Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 212: The Wolf That Destroyed the World (2)
The wolf howled at the falling meteor heading towards it.
[Howl!]
The howl was infused with intense heat. The meteor shattered instantly, and even the fragments evaporated. Not even moisture remained as it was all vaporized.
The howl didn’t stop there; it surged towards Taesan. He swiftly moved his wings.
A scorching heat brushed right past him.
The Wolf That Destroyed the World.
It must have burned the entire world to ashes.
“Ugh, aaahhh!”
The ones hiding, realizing they couldn’t survive, charged at the wolf. Standing still was no option; the heat was slowly draining their health, so they intended to kill the wolf before that happened.
But it was pointless. The wolf, amused by their attempt, chuckled and moved.
Crash.
The adventurers who charged forward were all crushed and trampled in a blur of motion. They vanished without even a chance to scream.
Their foolish deaths provided Taesan an opportunity.
As the wolf paused briefly to catch its breath after crushing them, Taesan lunged at it.
[You have activated Apostle Transformation: Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination.]
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[Growl!]
The wolf reacted instantly to Taesan’s sudden approach. It turned sharply, slamming its claws down. Taesan raised his sword.
[You have activated Deflection.]
Clang!
Deflection diverts the enemy’s attack. The trajectory of the claws that met the sword should have been deflected, but it wasn’t. The claws overpowered the twisted trajectory with sheer force and slammed down.
Crack!
Taesan narrowly deflected the wolf’s claws. Even though they barely grazed his forearm, they struck the ground with immense force.
[You have taken 2021 damage.]
Despite being a light graze, the damage was substantial. Taesan pulled his sword back and slashed along the wolf’s flank.
[You dealt 43 damage to the Fragment of the Wolf That Destroyed the World.]
The damage numbers appeared. Taesan clicked his tongue, and the wolf swung its claws again.
[You have activated Random Blink.]
Taesan’s body shifted above the wolf. The claws slashed through empty air. As Taesan descended, he channeled energy into his sword and stabbed at the wolf’s back.
[You dealt 203 damage to the Fragment of the Wolf That Destroyed the World.]
The damage was definitely higher than before, thanks to the spiritual force imbued in the attack.
However, the damage was still disappointingly low. Taesan couldn’t gauge the exact health of the wolf, but it was clear that this level of damage was far from sufficient.
As Taesan landed on the wolf’s back, a wave of heat surged around him. The flames tried to consume him, but Taesan quickly evaded.
“Wrapping around with force doesn’t work either.”
[What you received is the spiritual force of an Apostle. That over there is a wolf that destroyed a world. In terms of power… that one is superior. Even if it’s just a fragment.]
Devouring it instantly was impossible. Taesan remained calm and activated Essence Identification.
[You have activated Essence Identification.]
[Fragment of the Wolf That Destroyed the World]
[A being that turns everything to ashes.]
Its health was not visible. It meant this was an opponent that even Essence Identification couldn’t fully decipher, and Taesan would have to figure it out himself.
The wolf’s entire body was enveloped in flames. Those flames served as a sort of barrier, preventing Taesan’s attacks from fully penetrating.
In other words, he needed to wear down those flames.
Taesan spread his wings.
“Let’s take it slow.”
Mana was essentially infinite. The powder made from fairy wings not only restored health but also mana. The mana consumed by dozens of Frost Arrows was fully replenished in a brief moment.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crackle!
Frost spread throughout the world. A fierce cold aimed directly at the wolf.
[Growl!]
The wolf howled. The cold that began to spread across the world shattered and splintered into pieces.
“It’s not working.”
Frozen World is a useful skill against multiple enemies but is less effective against a single overwhelmingly powerful foe.
Taesan flew higher into the sky, using various spells. Frost Arrows, Searing Orbs, Wind Blasts—he continually aimed to irritate the wolf.
[Grumble…]
The wolf grew increasingly frustrated. It needed to quickly defeat the opponent in front of it and destroy the world, but time was being dragged out.
[Awoooooo!]
Suddenly, crimson flames flared up.
Flames began to gather in front of the wolf. The gathering flames started to swirl with the wind.
Crack!
Several hurricanes made of fire formed.
These hurricanes then consumed each other, merging into a single massive storm.
“Even for a beast, it’s using quite the variety of techniques.”
Taesan chuckled and moved his wings. The fiery storm chased after him as he moved.
Realizing it was an unavoidable attack, Taesan stopped evading.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crack!
Ice surged forward. But the storm only paused slightly before continuing its advance toward Taesan.
Magic alone wouldn’t stop it. Taesan gathered spiritual energy around his entire body and charged at the storm.
He swung his sword into the storm.
Crash!
The storm roared fiercely, spewing flames in all directions, trying to subdue Taesan.
Taesan wrapped himself more tightly in spiritual energy.
Crack!
Intense resistance struck him. The searing heat stifled his breath and shook the spiritual force surrounding his body.
Taesan focused his mind.
He concentrated on the sword touching the storm and stared at the raging storm before him.
This wasn’t just a simple storm of flames. It was an attack containing the essence of the wolf itself.
And such an attack always had a core somewhere.
He read the storm’s waves and movements through the vibrations felt along his sword.
Finding the hurricane’s core at the end, Taesan dove into the storm.
[You have taken 3051 damage.]
[You have taken 2043 damage.]
The flames engulfed him.
His skin started to turn red. His fingers began to burn slowly, and he felt suffocated. Ignoring the oncoming pain, Taesan drove his sword into the core.
Boom!
The storm exploded.
And as the storm dissipated, the wolf appeared.
Clang!
Taesan blocked the wolf’s attack and used the recoil to fly away. He swiftly pulled out a health recovery potion and drank it.
New flesh appeared on his burned skin.
His health was critically low. Even for Taesan, it was an attack that required taking a significant risk.
But he gained something as well.
The intensity of the flames emanating from the wolf noticeably weakened.
Taesan realized that the flames surrounding the wolf served both as offense and defense. In other words, when it used power to attack, its defenses naturally weakened.
The strategy was clear.
Taesan charged at the wolf. The wolf howled and charged back, slamming its claws down fiercely.
Clang!
Taesan twisted his sword to deflect the attack. The recoil still caused some damage, but it wasn’t unmanageable.
Taesan dodged under the wolf, moving his sword.
[You have activated Vital Strike.]
[You have activated Addition.]
Slash.
He cut through the wolf’s hind leg.
[You dealt 502 damage to the Fragment of the Wolf That Destroyed the World.]
The damage was still not very high, but it was noticeably greater than before.
The wolf tried to burn Taesan alive, unleashing flames downward. Taesan, seeing the sign, quickly pulled out his shield.
[You have activated Aegis Shield.]
Boom!
The flames exploded, pressing down on Taesan. But the Aegis Shield prevented any damage.
When the shield’s invincibility wore off, the flames subsided as well. Taesan drove a spike into the area he had attacked before and struck again.
[You have activated Spike.]
[You dealt 1304 damage to the Fragment of the Wolf That Destroyed the World.]
Finally, a four-digit damage number appeared.
The wolf bent its legs as if to crush him entirely, and Taesan barely escaped.
Taesan, creating some distance, looked at the wolf’s hind leg.
There was a very small wound there.
[Growl…]
The wolf silently bared its teeth, glaring at Taesan. Its eyes were filled with caution.
[Howl!]
The wolf lunged forward.
Taesan raised his sword in response.
He dodged the jaws that tried to engulf him by kicking off and avoided the claws that came crashing down.
[You have taken 4053 damage.]
The claws grazed his back. Bearing the pain, Taesan stabbed his sword into the wolf’s hind leg again.
[You dealt 2031 damage to the Fragment of the Wolf That Destroyed the World.]
Splash.
Blood spurted from the injured leg.
[Howl!]
For the first time, the wolf’s howl was filled with pain. It thrashed its body violently, sending flames scattering like sparks.
Taesan flapped his wings. With a straight motion, he dodged all the sparks flying out.
He dodged the wolf’s attacks as it leaped at him in an attempt to catch him.
The wolf spat fireballs from its mouth. Taesan narrowly dodged them and stabbed his sword into the wolf’s hind leg once more.
[Howl!]
The wolf howled loudly and thrashed its leg. The leg struck Taesan’s shoulder, as he failed to evade in time.
[You have taken 8053 damage.]
The damage was not negligible.
Taesan widened the distance again. The wolf was definitely not weak. For him to succeed in his attacks, he had to be willing to take some damage.
But unlike the wolf, he had a means to restore his health.
So far, he hadn’t had the luxury to drink potions during battle, but the Fairy Wings allowed him to stay airborne. Thanks to this, he had the time to dodge the wolf’s attacks and use potions.
[You have used a Health Recovery Potion.]
His health recovered again. Taesan gripped his sword and charged.
Clang!
As the battle continued, Taesan’s speed and strength grew due to his continuous combat skills. In contrast, the intensity of the wolf’s flames gradually diminished.
Slash.
The sword pierced the wolf’s leg again, and it howled in pain.
The wolf began to limp.
[Growl…]
The wolf’s eyes narrowed as it stared at Taesan.
The wolf remembered its own death.
When it was turning the world to ashes to fulfill its duty, countless lives stood in its way.
Among them were powerful magicians and the world’s strongest swordsman. Hundreds, thousands of individuals with remarkable abilities charged to kill it.
They were certainly strong. They had the power to kill the wolf.
But to the wolf, they held no value.
It was a monster born to bring about the end of the world. To such a being, they were nothing more than insignificant beings, mere parts of the world. In reality, they succeeded in killing the wolf, but they couldn’t prevent the world’s destruction.
However, the presence before it was different.
It was not just a mere accessory to the world. Its power, its essence, everything was superior to those who tried to stop it before.
The wolf decided. The priority now wasn’t the destruction of the world, but to kill the presence before it.
The wolf howled.
[Awooooooo!]
Whoosh!
The flames that engulfed the entire village extinguished. The oppressive heat that consumed the air began to subside.
[You take 164 damage.]
[You take 123 damage.]
The continuous damage gradually lessened and eventually disappeared entirely.
But Taesan’s expression wasn’t bright.
Until now, the wolf had seen Taesan merely as an obstacle to achieving its goal. But now, it recognized him as a genuine adversary, intent on killing him.
The Wolf That Destroyed the World had begun to focus its full attention on Taesan.
[Growl.]
The flames surrounding the wolf’s body grew thicker and turned a deep crimson.
Now, the real fight was about to begin. The wolf bent its hind legs. Its massive body shot toward Taesan like a bullet.