The forest, which had been quiet just moments ago, was now filled with a terrifying sound. It was the sound of dry leaves crushing under many paws. Aryan's heart began to beat faster. He wasn't facing just one enemy anymore. The system's warning was clear: a pack of Shadow Wolves was coming for him.
Slowly, dark figures emerged from the thick fog. One, two, five... there were seven of them. Their eyes were like glowing embers in the dark, fixed directly on Aryan. The smell of their breath was foul, like rotting meat.
"Seven against one," Aryan whispered to himself, his fingers tightening around the cold metal handle of his sword. "Not very fair, is it?"
He could feel the cold sweat running down his back. Even with his new Agility upgrade, fighting seven wolves at once was a suicidal task for a Level 1 player. But he had no choice. There was nowhere to run.
The largest wolf, the Alpha of the pack, stepped forward and let out a bone-chilling howl. That was the signal. Two wolves from the left side suddenly leaped toward him.
"Now! Quick Step!" Aryan roared.
As he activated his new skill, the world around him seemed to slow down. His legs felt incredibly light. With a sudden burst of speed, he didn't move backward; instead, he dashed forward, right between the two attacking wolves.
The wolves snapped their jaws in the air, missing him by inches. Aryan didn't stop. He spun around and swung his Refined Steel Blade in a wide arc. The blade hummed through the air, cutting the side of the closest wolf.
[System Notification]
Damage Dealt: 45 HP
Effect: Bleeding
The wounded wolf whimpered and rolled on the ground, but the others didn't wait. They attacked from all directions. Aryan had to use every bit of his 9 Agility points. He danced through the shadows, jumping, ducking, and slashing.
His mind was racing. 'I can't keep this up for 30 minutes. My stamina will run out first. I need to finish this quickly!'
Suddenly, the Alpha wolf moved. It was much faster than the others. It didn't jump; it blurred into a shadow and appeared right in front of Aryan's chest. Its claws were aimed at Aryan's throat.
Aryan barely had time to raise his sword to block.
CLANG!
The force of the impact was so strong that Aryan was thrown back. His back hit a tree trunk with a dull thud. A sharp pain shot through his spine, and for a moment, his vision went blurry.
[Warning!]
Health Points (HP): 30/100
Stamina: Low
The wolves sensed his weakness. They began to circle him slowly, closing the gap. They knew their prey was trapped. Aryan struggled to stand up, using his sword as a support. Blood was trickling down from a small cut on his forehead.
"Is this it?" he thought, looking at the glowing blue system screen. "No... I have the Infinite Upgrade system. There must be a way. I just need... I need more power!"
He looked at the 1 Shadow Essence he had collected from the first wolf. It was a small, dark crystal glowing in his pocket. A crazy idea came to his mind.
"System!" he screamed in his mind. "Can I enhance my Skill during a battle?"
[Processing...]
Requirement: 1 Shadow Essence + 50% of remaining Stamina.
Potential Result: Skill Evolution.
"Do it! Just do it!"