It was clear that the food wouldn't miraculously restore his energy, but at least it would help him recover a small fraction of his vitality.
After several minutes of eating slowly, the system screen appeared.
[ +7 XP ]
The amount of XP he gained wasn't much, but fortunately, it was exactly what he needed to get an Evolution Point, which he immediately added to Vitality.
That single, meager point brought a little light back to his eyes and cleared some of his mind, making his thoughts sharper.
To further strengthen his mental resolve, he activated the "Iron Will" skill.
He looked at the wolf carcass, now stripped of any good meat.
"More."
He pulled out another corpse and ate as quickly as he could, focusing first on the vital organs rich in energy—heart, liver, and spleen—then consuming as much of the good meat as possible, ignoring tough or thin parts like the legs and back.
[ +8 XP ]
"This isn't enough."
Ignoring the rest, he pulled out a third Rank E carcass and ate it the same way. This time, he gained another Evolution Point, which he quickly allocated to Vitality.
Finally, he felt a bit of energy returning to his body. Without hesitation, he left the corpses behind and walked away as fast as he could.
He couldn't stay in one place for long; if the wolves caught up to him, he would die without a doubt, he had no strength left to fight or defend his life.
On the other hand, venturing deep into the forest in his current state was also suicide.
Who knew what dangers awaited him? Yet he had no real choice, death was in front of him, behind him, surrounding him from every direction.
He jogged at a steady pace through the unknown and dangerous terrain, a miserable expression on his face, pushing himself to flee as far as possible.
His goal was clear: get away from the wolf pack and find a safe place to hide and heal. He had enough food to stay hidden for a long time until he could fully recover his strength.
Breathing heavily, he let out a long sigh and thought:
'I need to mask my scent so they can't track me. But how? Smear myself with mud? That might work… but a little mud won't be enough. I need a large, foul-smelling swamp. Only then can I throw them off.'
In fact, his plan was very logical and easily executable. That gave him a small glimmer of hope, and his spirits lifted slightly, which in turn drove his exhausted body to keep running.
Time passed agonizingly slowly for him, like a guillotine blade threatening to sever his head at any moment.
From the east, the sun rose, chasing away the night's darkness. Life in the forest gradually returned, birds woke up, chirping happily, butterflies danced around flowers covered in morning dew, drinking their nectar.
Amid this breathtaking natural beauty, Arthur rushed past the flowers and butterflies at breakneck speed, frightening the birds into immediate flight.
He didn't care about anything else and kept his gaze fixed forward, his expression twisted, desperate, exhausted. Two hours had passed, and he still hadn't found a swamp.
His "Enhanced Senses" skill was operating at full capacity, trying to detect any foul scent that might meet his needs, but to no avail.
Awoooo!
Making matters worse, he suddenly heard distant howls behind him, reminding him that his enemies were closing in. Stopping to catch his breath was not an option.
"Damn it."
The intense pressure and the drain on the little vitality he had just regained clouded his thoughts, leaving his mind foggy again.
As before, he was able to keep running solely through sheer willpower.
"A swamp, I need a swamp!"
Saliva sprayed from his mouth as he frantically scanned his surroundings, a terrifying grin spreading across his face. He searched for anything that could distract the wolves, even slightly.
Then suddenly, an extremely foul smell hit his nose. His eyes widened, and he felt a spark of hope.
Without hesitation, he followed the scent toward its source, but the moment he got closer, all his instincts screamed danger.
"No… not now!"
He shouted in despair and pushed himself to run as fast as he could, enduring the pain and refusing to let any obstacle slow him down.
Yet it was futile; three giant wolves, larger than him, quickly caught up, radiating a terrifying aura that made him shiver and stumble for a moment.
It was as if the three wolves knew exactly what he intended, they ran fast, blocking his path, preventing him from reaching the swamp.
[ D-Rank Wolf]
[ D-Rank Wolf]
[ D-Rank Wolf]
Arthur opened his mouth in shock and screamed in despair.
"No, no—why?! You bastards, I'll kill you!"
Despite his threats, he wasn't truly brave enough to face them. He changed direction and bolted away, praying from the bottom of his heart for some miracle to save him.
The three wolves chased after him, keeping a short distance between them, not out of fear or mercy, but because they were enjoying watching him struggle in despair.
They opened their massive jaws and all growled at once. The sound was powerful, painful to the ears, and more importantly, laden with a crushing aura that made what little fur he had left stand on end.
His heart even stopped for a moment from sheer terror, dizziness washing over him as he nearly fell, yet he didn't stop running.
Seeing him still resisting left the three wolves stunned. Their growl, as alphas, wasn't merely a loud sound, it was a skill called "Dominance Howl," allowing them to exert their authority and temporarily paralyze their enemies.
Naturally, the weaker the target, the more effective the skill became.
The wolves glanced at one another in confusion, then bared their fangs, murderous intent flashing in their eyes.
Although the white wolf had ordered them to bring him back alive, that didn't mean in one piece..
Arthur sensed their malice and fell deeper into despair. For the first time in his new life, tears flowed from his eyes.
He cried—for himself—then decided to stop running and face them to the end.
And suddenly, he felt something strange… or rather, a familiar sense of fear. His senses warned him of something dangerous nearby, something he recognized.
In truth, he didn't think, nor did he hesitate. He followed his instincts straight toward the source of danger, not with the intent to escape, but because death would not allow the wolves to win.
And if he were to die by the hand of another monster, wouldn't that count as a kind of victory for him?
The wolves felt something strange about his sudden movement and the shift in his demeanor.
Although they, too, sensed that faint and unfamiliar danger, they didn't take it very seriously, because it was roughly of the same rank as them, or at least, that was what their instincts told them.
Arthur burned everything he had left, holding nothing back. Within half a minute, he reached the source of danger.
There, he saw a human girl, grievously injured, lying face-down on the ground like a corpse. It was an illogical sight, something that shouldn't exist in reality, but he didn't care.
The three wolves had already caught up to him and were now ready to pounce, completely unconcerned with the human.
Without any hesitation, he leapt over the girl's body and slammed his full weight onto her back, forcing her face even deeper into the dirt.
Then he ran—well, he hoped to wake the monster, escape with his life, and leave the rest of the wolves to face the catastrophe.
The moment he took three steps away, a white, silky thread appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around his legs.
At an absurd speed, it coiled around him, forming a large cocoon. The same thing happened to the three wolves as well.
Slowly, the girl lifted her dirt-covered head, revealing a hideous face that didn't resemble a human at all.
Protruding black fangs, and dozens of terrifying red eyes covering half her face. Strangely enough, she didn't look at him—the one who had slammed her into the ground—but instead stared at the three wolves.