MonMonster Catch - Creature Tamer LitRPG

I stood there, staring at that big wolf that had just emerged from the forest, caught in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. But I couldn’t afford to remain frozen, waiting for the wolf to choose the perfect moment to attack. I had to take the initiative, seize control of the situation. Better a direct and aggressive move than standing still like prey in front of its predator. My survival instincts kicked in, urging me to act immediately. I had to become the predator.

"BuBull, charge!" I yelled without hesitation.

The gigantic MonMonster at my side responded instantly to my command. His powerful hooves dug into the ground for a split second before launching forward, like a battering ram at full speed. His gleaming horns aimed directly at the target, ready to strike with devastating power. He was a force of nature, capable of destroying anything in his path.

Despite the mountain of muscle barreling towards it, the WoWolf didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. On the contrary, with impressive speed, it sprang forward toward my MonMonster. The creature's glowing green eyes calculated every movement with terrifying precision. Then, at the very last second, just as BuBull's horns were about to meet its fur, the WoWolf leapt sideways, deftly dodging the attack.

"Damn it!" I muttered through gritted teeth.

The WoWolf didn’t just evade the charge—it used the momentum to circle around BuBull. In a flash, it launched itself at me, aiming directly for my right shoulder. Its gaping maw and sharp fangs were ready to bite. All of its focus was on me, completely ignoring BuBull, who was already turning to try and regain position. But it was still too far away.

"He’s coming straight for me!" I shouted to Roy, panic rising within me.

"Dodge!" Roy’s voice rang urgently in my head.

With a desperate leap, I threw myself to the left, rolling on the grass to avoid the wolf's bite. I felt its hot breath brush against me as its jaws snapped shut just where I had been moments before. My heart pounded wildly, adrenaline surging through every part of my body. Never before had I sensed such a palpable threat. It wasn’t just a virtual monster anymore—it was a deadly enemy intent on taking me down.

Suddenly, a red target appeared above my head. That probably wasn’t a good sign.

"He’s marked you, Ekla!" Roy shouted. "He used his 'Hunter's Mark' ability on you. If he attacks, he gets an agility bonus—that’s why he’s ignoring BuBull. The lower your stamina, the more agility he gains. He sees you as the easier prey." Great. Definitely not a good sign.

I couldn’t keep running forever. I had to put some distance between us. I scrambled to my feet and started sprinting toward the edge of the clearing, with BuBull trying to place himself between me and the WoWolf.

"You need to keep your distance!" Roy yelled in my mind. "We can’t afford a close-quarters fight. BuBull needs to hit him, and you need to stay far away!"

"Easier said than done!" I snapped, gasping for breath as I kept running. "It’s not like I can teleport!"

Behind me, I heard the WoWolf growling, ready to launch another attack. There was no way to engage this monster head-on—it was too fast and too strong.

"Roy, I need a plan!" I yelled, feeling the wolf closing in fast. He was gaining ground with every step. "I can’t keep running, he’s going to catch me!" A quick glance at my Omnigron confirmed I had already used up 40% of my stamina. Even BuBull was running low on mana and stamina. Things were getting bad.

"Hold on... let me think..." Roy was clearly under pressure, but he managed to keep calm. "Alright, analyzing the data. WoWolf is fast and physically strong, making him one of the best attackers in this area." I dodged another snap of its jaws and kept running.

Roy continued, "But its endurance is likely 'medium' to 'poor,' meaning physical hits will hurt it. Especially if it's a tank like BuBull landing the blows. But with the Hunter’s Mark, the more you run, the more stamina you burn, the higher its agility gets, making it harder to hit. That’s a huge problem." Those words sparked an idea.

"Got it!" I said, suddenly stopping mid-run.

"Ekla, watch out—" Roy didn’t have time to finish.

I felt the WoWolf's fangs sink into my left arm, a searing pain that made me cry out. Its jaws clamped down on my flesh, and a wave of adrenaline rushed through me. I gritted my teeth. Now wasn’t the time to give in to the pain. I had to stay focused. The plan was crazy, but it was our only shot.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground and grabbed the wolf’s head with all the strength I had left in my free arm. "I’ve got him!" I shouted through clenched teeth, struggling to hold on as the wolf thrashed. Its bite was relentless, and I watched my HP drop with every second.

"BuBull, now!" I yelled, holding my breath.

With a powerful surge, BuBull charged the WoWolf from behind. The ravenous creature, fully focused on me, didn’t notice the attack until it was too late. BuBull's impact was catastrophic. With precision, my MonMonster slammed into the wolf with full force, crushing it between his body and mine. I felt the wolf's bite tighten momentarily before it loosened, releasing me with a pained yelp as it was flung over my head.

I too was thrown back by the force of the collision.

I hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. My arm throbbed with pain, and a quick glance at my Omnigron showed that I had lost nearly 45% of my HP in a matter of seconds. I felt weak, but I had to keep fighting.

"Ekla, are you alright?" Roy’s voice was filled with concern.

"Yeah, more or less," I groaned, struggling to get up. My arm was a mess, but I’d been through worse. Now wasn’t the time to wallow.

I looked over at the WoWolf. It had taken a massive hit but wasn’t finished yet. Its health bar showed it had less than 25% of its HP left. A great result from a single attack, but this wasn’t over. With a furious growl, the creature slowly stood, wobbling from the heavy blow. Its eyes burned with an uncontrollable rage, more determined than ever.

And then, with a sudden movement, it raised its muzzle to the sky and howled.

My eyes widened in fear.

The sound froze my blood.

It was a deep howl, an ancient, almost supernatural call that seemed to vibrate in the air around us. My heart raced as terror began creeping into my mind.

“Roy, tell me that’s not what I think it is,” I muttered, as the sound of the howl faded into the forest.

But I didn’t even have time to hope. Somewhere deep in the woods, I heard two more howls respond. Two howls just as powerful, just as menacing.

“No…” whispered Roy, his voice filled with fear. “This is bad, Ekla. Really, really bad.”

My stomach twisted into a knot of pure terror. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Two more WoWolves were coming? Answering the call of their wounded packmate? This couldn’t be happening.

“What do we do now?” I asked, desperately searching for a way out.

“We have to finish it, and fast,” Roy said, his tone decisive. “We can’t be here when the others arrive. We won’t survive a fight against all of them.”

I nodded, though fear gripped me tightly. The plan was simple. We had to take down the first WoWolf before the others arrived. There was no other choice. But I had no idea how much time we had left.

“Okay,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Then we need to act fast.”

The WoWolf, injured but still dangerous, lowered its head, ready to strike again. There was no more time for complex strategies or waiting. We had to act now.

"BuBull, get ready for a double charge," I ordered.

"Don’t tell me you’re going to try that trick again," Roy said, as if he had read my mind.

"Exactly!" I replied, as I began running behind BuBull.

My MonMonster charged toward the enemy, and I followed closely behind. The WoWolf tensed its back legs, growling fiercely. It was hurt, but it was ready to dodge another charge.

The WoWolf knew exactly what to expect from BuBull, having already evaded several similar attacks before. With a sudden burst of speed, the wolf leaped sideways, skillfully dodging my MonMonster’s blow, just as I had predicted.

This time, though, it wasn’t just BuBull charging. I had planned this, just like I had with the HeHedgehog in our first battle. As the WoWolf dodged BuBull’s charge, I was already behind it, ready to strike. I felt adrenaline surge through me as I activated my "Charge" ability, channeling all my weight and speed into a single, devastating blow.

The impact was brutal. The WoWolf hadn’t expected an attack from two directions at once and didn’t even have time to react. I hit it hard, slamming it against a nearby tree. The sound of the impact echoed through the clearing, followed by the thud of the wolf’s body collapsing to the ground.

For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. I stared at the WoWolf lying on the ground, its body motionless. Despite being slammed into the tree with such force, there was no blood. It had only been knocked out. I quickly checked its battle interface and saw that the WoWolf’s HP was completely depleted.

A notification appeared beside my Omnigron, indicating that BuBull had gained experience points. Judging by the speed with which the bar filled up, it seemed like a lot, though the exact number wasn’t visible. A brighter flash signaled that BuBull had reached level 10. Another screen popped up to update me on its stats, but I quickly dismissed it without paying attention. Now wasn’t the time.

“Done,” I said to Roy, gasping for breath.

But not everything had gone smoothly. As always, the charge had taken its toll on me. I felt slightly dazed, and a quick glance at my Omnigron revealed the extent of the damage: I had just under 50% of my HP remaining.

“Wow. You’re still in one piece,” Roy commented, with a hint of relief. “The plan worked… sort of.”

I slowly approached the wolf’s body, my arm still throbbing from the bite. I looked down at the WoWolf: its chest rose and fell slowly, a sign that it was merely unconscious. It was still alive but no longer able to fight.

“Is it over?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"For now, yes," Roy replied. "But I’m afraid the mission isn’t over. The other two are on their way."

I crouched beside the wolf's body, unsure of what to do. It lay on its side, and I saw its emerald green eye looking at me with fear.

It was clearly out of the fight, but the thought of the other two wolves closing in made me uneasy. Roy broke into my thoughts.

"Finish it off," he said, with a coldness I hadn’t heard from him before.

"What?" I responded, surprised by his insistence.

"If you leave it alive, the other two will be even more dangerous. If they find it dead, they might retreat. Or at least, you’ll have taken one of their packmates out for good," he explained, his tone pragmatic.

I looked at the wolf closely. I ran my hand over its head, ruffling its fur between the ears. I smiled.

Standing up, I said to Roy, "If I kill it, the other two will be even more furious. And if they attack us together, we’ll never make it. Leaving it alive might make them back off."

Roy was silent for a moment, considering my words.

"Maybe you're right," he finally admitted. "But it’s a risk."

I was about to turn away when a noise in the forest made me jump. Leaves rustling, branches creaking under the weight of something large. They were close.

"No time to debate!" I said, feeling the panic rising. "BuBull, return to the Quantum Pack!"

With a quick flick of my wrist, I recalled BuBull. My MonMonster disappeared into a blue light, retreating into the Quantum Pack on my back. Without wasting another second, I dove behind a bush, trying to hide in the thick vegetation.

I stayed still, holding my breath. The sounds in the forest grew closer, and then, finally, I saw them. Two WoWolves emerged from between the trees, their glowing eyes scanning the clearing carefully. Their muscles were tense, ready to spring into action, but when they spotted their fallen packmate, their posture changed.

The two wolves approached their injured companion slowly. One of them lowered its head and began licking its face, while the other stood alert, eyes fixed on the edges of the clearing, as if expecting another attack.

"They're not attacking," I whispered to Roy.

"Not yet," he replied. "It seems like they're trying to help him, or at least see if he’ll recover."

I watched the scene carefully, trying to figure out what they were doing. The two wolves were clearly worried about their companion. There was no trace of the ferocity they had shown before. They seemed sad, as if they were trying to save their fallen brother.

"We could attack now," Roy said, weighing the options. "We don’t have enough strength to fight them head-on, but a surprise attack might give us some kind of edge."

I shook my head. Attacking wasn’t an option. We needed another way out.

As we pondered our next move, the two WoWolves let out a deep, mournful howl. It was almost like a cry, a call that echoed through the forest.

And then, from the depths of the woods, came a reply.

A howl, even more powerful and terrifying. A sound that seemed to make the air itself vibrate and came from the very heart of the forest. The sound was accompanied by a sense of darkness, as if the atmosphere itself was shifting.

The sunlight, which had been filtering through the tree canopy, began to dim. The world around us seemed to be swallowed by a gray, oppressive fog, as if the forest was being consumed by some dark force.

"What the hell is happening?" I asked Roy, my heart pounding in my chest.

"It’s that same environmental filter from before," Roy explained, though his tone was far from calm. "Something big is coming."

We didn’t have enough strength to face the two wolves already in the clearing, let alone a more powerful enemy. We needed to find a way out, and fast.

"Wait," I said as an idea crossed my mind. "The mission doesn’t say we have to defeat the wolves, right?"

Roy thought for a moment. "Yeah… the mission is about finding the shepherd. It says nothing about the wolves."

I remembered the drag marks we’d seen earlier. It was likely the shepherd had been taken by the wolves, maybe to a den or a hiding spot. If I could find him, I might complete the mission without having to face the entire pack.

"Okay, Roy, we don’t need to fight," I said, trying to stay calm. "We just need to follow those tracks. They might lead us to the shepherd."

I took a couple of steps backward, trying to move as quietly as possible. But as soon as my foot hit a pile of leaves, they scattered with a loud rustling.

The two wolves immediately perked up their ears, their eyes darting in my direction. I held my breath, convinced I’d been caught. But after a tense second, they went back to focusing on their injured brother.

"I almost pissed myself," I whispered.

"You’re terrible at stealth, you know that? Which is crazy for someone who dumped all their bonus points into agility," Roy said, but there was a note of relief in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I replied, trying to keep my cool.

"Use -Sprint-," Roy suggested. "It’ll boost your agility enough to get you out of here quietly. We can’t afford any more mistakes."

Without arguing, I activated my Sprint ability. Immediately, I felt my body become lighter, my movements smoother and quieter. I moved swiftly through the trees, following the tracks deeper into the forest. Every step was calculated, every motion fluid. The clearing with the two massive wolves faded behind me.

Finally, the tracks led me to an opening in the rock. It was a cave, wide and dark, surrounded by trees and bushes. Judging by the tufts of fur on the rocks, it looked like the WoWolf den. And considering the bloodstains and torn fabric near the entrance, it was likely the shepherd had been dragged inside.

"Well, we’re here," I said, stopping in front of the cave as the effects of my Sprint ability wore off. "Now what?"

Roy was silent for a moment. "Now we find the shepherd… or what’s left of him."

I stared at the dark cave entrance, trying to suppress the creeping sense of unease washing over me. "Well, if we only bring his bones back, it still counts as completing the mission, right?"

"I’d say so," Roy answered with a sarcastic tone.

"You think there are more WoWolves in there?" I asked, nervous as I activated the Omnigron to restore my and BuBull’s health. The flickering green light brought a brief sense of relief.

"Let’s hope there’s nothing worse than WoWolves in there," Roy replied. Clearly, I was the optimistic one of the duo.

A red warning light on the Omnigron caught my attention. It signaled that our health had been fully restored, but the device had now run out of energy.

"Okay. We’ve burned through all our resources. I’m going in," I said, standing up.

"We're all in now," Roy responded seriously.

And so, with a deep breath, I braced myself to enter the cave, ready to face whatever waited inside.