Hulim Heyerar had heard that name ever since she could remember. Her father always brought it up whenever he bragged about his past exploits—it was a story he never tired of telling.

  Which begged the question: was her father Rezelian so proud of slaying a Forest Colossus Wolf simply because he had hunted too few monsters in his life?

  No. Quite the opposite, in fact.

  Rezelian had slain countless C-Rank monsters. Whether during his service in the knight order or later in his role as a peacekeeper, he had never been short of monster-hunting missions.

  Was it then because the Forest Colossus Wolf was an especially dangerous beast with a huge bounty on its head?

  Again, the answer was no.

  Bounties for hunting Forest Colossus Wolves were so rare as to be almost nonexistent—and that was because they were indigenous creatures of Himril, not monsters!

  Unless they posed a severe threat to human settlements, people never took the initiative to drive them away.

  The reason Rezelian valued that chance encounter so highly was simple: Forest Colossus Wolves were incredibly powerful—they were the absolute pinnacle of C-Rank creatures. No other C-Rank being, whether an indigenous Himril creature, an invading monster, or a beast mutated into a monster by demonic miasma, could surpass their strength. At best, others could only come close.

  These uniquely powerful creatures boasted an extremely long history. Even in the oldest ruins ever unearthed by humans, records of them could still be found.

  According to ancient texts, all Forest Colossus Wolves originated from the same northern forest. They were not always known by this name—the original moniker had been lost to the river of time. Later generations, drawing only on fragmented memories, called them “giant wolves from the forest,” and eventually, the name stuck.

  Unlike ordinary wolf species, Forest Colossus Wolves were solitary creatures. Once they left their birth forest, they never interacted with their own kind again. For some unknown reason, they loved to wander the world, earning them the nickname “Wandering Wolves.” They were revered and celebrated by many minstrels and wandering merchant caravans.

  Furthermore, Forest Colossus Wolves possessed exceptional intelligence—rumor had it they could even understand human speech.

  Their personalities were wildly diverse: some were curious, some aloof, some friendly toward humans, others hostile. Practically every individual had a distinct character—a trait unheard of among normal Himril animals......

  Though she had only laid eyes on it for a brief moment, Hulim Heyerar could tell from its arrogant and indifferent gaze that the Forest Colossus Wolf before her was far from friendly toward humans.

  As she had suspected, the Forest Colossus Wolf merely glanced over the goblin tribe, taking in the aftermath of the battle in an instant. Then its eyes locked onto the only human present—its lofty gaze cold and indifferent.

  It did not even deign to attack itself. Instead, it opened its mouth and let out a single howl.

  “Woo——!”

  At its command, hundreds of wolves charged into the goblin tribe.

  The Forest Colossus Wolf itself remained standing motionless, surrounded by its pack. Like a proud sovereign, it watched its loyal subjects wage war in its name.

  Unlike goblins, wolves had no ulterior motives—they faithfully obeyed their king’s orders without question.

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  The fallen goblins were doomed. One by one, the wolves slit their throats. Those who struggled to crawl toward the huts were quickly overtaken, meeting the same gruesome fate.

  Given the size of the pack led by this Forest Colossus Wolf, there was no way they had stumbled upon the tribe purely by following the scent of blood. A super pack this large would control an enormous territory—and the stench of blood could never have traveled that far.

  It was far more likely that the goblin tribe had been their target from the very beginning.

  Unfortunately for the wolves, Hulim Heyerar had beaten them to the punch.

  Of course, expecting the wolves to thank her was out of the question. The only gratitude they would offer was to make her their dinner.

  “Grrr!”

  “Grrr!”

  Several wolves lunged at Hulim Heyerar.

  These ordinary pack members clearly lacked the Forest Colossus Wolf’s level of intelligence. They judged threats solely by size and weaponry—and Hulim Heyerar, who looked like a mere human child wielding nothing more than a stick-like wand, was dismissed as completely harmless.

  “【????????????????????????????????????】”

  “Fire Barrier!”

  A wall of flame erupted out of nowhere, catching the wolves off guard. They crashed straight into it before they could even react.

  Instantly engulfed in flames, they howled in agony and rolled around on the ground. But for wolves covered in thick fur, fire was a mortal enemy. Their thrashing only fanned the flames; soon enough, their movements grew weaker and weaker until they fell still.

  The commotion did not escape the notice of the other wolves.

  What they had thought would be an easy hunt suddenly turned tense. Their assessment of Hulim Heyerar’s threat level skyrocketed.

  “Awooo——!”

  Perhaps the Forest Colossus Wolf was displeased by its subjects’ foolishness, or perhaps it had gleaned something from Hulim Heyerar’s display of power.

  It began to direct the pack with a series of sharp howls.

  “Awooo!”

  “Awooo!”

  “Awooo......”

  Dozens of wolves charged at Hulim Heyerar from all directions at once.

  “【???????????????????????????????????????????????????】”

  “Ring of Repulsion!”

  BOOM!

  A massive ring of fire exploded outward from Hulim Heyerar’s position, repelling the wolves’ charge in an instant. The wolves at the forefront were set ablaze, screaming in pain as they were thrown back.

  The pack suffered heavy casualties, and their offensive ground to a halt.

  Yet under the Forest Colossus Wolf’s command, they quickly reorganized for another assault.

  Hulim Heyerar was about to cast the same spell again.

  SWISH——!

  SWISH——!

  SWISH......

  Suddenly, a hail of projectiles came hurtling toward her.

  “Not good!”

  Her eyes darted to the source: several Spiny-tailed Wolves were lurking behind the main pack, lashing their tails violently. With each flick, a shower of sharp quills shot forth.

  Hulim Heyerar was forced to abandon casting Ring of Repulsion, twisting her body to dodge the incoming attack. But there were far too many quills—she couldn’t avoid them all.

  The sharp projectiles struck her like arrows, leaving a trail of bleeding gashes across her body and tearing her clothes to shreds.

  Fortunately, Hulim Heyerar had never dispelled the Third-Tier non-elemental spell Barrier. Bolstered by its defensive power, the quills only pierced her skin, unable to penetrate any deeper.

  “【???????????????????????????????????】”

  “Wind Barrier!”

  Fighting through the pain, Hulim Heyerar unleashed the spell. A dense shield of green wind materialized around her body, deflecting the incoming quills the moment they struck.

  The immediate crisis was averted.

  But a new threat was already closing in fast.

  This time, the charge was led by a horde of tough-skinned Dire Wolves—faster and far more powerful than the others.

  Their massive heads, which made up a large portion of their bodies, looked positively intimidating.

  “【?????????????????????????????????????】”

  “Rock Barrier!”

  Hulim Heyerar hastily cast the earth-elemental spell, summoning a ring of stone walls around herself.

  THUD!

  THUD!

  THUD......

  A rain of impacts shook the walls, causing them to tremble violently. But somehow, they held firm.

  The Dire Wolves shook their heads to clear the daze, then circled the stone walls. Finding no entrance, they lowered their enormous foreheads and charged straight at the barrier.

  Their thick, massive skulls acted like battering rams, slamming relentlessly against the stone walls.