Desolate Blood Forest.
Kiba walked between the trees with his eyes on his cell phone.
"Just entered the outskirts but yet such low signal," Kiba thought as he proceeded ahead, "There would be no signal after I travel further."
Kiba placed the phone back in his pocket while looking at the surrounding area which was full of tall trees.
The canopy of branches and leaves shielded the sunlight from falling on the ground, making the entire region seem dark. Occasionally, there would be specks of light coming through the gaps between the branches and trees.
Kiba walked ahead and so far he didn’t meet any ferocious beast or animal. He did sense squirrels peeking at him from tree holes but otherwise, he was all alone.
"Hmm?"
Kiba saw an area, a few miles ahead, which wasn’t shrouded with darkness. His figure blurred into a series of afterimages, and the next moment, he was standing in front of what appeared to be a river stream.
The water in the stream was rather sparse and from what he could sense, there were no traces of fish or any other aquatic life.
"Haah," Kiba let out a sigh as he sat down on a boulder.
He was disappointed with the lack of living beings in the region. He wondered where were the teams send by the nine families, government, and other organizations.
"Awoooo."
A wolf’s howl suddenly echoed through the silent stream, shattering the tranquility that was there before.
"Mmm?" Kiba’s gaze once again swept across his surroundings.
About a half mile ahead, five large wolfs abruptly scuttled out from the forest, chasing after an injured human. The wolves have white fur, ghastly teeth, and pointed claws.
"Level 2 mutated wolves?" Kiba murmured.
Such wolves were often a target for hunters since their fur was rather popular among the women of the higher society. Then there was the nutritious meat and the skeleton which was no weaker than steel. It wouldn’t be wrong to say the carcass of such a wolf could easily make one rich enough to live a luxurious life for a decade or so.
But the mutated wolves were not to be underestimated and especially not in the outskirts where they were the supreme rulers. The struggles in the forest have transformed them into strong predators and most often, their hunters became the prey.
"He must have tried to hunt one of them but ended up facing the entire pack," Kiba hypothesized based on the intensity of the chase.
The injured man noticed Kiba and he hurriedly dashed towards him. For him, Kiba was like a globe of fire in darkness and despair. He was sure Kiba should be reasonably strong for him to enter the forest and thus capable enough of hindering the wolves for the time being.
"Help me!" The man shouted loudly, "I have a treasure as compensation!"
The man took out a bright golden bead from his shirt. He showcased it in his hand while rushing towards Kiba.
In truth, he didn’t really plan to offer the treasure. He just wanted Kiba to hinder the wolves while he would use the opportunity to escape.
Kiba looked at the man for a moment before turning his head away.
"Bastard," The man cursed in anger.
He now felt Kiba was far too scared to actually take the bait of the treasure. He was sure Kiba would now run away like a coward leaving him behind to his fate.
But the next moment, the man almost coughed up blood as he saw the scene ahead. Much to his disbelief, Kiba removed his shoes and placed them on a nearby boulder.
"This is the best way to get over a jet lag,’ Kiba said as he soaked his feet in the stream.
"He is not afraid of wolves!? Then he should rescue me instead of practicing reflexology!"
The man wanted to curse Kiba’s parents. Just what types of manners have they taught him for him to ignore the plight of a fellow human?!
Even barbarians teach their children to help those in need if they have the power!
"Fuck! I need to get him to help me no matter how!"
The man, having no better alternative, gritted his teeth and rushed at Kiba with full speed. He was dozens of feet from Kiba when a wolf pounced on him.
"AHH!"
The sharp claws pierced his back and blood flew out. The man stumbled down and fell on the stream with his head hitting on a rock.
He ignored the pain and took out a laser gun from his shirt. He aimed the gun at the leader of the pack and then pressed the trigger.
A stream of red laser light flew out, but much to the man’s horror, the wolf twisted its body to dodge. The laser collided with a boulder some distance away, turning it into dust with a loud bang sound.
"Damn!" The man wanted to cry. He only has only shot left and he was saving it for emergencies.
The leader of the pack opened its mouth wide as it moved towards him.
The man suddenly took out the golden bead and threw it on the boulder where Kiba was sitting.
"Friend! Take away the bead!" The man shouted in a voice filled with sincerity, "I will hold them away while you escape!"
"Oh?" Kiba’s lips curved up in a grin. He could pretty much understand what the man was trying to do but he didn’ stop him.
The wolves turned towards Kiba. They didn’t care about the bead since gold was of no use to them. The only reason they now looked at him was due to the tone used by their injured target.
While they couldn’t understand the language, they felt the tone was friendly, and their suspicion grew with the action of the bead being thrown towards Kiba.
"I’m overwhelmed with emotions," Kiba continued with a grin, "Just a few minutes ago I was complaining about lack of lives here. Now, I even have a friend."
The leader of the wolves leaped up at Kiba with its claws brightening up. The wind whistled and the air pierced with a sharp glint of the claw.
"Who I am to stop you if you wish to discard your life?" Kiba asked as he raised his right hand.
Steams of golden energy began concentrating around his hand. He clenched his fist tightly and punched out.
The wolf felt a deep sense of crisis but was in no condition to dodge after coming so close. Before its claw could strike the opponent, the wolf sensed intense vibration transmitting to its body.
The punch hasn’t struck the wolf, but the golden energy cascaded in its body as vibrations!
CRACK
The destructive energy rampaged throughout its body, shattering all organs and smashing the steel-like backbone in an instant.
The other wolves and the injured man felt their eardrums on the verge of splitting apart with the vibrations roiling in the air and water.
PUFF
The wolf leader was sent flying backward while releasing an arrow of blood from its mouth. It crashed on a giant boulder, and the destructive vibrations from the wolf’s body transferred to the boulder.
BOOM
The boulder instantly exploded into dust while the wolf yelped pitifully for a moment before its life faded. Dark blood from the corpse mixed with the stream, giving it a shade of red.
The remaining wolves and the injured man didn’t dare move nor make any sound. They were scared witless by the brief display of the power.
"How is this possible?" The injured man was completely dumbfounded. He expected Kiba to be strong enough to hold his own for some time but never to this extent.
The wolves, on the other hand, lowered their heads as if apologizing for their conduct of the deceased leader. In the jungle, the respect was always shown toward the powerful.
The water reeks of blood." Kiba ignored their reactions and removed his feet from the stream. "So much for relaxation of body and soul through feet massage."
He put his feet back in the shoes and then stood up.
All this time, the wolves and the injured man didn’t make a single movement. They didn’t have any confidence to run away after the previous display of power.
"Well," Kiba glanced at them, "Why are you still here?"
The wolves could understand his language as if it was also spoken in their minds. They lowered their heads again to thank him before turning around.
The injured man relaxed and his heart elevated in delight. He now looked at Kiba with deep gratitude in his eyes.
"Hey," Kiba called out the wolves, "Aren’t you guys forgetting something?"
"W-what?!"