Cursed System-Chapter 123: The Battlefield 3

RAGNA POV...

The vicious wolf slowly lifted its massive head, its sharp ears twitching as it stared around suspiciously, as if it had sensed that something in the world had suddenly gone terribly wrong. A heartbeat passed... then another. And finally, realization struck it. Its claws refused to move. The ground beneath them was no longer solid—no, it was sinking, swallowing it inch by inch like a living swamp made of sand.

I didn’t rush in recklessly.

Instead, I deliberately kept my distance, every nerve in my body stretched tight, wary that the vicious wolf might still possess some hidden ability or desperate last resort. At the same time, I continued channeling earth elemental mana, subtly but persistently manipulating the sand around its body, tightening the trap little by little, making sure escape would be as difficult as possible.

The wolf let out a furious, guttural howl.

It strained violently, muscles bulging as it tried to force its claws free, exerting more and more strength with each desperate attempt, causing the surrounding sand to tremble under the pressure.

And the moment I saw it—

The exact moment the wolf was stuck precisely where I wanted it—

I reacted.

I surged forward without hesitation, exploiting the opening I had created. Closing the distance rapidly, I knew that I didn’t need a prolonged exchange. No. A single instant of contact... that was all I required.

The second my eyes locked onto the wolf’s, I activated one of my favorite skills.

[Cursed Charm has been activated]

[Time remaining before "Cursed Charm" deactivates: 0:59]

Something deep within my crimson eyes awakened.

It was as if a sealed floodgate had been violently torn open, releasing every fragment of mental energy I could muster at that moment. I poured it all into my gaze, focusing entirely on the vicious wolf as I stared directly into its eyes without blinking.

Within the wolf’s dark pupils, a faint speck of blue light suddenly emerged. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

That tiny blue hue expanded... then shrank... then expanded again, as if a silent war was unfolding within its mind.

[0:20]

For those few precious seconds, the wolf went stiff.

Completely motionless.

Its massive body froze like a statue, unresponsive, caught in the grip of my influence.

[Cursed Charm has been deactivated]

The very instant the skill ended, everything collapsed.

The wolf let out a deafening howl of rage, and without even a fraction of hesitation, it lashed out. Its claw shot forward purely on instinct, moving faster than my weakened body could fully react.

I cursed inwardly.

I hadn’t managed to influence it completely.

The vicious wolf’s claw slammed into my chest with overwhelming force, and pain exploded through my body as if my ribs had been struck by a sledgehammer. I felt myself forcibly thrown backward, my small figure flying nearly half a meter through the air before crashing into the sand.

The wolf continued whimpering erratically, its body trembling as the strange blue light within its pupils flickered... then vanished entirely into the darkness of its eyes.

All of this happened in mere seconds.

And yet, by the time I forced myself upright, my opponent was already gone—its massive form nearly completely buried beneath golden sand, its presence fading as if it had never been there to begin with.

"Damn bastard."

I spat out the words along with a mouthful of blood, nausea and searing pain lingering heavily in my chest. My vision swam slightly as I glanced down at my clothes, now a ruined mess of torn fabric and fresh blood. A deep claw mark had carved its way across my chest, still burning as if it were on fire.

I stared hatefully into the distance where the vicious wolf had disappeared—but I didn’t chase after it.

’Hopefully, everything went exactly as I planned, I thought darkly. With most of the pressure focused on the Black Steel Knights, and them remaining cautious... if a five-year-old child were to suddenly kill a vicious wolf of this level, even for a demon child, it would be nothing short of horrifying.

Letting my prey escape is probably for the best.

It shouldn’t take long before someone dies... and becomes my meal.’

I growled inwardly.

That fight had drained more strength than I was willing to admit, and now the hunger gnawing at my insides was growing unbearable. My thoughts became muddled, my sense of reason slipping away little by little. I felt disturbingly indifferent to the idea of someone dying, and the corpses scattered across the battlefield only made things worse.

Something was wrong with me.

Deeply wrong.

I wasn’t sure what would happen if I completely lost the last shred of control I had left.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry, saliva thick in my mouth. Questions flooded my mind, countless and chaotic—but my thoughts were far too scattered to grasp even one of them properly.

"Well done!"

Reiner’s enthusiastic voice snapped me back to reality as he appeared nearby. He looked pale, sweat dripping down his face, his breathing uneven. It was obvious that the repeated use of his abilities had taken a serious toll on his body.

Nearby, Berthold seemed to be faring slightly better against a vicious wolf roughly a meter in size. Each swing of his sword absorbed the wolf’s blood, the blade growing increasingly crimson—and stronger—with every strike.

Even so, he was still being pushed back.

Berthold staggered, barely managing to stay upright after taking another hit.

I looked at the brothers in surprise.

We had known each other for months, yet I had never truly known the full extent of their abilities until now. Maybe they simply never mentioned it... or maybe I never bothered to ask. The thought lingered briefly before I shifted my gaze back toward the massive pack of vicious wolves at the frontlines.

The clash between the Black Steel Knights and the vicious wolves raged on for nearly half an hour.

Slowly, the sun sank beyond the horizon, and darkness descended upon the desert battlefield. In the night, the wolves’ eyes began to glow with an eerie aquamarine light, casting a chilling atmosphere over the entire campground. Everywhere I looked, faint orbs of blue-green light hovered in the darkness, watching... waiting.

I gasped deeply for fresh air.

I felt utterly exhausted, as though I had been dragged out of a pool of sand and left to dry under the sun. My face was still caked with grit, but I didn’t even have the energy to wipe it off.

My strength was slipping away like water from a cracked jar.

My body felt unbearably heavy. My lips were pale, dark circles forming beneath my eyes. Every movement demanded effort. I felt dehydrated, sluggish, and drained to the core.

It was fortunate that night had fallen.

Otherwise, someone might have thought I had been poisoned in the middle of the battle. Even with the little strength I had left, moving around required conscious effort.

’If I’m already like this... even just maintaining my composure is difficult, let alone what comes later, I thought grimly. If only I could consume a demon... I still have a bit of energy left—but even then, it won’t last much longer.

In this situation... if I don’t consume anything at all...’

The thought trailed off ominously.