Chapter 574 – A Battle by a Hair’s Breadth

Tauro and the others hurried beyond the village perimeter. Through the vision shared with Seth and the other puppets, Tauro knew exactly which direction the Bloodsucking Wolves were approaching from, so the party concealed their presence and lay in wait.

Tauro focused in particular on the large wolf. To finish it quickly, he simultaneously invoked light, darkness, and water spirit magic with [Multiple Chanting] and precisely controlled them through [Magic Manipulation] (Extreme), recreating his original invisibility spell. He also used [Presence Concealment], blending almost completely into the forest.

His preparations were perfect.

Four monsters approached the village without noticing the party: three Bloodsucking Wolves and one much larger wolf.

There was no wind.

They hadn’t detected anything.

The monsters passed directly in front of Tauro, who had blended into the forest with his concealment magic. Just as he moved to strike the large wolf from behind—

The wolf reacted.

(A faint breeze… Did it catch my scent!?)

Almost imperceptibly, the air had shifted from Tauro’s direction toward the monsters.

The large wolf detected him by smell and immediately released a thick mist from its body.

“Illusion magic won’t wor— Wait, this is real fog!?”

Tauro wasn’t shaken by the failed ambush, but [True Eye] showed him that the wolf, which he had expected to rely on illusion magic, had produced genuine fog.

Elsewhere in the fog, Aeris and the others engaged the three Bloodsucking Wolves.

Tauro tried to join them, but the large wolf that had spread the mist moved to block his path. His vision was completely white, yet [Presence Detection] still revealed the creature’s position.

“…The ambush failed, and visibility is poor. Not exactly ideal.”

Tauro drew Modified Shortsword Tauro from [Magic Storage] and took his stance.

The wolf appeared to possess a high-level ability that obstructed detection, but Tauro had [Anti-Inhibition], which nullified such interference. Even inside the dense fog, he could still make out the wolf’s silhouette with [True Eye].

“I can’t read your finer movements… but you’re aiming for my throat, aren’t you!?”

The wolf lunged through the mist. Tauro pulled out his Guardian Doll Round Shield and blocked its jaws just before they clamped shut.

At the same time, he poured magic into Modified Shortsword Tauro. A blade of light extended from it, and he thrust in a counterattack.

The wolf twisted away with remarkable agility, evaded the strike, and disappeared back into the mist.

Tauro followed it with [True Eye], but the wolf seemed to realize that he could still perceive it. It began moving unpredictably through the fog, circling and probing for an opening.

“It’s smart too…”

Tauro muttered and retracted the glowing blade. Leaving it extended would only reveal his position.

Despite its huge body, the wolf moved with terrifying speed and closed in again.

“Pella, I’ll land it this time. Cover me!”

Tauro decided to have Pella block the wolf’s attack so he could make certain his own counterattack connected.

Pella abandoned its disguise and deflected the razor-sharp claws of the wolf’s foreleg just before they reached Tauro’s neck.

At that instant, Tauro thrust again, sending the light blade straight toward the wolf’s throat.

It was an exquisite attack decided by a hair’s breadth—

Yet, hidden beneath the wolf’s thick fur was a collar. The light blade struck it and was repelled.

“—A collar!?”

Tauro faltered in surprise.

The wolf immediately retreated back into the mist.

Then—

“Kyain!”

A short yelp sounded from the direction of Aeris and the others.

Then another.

“Kyawn!”

“Gyan!”

Through [True Eye], Tauro confirmed that his companions had defeated the three Bloodsucking Wolves.

He turned his attention back to the large wolf—

A fraction too late.

The creature lunged with its foreclaws. Pella blocked them without difficulty—

But the attack was only a feint meant to draw Pella away.

The true attack came from the wolf’s jaws, which snapped toward Tauro’s head with lethal fangs.

Even Pella was a fraction too slow to stop the two-stage attack.

And then—

A shockwave ripped through the mist from the side.

It struck the wolf head-on, hurling its massive body away and mowing down trees in its path.

Tauro and Pella were caught at the edge of the blast. It wasn’t a direct hit, but it was still enough to send them flying. Tauro slammed into a tree and coughed up blood, while Pella flattened limply from the impact.

Seth arrived with Adam and Eve.

He immediately had Adam and Eve go after the wolf and finish it, while he hurried to Tauro’s side.

“…Good call, Seth… You chose the shockwave rather than letting those fangs kill me instantly… I’d have made the same choice… [Super Recovery and Regeneration] is already working… In the meantime, can you give Pella this potion…?”

Tauro handed Seth a special high-grade potion.

Seth nodded, gently lowered Tauro to the ground, then hurried to the weakened Pella and used the potion on it.

A brilliant light enveloped the slime. Within moments, Pella recovered and sprang back to life, immediately returning to Tauro’s side.

“…That thing was stronger than I expected…”

Tauro still couldn’t stand because of his injuries. Lying on the ground, he took another potion from [Magic Storage] and drank it while speaking to Pella and Seth.

Adam and Eve soon returned, dragging the large wolf’s corpse behind them.

The fog created by the monster began to thin.

From within it, Aeris and the others called out anxiously for Tauro.

Tauro hadn’t yet recovered enough strength to answer properly, so until his companions reached him, he simply lay there with his head resting on Seth’s lap.