Chapter 96: Chapter 95: Don’t blame me, blame yourselves for being beasts

Behind him, furious howls like rolling thunder rapidly drew near, mixed with the harsh screech of claws scraping against rock and the heavy panting of wild beasts.

But Jon ignored them, quickening his pace and charging deeper into the valley.

Humans must pass a trial to advance to a higher tier, and the same is true for beasts.

Any monster that reached a certain realm of power would, over time or as its pack grew, inevitably face an advancement trial. Those that survived would successfully advance, while the fate of those who failed was what he now saw before him.

When he finally reached the deepest part of the valley, he found just what he expected: a colossal beast lying on its side in the cold snow.

It was nearly four meters long. Its once-glossy, gray-black fur was now torn and peeled away in many places, revealing terrifying, bone-deep wounds beneath.

Its viscous blood had nearly frozen into a dark-red shell of ice in the frigid air, covering a large patch of snow.

The most fatal wound was on its flank, a huge gash through which one could even see its shattered ribs and faintly stirring organs.

Its chest still rose and fell with the faintest of movements, puffs of white, blood-flecked air escaping its mouth and nose. With unfocused eyes, it was clearly on the verge of death.

Even if left alone, it had no chance of survival.

Several she-wolves, noticeably bulkier than their kin on the ridge and nearly three meters long, stood guard around the dying Wolf King.

Covered in blood and riddled with wounds, their once-strong limbs trembled from exhaustion and pain. Yet they remained fixated on Jon, the intruder, crouching low and baring their blood-stained fangs as a low, threatening growl rumbled in their throats.

"GRRRRRRRRR!—!!"

Jon’s face was expressionless; his ice-blue eyes showed only absolute calm and calculation.

’Not quite dead... I can still land the finishing blow and get a good haul of experience.’

’It wasn’t right to take advantage of a weakened foe, but the enemy he faced wasn’t human!’

’There’s no reasoning with beasts!’

He didn’t even spare the threatening she-wolves a glance. Instead, he waved a hand at the two Walker V Types behind him, and the bracelet on his wrist glowed faintly.

"Turret mode, activate."

VMMMM—!

The bodies of the two Walker V Types swiveled, aiming their muzzles back toward the mouth of the valley. Their Steel Nail Ejectors began to emit a low charging hum.

The fastest of the dire wolves were about to charge down!

But the Mechanical Bodies paid no heed; they would only operate according to their creator’s preset programming.

Once the vanguard of the wolf pack entered firing range, a blue light flashed on the triple-barreled rotating ejectors, and then—

"FZZT—FZZT-FZZZT!!!"

Streams of steel nails, each no longer than an index finger, shot out in a steady rhythm, effortlessly piercing the loyal subjects trying to protect their king!

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere and anguished howls filled the air!

The slain dire wolves tumbled to the ground, slightly impeding their companions’ charge.

Meanwhile, Jon drew the saber at his waist and charged toward the dying Wolf King!

Although the she-wolves were reluctant to leave the Wolf King’s side, they could not tolerate Jon’s blatant threat!

Three powerful wolves, practically strong enough to be considered variant beasts, lunged forward, determined to stop this enemy with their fangs and claws!

Jon didn’t break his stride, but a surging inferno suddenly erupted around his body!

[Dragon Flame Dance]!

Like a living creature, crimson-gold flames surged from the seams of his Armor, instantly distorting the air. A violent heatwave exploded outward from him, pushing back even the biting cold wind.

At the same time, an invisible ripple suddenly spread out!

[Aura Mastery] activated!

[Impact Aura]—Dispersal Mode!

VWOOM!

A visible Aura, shimmering with heat distortion, instantly expanded to envelop all three she-wolves. The fiery impact followed immediately!

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

[-10 (Flame Damage)] x3!

Three consecutive blasts of scorching flame materialized from thin air, slamming directly into the three beasts!

The damage wasn’t high, but it set their fur ablaze and inflicted searing pain!

"AWOOO—!"

At the same time, Jon’s blade arrived!

The Dragon Flame on his blade surged, instantly forming a long, slender dragon’s claw that brought the two closest she-wolves into its attack range!

[Attack Stance]!

[Dragon Claw Swing]!

The slash, a streak of crimson-gold light, swept across with a shriek that tore the air!

Its extreme heat and powerful Piercing Effect sliced through fur, muscle, and even bone, carbonizing them in its wake!

[-487! (Penetration) -55 (Flame Damage)]!

[-502! (Penetration) -55 (Flame Damage)]!

Immediately after, as if he didn’t even need a moment to recover, Jon swung his blade again!

[Reset Stance]!

[Swift Strike]!

A fast, nimble slash simultaneously cut across the flanks of both she-wolves, causing a dazzling burst of fire to erupt from within them!

[-103 (Hit! Lethal Blow!) -300 (Saint Flame Burst)] x2!

It was precisely this three-hit combo of Impact Aura, Dragon Claw Swing, and Swift Strike that had triggered the burst effect of the [Saint Fire Mark]!

The two she-wolves, veritable elite monsters, were killed instantly, dying without ever touching the hem of Jon’s clothes!

This entire process happened in the blink of an eye!

From activating the Aura to slaying the two elite she-wolves took no more than a single breath of time!

[Killed higher-level monster, gained 1200 (400 base × 3.0 reward multiplier) combat Experience Points] x2!

The she-wolf that had been blocked by its companion’s corpse escaped the blow, but it wasn’t frightened off and still tried to circle around to block Jon’s path.

But Jon’s target had never been this wolf!

From the very beginning, his gaze was locked on the dying Wolf King lying on its side in the snow, its chest rising and falling weakly!

The path ahead was clear. It was time to charge!

[Glory Charge]!

With a surge of energy, he shot forward like an ignited, crimson-gold meteor!

The lunging she-wolf didn’t even touch the hem of his clothes!

After just a few steps, the stamina Jon had consumed for the enhanced [Dragon Claw Swing] was already restored by the[Sun’s Blessing], allowing him to once again use his enhanced [Dragonman Swordsmanship - Kai]!

This time, it was [Dragon Tail Sweep]!

Empowered by the dual area-of-effect increases from [Dragon Flame Dance] and [Glory Charge], a fiery dragon tail as thick as a pillar materialized and swept across with crushing force!

"Ngh...!"

The dying Wolf King seemed to sense the approaching, scorching heat. A flicker of defiance flashed in its unfocused beastly eyes, and it squeezed a final, weak whimper from its throat.

It wanted to struggle, to roar, to summon its royal majesty, but the grievous wounds from its failed advancement trial made it incredibly difficult to even lift an eyelid.

The last two smaller she-wolves guarding the Wolf King let out despairing whimpers and threw themselves recklessly at the sweeping flame tail, attempting to shield their king with their own bodies, if only for a moment.

However, before the absolute power of [Dragon Flame Dance] and [Glory Charge], their efforts were as futile as a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot!

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