Watching the Rock Barrier teeter on the verge of collapse, Hulim Heyerar’s mind raced as she scrambled for a plan.
“......There are far too many wolves, and with that terrifying Forest Colossus Wolf leading them, lingering would be a death sentence. I have to retreat—now.”
With that thought,
Hulim Heyerar cast a spell without hesitation.
“【????????????????????????????????????????????????????????】”
“Wind Wings!”
A green glow flared to life behind her back, and a cyclone swirled around her feet. Seconds later, her body lifted slowly into the air.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH......
No sooner had she risen above the Rock Barrier than a hail of quills came hurtling toward her from the Spiny-tailed Wolves. But Hulim Heyerar had anticipated this attack. Even though maintaining multiple spells was draining her mana rapidly, she refused to dispel the Wind Barrier.
“Awooo!”
Spotting Hulim Heyerar ascending, several Dire Wolves let out fierce howls and charged at her. They leaped into the air, jaws snapping, trying to drag her down—but they were too late. Hulim Heyerar had already climbed beyond their maximum jumping height.
Staring down at the pack of wolves massing below, Hulim Heyerar pointed her wand at the ground.
“This is payback.”
“【????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????】”
“Earth Grasp!”
RUMBLE!
As the spell took effect, the ground around the wolves churned violently, morphing into a colossal earthen hand that crashed down on the unsuspecting beasts.
“Awooo!”
“Awooo......”
Dozens of wolves were swallowed whole by the earth before they could even scream. The rest scattered in all directions, fleeing the giant hand’s reach in a panic.
Hulim Heyerar glanced at the retreating wolves, then at the Forest Colossus Wolf standing motionless in the distance. She hesitated for a moment, then decided against pressing her attack.
Just then, her eyes caught sight of a massive figure hiding inside a half-collapsed hut. A new idea sparked in her mind.
“If I take that thing out, Semiris will come back, and this crisis will be over in an instant...... But would that really count as standing on my own two feet?”
She thought back to the task Semiris had given her that day.
Wasn’t the whole point to teach her how to face danger alone?
Running into a wolf pack had been an accident, sure—but if she resorted to killing the Goblin Lord just to call for backup, then she would have failed, wouldn’t she? Even if she technically completed the mission.
“Live a little longer, then......”
She lowered her wand, taking it off the Goblin Lord. Glancing one last time at the restless wolf pack, she prepared to fly away.
The wolves would never let the Goblin Lord survive. Even if she didn’t deliver the killing blow, the goblin tribe had been destroyed because of her actions—and she had done it without asking for help. That should be enough to complete Semiris’s task.
Retreating stung her pride, but she knew it was a valid strategy for surviving crises. Not everyone had the skill to escape alive from a hopeless situation like this.
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“Good thing wolves can’t fly......”
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH......
Just as Hulim Heyerar climbed higher, ready to fly off into the distance, several wind slashes shot out of nowhere. They shattered her Wind Barrier in an instant—and one of them struck her Wind Wings directly.
The wings dissolved into green motes of light, and Hulim Heyerar’s body plummeted uncontrollably toward the ground.
“【?????????????????????????????????????????????】”
“Water Levitation——!!!”
At the very last second, just before she hit the ground, Hulim Heyerar managed to cast the spell.
SPLASH!
A fountain of water burst forth from the earth, cushioning her fall and saving her from injury.
“Lucky I kept Haste active. It slowed my descent enough to cast the spell.”
Dispelling the Water Levitation, Hulim Heyerar’s heart still raced with lingering fear. She tightened her grip on her wooden wand, knowing that escape was no longer an option......
“......Semiris was right. Overcoming danger is easy compared to escaping it alive.”
Hulim Heyerar lifted her head, her gaze locking onto the direction the wind slashes had come from.
When she saw the true identity of her attackers, everything clicked into place.
They were wolves with faint green auras swirling around their paws.
D-Rank Wind Wolves!
......
“Wrrrrr~!”
“Grrr!”
“Grrr......”
The wolves’ snarls echoed just inches away. There was no time left to think. Hulim Heyerar raised her wand high above her head and unleashed another spell.
“【?????????????????????????????????????????????????】”
“Scorching Curtain!”
BOOM!
A towering wall of flame erupted across the goblin tribe, buying Hulim Heyerar a precious few moments of respite.
“Awooo!”
“Awooo!”
“......”
The wolves circled the fire wall, probing for weaknesses. Countless quills shot through the flames, aiming for Hulim Heyerar inside—but most of them were incinerated mid-flight, turning to charcoal and crumbling to the ground.
“With Wind Wolves on their side, escaping by air is impossible. Should I try another trick? Like Shadow Sneak......”
“No. Shadow Sneak requires shadows to hide in, and it takes time to merge with them. The second I drop the Scorching Curtain, the wolves will swarm me. I’ll never have enough time to cast it.”
“......”
“So it really is fight or die......”
Beneath the blazing fire wall, surrounded by the wolves’ endless howls, Hulim Heyerar gripped her wand tightly with both hands. Her expression was calmer than it had ever been.
BOOM!
A wind slash slammed into the Scorching Curtain, blasting a hole straight through it. The gap sealed shut almost immediately—but more wind slashes followed in quick succession, tearing open new breaches with each strike. Through the gaps, Hulim Heyerar could see the wolves’ bloodthirsty eyes glinting in the firelight.
“GRRR——!”
A Dire Wolf spotted an opening and lunged through, eager to pounce.
But the second it stepped inside the fire wall, a jagged spear of stone erupted from the ground, piercing its body clean through.
The moment the Rock Spear struck home, the Scorching Curtain covering the entire area vanished without a trace.
The sudden disappearance of the flames caught the wolves off guard. By the time they recovered from their shock, a figure was already charging straight at them.
“【????????????????????????????????????????????????????】”
“Water Cannon!”
A massive jet of water exploded forward, carving a path through the wolf pack. Wolves were crushed by the sheer force of the spell, their blood mixing with the water to paint the ground crimson.
SPLASH!
Hulim Heyerar sprinted across the blood-soaked earth, pressing her advantage and charging onward.
“Awooo!”
Behind her, the fastest Dire Wolves scrambled over each other in their haste to give chase. Wolves closed in on her from both sides, forming a tightening noose, while even more charged straight at her from the front.
But even as she ran, Hulim Heyerar was already chanting the incantation for her next spell—right after casting the last one.
Just as the wolves were about to encircle her completely, she unleashed the spell she had been preparing.
“【?????????????????????????????????????????????????????】”
“Gale Blast!”
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from Hulim Heyerar’s position, rippling outward in all directions.
Dozens of wolves were sent flying into the air. When they crashed back down to the ground, some were gravely injured, others were killed instantly, and the tougher ones—like the Dire Wolves—only suffered minor wounds. They shook their heads to clear the daze and stood back up, ready to fight again.
Ring of Repulsion would have inflicted more damage on the wolves, but it rooted her in place while casting—and its effects took time to spread. When speed was the priority, Gale Blast was far more effective. Its effects were instantaneous.
Even though it hadn’t killed as many wolves as she had hoped, Gale Blast had cleared a space around her—at least for now.
