Chapter 209: Into the Pack
The first wolf stepped forward.
Then another.
Then suddenly the entire pack surged forward.
Ryn moved first.
His body shot forward the moment the wolves picked up speed.
The mana around him thickened sharply as he dashed ahead.
Arthur’s eyes followed him.
Oh?
Ryn’s sword lifted and came down in one clean motion.
Slash.
The blade cut straight through the neck of the first wolf.
Blood sprayed across the ground as the body dropped before it even realized it was dead.
Ryn didn’t stop.
He turned and moved to the next one in the same breath.
Another swing.
Another wolf collapsed.
Arthur’s eyes sharpened slightly.
He improved again.
Ryn’s blade moved smoother than before, faster, and the mana around it was sharper.
Their eyes met briefly across the battlefield.
Ryn mouthed something.
"You’re not the only one."
Arthur grinned.
Fair enough.
Behind them, the others noticed it too.
Torren laughed loudly as he blocked a wolf rushing him.
"Well damn, captain!"
Selene didn’t say anything but her next arrow flew faster.
She pulled the string back and released.
Thwip.
The arrow cut through the air and struck a wolf straight through the eye.
The beast dropped instantly.
She moved again without stopping, firing another shot while shifting her footing.
Training with the commander had changed her.
Her movements were smoother now.
Faster.
Another arrow flew.
Another wolf collapsed.
Each shot landed on a vital point.
She barely wasted any arrows.
Behind her, Althea lifted her hand and a faint glow surrounded the arrows as Selene fired.
The mana reinforcement sharpened their penetration even more.
Selene didn’t need to say anything.
They understood each other perfectly.
Meanwhile Torren held the center like a wall.
A wolf lunged for him.
Clang!
His shield slammed forward and knocked it sideways.
"Come on then!" he barked.
Another wolf rushed him.
Before it reached him—
Slash.
Ryn’s blade cut it down.
A third tried to flank him.
Thwip.
Selene’s arrow ended it.
Torren grinned.
"Teamwork!"
Althea watched everything calmly from the back.
Her attention moved between everyone.
Mana flowed from her hands, reinforcing where needed, strengthening movements, sharpening attacks.
She could fight directly if she wanted to.
But she didn’t need to.
Not when the formation worked better like this.
Arthur stood still for a moment.
Just watching.
His eyes moved across the battlefield.
Ryn cutting through wolves with calm precision.
Selene firing arrows that never missed.
Torren holding the line with steady confidence.
Althea guiding the flow quietly.
Even Nox moved along the edge, warning them whenever something tried to slip behind.
Arthur smiled slightly.
They really did grow.
The difference from when they first entered the dungeon was obvious.
Back then every fight had been tight.
Now?
The wolves were dying quickly.
Cleanly.
Once he saw they had settled into the fight, Arthur exhaled slowly.
"Alright..."
His mana shifted.
Intent Skin activated.
A thin layer of mana wrapped around his body like a second skin.
But Arthur didn’t stop there.
Wind gathered.
Not outside.
Inside the layer of mana.
His intent directed it, guiding the movement until the air around him began to swirl gently.
The wind around him wasn’t violent.
But it was sharp.
Alive.
Selene noticed first.
Her arrow paused slightly as she glanced toward him.
"...Arthur?"
Torren followed her gaze.
"...Oh boy."
The wind around Arthur suddenly tightened.
Then he moved.
For a split second he was there.
The next..
He vanished.
A blur of motion cut straight through the battlefield.
Shhht!
A wolf’s body split open before it even realized Arthur had passed.
Another turned to attack—
Slash.
Arthur appeared beside it for a fraction of a second.
His dagger flashed once.
The wolf dropped.
Then he was gone again.
Wind trailed behind him like a streak.
The sound of it cut through the air.
Shhht.
Shhht.
Shhht.
Every movement was clean.
Fast.
Precise.
Wolves tried to react but they were always a moment too slow.
Arthur moved between them like a storm they couldn’t see clearly.
Slash.
Another body fell.
Slash.
Another throat opened.
His dagger moved with frightening accuracy, each strike hitting exactly where it needed to.
No wasted motion or wasted effort.
Torren stared for a moment.
"...Okay that’s just on another level"
Selene fired another arrow but even she shook her head slightly.
"He’s enjoying himself."
Ryn didn’t say anything.
But a small smile appeared on his face as he watched Arthur blur through another group of wolves.
Arthur’s voice drifted back between movements.
"Don’t slow down!"
Then he vanished again.
Wind roared softly around him as he cut through the pack.
The wolves were still coming.
But now they were dying even faster.
Arthur’s grin widened as the wind carried him forward again.
This time straight into the center of the pack.
At first, they only saw him in pieces.
A blur. Or a shift in air.
A flash of movement that didn’t stay long enough to fully register.
Arthur moved through the wolves like he didn’t belong in the same space as them. One second he was there, the next he was gone, and only after a heartbeat did the result appear.
Slash..
A body split.
Then..
Thud.
It dropped.
Blood followed late, like the world was trying to catch up to what had already happened.
Torren blinked mid-swing.
"..Did he just..."
"Focus!" Ryn snapped, even though his own eyes had tracked Arthur for a second too long.
It was hard not to.
Arthur wasn’t just fast.
He was clean.
Every movement had purpose. No wasted motion, no struggle. The wind wrapped around him, not wild, but controlled, tight, almost like it was part of his body.
Selene let an arrow fly.
Thwip!
It struck a wolf through the throat, but even as she reached for the next one, her eyes flickered again.
"...That’s not normal.. even for a freak."
Althea didn’t respond as she was watching too.
Trying to understand.
But Ryn saw it clearer than the rest.
He noticed Arthur wasn’t just using wind.
He had layered it.
His mana skin was already reinforcing his body, but now the wind was woven into it.