Martial Destiny

Julius, who was already holding his sword, prepared to use it at any moment, but such caution proved unnecessary because the rest of the group didn't need his help at any point during the battle.

Although, calling it a battle might be a stretch!

He was expecting a decent performance from the three of them, but he hadn't anticipated being so positively surprised.

One of the things that really surprised Julius was how synchronized the family was in the game.

"I think most players who managed to survive the first night have much better control over their MANA and can fight more effectively." That was his thought after witnessing the one-sided fight with impeccable skill usage.

"Besides, the synchronization of this family is simply magnificent!" They moved in a way that made it seem like they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Always one step ahead to cover each other's weaknesses, making them a truly formidable team.

The enemy in front of the group was a wolf 130 cm tall and weighing 100 kg. The creature had gray fur, sharp teeth, and saliva dripping from its mouth, almost as if it considered the human in front of it a delicious meal.

Some red stains still marked the animal's gray fur, remnants of its last meal.

Despite being face-to-face with such a frightening creature, the Guardian didn't feel intimidated!

The first move came from Frans, who ran toward the wolf with his shield raised. He used an ability that both Guardians and Swordsmen had in common to cover a short distance more quickly.

"[Charge]"

In an instant, the Guardian had crossed the entire distance between him and the wolf, bringing the creature right in front of him.

The wolf, with few options left, realized that the best choice would be to retaliate.

ROAR

It snarled and leapt at Frans, almost catching him with his guard down.

BANG

Just in time, Frans raised his shield, causing the ferocious wolf to hit it instead of him!

Cry

The wolf fell to the ground, whining and with bloodied teeth from the impact with the wooden shield.

Frans's shield was round, made of wood, and large enough to cover his chest if held in front of his body. It was a simple shield, without much adornment.

But when the wolf's blood hit the shield, something happened.

Slurp

The blood seemed to disappear from the surface of the shield, and the iron center of the shield began to shift, now bearing the image of a wolf's face.

ROAR

Having grown up in the wild, the ferocious wolf knew it couldn't stay on the ground for too long, so it got up as quickly as possible. It snarled again, showing its bloodied fangs to Frans.

"What a cute little dog," Katharina said with a small smile as she looked at the creature's sharp, pointed teeth.

Katharina had seemed to vanish for most of the fight, surprising both the wolf and Julius when they realized they had forgotten about her until that moment!

But what surprised both of them even more, especially the wolf, was that she was standing right next to the creature!

"How did this human get so close!?" The wolf would probably be thinking something like that if it had enhanced intelligence. Since it didn't, the only thing it did was seize the opportunity.

RAR

It lunged again toward the human, but this time, there was no shield in front of him to protect the human!

Well, it wasn't wrong.

"[Charge]" Realizing that the woman was in danger, Frans used the charge ability again and collided with the wolf, sending the creature flying.

"Watch out, Katharina! We're not here to play!" He scolded his wife briefly before focusing on the wolf in front of him.

Even with the impact, the wolf remained standing and ready to fight.

Frans raised the round hammer he used in combat and struck the metal wolf face on his shield, causing a burst of purple energy to shoot out from the shield in waves.

The energy waves traveled toward the wolf, stopping just at its neck, forming a sort of purple collar.

"[Prison]"

[Prison:

When the shield is covered in the blood of an animal, the wielder can use this skill to capture the full attention of that species in the vicinity, making them a more attractive target for all enemies.

Requirements: Enemy's blood / 15 MANA.]

In that moment, the wolf could feel the blood of its own species on Frans's shield, making it unable to take its eyes off the Guardian. Moreover, the wolf seemed to feel an overwhelming urge to tear the human apart, much stronger than it had felt before.

ROAR

Without hesitation, the wolf went berserk and started attacking the Guardian nonstop. Frans used his shield to block each of the attacks.

Even though the wolf's claws and teeth were extremely sharp, its enraged state made its movements easy to read.

"[Enhancement]"

[Enhancement:

The being benefited by this skill will have its primary attributes enhanced according to the MANA spent by the wielder.

Requirements: Target / Proportional MANA to be enhanced.]

It was Eleonor who cast this skill.

Unlike the other members of the group, Eleonor had the largest reserve of MANA, as UA was a primary attribute for her.

She used 30 MANA to enhance the primary attributes of her target, but contrary to expectations, she didn't use it on her father. Instead, Katharina, who had vanished again, was the one to benefit from the skill.

"[Stab]"

[Stab:

A skill that channels MANA around the user's weapon to increase the penetration strength and critical hit chance, making the attack after using this skill extremely dangerous and lethal.

Requirements: Vanish / Minimum 10 MANA.]

CRY

Emerging from her invisibility, Katharina plunged the dagger at her waist into the wolf's neck, causing the creature to freeze immediately.

The wolf only had time to give a small whimper before collapsing dead to the ground, marking the group's first successful kill together…

Well, almost, since Julius didn't even have time to do anything.

'They're so synchronized!'

The synchronization between the three of them was so flawless that Julius had no role to play there. It seemed like the group would have to adapt to having a new member.

And Julius would need to find a way to fit into that synchronization.

Once again, without even realizing it, he was replaying the fight in his head, imagining the moments when he could have intervened.

'I think the best moment would have been when Frans made the first [Charge]; then I could have used that brief moment of confusion to attack!'

"So, what did you think of our group!?" Eleonor asked, a noticeable trace of pride on her face.

"Hm? Yes, you're amazing!" Julius couldn't help but comment and praise all the family members.

"Frans always kept himself in position to intercept the wolf's attack on the healer, which is you, Eleonor. And Eleonor, you always made sure you weren't too exposed, watching in all directions to ensure there was nothing lurking." Julius detailed the points he noticed during that brief fight, leaving the father and daughter surprised.

"As for Katharina, it's a bit more complicated to understand since she was invisible for most of the fight, but I imagine she was always in position to land the final blow on the creature at any moment." Even when she first appeared right next to the creature, Katharina was positioned to deliver a fatal blow to the wolf.

'Did she really get distracted by the wolf, or was she just pretending?' Julius still hadn't spent enough time with the group to understand them well enough to answer that question.

"Are you sure you're not a professional player, young man?" Frans asked in doubt, as Julius seemed to have quite a bit of experience with virtual games.