wolf’s Cliff to gather herbs, when a wolf suddenly attacked, if that warrior had not appeared on time I would be killed and become food to the wolves!"

The shopkeeper turned to Noah, his face full of gratitude.

" Thank you, young hero, thank you for saving my son as a reward, I am willing to give you my proud creations, they should belong to a kind and powerful hero like you."

With this declaration, he put the items in front of Noah.

“Ding … … You successfully completed the task of ‘Save Wang Xiaoming’. Because in the entire progress Wang Xiaoming was not hurt, the quest is completed perfectly, you will get the highest reward. The quest ‘Wang Ji’s Request 2’ has been cancelled.

Fame +10, gold coins +20, experience +900

[Wang Ji’s Special Strength Potion ]x 10,

[Wang Ji’s Special Magic Potion] x 10,

[Wang Ji’s Special Hit Potion]x 10,

[Wang Ji’s Special Speed Potion]x 10,

[Wang Ji’s Special Health Potion]x 10,

and special equipment [Blessed Sapphire Necklace]"

"Wow." breathed Noah, his eyes wide. "That is very generous of you."

It was indeed very generous. The necklace alone, which shopkeeper Wang priced at 2000 gold. His entire inventory of attribute-boosting potions, where he had been promised only one of each. It was about 3000 gold worth of stuff that he was offering Noah.

"You deserve it. What does gold matter, compared to my son's life? Quickly take it before my sense of reason comes back."

Noah chuckled as he took the necklace and the 50 potions, placing them in his inventory. He didn't wear it, however. He suspected that he might need it to reach the bottom of the bottomless pit, and he couldn't afford to see it destroyed by a fight going badly. He would rather take the loss of one level that was the standard penalty for dying.

He also decided to spend one gold and 5 silver to buy 50 Orange Health Potions, just in case. Each of them would give him 200HP, and he could consume one every five seconds.

After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper and his son, Noah decided to log off for a bit and take a break.

Karen and Arianna were watching a movie in the next room.

"Noah-sama? Is everything going well?" asked Arianna.

"Yes. I am just taking a short break." nodded Noah. "What are you girls watching?"

"A monster movie, featuring three big, smart sharks. The cast members are getting eaten one after another." replied Karen.

"I can see that." nodded Noah as the screen showed a blonde woman wearing a diving suit failing to escape a shark and getting munched. "I'm getting something to drink from the kitchen and returning to the game."

…

When Noah returned a few minutes later, he had a message in his inbox.

Noah opened it. It was Yun Feng, suggesting a meeting in the real world, and asking for his availability. After a few back and forth, Noah agreed to meet Yun Meng Xin in an upscale restaurant in Beijing the next day. Yun Feng would not attend, as he didn't want to risk being seen with his sister at this time. Noah intended to bring with him Shuiruo and Erica, to avoid drawing too much attention as well.

With 30 minutes left before Old Tie should have his reward ready, Noah went to kill a bunch of Black Horned Sheep and Civet Cats. They gave him crap all in EXP or money, but it was better than twirling his thumbs in the village.

Finally, he returned to meet the blacksmith.

"Hero, it's good that you came back so soon. Your new weapon is ready." grinned Old Tie before handing him a long sword with a black handle. Its straight blade had a silvery sheen and looked very sharp.

[Wolf Fang Sword]: Type: One-Handed Sword, Grade: Bronze, Equipment Requirements: Any class LV5 or above, a sharp fang and a dagger made of stainless-steel, razor-sharp. Properties: attack +18, strength +3, pierce rate + 1%.

"Thank you very much, Old Tie." smiled Noah. "It's a very good weapon. I will put it to good use."

The blacksmith nodded with a proud smile.

"I have no more mission for you, so go and use it on some poor wolves." laughed Old Tie.

"Farewell." grinned Noah as he left.

With Attack +18 and +3 strength, his Physical Attack Power increased to 78.

As a test, Noah tried holding both his new sword and the old one, but the game didn't allow duel-wielding and his left hand automatically opened, dropping the sword.

Noah put it in his inventory and headed for the Wolf's Cliff again.

…

Somewhere in the United States, an old man glared at a screen with an expression of anger and hatred.

"Release my granddaughter! I did everything you asked!"

He was Richard Smith, the CEO of Universe Corporation, the company that managed Mystic Moon. And despite his prominent role, he had never felt as powerless as he did recently.

"Oh, my dear Mr Smith, would you please calm yourself? Your granddaughter is very safe, she spends every day happily, still immersed in the world of 'Mystic Moon', not willing to come out. You can rest assured that we will not hurt you and your family… as long as you obediently listen to our words. You have done a very good job so far, but just to be careful, we have to slightly supervise you. Of course, only supervision, as long as you don’t do anything we wouldn’t like to see, whatever you do, we will not interfere. If you have a request, we will even help."

“You… You are all lunatics!! Tell me what kind of scheme there is in Mystic Moon!”

“Oh no no no! That would be wasting the surprise! For now, just ensure Mystic Moon runs smoothly. We will give you further instructions in a few months.”

The connection was cut before Richard Smith could protest, and he sat back in his chair, tears running down his cheeks.

…

Night had fallen inside Mystic Moon, and a full moon illuminated the skies. Near the top of the hill, Noah finished his latest pack of wolves and carefully approached the huge chasm. A huge hole, about sixty meters wide, and there was no telling how deep it went.

Noah had to be careful, as the ground around the seemingly aptly named 'Bottomless Chasm' was a steep slope. He equipped his sapphire necklace, just in case.

Noah picked up a stone and threw it inside. He waited for over thirty seconds without hearing anything. Ropes were out. Not only was the top of the hill devoid of trees to secure the rope, but he didn't want to trust his life to a rope a passing player might just decide to cut. Not that there was any rope in the first place.

The sides of the pit were made of rough stone, but it didn't look like they could be scaled down.

Noah carefully walked around the pit twice, searching for anything he might have missed. But there was nothing of interest. Just a gaping hole in the ground, surrounded by a funnel-like exterior covered in grass.

He was wondering if he should just jump when he heard a Howl, and lifted his head.

Sitting on top of a large boulder at the very top of the hill, not far from the bottomless chasm, was a golden wolf, even larger than the Wolf Leader he had killed earlier.

"Gold Battle Wolf": Type: Beast, Level: LV7 , Grade: Lord, HP: 6ooo, the King of Wolf’s Cliff, the highest ranked in all the wolf population, he has a very high prestige in the wolf population, its body shines with golden light, possesses claws and teeth that can easily tear apart any creature, its majestic howl can cause shock and cause dizziness to all targets around him.

Noah whistled to himself, wondering if he should try it. This seemed to be the kind of boss that would require dozens of players to deal with, and while he was fast and well equipped for his level, there were limits to all things. The last part about causing shock and dizziness in particular made him hesitate.

At the same time, he had been rather bold so far in-game, and it had served him well.

Noah was fairly confident that he was close to reaching Lvl 7, although there wasn't any indicator in his status window. He must have killed close to seven hundred wolves by now, judging by the number of teeth in his inventory.

He decided to ignore the golden wolf for now, and resumed his hunt. He would give it a try after increasing his Agility some more, as he expected to get a significant amount of Misses against this one.

For another ten minutes, Noah killed wolves on the hill's slopes, and he finally reached Lvl 7.

And he was pleasantly surprised when leveling unlocked a new skill.

“Ding … … You have grasped the trainee skill for apprentice warriors [Little Crescent Slash]"

"[Little Crescent Slash]: Current level: LV1, Highest Level: LV5. Points to Upgrade to LV2: 5. Beginner skill for apprentice warriors, with their weapons and crosscutting ahead, drawing a small sword arc, dealing 90% regular damage towards 3 targets in a 2-meter forward area, MP Consumption: 5 points, Cooldown Time: None."

At least, a skill that could hit multiple targets. It would have made hunting wolves so much faster.

He put all five attribute points into Agility, bringing his Hit Rate to 24.

Now feeling a bit more confident, he unequipped the sapphire necklace and made his way to the top of the hill.

The Gold Battle Wolf was still howling to the moon, surrounded by a half-dozen normal wolves.

Seeing no easy way to kill the minions without getting the aggro of all monsters, Noah thought about the previous Wolf Leader. Maybe, this Gold Battle Wolf would be too prideful to call upon other wolves, too. It wasn't indicated in its description, but was worth trying.

Without entering their aggro range, Noah picked up a large pebble and threw it at the Gold Battle Wolf, hitting its large chest.

-1.

This got its attention, and it stopped howling at the moon to glare at him, slowly baring its fangs. The Gold Battle Wolf stood and slowly walked toward Noah, but its minions only watched.

It growled once, then pounced with a surprising speed for its size. Noah managed to evade the bite, but he was really hard pressed.

He used Full Power Strike, targeting the wolf's snout, and was pleasantly surprised by the purple number.

-218.

A Piercing Hit overlapping with a Critical Hit.

It was certainly better than the pebble strike, but the Gold Battle Wolf retaliated with a swipe of its left paw, and clipped Noah's thigh.

-53.

Noah ignored the pain, but it was for another reason that he gritted his teeth. Hobbled as he was by the game's artificial movement speed, he had a hard time evading the monster's attacks. And he realized that, this time, he might have overextended.

That Golden Battle Wolf wasn't just a lesser wolf with increased stats. It was fighting like a real animal, varying its pattern according to Noah's position, and even attempted to evade Noah's strikes, even if he didn't succeed.

Miss, -

Noah had to suddenly jump to evade a swipe of the beast's bushy tail, of all things.

He managed to land another Full Power Strike on the monster's rump in retaliation before it sprang away.

-87.

The Gold Battle Wolf only stopped six meters away from Noah before turning, lowering his center of gravity.

Noah understood that the beast intended to use its bulk in a charge to break his balance, destabilize him, and he prepared himself for it. When the giant wolf charged with a speed exceeding a horse at full gallop, Noah surprised it by jumping upward, using his free hand to press on the wolf's skull as it went, and slashed with a normal hit, as he was mindful of his MP.

-56.

The Gold Battle Wolf turned as its claws raked the ground, breaking its momentum, and moved in to attack again, at a slower pace this time.

Noah evaded five, six times, retaliating with on or two hits each time, until his foot slipped on the ground, and before he could regain his balance, the Wolf's jaws closed on his left leg, lifting Noah and shaking him like he was a chew toy.

Noah frantically stabbed the Gold Battle Wolf's left eye, making it flinch and release him, but he had taken heavy damage from this.

-180.

He had exactly 7 HP left!

He hurriedly chugged an Orange potion. Fortunately, its effect was immediate, and he returned to 207 HP.

Overall, the Gold Battle Wolf still had close to 90% of its HP left, and Noah felt like he needed to retreat. But the Boss-grade monster could run much faster, and turning his back to it would be a terrible decision... He then got an idea. A crazy idea, but…

Noah broke into a run, not toward the hill's sides, but toward the Bottomless Chasm. He slowed down and stopped very close to it, when the slope was over 30 degrees steep.

The Gold Battle Wolf had followed him and stopped just two meters away, understanding that it couldn't charge Noah anymore without risking a fall. At the same time, his prey had cornered itself, and it felt confident that he could either push it to its fall or bite it to death.

The Gold Battle Wolf advanced, tried to snap its jaws close on Noah once, twice, missing each time, then swiped with its right foreleg.

And that was when Noah executed his plan. Instead of simply evading the incoming claws, Noah grabbed the wolf's foreleg with his empty right hand and pulled with all his might.

The Gold Battle Wolf, shocked by the suicidal move, was slow to react, and with the slope doing most of the work, started sliding uncontrollably along with Noah into the Bottomless Pit.

Noah released his hold on the beast's limb and hurriedly equipped the sapphire necklace as they both fell.