Marcus stood at the window, staring out at the wolves circling the territory barrier.
There were more of them now.
At least fifteen.
Gray fur. Lean bodies. Yellow eyes glowing with hunger as they paced along the invisible wall of energy surrounding the clearing.
Every so often one would step forward and slam into the barrier.
Bzzzt.
Blue sparks crackled as the creature bounced backward with an angry snarl.
Marcus rubbed his chin.
"Well... they definitely want in."
Beside him, Lyrielle stood calmly, her longbow already strung.
She moved with quiet grace, like every motion had been practiced thousands of times.
Marcus noticed she had already nocked an arrow.
Her violet eyes were focused on the wolves.
"These creatures are called Gray Wolves," she said softly.
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"You know them?"
She nodded.
"They are common predators in forest regions. Individually weak, but dangerous in packs."
Marcus grinned.
"So basically… fantasy world starter mobs."
Lyrielle tilted her head slightly.
"I am unfamiliar with that term."
"Means easy targets."
Marcus stepped toward the door.
Lyrielle looked at him carefully.
"My lord… the protection barrier will prevent them from entering, but if you leave—"
"I know."
Marcus stretched his arms.
"Seven days of safety sounds nice… but if we just hide here, we'll fall behind everyone else."
He glanced out at the wolves again.
"And besides."
A grin spread across his face.
"I really want to test something."
He stepped outside.
The moment Marcus crossed the threshold of the house, the wolves froze.
Every single one turned toward him.
Yellow eyes locked onto their prey.
Low growls rumbled through the forest.
Lyrielle stepped out beside him.
"My lord… if you remain within the barrier, we can attack safely."
Marcus looked up at the sky.
Perfectly blue.
No clouds.
No meteors.
Yet.
He raised his hand slowly.
"Okay."
"Let's see if this works."
A faint golden glow began forming in his palm.
Suddenly another blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
Skill Activated
S Rank Skill — Meteor
Target Acquired
Marcus pointed directly at the closest wolf.
"That one."
For a moment nothing happened.
Then—
High above the forest—
A tiny spark of fire appeared in the sky.
It grew rapidly.
Faster.
Brighter.
The wolves began whining nervously.
One of them looked up.
Too late.
WHOOOOSH.
A golf-ball sized meteor screamed through the air like a bullet.
It slammed directly into the wolf's skull.
BOOM.
The impact threw dirt and leaves into the air.
The wolf didn't even make a sound.
It simply collapsed.
Marcus stared.
Then burst out laughing.
"Oh my god."
Lyrielle blinked slowly.
"...That was… extremely effective."
Marcus wiped a tear from his eye.
"I literally killed it the same way I died."
Another blue screen appeared.
Gray Wolf Defeated
Level 1 Monster
Rewards:
Spirit Shards +5
Wolf Meat x40
Wolf Fur x15
Water Essence x20
F Rank Weapon Card
E Rank Armor Card
D Rank Weapon Card
Unit Card – Gray Wolf
Marcus froze.
"...Wait."
He blinked again.
The items were scattered across the ground like a small pile of treasure.
Lyrielle looked at the loot.
Then looked at Marcus.
Then looked at the loot again.
Her expression slowly changed.
"My lord."
"Yes?"
She pointed at the items.
"Monsters do not normally drop this much."
Marcus grinned.
"Oh."
"That's because my talent is completely broken."
He walked over and picked up the items.
Another notification appeared.
SSS Talent – 100% Drop Rate Activated
All possible loot obtained.
Lyrielle's eyes widened slightly.
"...All possible loot?"
Marcus nodded proudly.
"Every kill gives everything."
The elf stared at him.
"My lord… that is not merely strong."
She paused.
"That is world-changing."
Marcus shrugged.
"Hey, blame the goddess."
Behind them—
The remaining wolves began growling angrily.
One stepped closer to the barrier and slammed into it again.
BZZZT.
Marcus cracked his neck.
"Alright."
He looked up again.
Round two.
Lyrielle raised her bow.
"I will assist you."
She fired.
THUNK.
Her arrow pierced straight through a wolf's eye.
The creature collapsed instantly.
Another shower of items exploded onto the ground.
Marcus laughed.
"Oh this is gonna be fun."
He raised his hand again.
Golden energy gathered.
High above—
Another meteor began falling.
The wolves suddenly realized something was very wrong.
But there was nowhere to run.
BOOM.
Another one died.
Loot scattered everywhere.
Spirit shards.
Fur.
Meat.
Weapons.
Armor cards.
Marcus walked around the clearing casually, collecting items as meteors kept dropping from the sky.
Meteor.
Boom.
Meteor.
Boom.
Meteor.
Boom.
Lyrielle watched in stunned silence as wolf after wolf died.
Within minutes—
The entire pack was gone.
Marcus stretched his arms.
"Well."
He looked at the massive pile of loot now covering the grass.
"...That escalated quickly."
A notification appeared.
Level Up
Marcus Hale – Level 2
Lyrielle lowered her bow slowly.
"My lord…"
Marcus turned to her.
"Yeah?"
She gestured toward the ground.
There were now three glowing crystal cards lying among the loot.
Marcus picked one up.
Unit Card – Gray Wolf
He blinked.
Then looked at the other two.
More wolf unit cards.
Marcus slowly grinned.
"Oh."
"Oh this is going to get ridiculous."
Lyrielle tilted her head.
"My lord?"
Marcus held up the cards.
"I think I just recruited an army."