Chapter Nine: Courage

Name: [Enhanced Juvenile Demon Monkey] (Beast-type Entity Derivative / Friendly Creature)
Health: 30/30
Attack Level: Average
Defense Level: Weak
Attack Speed: Fast
Alert Range: Far
Skills: Rolling, Staff Dance, Staff Technique: Skullcrusher
Description: This is a juvenile demon monkey that has wandered far and wide. After finally crossing the corrosive river, it thought it had found a place to belong, only to be driven out by a formidable enemy, forcing its imminent metamorphosis to stall temporarily. Even so, its combat prowess remains formidable; it possesses remarkable talent with staff weapons and can still unleash considerable power.

...

Ember attempted to use the Eye of Appraisal on the skinny monkey, and to his surprise, he actually saw relevant information. This allowed the two players to gain a clearer idea of the attributes of the dire wolf. Take Ember for instance—his attack level is one tier lower than the skinny monkey's, and he lacks skill enhancements; in a one-on-one fight, he might not even be able to defeat the monkey, let alone the dire wolf that even the monkey couldn't face.

Thus, even though their side had three combatants, Ember and Not-a-Sword-Saint both steeled themselves, fully alert for the impending battle.

They could sense that this fight would be far more brutal than the battle at the insect nest.

Circling halfway around Wolf Valley via the mountain, they finally reached the entrance, where Ember and Not-a-Sword-Saint instantly discovered something less than pleasant.

Someone had been here!

The ground at the entrance to Wolf Valley was damp from the dense, watery darkness, leaving clear footprints behind. Besides wolf claws and monkey feet, there were numerous human footprints.

“Moonlit Waters?”

Not-a-Sword-Saint immediately thought of Moonlit Waters, who had chosen the central path. According to the forest map, Wolf Valley lay near the midpoint between the forest’s center and its right corner. With Moonlit Waters’ speed, it was entirely possible he had arrived ahead of them.

However, after careful observation, Ember dismissed Not-a-Sword-Saint's guess—the footprints were simply too large.

Modern virtual games no longer enforce strict regulations on player physique—height or weight—since skills and attributes offset such differences in battle. With widespread use of support capsules, even the physical gap between genders can be largely bridged. Therefore, player body data is typically based on real-world conditions, allowing sensory suits to function optimally.

Ember walked lightly across the ground, leaving a trail of footprints. Not-a-Sword-Saint was initially confused, but upon comparing the two sets of prints, he suddenly understood.

“Right! It can't be Moonlit Waters! He's about your height and similar in weight, so there's no way he could leave such deep and wide footprints.” Not-a-Sword-Saint stepped into the mysterious footprints, compared them, and found they were also larger than his own, with a surprisingly wide stride. “The owner of these prints must be a burly man—no current player could have such a build. Moreover, these prints overlap repeatedly, clearly showing multiple trips in and out of Wolf Valley. Therefore, the only possible owner is...”

“The Gardener!”

Ember frowned slightly, voicing the only possible answer. The freshest set of prints was clearly recent, contradicting what the Monster Tree Warden had claimed—if the Gardener had visited the Dark Forest recently, why had he ignored the outbreak of insects?

...

As the two drew closer to the truth, they felt as though a thin veil blocked their view, leaving everything indistinct...

Setting aside their doubts, Ember and Not-a-Sword-Saint, accompanied by the bewildered skinny monkey, stepped into Wolf Valley. They both sensed that the opportunity to pierce the veil lay within this place.

Upon entering its familiar territory, the skinny monkey grew noticeably excited, brandishing its staff and leaping about, but fearful of the dire wolf’s presence, it dared not charge directly.

“Is this guy really reliable?”

Not-a-Sword-Saint was a bit uneasy, but Ember shrugged in resignation. “It’s not a matter of reliability. We need it to provide our main damage output. The wolf’s defense, at worst, is extremely weak. My weapon and the two pea shooters can barely inflict some damage, but your sword might not even break its defense.”

“Sigh, well, there’s nothing to be done. Getting an area-of-effect skill this early in the game is already more than I expected. One can’t hope for perfection! Fortunately, my beast-hide armor has a better defense rating than before, so I'll take on the aggro and absorb damage, giving you two room to attack!”

The current predicament forced Not-a-Sword-Saint to assume the role of tank. Gripping his longsword, he strode ahead, eyes fixed on the edge of the darkness, scouting the way for Ember and the monkey to clear the path for their assault.

As the two players and the monkey ventured deeper, the terrain of Wolf Valley shifted from confined to open, then gradually narrowed again, until the rocks on either side converged to reveal an exceptionally dark cave.

Around the cave entrance lay scattered, bleached animal bones—clearly the lair of the dire wolf.

A wolf’s howl suddenly echoed. Black clouds surged from the cave, a foul stench assailing them—the dire wolf had sensed intruders and launched its attack.

Ember and Not-a-Sword-Saint retreated at once, while the skinny monkey, hearing the howl, was terrified and stumbled backward. The two players fixed their gazes on the cave entrance, soon seeing a black shadow burst through the darkness, appearing in the valley and lunging at where they had just stood—missing its mark.

Screeching in terror, the skinny monkey clutched its wooden staff. It found the dire wolf’s appearance odd; in its memories, the wolf had been a relatively clean creature, nothing like the current beast—its fur wrinkled and covered in pustules, its bulging eyes glowing eerily, devoid of any animal spirit, reduced to a primal hunger and bloodlust.

Ember had no idea what the monkey was thinking and saw nothing strange about the dire wolf. He immediately used the Eye of Appraisal on the wolf, which could stand upright like a human.

...

Name: [Enhanced Juvenile Dire Wolf] (Beast-type Entity Derivative)
Health: 60/100
Attack Level: Average
Defense Level: Extremely Weak (Debuffed)
Attack Speed: Normal (Debuffed)
Alert Range: Very Far
Skills: Bite, Pounce, Fearsome Howl, Frenzied Clawing, Viral Infection

Description: The Dire Wolf tribe is named for its fearsome howl, which carries an aura of terror—those whose willpower is insufficient become prey. The howl is but one method of hunting; their claws are razor-sharp, their forms ghostly. Though this lone dire wolf suffers from an unknown virus, its strength remains undiminished, and its claws and fangs are tainted with infection.

...

The information from the Eye of Appraisal left Ember and Not-a-Sword-Saint unsure whether their situation was good or bad—they had no way to judge the power of this unknown virus. Still, with the enemy before them, no matter what dangers lurked, they could only grit their teeth and press on.

Ember and Not-a-Sword-Saint advanced from left and right, their pea shooters already launching projectiles at the dire wolf.

With pus bursting and blood spurting, the wounded wolf threw back its head and howled!

Awoooo!!!

Invisible shockwaves rippled from its maw, subjecting both players to a test of willpower.

[Notice: You are within the range of “Fearsome Howl.” You must pass a Willpower Level 3 check to avoid negative effects.]

[Notice: Checking... Your Willpower Level is 3. Check successful!]

[Notice: You are immune to the effects of “Fearsome Howl!”]

A momentary daze failed to halt Ember’s advance. He had already allocated a core attribute point to Willpower upon seeing the wolf’s description, barely passing the check. Not-a-Sword-Saint, blessed with strength but lower level, was not so fortunate—he was plunged straight into a state of terror, losing four points of sanity, and began running wildly out of control, leaving Ember to face the enemy alone.

In the critical moment, Ember relied on the “Slowness” effect attached to his telescopic staff, hoping it would work again, but the dire wolf’s agility exceeded four points, rendering the effect useless and sinking Ember’s spirits. Struggling to fend off the wolf’s claws with his staff, his lesser strength meant he was quickly forced back and lost several points of health.

Powerful!

Ember sensed that this enhanced juvenile dire wolf was at least as strong as the enhanced juvenile mimic chest—perhaps even more so in certain respects. He could only exploit its average attack speed, dodging and weaving to buy time until Not-a-Sword-Saint recovered from terror.

Repeated misses enraged the dire wolf, which suddenly reared up, unleashing its Frenzied Clawing skill in a swift, violent barrage, catching Ember off guard for a direct hit.

[Notice: You have suffered a fierce attack from the “Enhanced Juvenile Dire Wolf.” You have lost 8 health points.]

[Notice: Your equipment “Basic Protective Suit” has lost a significant amount of durability. Please repair immediately, or risk total destruction if durability reaches zero.]

[Notice: Because the “Enhanced Juvenile Dire Wolf” carries an unknown virus, you are at risk of infection. Higher Vitality lowers infection probability.]

[Notice: Checking... Success. You have avoided viral infection.]

Compared to the loss of health and armor damage, it was the news of avoiding infection that mattered most to Ember.

The unknown is always the most deadly.

He, who should have been the main attacker, suddenly bore the brunt of the assault, but managed to survive the worst. At last, Not-a-Sword-Saint broke free from his terror and returned to Ember’s side. The skinny monkey, still trembling with fear, finally summoned its courage, raised its staff, and launched a counterattack against the formidable foe!