Chapter 11: Direwolf Down

A massive direwolf let out a roar, drooling as it bared its fangs.

‘Why is that thing showing up here?’

A direwolf.

It was considered a boss monster in F-rank gates.

With an average level around 15, it was something an E-rank Hunter party could take down.

Growl!

The direwolf lowered its gaze and stared at Evan.

Evan didn’t avert his eyes and stared right back at it.

It was the typical staring contest direwolves used to gauge dominance.

‘They couldn’t even look me in the eye before.’

In his previous world, these things were just trash mobs that tucked their tails and ran.

Now one of them was baring its teeth at him—it felt almost laughable.

Thump!

He could feel blood rushing through his entire body.

‘This is my first real battle since coming to this world.’

His level was penalized, and his physical capabilities had been downgraded.

But he felt no fear.

“You’re just a damn mutt showing your teeth. You’ve gotten cocky.”

He radiated killing intent toward the direwolf, eyes gleaming with the desire to rip it apart.

No matter what body he was in now, it was absurd to feel threatened by a mob like this.

At that moment, Evan’s eyes flashed sharply.

[Due to the Conqueror’s Memory, the skill ‘Conqueror’s Scorn’ has been inherited.]

[You have acquired the universal conqueror ability: ‘Conqueror’s Scorn.’]

[‘Conqueror’s Scorn’ has been activated.]

As the messages appeared before Evan’s eyes, his body suddenly felt lighter.

His pounding heart calmed back to a steady rhythm.

Information surfaced in his mind.

[Conqueror’s Scorn: You have already conquered countless monsters. Your soul remembers those battles. You no longer receive level-based penalties against any monsters you’ve fought before.]

It was an effect that nullified level penalties.

Of course, it only applied to monsters he had fought in his previous world.

‘And I’ve beaten nearly every monster there was.’

There were almost no monsters Evan didn’t know.

‘So this is like the Conqueror skill I picked up in the training hall?’

Just as the body had skills and abilities, the soul seemed to retain them too.

Which meant that even in a different body, skills like Conqueror’s Scorn still applied.

Growl!

The direwolf suddenly began to tremble, as if gripped by fear.

Was it overwhelmed by the pressure coming from Evan?

***

After a moment of hesitation, the direwolf roared and charged at him.

Raaawr!

But its attack was more like a blind lunge than a calculated strike.

Evan wasn’t about to let something like that connect.

He skillfully dodged the beast’s gaping jaws and slashed at one of its legs with his sword.

Slice!

Unfortunately, it was just a shallow cut.

Only the surface of the skin had been nicked.

Growl!

But the creature’s reaction was odd.

It cried out in pain and froze in place, unable to launch a follow-up attack.

‘What the…? That wasn’t a fatal blow.’

While Evan kept his eyes on the direwolf’s condition, a figure appeared from the other side—Reynold.

“Young Master! It’s dangerous! Please, fall back now!”

In that moment, Evan realized what had happened.

Reynold’s harvesting dagger was lodged perfectly into a vital spot on the direwolf’s thigh.

‘Oh?’

Evan widened the distance between himself and the direwolf and shouted loudly.

“Buy me some time!”

Before he knew it, Alan came rushing up from behind.

“Young Master, please retreat quickly. Reynold and I will handle things from here!”

Alan, now cloaked in aura, charged at the direwolf.

Evan watched briefly before quickly opening the shop interface.

‘I wasn’t planning to use this method… but taking that thing down would be a huge gain.’

He began purchasing disposable buff scrolls from the shop.

[70,000 Merit Points have been consumed.]

[59,000 Merit Points have been consumed.]

Immediately, Evan used every scroll he had bought.

A surge of power swept through his entire body as multiple buffs took effect.

[Attack speed increased by 10%. (00:10:00)]

[Agility increased by 10. (00:10:00)]

[Attack power increased by 5%. (00:05:00)]

Evan readied his sword once more and charged at the direwolf.

***

Clang!

Reynold’s greatsword clashed with the direwolf’s claw.

The force of the impact pushed Reynold backward.

Even someone as large as Reynold struggled to stand against the direwolf’s strength.

“Damn it! You son of a—”

Reynold pulled back his greatsword, then swung it with all his might.

Whoosh!

The direwolf dodged the attack by quickly pulling its body back.

But Alan seized the opening and slashed at the beast’s belly.

Slash!

The direwolf roared in pain and began thrashing wildly.

RAAAWR!

Its massive body rampaged, making the earth tremble.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Fall back, Reynold!” Alan shouted urgently.

RAAAAAH!

The direwolf’s massive jaws snapped open and shut repeatedly as it lunged at Alan, trying to bite him.

Alan dodged and backed away, staying out of reach.

Just then, Reynold—standing behind Alan—gripped his greatsword with both hands and slashed at the monster’s leg.

Slice—!

The hit seemed to land well.

The direwolf began limping, favoring one leg.

But that also meant its target had changed.

Now, it turned toward Reynold, jaws gaping as it prepared to bite.

Clang!

Reynold raised his greatsword and blocked its mouth.

With one hand, he held the blade in place; with the other, he braced against the beast’s force.

It turned into a full-on power struggle.

Reynold screamed, pushing back with every ounce of strength he had.

“This is getting bad,” Alan muttered, biting his lip as he rushed over to assist Reynold.

Then he noticed something—Evan was running toward them from behind Reynold.

“W-Why are you back, Young Master?!”

Alan’s face turned pale as he sprinted even faster.

But Evan was moving unnaturally fast—almost too fast.

As he neared, Evan shouted to Reynold.

“Reynold, lower yourself just a little!”

The situation was too urgent for questions, so Reynold did exactly as Evan said and lowered his waist slightly.

The moment he did, the power balance he was barely maintaining tipped, and his body leaned dangerously.

“Aaargh!”

Even so, Reynold gritted his teeth and summoned all his strength to hold his ground.

“You’re holding up great. Let me borrow your shoulder for a second!”

Evan’s voice rang loudly from just behind him.

And in the same instant—

Thud!

Reynold suddenly felt a heavy weight press down on his back.

Evan had stepped onto his shoulder for a launch.

“Ghhk!”

Reynold endured it with everything he had.

And Evan used him as a platform—to leap straight toward the direwolf.

Evan adjusted his grip on the sword, holding it tightly with both hands.

He focused on the direwolf’s forehead and thought, ‘Its weak spot is the mana crystal in the center of its forehead.’

He could clearly see a blue gem embedded in the creature’s head.

Using the momentum from his leap and the full force of his weight, Evan soared forward and thrust his sword toward the crystal.

Thud!

The blade pierced through the mana crystal.

Cracks began to form across the surface.

Crackle!

Roaaar!

But the direwolf only grew more frenzied, thrashing about wildly.

It released the greatsword it had been biting and violently shook its head, trying to throw Evan off.

Evan, however, held firm, gripping the sword lodged in the direwolf’s forehead with both hands.

“Alan! Go for its legs! Reynold—you know what to do!”

Even while being flung around, Evan calmly gave orders to his companions.

Alan and Reynold were both taken aback by Evan’s composure and decisiveness.

Alan targeted the direwolf’s legs.

Reynold went for its vital points.

With each strike, the creature weakened.

Once the beast’s movements had slowed enough, Evan climbed up its head and onto its back to join the attack.

Shluk!

He drove his sword into the vulnerable spots along the direwolf’s spine.

Evan continued his assault until the creature finally collapsed.

***

Grrrgh…!

Thud!

The direwolf couldn’t withstand the barrage and fell lifeless to the ground.

[You have defeated the boss monster ‘Direwolf’!]

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

Evan gained seven levels at once.

He was already level 15.

‘My heavy body… it’s getting lighter.’

At first, it had felt like his entire body was rusted—just moving came with penalties.

Now, he’d surpassed the limits of an average human and had become a true hunter.

Evan looked down at the direwolf’s lifeless corpse.

“Tough bastard.”

He then told Alan to keep watch and ordered Reynold to begin the butchering.

“Make it quick.”

Reynold responded with vigor.

“Leave it to me!”

His face gleamed with joy.

The lord he had sworn allegiance to had once been a reckless fool.

Reynold hadn’t expected much from him.

But ever since they arrived here, Evan had shown a different side.

And after fighting the direwolf, Reynold’s previous prejudice had been completely shattered.

“Call me when you’re done. I’ll be talking with Alan in the meantime.”

“Understood!”

Reynold answered with deep respect in his voice.

His energy was off the charts.

Evan found it a bit odd but didn’t dwell on it.

He turned and walked over to Alan.

There was something urgent he needed to investigate.

“Alan, see if anything unusual is around here.”

“Huh?”

“The direwolf and the pack of wolves—we encountered too many. That means something’s going on. Let’s be sure and check.”

Alan looked concerned.

“Young master, it might be dangerous. Why don’t we leave this to the knights?”

Evan shook his head.

“No. With your skills and mine, we’re more than capable. Don’t worry about it. Besides, this is a great opportunity for me to get real combat experience.”

Alan thought it over and eventually nodded.

Maybe he had been overprotective.

‘He really has changed.’

Ever since the young master came back from the brink of death, his growth had been astounding.

He proved it by taking down the direwolf.

“Understood!”

Alan, inspired by Evan’s potential, headed out with renewed motivation.

As Alan disappeared into the trees, Evan fell into thought.

What he was looking for—an F-rank gate.

If there had been a direwolf nearby, then there was a good chance an F-rank gate had formed in the area.

‘If it’s just an F-rank gate—the easiest type—we can handle it together. It’ll actually be a huge help for leveling up.’

***

While waiting, Evan decided to make use of the time.

He opened the shop interface.

He would take full advantage of everything the Stage 1 Shop offered.

‘In the early stages, increasing stats through elixirs is a must.’

Each shop tier offered a recipe scroll for one elixir that could be purchased only once.

Stage 1 was no exception—even though it had little else of value.

These elixirs permanently boosted stats.

‘A way to increase power without leveling up.’

It was a key component to fast growth.

‘Now, what can I make right now…’

Evan turned to look at the direwolf’s corpse.

As he kept an eye on it, he purchased the recipe scroll for the elixir from the shop.

Once Reynold finished butchering the corpse, Evan sorted through the direwolf’s materials.

This was, by far, the most valuable reward from today’s battle.

The bones and hide would be used to craft new weapons, while the heart and mana pouch would be ingredients for a special elixir.

‘Since Alan’s not back yet… I’ll start with the elixir.’

Evan began crafting the Elixir of Ufr.

As long as he had the materials, it wasn’t difficult to make.

While putting the ingredients into his inventory, Evan gave Reynold another order.

“I’ll be crafting a weapon next. Keep watch while I work.”

“Understood! Take your time. I’ll guard the area!”

Reynold’s voice boomed as he marched off.

Now alone, Evan resumed the elixir crafting process.

[All materials for the Elixir of Ufr have been registered.]

[Crafting Elixir of Ufr.]

Once the recipe scroll was used, the crafting process took less than a second.

[Elixir of Ufr has been successfully crafted.]

The direwolf materials in his inventory vanished, and a new item appeared.

<Elixir of Ufr>

– [Grade: D]

– [Category: Consumable Item]

– [Effect: Increases Health by 5. Strength and Agility +5 to +15. Vitality +50 to +300.]

– [Notes: A rare elixir made using hard-to-obtain direwolf materials.]

‘The effect is incredible. But…’

Evan’s first feeling was disappointment.

The stat increases were random.

The difference between the lowest and highest rolls was massive—entirely dependent on luck.

He had dealt with this system in his previous world too, and it always made him anxious every time he consumed an elixir.

Once the Stage 2 Shop opened, better elixirs would become available.

Still, he didn’t want to miss out on what the Stage 1 Shop could offer.

‘As long as I avoid the lowest roll, I’ll break even.’

He wasn’t aiming too high.

Even a mid-tier result would make it worth it.

Without hesitation, Evan drank the Elixir of Ufr in one gulp.

Gulp!

As the elixir’s energy coursed through him, a system message suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

[Effect of Absorption Physique has been activated.]