Genetic Ascension

'I don't think I can control a second dagger with this level of fluidity… at least not without increasing my Wisdom more. But I will be able to soon.'

Sylas lowered his leg, feeling content with just the one dagger for now. With this unequip-able Scorned Wraps on his hand, he was highly limited. Telekinesis would have to bridge that lack of ability for him.

With that completed, Sylas wanted to turn his attention back to the Common Art Enthusiast Title, but a commotion caused his ears to twitch first.

He rushed out of the tent to find militiamen shouting out warnings.

The tent that the Quest takers were lodged in was close to the gate, so Sylas saw it immediately. Not that it would have mattered, considering the fact the village was about 50 meters from end to end. He would have definitely seen it, anyway.

Although it couldn't be considered a stampede, it was definitely a tide of sorts. Half a dozen wolf beasts with rotten flesh and blood-stained fur charged toward the village.

Sylas' eyes narrowed. It couldn't be a coincidence. There was no way Casstle Main was this unlucky. He didn't believe that this was unrelated to the gnolls.

---

[Rotten Wolf (F)]

[Level: 6]

[Physical: 58]

[Mental: 0]

[Will: 0]

---

The creatures were grotesque. Standing at two meters tall, they were covered in what could only be described as patches of black fur. Everywhere there wasn't this fur, there were ghastly open wounds reeking of puss and disease.

And yet, nothing about this seemed to slow their steps in the slightest. They had only just cleared the forest line, but had already cleared the remaining distance by half, with the only part of them not affected by the rot, those glistening silvery claws, tearing up the wet grassy lands in their wake.

Sylas moved first, leaping over the weak wooden fences without a word. The ends of his Scorned Wraps and his black hair danced in the wind as he accelerated.

The village didn't have any defenses, and by now, the villagers had already been evacuated to the core of the territory. However, there were hardly any better defenses there, either.

The best defense there was were the warriors themselves, and whether it was Sylas, the militiamen, or the other Quest takers, they had all already jumped to action.

Sylas immediately got the attention of the wolves, their eerie green eyes pulsing with malice as they focused on him.

When he saw this, Sylas, who had been charging right at them, suddenly took a hard turn to the left, sprinting full tilt perpendicular to their path.

As expected, the wolves almost immediately went after him.

After seeing their zero Mental and Will, Sylas already understood that these were unintelligent creatures. Even if they had been sent here, the kind of orders they could take would be extremely limited.

Six Rotten Wolves chased after Sylas and they quickly gained on him, their speed clearly superior. The stomach-churning scent of corpses filled the air. As the wolves moved, their pot-

filled tongues hung from their mouths and their bodies leaked foul liquids from seemingly every orifice.

The lead wolf closed in, its saliva pooling as it felt close to biting Sylas' head off.

Suddenly, Sylas' dagger flashed, arcing through the air.

He couldn't visualize a target he couldn't see. He was currently in a full sprint away from the pack of wolves, so it was impossible for him to likewise have eyes on their exact locations. As such, under normal circumstances, he would only be able to wildly flail with the dagger. However…

These wolves were highly unintelligent. They didn't know how to work together, and the moment they started chasing after him, they didn't do so as a pack, rather, they did so as competitors vying for a piece of meat.

They were practically running on top of one another, jostling for position with their shoulders and snapping jaws. So when Sylas sensed a hot and acrid breath to his back, his dagger shot straight and true directly behind him with only one purpose.

The dagger flashed and cut into the open maw of the Rotten Wolf, ripping up the side of its upper mouth, taking a few of its rotten teeth and drawing up across its cheek and eye before flying overhead and into the distance.

Sylas expected a cry of agony, or since it was a creature, at least some sort of pause, but he got nothing of the sort. In fact, the wolf even looked as though it was about to continue biting down on his head without a care.

'They can't feel pain.'

This was the one thought he had before he suddenly ducked.

His Speed plummeted, and he was suddenly about to be stampeded by the pack of wolves.

He rolled to the side, but there was another wolf ready and salivating at his scent, ready to rip him to shreds.

He activated Sudden Burst in that moment, exploding to his peak Speed in an instant and sliding out of the way of the way of the beast.

Luckily, the Speed of the wolves might have been high, but their agility seemed low. It was the reason he had managed to catch them off guard with the first maneuver, and why he had also managed to do it this time as well.

Their reactions were dull, their intelligence was low, their Constitutions should also be relatively weak. However, their Strength and Speed were off the charts, and they couldn't feel pain.

Sylas sent a quick glance toward where his dagger might have landed, but he had already lost it in the thick, wet grass. And after Sudden Burst had worn off while the wolves reacted, they were already turned toward his direction, ready to pounce again.

Luckily, by that point, three militiamen alone with Lauren, Morgan, and Alex had finally caught up.

The militiamen stormed up with their shields, passing Sylas by and forming a wall between them.