Alaric and the others noticed, too.

The shifters instantly turned into their partial transformation while the mages grabbed their rods and were ready to strike.

A moment later, thirteen wolves emerged and approached them slowly.

The alpha wolf was already at 2-star and nearly two meters tall, while the pack members were all 1-star.

Aveline stepped forward and gave an order. "Hunter-Guard Formation!"

All the shifters dashed toward the wolves, while the mages used long-range magic to support them.

Every time a wolf got close to the wagon, half of the mages would shift their focus and strike it mercilessly.

Once the target died, they would go back to supporting the shifters again.

While Sofia and Alaric faced the pack leader, Ren and the others fought the subordinates fiercely.

They tried their best to kill the followers as fast as possible so they could help Sofia and Alaric deal with the alpha.

*Roar...

Ren used the Roar of Dominance to help the others gain the advantage.

Since they were at the same rank as him, his roar struck terror into their souls. All of the pack members stopped fighting instantly while their bodies trembled in fear.

Elara and the others didn’t waste the opportunity and used their skills to kill them.

Blood flew into the air as screams of agony echoed throughout the area.

Even though some of the blood fell into their clothes, they showed no sign of caring because at that moment, what they had in mind was only one thing.

Kill as many wolves as possible!

They didn’t want any casualties, so they only focused on the enemies around them.

While Ren was slashing the red-eyed wolf with his daggers, Elara’s eyes were fixed on the two wolves four meters away from her.

She didn’t rush toward them immediately because she wanted to try out her Wings Tempest skill.

’This is a perfect time to test it.’

The green grass around her swayed wildly as she drew in the surrounding air.

The more she gathered, the heavier her wings became.

Once she thought it was enough, she stopped pulling the air and flipped her wings, shooting two whirlwinds straight at the wolves.

*Whoosh...

Dry leaves on the ground were blown into the air as the whirlwinds shot forward at an incredible speed.

The moment her attack hit the wolves, a few cuts appeared on their bodies, and they were sent flying several meters from where they were.

Ren, who noticed the opening, didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

Before the wolves fell to the ground, he rushed toward them and cut off their necks in one clean motion, separating their heads from their bodies.

Once he eliminated them, he turned to Elara and gave her a thumbs-up. "Well done, Elara!"

Elara’s lips curled up into a smile as her breathing grew slightly heavy.

Her massive wings shrank back to their original size as she dashed toward him, striking their enemies and supporting him.

As Elara and Ren were showing perfect teamwork, Alaric and Sofia attacked the pack leader continuously.

They had the advantage in the fight because the alpha wolf was not as powerful as the 2-star leopard that attacked their village three weeks ago.

"Die!" Alaric’s right arm turned into that of an elephant as he charged at the pack leader.

The moment his fist landed on its head, blood splashed out of its mouth and its body was sent flying into the air, hitting several trees before finally rolling on the ground.

Sofia didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

Before the alpha wolf could stand up, she sent a massive flame arrow toward him.

As the arrow shot through the air, the green grass beneath it burned away, leaving behind a trail of fire in a straight line.

The pack leader could not avoid her lethal attack because its body had just crashed into a boulder.

"Arrrwoooo!" the alpha cried out in pain.

Since an opportunity to end its life had arisen, Alaric and Sofia launched another strike, aiming at its fatal areas.

They showed no mercy and bombarded it with deadly attacks because there was no such word in their dictionary for enemies.

A moment later, the alpha wolf died, and its beast core floated above the corpse.

Alaric and Sofia didn’t take it right away.

Instead, they turned around and observed the situation.

The moment their gaze fell on Ren and Elara, their face broke into a smile.

’They were truly made for each other.’

Both Alaric and Sofia were amazed by their teamwork because they understood each other without saying a single word.

Shortly after that, the fight finally ended.

Even though they were all injured, none of them died.

After Aveline treated their wounds, they took the beast cores and rested near the hill.

"There are only thirteen beast cores. How do we divide them?" Aveline asked their opinion.

"Village head, how about we give them to Ren and Elara?" the red-haired man voiced out his idea. "They are going to take the Pillar Organizations’ test, so they need to grow stronger quickly to increase their chances of being accepted."

"What do you think, everyone?" Even though it was a good idea, Aveline didn’t agree right away because they had all contributed greatly to the battle that had just ended.

"I agreed!"

"Me too!"

"Yeah! That’s a good idea! They are our future, so it’s better to invest in them."

One by one, they voiced out their agreement.

Since none of them objected, Aveline handed the beast cores to Ren and Elara. "As you have heard, they all agreed to give them to you."

"Thank you!" Ren and Elara said in unison.

"Don’t forget to take first place, Ren!"

"You too, Elara! Take second place! That way, our village will dominate the trial! Haha!"

"That’s right! That’s right! Haha!"

Of course, they would not be upset if they failed because their future was not determined by whether they passed or not.

They said it just to tease them, nothing more than that.

Ren and Elara didn’t answer, but they nodded their heads together, giving a sign that they would do their best in the upcoming test.

Shortly after that, they continued their journey.

When the sun was setting, they stopped and set up their tents. Once everything was done, Ren and Elara absorbed their best cores.

They did it again after dinner because they wanted to become stronger quickly.

At 11:00 pm, they stopped and slept in their tents.

----

The following morning, they continued their journey.

Unlike yesterday, they didn’t encounter any magical beasts this time.

When the sun was about to set, they stopped and rested under a shady tree.

Ren and Elara didn’t absorb their beast cores immediately because the villagers wanted to talk with them.

"Ren, take Elara around after the test. She has never been to Delvia Town before." Alaric spoke abruptly.

"I will!" Ren replied instantly. "I will take her to many beautiful places later."

"Haha! Great!" Alaric liked his answer.

"It seems like someone will have intimate moments later. Haha!" the red-haired man laughed as he teased Elara and Ren.

Ren acted normally while Elara glanced at him shyly.

Of course, she was thrilled because she would visit many places with him later.

As they were chatting happily, Aveline approached them.

"Ren, our drinking water supply is running out. Come with me to find a river or lake." Aveline said.

Sofia turned to her and spoke, "Village head, I will accompany you too."

"No!" Aveline refused instantly. "You and the others guard the wagons. Don’t worry. We will be careful and avoid any magical beasts."

"Alright." Sofia listened to her.

"Ren, let’s go," Aveline said.

"Un." Ren rose to his feet and followed her.