The rest didn’t hesitate. Two wolves lunged at the same time, their bodies stretching forward with terrifying speed.

I dropped low and ducked under the first one. It flew past me and splashed straight into the lake behind me. The second one hit its mark. Its jaws clamped around my forearm, teeth sinking deep into flesh.

"Fuck!"

I twisted and threw my weight to the side, dragging it with me. We hit the ground together. I slammed my fist into its snout once, twice, three times. It growled through the pain but didn’t let go.

"Let go, you damn... gah!"

I grabbed its tail with my free hand, yanked hard, and forced its body off balance just enough to create space. I opened my palm and fired a point-blank fireball.

The blast hit it directly.

╔══════════════════╗

> ENEMY SLAIN

╠══════════════════╣

> +10 EXP

╚══════════════════╝

I pushed myself up, breathing hard, blood dripping from my arm.

A loud splash pulled my attention back to the lake.

The creature exploded out of the water, its massive body twisting midair. It swallowed the animal whole, the wolf who accidentally flew into the lake.

"Oh, shit..."

It dropped back under the surface, leaving ripples spreading across the lake.

I didn’t get a second to breathe.

Another wolf charged straight at me. I raised my hand and fired again, but this one moved fast. It sidestepped the fireball at the last second and slammed into me, its teeth sinking into my right leg.

Pain shot up instantly.

I dropped to one knee and started hammering its head with my fist. I couldn’t risk another fireball this close. I would burn myself.

The wolf snarled, shaking its head, tearing at my leg like it wanted to rip the muscle out.

"Fucking hell... let go, let go!"

Another one rushed in from the side, aiming for my upper body, but it misjudged the jump and slammed shoulder-first into me instead. The impact knocked it off balance, and it stumbled past me, skidding on the dirt.

I shoved myself up and drove my boot into the wolf clamped onto my leg. The kick finally broke its grip, sending it rolling a short distance away.

Before it could recover, I raised my hand and fired again.

╔══════════════════╗

> ENEMY SLAIN

╠══════════════════╣

> +10 EXP

╚══════════════════╝

"Help!" the girl screamed behind me. "A... a human! Mommy! Daddy! Please... please!"

"Yeah, focus on that," I muttered through clenched teeth. "Ignore the giant nightmare in the water."

A sudden force slammed into my back.

The wolf that stumbled past me a moment ago.

Its jaws snapped onto my other leg, and it yanked hard, dragging me off balance. I hit the ground on my back, the air knocked out of my lungs. Before I could react, it climbed over me and bit down on my arm, shaking its head violently.

I gritted my teeth and rolled, trying to throw it off, but it held on stubbornly.

I forced myself up onto my knees, right at the edge of the lake. My reflection stared back at me through the water, distorted by blood dripping down my face. Little fucker was still biting me. Damn, this shit hurt. Like a lot.

Then the surface shifted. Ripples spread outward, unnatural and fast. A dark shape surged upward beneath me. It was coming straight for me.

"Oh, crap. Oh... shit."

I shoved myself backward with everything I had.

The creature burst out of the water again, its jaws snapping shut right where my head had been a second earlier. It missed, but its massive body twisted midair and slammed into my chest as it fell back.

The impact sent me flying... well, at least the stubborn wolf actually let me go because of the impact.

I crashed hard onto the ground near the wolves, barely catching myself before hitting a tree. My back slammed against the trunk anyway, knocking the breath out of me again.

Before I could recover, another wolf lunged.

Its teeth sank into my left hand. A second one followed immediately, clamping onto my knee and dragging me down. Pain flared everywhere at once.

"Ah... fuck!"

Then another wolf jumped, then another, then another.

They hit me from different angles, one from the side, one straight onto my chest, another crashing into my back. I lost my balance completely and went down hard, my spine hitting the dirt. Before I could even push myself up, their weight piled over me.

One clamped onto my left shoulder, teeth digging deep where the muscle was already torn. Another latched onto my calf, shaking its head violently, trying to rip flesh free. A third snapped at my side, its jaws scraping against my ribs before finding grip.

I curled instinctively.

I dragged my knees up toward my stomach and hunched forward, arms crossing over my head and neck. My elbows pressed tight against my face as I tried to shield my throat. My back arched off the ground slightly under their weight, my whole body tightening into itself.

I could feel them everywhere.

Hot breath against my skin. Wet jaws clamping down. Teeth grinding, tearing, pulling.

One wolf climbed onto my side, its front paws pressing down hard, its weight forcing the air out of my lungs. Its jaws snapped inches from my face, trying to get a clean bite at my throat, its saliva dripping onto my cheek.

Another had my right forearm again, chewing into it, shaking side to side. Every movement sent sharp pain shooting up my arm.

Something bit into my side, lower this time. I felt fabric tear, then skin.

"Argh... damn it..."

I twisted, but there was nowhere to go. Every time I shifted, another set of teeth found me.

╔═══════════════════════╗

> Ace | LC: 37 | EXP: 65/177 | LVL 3

╠═══════════════════════╣

> HP ▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱ 49/100

> MP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 50/70

> STA ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 55/90

────────────────────────

> Class: MAGE

> Known Abilities:

• Fireball

• Heal

────────────────────────

> PERKS

• +10% More magic damage

• +10% CRIT chance

• Backstab DMG

╠═══════════════════════╣

> [ BAG ] [ MAP ] [ SHOP ] [QUESTS]

╚═══════════════════════╝

My HP was dropping fast.

I needed to do something fast. My options were running out quite dangerously.