Chapter 77: You Were Given a Chance

Battle Wolf pushed himself to chase with all his might, but he never caught sight of the Scavenger Qilin again. Even the sound of his footsteps suddenly vanished deep within the Black Wind Forest...

Battle Wolf was instantly wracked by regret: if only he hadn’t tried to show off. Had he gone all out from the start, Scavenger Qilin would never have gotten away.

But he refused to give up...

He could not accept the shame of being shaken off by a first-tier archer!

He activated Sprint once more, dashing at full speed in the direction where the footsteps had faded, ignoring the noisy brush scraping against his gear. His eyes darted rapidly, scanning everything that flashed into view...

He could not bear this humiliation...

With an absolute advantage in speed and strength, he had let his enemy slip away—an enemy who was nothing but a first-tier newcomer. If word of this got out among his brothers in the Mercenary Supreme Guild… or if the event was recorded and uploaded to the official forum, Battle Wolf would never be able to hold his head high again!

“No matter what... I must not let Scavenger Qilin escape… Absolutely not!!”

Fortunately, the opponent was only level 15—a newcomer. Though his equipment was decent, his speed and mana were ultimately limited. Since the sound of his footsteps had only just disappeared, as long as Battle Wolf could hold out until his foe’s mana was depleted, his third-tier archer’s speed and Eagle Eye would surely flush Scavenger Qilin out.

Yet the tracking process was pure agony for Battle Wolf!

Since joining the Mercenary Supreme Guild, he had never endured such torment. Now, because of a mere first-tier newcomer, he found himself so frantic... so agitated!

The more he thought, the angrier he became. He even began to rack his brains, scheming how best to torment Scavenger Qilin once he caught him, just to quell the fire in his heart...

But just then!

A shadow suddenly darted out from behind a tree barely a meter away and rushed straight toward him!

“Ah!” Battle Wolf instinctively prepared to halt, for with a fleeting glance, he had already recognized that the figure charging out from behind the tree was the prey he had been desperately chasing!

His heart soared with joy, but he dared not let down his guard, for in his eyes suddenly flashed a silver-white blade tinged with pale blue electric light, streaking toward his face like lightning!

However, under the powerful inertia, Battle Wolf could not dodge. He watched helplessly as the blade dipped swiftly, slicing across the unprotected part of his neck...

“Ugh!!”

...

In truth, I had given Battle Wolf a chance.

If only he hadn’t chased so relentlessly, so aggressively! I would never have risked my life to ambush a third-tier player two ranks above myself.

Besides, that would surely earn the enmity of the Mercenary Supreme Guild...

But alas, Battle Wolf didn’t understand the principle of “forgive and let live.” He kept pursuing without pause. If I did not respond, my mana would be depleted just as he predicted, and I would be finished.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite, especially one who has already prepared an ambush.

The moment Battle Wolf drew near, I hid behind a tree he was certain to pass, thanks to his clumsy footsteps. In the silence of Black Wind Forest, I could pinpoint his exact position without even looking.

As he sped by, I activated Sprint and launched my surprise attack!

Battle Wolf’s gear was similar to mine—archer class—with many areas unprotected by armor, vulnerable spots with low defense...

The most obvious targets were the eyes and throat!

Eyes were out of the question; in such a frantic state, unable to see each other clearly, I doubted I could pull off a blind kill.

So, in the moment I sprang from behind the tree, I swung the Silver Beast Magic Dagger straight at Battle Wolf’s throat!

Pitifully, Battle Wolf never imagined a first-tier archer would dare ambush him. Unprepared, not only was he slow to defend, he could not even resist the inertia as he barreled straight into the dagger!

Perfectly cooperative, the Silver Beast Magic Dagger left a bright red gash across his throat...

Yet even at a vital spot, a third-tier archer’s defense was formidable. The wound left by the dagger was shallow!

But for me, this was expected; as long as the attack breached his defense, it was not a failure...

Battle Wolf’s reaction matched my prediction exactly: instinctively halting his Sprint, he withdrew rapidly, preparing to draw his bow;

Unfortunately, the moment his forward momentum paused, he could not retreat swiftly enough, and I would never allow him the chance to put distance between us.

I kept Sprint active, staying tight on his retreating form, keeping our distance locked within half a meter.

At this point, Battle Wolf had quickly calmed from the shock of being ambushed, replaced by a hint of ecstasy. Though his throat was slashed, he clearly felt the attack had barely harmed him.

Hit points—this is the difference between a third-tier and a first-tier player!!

What use was the opponent’s skill? Before such a disparity in strength, cleverness alone could not bridge the gap!

With a cold sneer, he imagined Scavenger Qilin’s regretful expression at such a feeble attack. As he retreated, he grinned savagely and raised his weapon to draw his bow!

But what happened next made his heart sink once again...

Scavenger Qilin clung to him like a shadow, giving him no chance to draw his bow for a counterattack!

And more than that, Scavenger Qilin’s hand seized his weapon, and the Silver Beast Magic Dagger stabbed at him again with even greater speed...

He instinctively tried to dodge, but his opponent seemed to anticipate it, shifting trajectory at the same moment. Battle Wolf felt a wave of sharp pain surge from his throat!

“You have been counterattacked by Scavenger Qilin. The enemy dealt bonus damage. You lost 12 hit points.”

“…Suffered secondary damage, lost 8 hit points!” The secondary attack from Scavenger Qilin and the system’s feedback made Battle Wolf’s face pale!

The opponent managed three attacks in just two seconds!? Nearly a third of his hit points gone in an instant!

Battle Wolf’s heart tightened as he suddenly sensed a hint of danger.

――――

After revising Chapter 77, I actually uploaded Chapter 78. Unbelievable!