Chaos engulfed the area, destroying everything in its path. A massive cloud of dust covered the entire region, blocking all visibility.
Even so, the terrified Arthur kept running. In the end, he only stopped after covering a full mile.
His heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to burst out of his chest. His legs felt weak.
Slowly, he turned around and looked back, only to see that his home, and everything around it, had been reduced to ruins.
Yet, despite the destruction, silence returned to the forest. The sounds of explosions vanished, the ground stopped shaking, and even that suffocating, terrifying pressure that had filled the air gradually faded.
Arthur took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent mind. After a few minutes, his fear subsided, replaced instead by anger. He clenched his teeth and cursed.
"Damn it… my home. My territory. That cursed insect. Bastard humans. They destroyed everything."
In truth, he had grown very fond of his den. And why wouldn't he? It was comfortable, warm, and safe. It had sheltered him during his fear and protected him from the savage forest outside. In short, it truly deserved to be called a home.
Losing the only place where he felt safe frustrated him deeply. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it. He forced himself to accept the bitter reality and let out a long sigh.
"I can't live here anymore. The entire area is ruined, all the prey has fled, and I doubt they'll return anytime soon "
He shook his head in disappointment and seriously considered where he should go next. The forest he was in was vast, so he wasn't worried about failing to find a new place to settle.
Rumble!
Boom!
Once again, the ground trembled beneath him, but this time it was much weaker. He also heard very distant explosions.
"Aren't they done yet?"
He smiled wryly at the absurdity of the situation and decided it was time to leave. Casting one last glance at the area, he turned without hesitation and headed southwest, away from the source of the explosions.
On his way, he first passed through the area where he had previously encountered the goblins.
As expected, he didn't see a single one of them. Judging by the footprints and the lingering scent trail, it was clear they had also migrated as a group.
He kept moving, venturing deeper into the unusually silent forest. He passed by a small foul-smelling swamp, a cluster of unnaturally gigantic trees, dense bushes, streams, and small slopes—all completely devoid of wildlife, as if the forest had become abandoned overnight.
After traveling ten miles filled with twists and obstacles, he finally reached a part of the forest brimming with activity. Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and monkeys screeched from high up in the trees.
Arthur felt that everything had finally returned to normal, easing his tension slightly. He raised his head and looked at the sky, which was about to grow dark, and thought.
"That's enough moving around for today. I need to find shelter for the night."
A new erea meant new dangers, and he wasn't in the mood to run into any predators that wanted to eat him. He had already had more than enough excitement for one day.
After a short search, he found a group of trees growing close together and intertwined, with an empty space in the middle that had only a single entrance.
To hide himself, he blocked the entrance with bushes and lay down. He didn't sleep, only rested his body, remaining alert in case any danger appeared.
Time passed slowly. The sun set, the moon rose, and as it began to drift toward the horizon, Arthur himself drifted into sleep without realizing it.
When midnight came, he opened his tired eyes, shook his head slightly to regain his alertness, then yawned.
"What? Did I fall asleep without noticing? Seriously… today was exhausting, and I'm really tired."
A small smile appeared on his face as he mocked himself.
"Who would believe this? I'm a powerful wolf with great endurance, practically a legendary beast on Earth, yet I still feel tired."
In truth, Arthur had overlooked something important. He had exerted himself heavily throughout the day and endured multiple shocks, draining both his mental and physical strength. His exhaustion was completely understandable.
He sighed, then stood up and stretched his tense body. His legs bumped into one of the tree trunks which annoyed him, and he muttered,
'Tsk… this place is cramped…'
Before he could finish his sentence, he froze in place. His expression turned serious. Slowly, he moved his head, scanning the wall of trees around him as if tracking something. Suddenly, through a small crack, a deep blue eye stared at him, and a low growl sounded. He understood its meaning immediately: 'Got you.'
His eyes widened, and he gasped involuntarily. He was in deep shock, unable to comprehend how he understood what the other beast was saying. But he wasn't in a position to question it. Quickly, he regained his composure, unleashed all his strength and skills, and readied himself for battle, sensing the murderous intent emanating from his enemy.
At the same time, the blue-eyed beast stepped back slightly, then crashed into the trees with tremendous force, breaking them. Its massive body, identical to Arthur's, appeared.
[E-Rank Wolf]
'Damn it.'
Before Arthur had the chance to react in surprise, the other wolf attacked without any warning.
He protected his neck swiftly and counterattacked, crashing his massive body into his enemy's within the cramped space. The force pushed the trunks aside, scattering leaves and small branches over them.
Roar!
Claws and fangs sank into flesh, and blood splattered everywhere. The other wolf bit his shoulder, and he did the same.
They pushed against each other for a few seconds like professional wrestlers, then let go and stepped back.
They stared at each other, murderous intent filling the air. After three tense seconds of stillness, the other wolf stepped back slightly, then howled suddenly.
'What's he doing?' Arthur didn't understand at first, but he quickly realized what was happening.
His pupils shrank, and without hesitation, he ran in terror at full speed, trying to escape. But it was useless—dozens of wolves appeared from all around, quickly surrounding him.
[E-Rank Wolf]
[F-Rank Wolf]
[E-Rank Wolf]
"No… no!" he screamed in fear, fury welling up inside him. He stopped, took a defensive stance, and clenched his teeth. It was clear he couldn't face so many enemies at once.
What made it worse, and drained him of hope, was that he could understand the wolves' growls:
"Intruder."
"Tasty."
"Let's eat him."
"Let's kill him."
"Meat."
The wolves' language was extremely simple, like a group of children with very limited vocabulary, but the few words Arthur understood confirmed one thing: they had no intention of letting him go.
His expression twisted, cursing his bad luck. Desperate, he prepared to fight for his life to the last breath. He lifted his head high and shouted, hoping they'd understand him.
"Damn you all! I'll kill you!"
All the wolves around him bared their fangs and slowly advanced, drool dripping from their mouths.
Arthur swallowed with difficulty and tensed his body, ready for the clash. Just when he thought there was no hope, a system screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
Ding!
[ Alert ]
[ Creatures of the same species detected. Hidden condition achieved ]
[ Congratulations ]
[ "Primal Predator" skill unlocked a new subskill: King's Bloodline (A) ]