Denzel and Ryan stood firm, facing off against a horde of elemental wolves. Denzel slipped on his Psycho Mask for the first time, and his body surged with power.
[Psycho Mask equipped. +25 AURA, +23 MP & +18 AGI] [Hypersensitivity has been activated. Your response to stimuli has heightened.]
The sensation was electrifying. Power coursed through Denzel's veins like wildfire. The wolves, undeterred by their aura, charged forward.
[Elemental Wolves - LVL.12 (E-rank)] x18
Denzel's eyes gleamed with excitement. Ryan, meanwhile, cracked his knuckles, lightning crackling between his fingers. "The more the merrier. Let's show them true torment," he grinned.
⚡ Boom Sparks ⚡
With a surge, Ryan discharged a lightning field across the ground, electrocuting several wolves. The pack yelped in pain, their charge faltering. Those with functioning brain cells turned tail and fled into the forest.
Denzel, having barely moved, frowned. "Oh no you don't."
A scream echoed from the woods. One wolf had been picked off. Then another. Chaos followed as Denzel hunted them one by one. The wolves, desperate, reached a clearing and stopped to rest. But a voice echoed nearby.
"You thought I'd let you live?"
Panic seized them. The leader launched a fireball into the shadows.
"Hahahaha!" The laughter came from behind.
A blur—a red and black mist—ripped through the pack. Denzel moved like a demon, slashing down wolves with inhuman speed. Blood sprayed. Bodies fell.
The leader, trembling, tried to back away—and bumped into something.
He turned. Too late.
His head rolled as Denzel wiped his blade.
"Too easy," he muttered.
[Ping! Ping!] [Congratulations! You've killed many elemental wolves. +500 EXP] [Psycho Mask Passive skill activated. +250 EXP]
Ryan caught up, staring at the carnage. "Sheesh. You could've gone a little easy on them."
Denzel grinned. "You're one to talk, Smoke Lord."
"That? Total accident. I'm a forestry lover and philanthropist," Ryan said, deadpan.
Denzel checked his stats. The EXP gain had dropped.
~Denzel: Yo Ryan, your EXP dropped too? I didn't even level up from all that. ~Ryan: Yeah, once I hit Level 10, it started slowing. Guess we gotta kick it up a notch. [Swings arm dramatically]
[Player Chains] As a way to encourage progress, the system reduces EXP gained from repeated kills of lower-tier monsters as players level up. This prevents easy farming and forces players to seek new challenges.
Denzel expected this. They needed a new strategy. And he had one—wait for nightfall.
Ryan, ever restless, wandered the forest trying to find an exit. Yet no matter where he went, he ended up back at the same place.
[The Elden Maze Box] A naturally occurring illusionary maze. Only locals knew how to navigate it. Outsiders were trapped.
Back at their camp, Denzel and Ryan sat around a fire, roasting meat. Growls echoed from the bushes.
~Denzel: [To Ryan] I told you. They can't resist their instincts. Wherever there's food, they follow. Ryan... It's time to HUNT.
His eyes flared—red aura laced with black.
The wolves emerged, glowing eyes blazing.
[Elemental Wolves - LVL.12 (E-rank)] x20
Denzel taunted them. "Looking for your leader? Oh, he's dead. I killed him."
The wolves snarled louder. Unlike goblins, they understood human speech—at least enough to get mad.
They crept closer.
Mistake.
[Taze] + [Aura Scare]
Ryan unleashed a shockwave. Some wolves dropped, others froze in terror, paralyzed by fear.
Ryan strode forward, crackling with energy. "Run home and never come back!"
The wolves didn't hesitate. They bolted.
"Yo, Denzel! Did it work?"
Denzel smirked. "What do you take me for? I never miss."
He had marked several wolves with his aura during the chaos. Now, they could track them.
Hours passed. The aura markers stopped moving.
Showtime.
They followed the trail through dense trees until it opened onto a cliff. Below, nestled in moonlight:
[The Elven Village]
They finally found it.
Or so they thought.
Ryan turned, eyes narrowing. His arms sparked with lightning.
"Denzel... we're not alone. And it's not wolves this time."
End of Chapter 7