Chapter Four: The Bloody Battle with the Wolf King

In the darkness, two glowing green eyes, each as large as a child's fist, flickered to life. They fixed upon me and the female player, drawing steadily closer. Neither of us dared to move; it felt as though any sudden motion or attempt to flee would provoke the creature lurking in the shadows to spring upon us and tear us to shreds.

Sweat trickled from the female player's delicate face as she readied her bow, an arrow already nocked, aimed at the beast. She didn't dare blink. I tensed every muscle, gripping my sword in one hand and my shield in the other, heart pounding in my throat, prepared to leap into action at any moment.

My HP had been restored by a potion, and at level five, I now possessed 200 HP and a few more potions. I felt ready for a fight, though I couldn't tell if the female player had any potions left or how much HP remained for her.

From the darkness emerged a massive black wild wolf, as tall as a grown man. Its sheer size was terrifying, resembling a monstrous hybrid between a giant bull and a wolf. Most unsettling of all, the beast wore a strange black helmet that concealed much of its savage face, intensifying the oppressive aura it exuded—heavier than any wolf we had encountered before.

It approached the corpse of the fallen man, pausing beside it, still staring at us. Suddenly, it lowered its head, opened its jaws, and with a sickening crunch, bit off the man's head.

The female player gasped, “Be careful! That’s the leader of the pack, the Wolf King! Some of my teammates and I were killed by it.” At the same moment, her arrow flew.

As she attacked, the seemingly tranquil Wolf King finally moved. Its agility was uncanny, vanishing from our sight with a lightning-fast dash. My lunge met only empty air, and her arrow missed its mark.

“Watch out!” I shouted, catching a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye. In an instant, the Wolf King reappeared, its forelegs landing on the female player’s shoulders, pinning her to the ground. Its enormous jaws snapped shut with a grisly crunch, severing her neck; her head rolled away from her body.

A damage number—734—flashed above her, the sudden ferocity of the attack making my heart race with fear.

The monster was terrifying; in a single instant it had killed her, leaving nothing but horror in its wake. Even knowing it was only a game, I felt chills at the sight. Then the creature's stats appeared: Wolf King, Level 7 Boss. If it was a boss, defeating it could mean a huge reward.

With a roar, I lunged forward, the Wolf King charging at me in return. We crossed paths and began to face each other.

I raised my shield defensively. The Wolf King, drooling, pawed at the ground, clearly hungry and thirsty. Suddenly, it leaped high from the ground, descending upon me.

In that split second, I dodged behind the Wolf King—its blind spot. The beast pressed its forepaws to the earth and heaved its waist up, trying to toss me. I darted aside. Frustrated at missing me, it unleashed a thunderous roar that shook the forest, then kicked a massive boulder toward me.

I sidestepped the flying rock.

The Wolf King spun around to face me. Gripping my iron sword with all my strength, I brought it down from above in a powerful slash. The sword crashed through branches and leaves, but missed the Wolf King, striking a dead tree instead. The blow gave the beast plenty of time to react.

It roared, wild instincts unleashed, and lunged again. I leaped backward ten steps as its forepaws landed right in front of me. I tried to raise my sword, but the Wolf King knocked it aside. Leaping up, it crashed into my shield, sending it flying. Seizing the chance, I grabbed the beast’s pelt with both hands and forced it down.

The Wolf King struggled fiercely, but I held it firm, refusing to let go.

With another furious roar, it shoved me away, slamming me into a tree. It fixed its gaze on me and lunged again. I jumped aside, and the Wolf King crashed into a thick-trunked tree, snapping it with a tremendous impact. As it fell, I performed a forward roll, stabilizing myself and quickly turning to confront the creature.

Weaponless, I was at a disadvantage, but retreat was not an option. The Wolf King’s predatory eyes glared at me as I began moving sideways, trying to find an opening. It mirrored my movements, seeking its own opportunity. I crouched, grabbing a thick branch to use as a makeshift weapon. The Wolf King watched, unmoving, observing my every motion. The next second, we both leaped at once; in midair, I struck its head with the branch, dealing 14 damage before the branch flew from my grasp. The Wolf King landed atop me, dealing 30 damage. Its roar thundered as it began biting me again and again.

I struggled desperately, gripping its neck tightly to keep its foul jaws away from my face, rolling my body to evade its attacks. Man and beast wrestled, tumbling across the ground, the Wolf King relentless in its attempts to kill me, my HP dropping with each roll.

Then, with a forceful twist, I spotted my shield nearby. I snatched it with one hand and repeatedly hammered the Wolf King's head—7, 8, 6, 8 damage flashing one after another. Bracing myself, I kicked the beast away and stood up.

My iron sword lay a few meters ahead. Hurling my shield like a discus, I sprinted forward at full speed. The Wolf King dodged the shield with ease and leaped high; I slid beneath it, grabbed my sword, and thrust it at the charging beast. The Wolf King yelped in pain and tumbled away, the sword lodged in its body. It stumbled to its feet—this was my chance.

I threw myself atop it, pummeling its face and eyes. The Wolf King howled, clawing up heaps of yellow earth, forming a small pit. I forced its mouth into the mud. Now, weakened and helpless, it had little strength left. I knocked off its helmet, seized its pelt with my left hand, and raised my right, hammer-like fist, unleashing blow after blow. The damage numbers soared. After fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty punches, blood spurted from its eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. It lay motionless, barely breathing.

Letting go, I pulled the iron sword from its body and said, “My god, the boss of this starter village is just outrageous.” As I prepared to deliver a final blow, the Wolf King suddenly rose, knocking my sword aside and turning to flee.

I pounced, wrapping my arms around its neck. “Trying to escape? No way!” I shouted, squeezing its neck with every ounce of strength.

Its neck crackled beneath my grip. The Wolf King opened its jaws and roared, its bull-like body leaping up, smashing me against a nearby tree.

With a deafening crash, its strength was terrifying; I felt my back snap, several bones breaking at once. Blood gushed from my mouth as my HP plummeted to 30, but rage fueled me, and I clung to its neck, determined to break it with brute force.

The Wolf King panicked, the pressure on its neck intensifying, its breaths growing weaker and vision blurring. With a final desperate howl, it leaped again, crashing into another tree.

Unable to withstand the force, the tree snapped in two. I cried out in agony, nearly losing consciousness as blood poured from my nose and mouth. My lower back was shattered, my upper and lower body connected only by a thin strand of flesh.

Fortunately, the tree's collapse left me with 5 HP, barely keeping me alive. If this were real, I would have died several times already. One more impact would surely drop my HP to zero, sending me back to the city.

The Wolf King growled low, its neck squeezed tighter and tighter, breathing labored, bones creaking beneath my grip. Even its formidable strength began to wane.

With a final effort, it dragged me into another tree. Despair overwhelmed me—one more hit and I would be finished.

But suddenly, the Wolf King stopped moving. Dazed, I realized something was wrong. The giant beast, as massive as a bull, staggered twice and collapsed to the ground, utterly still.

I stared in disbelief, finally letting go. My hands were numb and stiff from exertion. The Wolf King hung its head low, blood streaming from its mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. It was dead.