[You have killed a Level 11 Ordinary Monster, Dire Wolf Omega. +70 EXP gained.]

[You have killed a Level 10 Ordinary Monster, Dire Wolf Omega. +60 EXP gained.]

Within minutes, both Roman and Rena had finished up with the threats, and thus, the entrance of the Wild of Howls was cleared.

They both stared at each other and nodded, and they only meant one thing.

They had to go further into the Wild of Howls. This was when they would face the majority of the Dire Wolf population, and well, yeah, it was when the real battle might begin.

"You are good with the sword, babe," she soon said.

’She just called me babe?! Yeah, babe... I’m her boyfriend, right???’

Roman almost blushed like a jellyfish, but yeah, that composure of a guy had to be sustained at all costs. He only smiled and nodded.

"Took sword-fighting lessons in the Academy," he lied.

The real reality was that when Roman tried to attend fixed sword-fighting lectures, he ended up cutting himself several times with the blade of a wooden sword, and he decided not to show up again, hoping not to be a Swordsman even though it was one of the best Professions in the Badlands.

And here he was, using a Rare Grade sword whose natural damage alone could take down any type of Ordinary Monster with a single strike.

Of course, Rena didn’t know that he was holding a Rare Grade sword, and to Roman, that was okay too.

She nodded. "I learnt the Swordsmanship Art, but it wasn’t really a good academy. Fortunately, I was able to grasp whatever they had to teach me, and I hope it can be very useful."

Roman nodded. "Well, I’d be a punk if I keep hoping with you when I can already see that it is. You are quite cleaner than me with the blade. I will have to admit that."

"Well, I will not agree to that until I see how you fight with the bigger dogs," Rena declined.

Roman could only shrug and let that slide.

Soon, they had walked a bit further into the woods and reached a quite rock structure that looked like a cave.

It stretched like a building, but at the same time, it looked like it wasn’t. In front of the cave, a giant tree the height of a five-story building stood tall, its cap so dark in the night as if it held some mysteries.

And right from the distance, loud howls could be heard. Roman had refused to believe that it was an alarm for danger, because he was sure that there was no single Dire Wolf that could sight them from there.

Not when the cave was pretty much two times their height.

But at the same time, it looked like it was an alarm.

"It’s the Dire Wolf Betas. They have the ability to spot dangers even without seeing them. They protect the Dire Wolf Alpha, but sometimes, he doesn’t need their protection," Rena explained without even Roman asking.

She had noticed the unease on his face, and that had triggered her concern, figuring that he had no idea what had happened.

Roman gave her a look and nodded.

"What do you mean sometimes the Dire Wolf Alpha doesn’t need their protection?" he then asked.

"Sometimes, he might be with them. Sometimes, he might be somewhere else. With the Dire Wolf Gammas, maybe..."

"Sometimes, he might come at you after you just took down a mere Dire Wolf Omega."

Roman nodded in amazement.

"So this literally means we should expect any shit possible?"

"Yeah, babe... from this moment till the very end," Rena replied with a nod.

GRRROOOOOWL!

And just at that very moment when Rena had just finished lecturing him, the next thing they saw was a giant silhouette dashing out from the deep part of the woods.

They both had their eyes widened as they watched it drift closer, mouths agape.

[Monster Name: Dire Wolf Alpha.]

[Rank: Level 55 Ordinary.]

[Traits: Devour, Dark Crash, Aggressive Instinct.]

[Life: 100%.]

It was crazy how what Rena had just told him was coming to reality, and Roman could swear that he hadn’t expected it.

Even Rena herself, who had the knowledge, couldn’t believe that this rare occurrence was happening right before her.

"A Level 55 Dire Wolf Alpha??? Isn’t it the one that killed Master Norman’s friends?" Roman asked himself in a mutter.

He couldn’t get to process that, as all that was in his mind was the life-threatening battle that he was about to face with his new girlfriend. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"You are not afraid, right?" Rena asked Roman.

"No, I’m not. Why would I?" Roman responded.

Rena looked at him and smiled. His kind of confidence was something that would always crack her up, but this time, she wasn’t only smiling because he was confident.

It was because he had proven to be more confident than she was now, and that alone... that alone had boosted hers, and every moment she stared at him, she felt a relaxing and relieving feeling in her chest, and that was quite enough.

It wasn’t as if she had another choice in the end. She had learnt this principle of facing their fears head-on.

"If you want to progress. If you want to succeed. If you want to survive. You have to face your fears head-on. Because that is the only way. If you run, you’ll fail."

This was what her father always said, and she hadn’t taken those words for granted. And as for who her father is, she had decided not to disclose it to anybody.

Including her boyfriend.

The Dire Wolf Alpha had evaluated the tiny threats it had before making a move, and the couple had been ready for what was coming.

The Dire Wolf Alpha was so big that Roman figured he could only deliver long-range attacks at first. That way, he would be able to escape several dangers.

Rena herself was extra careful, and she was making sure not to get caught off guard.

Everything was going well as they tried to come up with their strategies, but then, their jaws dropped when a large, considerable number of Dire Wolves began to stream out from different directions.

A mixed population of over thirty-seven Dire Wolf Omegas and Dire Wolf Gammas, all standing by the Alpha’s side and waiting for that "go-ahead" command.

This was when Roman realised it would be more than he thought.

It was when he believed that the second day was going to be hell.

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[A/N: Let’s do well to support with Golden Tickets, Gifts, and Power Stones. Thanks in advance, noble readers!]