“This might be a good opportunity,” Henry mused as he stared intently at the Runic Wolves, and then at his lover.

Alani, who sensed Henry’s gaze, looked up to match his gaze. “W-what opportunity?” she asked. A tinge of worry brimming in the corner of her eyes. After having been embraced by Henry, she became acquainted with his mischievous side.

Whenever he was about to tease her, he would give her the same eyes he was giving now. Alani gulped, uneasily awaiting Henry’s mischievous idea.

“This is a good opportunity for you to learn and grow,” he said with a reassuring smile.

But Alani was no less reassured. “To learn and— what? You want me to fight these wolves?”

Henry nodded.

“T-that’s absurd! These aren’t even normal wolves or Dire Wolves. They are Runic Wolves. The difference between the former two and the latter one is like day and night. I could never—”

“Yes, you can, Alani.”

“No, I can’t.”

“You can. You are now my bride, Alani. My wife. You are capable. I forgot to tell you something.”

Alani raised an eyebrow.

“Those who became my spouse also gain a portion of my strength or something along those lines. Yula has shown me that miracle. You are stronger than ever before simply because you are now my mate.”

Alani looked at Henry as if she was waiting for him to tell her it was all just a joke… but he never did. “Serious?”

Henry nodded.

Alani gasped but it was more of a deep inhale. She turned her gaze towards the Runic Wolves that were being kept at bay by Henry’s intimidating aura. Each of the wolves knew if they took even a single step forward, they would be struck down immediately.

“You can do it. Besides, I am here. Everything will be alright.”

Alani’s gaze did not wander from the Runic Wolves. She nodded and gripped her swords tightly.

“I don’t know if this will help but… treat this battle as if you’re facing people instead of beasts.”

Alani nodded again at Henry’s words. She took a step forward and the Runic Wolves growled in response, confused by her action.

When Alani took another step forward and Henry backed away from her, the faces of the Runic Wolves gleamed with glee. They saw the opportunity and they didn’t hesitate.

Although the Runic Wolves didn’t hesitate, that didn’t mean they were foolish. They sent only one of their own at first, to test the waters.

Alani flinched at the Runic Wolf’s speed, and her hands trembled. But then, she remembered Henry’s words, his presence, and his confidence in her. She steadied her hands and raised her swords as she lunged at the Runic Wolf.

Alani attacked first, swiping at the Runic Wolf. The beast hopped over the attack and stretched forward to get a bite of Alani. She slumped her body down to avoid the Runic Wolf’s fangs.

Alani spun around with her swords swinging just as the Runic Wolf made its landing. The beast leapt into the air, dodging Alani’s sword but she had another one. She thrust her other sword at the Runic Wolf, whose mouth was open wide, preparing to sink its fangs into Alani’s flesh.

Unfortunately for the wolf, it was Alani’s sword that sank into its flesh instead. Her sword pierced its head through its open mouth.

“Shit,” Alani muttered. She had plunged her sword too deep into the wolf’s head. It would be hard to pull out, especially in a situation where there were other enemies waiting in line to get a piece of her.

Seeing the window, a Runic Wolf charged at Alani.

Alani contemplated discarding the sword that was stuck on the carcass. However, with only a little effort, she pulled the sword out of the dead wolf’s head. She knew her strength well, or so she thought.

In the corners of her eyes, she saw a faint smile on Henry’s face. He had not been exaggerating about her strength. She was truly stronger than before. She didn’t realise it until now since she had only been in the company of individuals whose strengths existed outside of the norm. She had tried hunting the monsters in Ulrum and it was difficult, to say the least.

She knew the monsters in Ulrum were different from the ones outside of the forest. But she didn’t know just how vast of a difference there was.

Wielding both her swords once again, she swung at the Runic Wolf who lunged at her thinking she was vulnerable. Both of her swords cleaved cleanly right through the Runic Wolf’s head.

The other Runic Wolves who witnessed this sight shuddered.

At first, they didn’t understand why the male allowed his female to fight by herself. They didn’t care. They merely saw it as an opportunity to easily take down their prey. But now, they understood their foolishness. The male allowed his female to fight because she was more than enough.

“I can do this,” Alani mused as she turned her focus to the remaining Runic Wolves.

Henry unleashed his wings and flew into the sky but not too far away from Alani, just enough of a distance for him to swoop in if she was in any danger.

The Runic Wolves also understood they were merely allowed to live by the whims of the strange creature that was taking the form of a human. They could not retreat. And so, they decided to just advance forward. They would rather go down fighting.

The Runic Wolves let out a howl in tandem before they all rushed at Alani.

She took out a smoke bomb, a staple tool of hunters, and threw it under her feet.

The Runic Wolves had sharp senses of smell. They could still perceive Alani even if their vision was obstructed. However, that didn’t mean they could adapt to the change in a split second, nor could they perceive her as efficiently as using their eyes.

Alani took advantage of this split second to quickly take down two Runic Wolves by thrusting her swords into the throats, which were exposed since they leapt at her.

Alani pulled her swords out with ease and moved on to her next targets. It was a feat she normally couldn’t do since she would need to take a breather and exert great strength to pull her swords out.

It wasn’t just her strength that had seen exponential growth. She was faster than before too. There was more than ten feet between her and her next target, but she closed the gap in a single second.

Wasting no time, she swiftly dispatched the Runic Wolf in front of her. As the smoke began to clear, she was already choosing her next target. A grin formed on her face, unbeknownst to herself.

Alani had felt something was different about herself ever since the night she was embraced by Henry. Her steps were lighter. Her vision was clearer. She had chalked that feeling up to being the afterglow of having sex with a man for the first time.

Now, she knew better. It was no fluke. It was not just her imagination. She had indeed experienced a change and it was no small change.

Eventually, the smoke dissipated and only four Runic Wolves were left. Alani stood in the middle of a carcass field, strewn with dead Runic Wolves that were all killed from a lethal strike to their heads.

Alani was panting as she stared at the last four Runic Wolves who had now become wary of her. Though she was stronger and faster, she still had her limits and she was approaching them. Still, she didn’t feel like she would lose.

The Runic Wolves were stronger, faster, and smarter than Dire Wolves but in the end, they were merely beasts without proper intellect.

As such, Alani charged towards the remaining Runic Wolves. Instead of meeting her charge, the Runic Wolves flinched in terror in response to Alani’s fervour. Their astonishment lasted for a few seconds before the instincts beckoned them to strike back.

They roared and met Alani’s charge together. Alani smirked and took out an object that was similar to the smoke bomb she had thrown before. It was only similar but anyone could easily tell it was different. However, the Runic Wolves couldn’t.

Alani tossed the ball at the Runic Wolves and they skidded to a stop, bracing themselves for the explosion— that never came. In their confusion, Alani kicked some dirt into the eyes of the Runic Wolf on the further right.

She plunged her swords right into its head while it was trying to shake the dirt off its eyes. The rest of the Runic Wolves snapped out of their daze and saw another one of their kind being slaughtered.

Using her newfound strength, Alani tossed the dead Runic Wolf she just killed at the remaining three. Seeing the carcass of their own brethren being thrown at them was sure to startle them. Once again, taking advantage of their confusion, Alani moved in for the next kill.

Unfortunately, the Runic Wolves had seen through her trick. Instead of carving into the head of her target, her blade was stuck in its fangs. More precisely, the Runic Wolf had stopped her sword by trapping the blade with its bite.

The other two Runic Wolves saw the opportunity and rushed at her.

“No other choice,” she muttered and let go of the sword that the Runic Wolf refused to budge from.

Then, she threw her other sword at the two Runic Wolves rushing at her. Her throw did not hit any of the two. It simply struck and remained lodged on the ground. She wasted her chance, or she would have if hitting the wolves was her intention in the first place.

Since the Runic Wolf refused to let go of her sword, she let the beast have it and she took the wolf into her arms. Yes, she was carrying the Runic Wolf with her bare arms and hoisted it above her head. It was a gamble but it paid off. She knew she was strong but she didn’t realise she was strong enough to carry a Runic Wolf until now.

She then slammed the Runic Wolf to the ground and it retched due to the air being expelled from its body. Naturally, that means her sword was free from the wolf’s jaws. She quickly snatched her sword and plunged right into its head.

Unlike before, Alani did not move on to her next target immediately. She was nearing the bottom of her stamina. That last action took a lot out of her. Now, every joint in her body was screaming at her. Her limbs felt like they were burning.

She wanted to give up but if she did… she would never be able to live with herself. She wanted to stand by Henry’s side, not just as some trophy. This battle was her rite of passage. Her defeat or victory would define her worth.

A minute passed after Alani killed the last third Runic Wolf. The remaining two had yet to move from their positions. They both knew and understood Alani’s abilities and they were now more careful than before.

Runic Wolves were smart. They wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice. Alani could only sigh when she thought about that. This meant she would have to be straightforward with her assault this time. No more tricks. But she was running on fumes. She could no longer match the Runic Wolves’ speed and ferocity.

Perhaps sensing her dilemma, the Runic Wolves began to move. Instead of charging directly at her, they circled around her with each of the two always directly across one another.

“Damn it,” Alani tutted. If she still had two of her swords, this would still be doable but she had thrown away one and it was not within range for her to recover it.

The outcome was bleak no matter what idea she thought of… but it was no guarantee of her defeat. The result would be unfavourable but not undesirable.

“Seems like I can’t win this without getting hurt after all.”