Chapter 83


    In the dead of night, vin was roused from his sleep by a chorus ofughter and chatter. A mixed


    group of men and women strolled past the base of the mountain, seemingly unconcerned with the


    perils that lurked in the forest after dark, chatting andughing without restraint.


    "Is it them?" vin concealed himself at the mountaintop to watch. As the group crossed an open


    stretch ofnd, he recognized their identities by the faint moonlight. They were the very same


    ruffians who had provoked him earlier that day in the Fifth Arena.


    This troupe boasted fifteen members, each disying formidable strength; no wonder they were so


    brazen.


    vin hid carefully, making sure not to be detected. Hecked the strength to confront so many


    adversaries.


    "Wait!" A man in the group suddenly raised his hand.


    "What''s the matter?" The others were on alert, instinctively forming a defensive square, their faces


    smiling but their eyes sharp as daggers.


    "vin''s nearby," the man said with a smirk, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. He was the one


    who had goaded vin in the Fifth Arena, even going as far as to tamper with vin''s pack. But his


    touch was not without purpose; he had secretly smeared a special spice on the underside of the


    pack. This spice was colorless and odorless to the ordinary person, but he could trace its scent from


    miles away.


    Led by him, the fifteen-member squad had followed the scent all the way here. However, the spice


    had been applied three or four days ago, and its smell had faded, allowing him only to estimate a


    general vicinity.


    "Found him!" The men revealed vicious grins, their brows furrowed as they scanned the dense


    woods and the nearby towering mountain.


    "Are you certain?" A female Protégée, wielding an iron whip, stepped forward.


    "Positive!" The guy, Gus, was a Novice Mage of Stage VII, a Senior Protégé.


    "Split into groups of three and search. vin is close by; he might even be asleep."


    "Whoever finds him first, don''t rush to kill him; such amusing business should be enjoyed together."


    "We''ll search this way; you lot go where you will."


    "vin, I’ming for you."


    The fifteen split into five groups, weapons in hand and wicked smiles on their lips, with two groups


    heading directly towards the mountain where viny hidden.


    Atop the mountain, vin''s brow furrowed slightly as he drew three throwing knives from his belt,


    preparing to make his move. He wondered how he could have been discovered, but there was no


    time for such thoughts now. He had to break free before falling into their clutches, or they would


    indeed take his life.


    But just then...


    "Ah!!" A scream erupted from the group that had headed west.


    "Found him already?" The other four groups quickly turned and rushed over.


    But as the fifteen regrouped, their faces turned pale. Before them in the dark forest, pairs of


    gleaming green eyes shone, and shadowy figures stood silently, their cold gaze fixed upon the


    interlopers.


    The air was thick with the stench of blood. The atmosphere was oppressively eerie.


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    Magi-Monsters? They retreated cautiously, alert and wary, but the ''eyes'' in the darkness didn''t back


    away; instead, they advanced.


    With the help of the sparse moonlight, they finally discerned their assants.


    Wolves!


    Magi-Monsters, Tempest Wolves!


    Hundreds of Tempest Wolves, robust and muscr with ws glinting ominously and coarse ck


    fur, bared their fangs and drooled as they encircled the group in a tightening arc.


    The fifteen-member squad swallowed hard, and their breathing became more rapid at the sight of


    hundreds of Magi-Monsters – such ill fortune!


    "Conjure Combat Magic! Intimidate them!"


    The leadermanded in a low voice. He was the first to manifest his Combat Magic as a cold mist


    emanated from his body, spreading silently, and frosting the leaves and twigs beneath his feet. His


    hands crossed in front of him, and his palms formed delicate ice crystals.


    The rest, pushing past their fear, disyed their own Combat Magic. They were all Novice Mages of


    Stage VI or higher, with strength far surpassing that of the Tempest Wolves.


    The wolves did not attack immediately, seemingly hesitant. The tension was palpable, almost


    suffocating.


    "Don''t panic! For the love of the gods, don''t panic!"


    "Stand together, and look them in the eyes."


    The leadinger kept reminding them. Although they were stronger than the wolves, the pack


    numbered in the hundreds, each a fierce Magi-Monster. Should a battle ensue, it could well end in


    mutual destruction, or even in theirplete annihtion.


    The alpha wolf stepped forward, its size greater than that of a wild ox, its body a mass of bulging


    muscles, exuding a palpable sense of oppression. Majestic and murderous, with fangs bared and


    ws asrge as heads, it crushed branches underfoot as it approached.


    "Wait for my signal. No one moves without it," the leading Protégé, a Novice Mage of Stage IX,


    stood at the forefront, and his cold eyes locked with the alpha wolf''s.


    The alpha wolf let out a deep growl, seemingly issuing amand, and the surrounding pack


    joined in with low growls, their heads down, faces fierce, and eyes locked menacingly on the group.