Adam stayed perfectly still, sitting high up on a thick, strong branch of a tall oak tree. He pressed himself close to the tree trunk, letting the shadows of the dense leaves overhead hide him.
He felt almost invisible, like he was part of the tree. He was hiding here on purpose, making sure he didn't get seen by the dangerous monsters below.
He needed to stay hidden so he could watch, wait, and follow his plan without any problems.
Below him, down on the damp forest floor near the riverbank, the giant Fang Wolf Alpha stood its ground. It was a truly scary creature, huge and threatening.
Adam could almost feel the strong fierceness coming from it, like heat from a fire.
But he could also sense something else – a deep tiredness underneath the anger.
Its pure black fur, usually smooth and dark, shone slightly with sweat, sticking a bit to its huge body.
Its bright red eyes burned with a fierce, stubborn fury, scanning the clearing with hate.
Around the Alpha, three other Fang Wolves walked unsteadily. These weren't part of the pack Adam had killed earlier. These were different wolves, and they were clearly hurt, badly injured.
Their gray fur was messy with dark patches of dried and fresh blood. Their bodies showed clear signs of a tough fight – deep cuts, bruises, maybe even broken bones.
They moved stiffly, painfully, showing proof of a hard, brutal struggle they had somehow survived, at least for now.
Looking at this scene – the giant, tired Alpha and the three wounded but still dangerous wolves circling it – Adam could easily figure out what was happening. A fight had been going on here between these wolves before he got there.
He had accidentally walked into the middle of their fight. But now that he was here, seeing the situation, he wasn't going to just sneak away.
An opportunity like this, finding powerful creatures already weak from fighting each other? That was too good to miss. He wouldn't leave without using this chance.
A faint breeze whispered through the trees, carrying the sharp, metallic smell of fresh blood up to Adam's spot on the branch.
The smell was strong, cutting through the normal earthy smells of the forest, and it made him focus harder, making his senses feel even sharper.
His eyes moved for a moment, looking across the clearing below. He noticed several small, faintly glowing loot chests scattered around the area, near where the wounded wolves now stood.
These chests hadn't been there when he arrived; they must have appeared recently. Their soft blue glow stood out against the dark scene of injured wolves and bloodstained ground.
They were like silent markers, proof of the deadly battle that had already happened here before he even showed up.
Looking at those loot chests, Adam immediately understood. "Those must be from other Fang Wolves," he realized. "Wolves that were fighting this Alpha and lost. They must have finally been killed by the Alpha just before I got here."
The thought made him even more determined. Seeing those loot chests, proof that other creatures had died here, meant there might be even more rewards waiting to be collected than just what the Alpha and the three survivors might drop.
He definitely wasn't leaving now. This situation was getting more interesting, and possibly more rewarding, by the second.
"So, this Alpha has already been busy fighting off others," Adam thought to himself, a cold, calculating smile touching the corners of his lips.
It wasn't a happy smile, but one of sharp thinking and growing confidence. "It's already taken down other wolves before I even got here."
Seeing this proof, confirming the Alpha was already tired from previous battles, made Adam's smile widen slightly. A clever, maybe slightly mean, idea started forming in his mind.
He pictured the possible rewards – loot from the wolves already dead, loot from the three currently fighting, and maybe amazing loot from the Alpha boss itself if he played this right.
"Oh yes," Adam thought, excitement bubbling under his calm appearance. "I am going to get a LOT of loot here. This could really help me get ahead."
As if the game system itself knew what he was thinking, or maybe just giving timely information, a blue system window suddenly appeared in Adam's view, floating clearly in front of the forest scene.
It showed detailed information about the giant beast below:
Species: Fang Wolf Alpha (Boss)
Level: 10
HP: 300 / 1,100 (Health Points)
MP: 100 / 1,200 (Magic/Skill Points)
Strength: 20
Stamina: 15
Agility: 25
Endurance: 13
Intelligence: 15
Adam studied the information carefully, his eyes focusing mostly on the HP bar. 300 out of 1,100. That was less than one-third of its maximum health! His smirk widened into a real grin now.
The beast's heavy, rough breathing, which he could hear even from the tree, proved what the numbers showed. It was seriously hurt and tired. Its MP, used for special skills, was also very low.
"Well, well. You're not as tough as you look, are you?" Adam mumbled quietly under his breath, his voice barely louder than the rustling leaves. "This fight has already taken a lot out of you." His confidence grew higher.
The situation was still dangerous, yes – even a weak level 10 boss could likely kill his level 1 character instantly if it saw him. But knowing how weak it was changed everything.
It wasn't an impossible fight anymore; it was just an extremely difficult one that needed perfect timing and planning.
Adam was now completely sure he could use this ongoing fight to his advantage.
His plan became clearer: let the three remaining wounded wolves keep fighting the Alpha.
Let them wear it down even more, maybe even make it use up the last of its MP on powerful attacks.
He would stay hidden, watch, and wait. Once the boss monster was truly exhausted, barely able to stand, then he would attack.
He would jump in, finish it off, and come out as the biggest winner in this whole messy situation, collecting all the rewards for himself.
Down below, the three injured Fang Wolves seemed to sense the Alpha was getting weaker too, or maybe they were just desperate.
They exchanged quick, nervous glances with each other, their bodies tense like ready springs, full of nervous energy.
Even though they were clearly hurt – one limped badly, another had a deep cut on its side – they were far from giving up. The need to survive burned fiercely in their eyes.
With a sudden burst of wild, desperate energy, the first wolf – the one with the hurt leg – jumped forward at the Alpha.
Its jaws snapped angrily, aiming for the Alpha's throat, but the attack was clumsy because of its injury.
The Alpha, even though it was tired, sidestepped the jump with surprising speed for its size.
Its red eyes glared at the attacking wolf. But before the Alpha could fight back, the second wolf darted in quickly from behind, using the distraction.
Its sharp teeth sank deep into the thick muscle of the Alpha's back leg. A loud snarl of pure pain ripped from the Alpha's throat, echoing through the clearing.
It twisted violently, a blur of black fur and anger, its massive claws tearing up clumps of dirt and leaves as it tried to shake off the attacker.
It managed to throw the second wolf away with a powerful shrug. The wolf landed hard several feet away, yelping, but quickly scrambled back to its feet, though it looked dizzy.
The third wolf, seeing its chance while the Alpha was busy with the second attacker, charged straight at the Alpha's back end. Its attack wasn't strong, but it was unexpected.
It slammed into the Alpha's back legs, forcing the giant beast to stumble awkwardly for a moment.
Adam watched the Alpha's HP bar on his screen tick down slightly more from the attack and the continued bleeding.
"Good, good," Adam thought, his eyes narrowed in concentration, watching every move like a hawk watches its prey. "Keep it up. Keep wearing it down for me. Make my job easier."
Hidden safely in the leafy tree branches, Adam slowly reached down to his belt and carefully pulled out one of his shiny steel daggers.
The blade felt cool and solid in his hand, a familiar and comforting weight. He held it ready, just in case, but his main plan didn't involve fighting directly just yet.
He thought about his options again, thinking quickly. The three wounded wolves were currently helping him by attacking the Alpha.
But once the Alpha was dead, or if they killed it before he could step in, they would likely turn on him, or at least fight him for the loot.
They were still potential threats, even though they were hurt. His decision became clear, cold, and smart.
"Why stop at just killing the Alpha?" he whispered softly to the leaves around him, a cold look in his eyes.
"Why leave any possible threats or competition alive? I'll take all of them. All the XP, all the loot."
Carefully, silently, putting the dagger back in its sheath for now, Adam reached into a small pouch at his side and took out a handful of sharp-edged stones he had picked up earlier near the river.
They weren't great weapons, but they were silent, didn't use any MP, and could be deadly accurate in his skilled hands, especially against targets that were already hurt.
He double-checked that the stealth mode on his outfit was still working. He felt the familiar faint shimmer around him, reminding him that he was still blending almost perfectly into the shadows and leaves of the tree.
With slow, practiced movements, careful not to rustle any leaves or scrape against the tree bark, he shifted his position slightly, climbing just a little higher onto another thick branch.
This gave him an even clearer view down into the messy battle below, making sure he could see all his targets easily.
Down on the forest floor, the fight continued fiercely. The Alpha roared again, a deep, angry sound that seemed to shake the very leaves on Adam's branch.
Its burning red eyes seemed even brighter now, filled with pain and pure anger as it spun around to face its remaining attackers properly.
The second wolf, the one that had been thrown away but got back up, shook its head as if trying to clear it.
Then, driven by instinct or just pure desperation, it threw itself at the Alpha once more, aiming for its already bleeding side.
This time, the Alpha was ready. It reacted with cruel, scary skill. Instead of dodging, it met the attack straight on.
Its huge jaws opened wide and then snapped shut with incredible speed and power right around the attacking wolf's neck.
A horrible crunch echoed clearly through the clearing, loud even over the growls and the river sounds.
The wolf's body went limp instantly in the Alpha's crushing grip. The Alpha gave its head a violent shake, and the dead wolf was tossed aside like a broken doll, landing in a crumpled heap on the muddy ground.
Another possible threat was gone, but not killed by Adam.
The third wolf, the last of the wounded attackers, didn't pause or seem scared by its packmate's sudden death.
Seeing the Alpha busy for a second with the kill, it leaped onto the giant beast's broad back. It dug its claws in to hold on and scratched them viciously down the Alpha's spine.
The Alpha howled in pain this time, a higher-pitched sound mixed with its deep growls.
It thrashed wildly from side to side, trying desperately to shake off the attacker clinging stubbornly to its back.
Then, showing it still had some fight left, the Alpha took a deep, ragged breath in. Its huge chest got bigger.
Its mouth opened wide again, but this time, it wasn't getting ready to bite.
Adam watched closely as a powerful blast of swirling, compressed air burst violently from its jaws.
It wasn't fire or lightning, but a pure shockwave of force.
Whoosh! The shockwave slammed directly into the third wolf still hanging onto its back.
The force of the blast ripped the wolf free and sent it tumbling hard across the ground like a rag doll.
It landed in a heap near the edge of the clearing, letting out a series of high-pitched whines.
Adam could clearly see a new, nasty wound torn open on its back leg from the impact or the fall. The wolf collapsed, unable to get back up, clearly hurt badly and defeated.
From his safe spot high above, Adam watched the powerful air blast attack with a mix of respect and cold thinking. "So, that's its special skill," he mumbled, storing the information in his mind.
"A strong area attack using air. Good to know." The Alpha was definitely still tough, able to use devastating attacks even while hurt.
But Adam also noticed the way the Alpha stumbled slightly after using the skill, the way its breathing seemed even heavier now.
Its decreasing stamina, its tiredness, was becoming more and more obvious. It couldn't keep using attacks like that forever.
Seeing his perfect moment arrive, while the Alpha was catching its breath and the last wolf was crippled and helpless, Adam focused all his attention on the wounded third wolf lying whining on the ground.
He whispered the command, "Mark." The familiar glowing red target symbol appeared instantly above the downed wolf's head.
Drawing back his arm smoothly, Adam took careful aim and threw one of the sharp stones he held with deadly accuracy.
The stone flew through the air, a small dark blur, completely silent. It hit the wounded wolf right on its head with surprising force. The hit was instantly deadly for the already weak creature.
The wolf's body gave a final shake and then lay still, its whining stopped forever.
Another system message popped up:
Congratulations! You have defeated [Level 5 Fang Wolf].
Reward: 500 XP.
Adam allowed himself another brief moment of cold satisfaction, mentally adding the XP to his total, before immediately focusing again.
The Alpha hadn't seemed to notice the silent kill of its last helper; it was still busy, breathing heavily, maybe checking its own wounds after the fight.
The Alpha finally turned its massive head, its glowing red eyes scanning the now empty clearing, searching for the last attacker. It let out a low, rumbling growl, filled with threat and maybe a little confusion.
Blood dripped steadily from the many wounds on its sides and back, forming small dark puddles under its huge paws.
Even though it was clearly exhausted, even though it was the last one standing from what must have been a series of brutal fights, the giant beast's presence alone was still incredibly threatening, radiating danger.
Meanwhile, Adam crouched lower still on his branch, hidden from view. His eyes were fixed tightly on the Alpha now.
It was the only target left. His remaining dagger felt solid and reassuring in his grip. The weight of the steel seemed to promise accuracy, sharpness, and deadliness.
He took a slow, steadying breath, his mind sharp and focused, adrenaline replaced by cold concentration.
"This is it," Adam thought, his heart pounding not with fear anymore, but with focused excitement.
The predator, the mighty Alpha, was now wounded, tired, and alone. The hunter, hidden and waiting, was ready to make his move. "Time to end this."