Chapter 79 - 77: Comprehensive Enhancement Card, This Team is Not Simple
Seeing the Terror Wolf King finally breathe its last, Chen Chong let out a sigh of relief.
The life-or-death struggle had sent his adrenaline soaring. He had kept stabbing the dagger into its neck until it was completely buried, with only the hilt exposed.
Now that it was over, Chen Chong felt an overwhelming exhaustion wash over him, a sense of depletion spreading through his body. At the same time, he felt a flicker of gratitude.
’Thankfully, the Terror Wolf King hadn’t fully evolved into an Extraordinary Creature. Its combat power wasn’t too high.’
’It was just a bit bigger, with a thicker hide and longer fangs.’
’If it had truly become an Extraordinary Creature, the two of us and the dog probably wouldn’t have stood a chance against it.’
’Even so, hunting it down while already injured had taken a lot of effort...’
"Sir, are you alright?"
Wang Biao quickly put down his spear and bow, rushing forward to check on Chen Chong with concern.
"I’m fine..."
Chen Chong waved his hand and turned to look at the Tiger Striped Dog.
The Tiger Striped Dog was squatting to the side, its mouth open and tongue lolling out, lapping up the blood flowing from the Terror Wolf King.
Other than a few noticeable puncture wounds on the back of its neck that were still oozing some blood, it seemed to be mostly unharmed...
"You stupid dog. Don’t run so desperately fast next time. I couldn’t even keep up with you. Chasing prey is important, but your life is more important!"
Chen Chong patted the Tiger Striped Dog’s head, a hint of anger in his voice.
The Tiger Striped Dog squinted its eyes, and it was hard to tell if it understood. It just nuzzled closer and started licking and rubbing against him.
It got blood all over Chen Chong’s face.
Some of it was its own, and some was the Terror Wolf King’s, lingering in its mouth...
"These wounds are pretty deep."
Chen Chong took the opportunity to examine the injuries on the back of the Tiger Striped Dog’s neck.
Although the tear wasn’t large, the Terror Wolf King’s finger-length fangs had completely pierced the Tiger Striped Dog’s hide and sunk into its flesh.
The wounds were extremely deep and gruesome to look at. Trickles of blood were still seeping from them.
’At least it didn’t hit the bone...’
’Maybe I should figure out how to get a protective collar for the Tiger Striped Dog when we get back.’
Chen Chong recalled a hunting dog documentary he had once seen, where the hunters’ dogs all wore spiked collars.
’That would significantly increase the dog’s combat effectiveness and survivability, preventing its most vulnerable spot—the throat and neck—from being bitten during a fight with wild beasts.’
"Sir, there’s something here!"
Chen Chong looked over and saw a Card glowing with blue light that had appeared beside the Terror Wolf King’s corpse at some point.
"A B-Level Card?"
Chen Chong was both surprised and delighted. He quickly grabbed it. Just as he’d suspected, he was right.
Since the Terror Wolf King was on the path to becoming an Extraordinary Creature, even though it hadn’t fully made it, it had gained the trait of dropping a Card upon death.
Hunting it down really did produce a Card...
[Card Types: Ability Card · Comprehensive Enhancement Card]
[Rating: B-Level]
[Description: Upon use, provides a minor enhancement to all major human attributes: strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, and physical constitution.]
[Note: The effects of an Ability Card are permanent. If a superior Card of the same ability type is integrated, it will directly overwrite the inferior Card’s ability and provide a minor boost to that ability.]
’This Ability Card... is amazing!’
Chen Chong’s eyes lit up.
’A comprehensive enhancement to all my abilities... My combat power will be even greater.’
’I’ll be more confident dealing with these beasts or other Extraordinary Creatures in the future.’
The only downside was that he didn’t know the exact extent of this "minor enhancement."
He would have to wait until he got back and used it to find out...
RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE—
A sound came from outside the thicket.
The Tiger Striped Dog immediately shed its relaxed posture, stood up, and stared intently at the source of the sound.
Wang Biao and Chen Chong also quickly raised their weapons and looked over, afraid that more Fear Wolves were approaching.
As the sound drew closer, a figure pushed their way into the thicket.
Judging by her anxious expression and the sword gripped tightly in her hands, it was clear she had come in a great hurry...
"Ning Yu?"
The newcomer was none other than the leader of the Swordsmanship Club, Ning Yu.
The moment she entered, she froze at the sight of the Terror Wolf King’s corpse on the ground.
She clearly hadn’t expected this largest, most threatening of the monstrous wolves to be completely slain by two men and a dog in less than a minute.
’And here I was, worried they couldn’t handle it, rushing over without a moment’s rest.’
She then turned her gaze to Chen Chong.
When she saw the blue Card in his hand, another layer of astonishment appeared in her eyes, mixed with a hint of shock, as if she had no idea that a Card could even drop from a Fear Wolf...
...
「Below the mossy rock.」
Four more Fear Wolf corpses lay on the ground.
They were covered in slashes from swords and knives, their blood pooling everywhere.
The Swordsmanship Club had two more injured members, but their wounds weren’t as severe as the first two, just a few bite marks on their chests and backs.
They were currently shirtless, pressing strips of cloth against their wounds to stop the bleeding.
The other three were cleaning up the mess nearby.
「A short distance away...」
"Holy crap, the three of us actually managed to kill a Fear Wolf. We’re freaking awesome."
Xu Jun sat on the ground panting heavily, a mixture of lingering fear and excitement in his eyes.
Huang Mao had collapsed onto the ground, his hands trembling violently from the adrenaline dump. He gasped for breath and said:
"I’ve only ever fought people before, this is the first time fighting a monster like this. Good thing the three of us worked well together. We’re pretty amazing, huh..."
Zhang Meng’s performance was the best of the three; he was much calmer in comparison.
He walked over and pulled his axe from where it was lodged in a Fear Wolf’s skull, then hacked at its neck four or five more times, mangling half of its head.
Once he was certain the monster was completely dead, he plopped down on the ground to rest.
"Killing one Fear Wolf between the three of us is nothing to be proud of. Look at Jia... Wen, his name is Jia Wen, right? One man, one blade, and he practically chopped that wolf into eight pieces."
On the other side, Jia Wen stood cleaning his blade.
At his feet, a Fear Wolf’s head had been severed, its limbs were half-chopped off, and even its thickest part, the torso, was half-sliced through and barely holding together.
It was a clear testament to how fiercely Jia Wen had fought, and how miserably this Fear Wolf had died...
"Uh... yeah, it’s pretty much in eight pieces." A look of pride then washed over Xu Jun’s face. "My man Jia Wen is just that awesome!"
"Brother Chong is back!"
Huang Mao saw the figures approaching in the distance and scrambled up from the ground.
Xu Jun, Zhang Meng, and Jia Wen all looked over.
The members of the Swordsmanship Club did the same.
Chen Chong walked in the lead, flanked by the Tiger Striped Dog and Ning Yu. Behind them, Wang Biao was dragging a wolf.
THUD!
He threw the Terror Wolf King to the ground, and everyone gathered around curiously.
"This monster wolf is huge! It’s a whole size bigger than all the others. Its fur even has a golden sheen."
"Yeah, and its fangs look longer too. Could it be the leader of these monster wolves?"
"What ’monster wolves’? My Brother Chong said they’re called Fear Wolves. And this one must be the Terror Wolf King!"
"You’re saying these monster wolves are called... Fear Wolves?"
"A Fear Wolf this big... only someone with the club leader’s skills, cooperating with these brothers, could have killed it..."
Cradling her sword, Ning Yu slowly shook her head. "I didn’t kill this wolf. It was already dead when I arrived."
What?
The members of the Swordsmanship Club were startled, looking at Chen Chong and Wang Biao in disbelief.
They had fought a bloody battle with these Fear Wolves and knew firsthand how strong they were.
Not only were they bigger and their hides thicker and harder to cut, but their leaping ability was also astonishing, allowing them to dodge their attacks several times.
If not for their daily sword practice and their excellent teamwork, it would have been impossible for them to slay four or five.
Even so, two of them had been seriously injured, and they had been cornered by the remaining Fear Wolves...
For a single, ordinary Fear Wolf, besides Ning Yu, the strongest swordsman and their club leader, it took at least two other members to deal with one.
To avoid injury as much as possible, it took the coordination of three people to be confident.
This Terror Wolf King was even stronger. They estimated it would take at least four or five people to hunt it down.
’And now it’s been killed by Chen Chong and Wang Biao, plus a hound?’
’If my calculations are correct, factoring in the time it took Ning Yu to get there and back, that means...’
’The two of them and the dog hunted this Terror Wolf King in less than a minute?’
’A speed kill?’
Although the members of the Swordsmanship Club didn’t speak, they all collectively drew a sharp, cold breath in their minds.
’The combat power of this young man and that burly man is absurdly fierce.’
’And the others with them are the same...’
’The one with the knife is an absolute beast.’
’He killed an ordinary Fear Wolf all by himself.’
As the saying goes, experts see the technique, while laymen just see the show.
As members of the Swordsmanship Club, they had seen Jia Wen use his blade firsthand and could tell at a glance that his fundamental skills were incredibly solid, even better than most professional practitioners!
There were even some techniques and styles he used that they couldn’t quite comprehend...
The other three were less remarkable, killing one Fear Wolf by working together, but they were still far stronger than ordinary university students.
’This team’s combat power is terrifyingly high...’
"Brother, I had no idea you guys were so strong! We should have gotten to know each other sooner. We really missed out!"
The young man with the rapier beamed with a brilliant smile.
Chen Chong had a decent impression of him. Whenever they crossed paths in the hallway, this young man was usually at the front of his group and was always polite, offering a smile and a nod first.
’If I’m not mistaken, he must be the vice president of the Swordsmanship Club or the second-in-command...’
"It’s not too late to get acquainted now."
"This must be fate! Not only do we live on the same floor, but you’re also the ones who saved us. It’s too much of a coincidence! We absolutely have to have a meal together sometime..."
The young man laughed heartily again, and it was clear his smile was genuine.
"That’s enough, Xiaofeng. Stop fooling around."
The moment Ning Yu spoke, the young man immediately shut his mouth, as if he were terrified of her.
Then, she looked at Chen Chong, her expression turning extremely serious.
Chen Chong looked back at her, his brow furrowed slightly. ’What does she want?’
Ning Yu was silent for a few seconds.
On her cold, frosty face, her red lips moved to speak two words.
"Thank you!"
After saying this, she sheathed her sword and gave a deep, respectful bow.
Seeing this, the other members of the Swordsmanship Club bowed as well.
The scene left Chen Chong stunned. ’Was it necessary to be so formal?’
"Uh... there’s no need for such a grand gesture. It was nothing, really."
Ning Yu straightened up, and the members behind her rose one by one.
The young man called Xiaofeng immediately reverted to his cheerful, goofy expression.
"Don’t mind us, brother. We bow after every competition. It’s the highest form of respect we can show to our opponents and the audience."
"We were surrounded by a pack of Fear Wolves. If it weren’t for you, we would’ve been goners. A bow isn’t even enough to express our gratitude for saving our lives. If you want, I’ll get on my knees and kowtow to you right now!"
Chen Chong listened with a strange expression. Looking at the young man, he couldn’t help but feel that his way of talking was strangely familiar.
’It feels like I’m listening to an old acquaintance...’
He thought for a long time. His gaze shifted, and finally...
It landed on Xu Jun, who was standing beside him.
...