[New Content] | Chapter 37: Mana Evaluation
The third wave was challenging, especially since Ember was conserving mana. Fighting nine wild beasts under such constraints was far tougher than he had imagined. It took a quarter of an hour, but Ember persevered, dispatching all nine adversaries one by one.
Regrettably, he did not come out of the scrap unscathed. With the Mirage Chamber having stolen away the comfort of his protective ward, Ember had only his light armour to defend against the beasts' menacing claws and bites. Ultimately, he didn't fare too badly. He managed to avoid their teeth, but he wasn't so lucky with the claws, not when facing nine opponents simultaneously.
It only became easier as more of the adversaries fell by his hands, until only one opponent remained. Ember did not finish it off straight away. Since the next wave would manifest as soon as he dispatched it, he left it wounded for a while to catch his breath and recover his mana. The next batch of enemies would be even tougher.
The fourth wave brought only a single adversary. It was the same old grey wolf, but bulkier, standing over half a metre taller than the rest he had faced so far. Its bulk was packed with sinewy muscle, and its maw was filled with jagged teeth. As for its toughness, Ember had not faced any Tier 4 beasts in any of his outings to speak much of it. He would find out soon enough.
Ultimately, the Tier 4 wolf did not prove too difficult. A single Tier 3 spell could not make much headway against its Iron defences, even when plunged straight into its neck. However, by putting his blade to good use and targeting the same places repeatedly, Ember wore it down eventually before dispersing it into glittering mist.
If only the fourth wave had ended there.
It did not.
As soon as the wolf fell, two more of its compatriots manifested on either side of Ember, each one equally menacing.
Tier 4 wolves were stronger and faster than he was, and with their tough defences, Ember had to give everything he had to contend with them. Blitz Steps proved to be his most useful skill. Ember used it to escape their pouncing claws to the best of his ability, though he did not succeed every time. With their savage strength, they began to tear apart his light armour. But Ember ultimately triumphed over the two beasts, spending the last vestige of his mana.
Once again, he decided to keep one of the beasts alive for a while, to catch his breath and recover whatever little mana he could. Sadly, a Tier 4 beast wasn't easy to deal with even when it was weakened.