Hugo took point on their flank and slammed his shield into the leftmost wolf. The familiar wave of energy radiated outward, catching the other in its wake. Nuri seized the opening at once, stepping in as the wolves lifted off the ground. In one fluid motion, the blade flashed and caught two snouts.

"Great cut, kid!"

The blood rained down on him as both wolves crumpled midair, twisting from the cut. They hit the stone hard and scrabble back upright, teeth bared in a low growl.

The wounds didn’t blunt their ferocity; they only amplified it. The leftmost wolf lunged again, the other close behind. They were far faster now than they had been before.

However, Hugo never budged under the pressure, standing his ground like a fortified wall. Just like last time, the wolves couldn’t break through his iron defense, but that didn’t mean Nuri could let his attention slip.

And it paid off. The wolf behind veered toward him, a blur as it dashed in. Nuri positioned himself and his blade early, because he knew the wolf was about to activate its Trait, Steel Flash.

It closed to within five meters, then vanished into thin air. In the blink of an eye, it reappeared right in front of his face, sharp teeth bared menacingly.

But as he had predicted, the moment the wolf’s head materialized at the edge of his blade, he thrust forward and twisted his wrist. The point punched through the roof of its mouth and out the back of its skull.

Nuri pulled the blade free, and the body dropped.

’One down! Damn, that combat theory and application classes are really paying off.’

As he whipped the blade free of the wolf’s blood, notifications popped up at once.

[You have slain a Steel Wolf (1★).]

[XP +12]

’Check balance and XP.’

[Balance: 350 LC]

[XP: 72/1000]

’My earnings are slashed fivefold in both XP and Coins. Wow.’

...A measly 200 Coins and 12 XP. It would take five mobs to match what he had earned at zero Star Rating. But at this pace, he might hit Level 2 in no time. And with him out of the way, this party could even kill 2-Star monsters, doubling the gains.

’This is free eats!’

Just as Nuri was about to refocus on the fight, notifications popped up again.

[Your party has slain a Steel Wolf (1★).]

[XP +12]

[Your party has slain a Steel Wolf (1★).]

[XP +12]

He glanced at the married couple and saw two wolf corpses lying at their feet. They noticed Nuri and gave him a thumbs-up.

’Did they want me to get the first kill or something?’

There was no way they had killed the two wolves slower than him. Two damage dealers being slower than two supports? Yeah, maybe if they were high or something.

Nuri had seen this kind of sportsmanship in basketball, where they would let the rookie score their first points as a rite of passage. Was that it?

He nodded to acknowledge them, but was interrupted again.

"Kid!" Hugo hollered. "I’m bored over here. What are you doing? Kill it!"

Nuri turned to Hugo and almost laughed his ass off. The wolf just kept bashing at the shield while Hugo stood there lazily. At this point, it might just give up if Nuri did nothing.

"Ah. Coming!"

But, magnanimous as he was, Nuri decided to do the wolf a kindness and end its misery.

He sprinted past the wolf’s flank and drew its attention. The moment it turned, he twisted his body and drove the blade into its mouth. Down it went.

[You have slain a Steel Wolf (1★).]

[XP +12]

"Not much of a nepo baby after all, huh." Hugo flaunted his sarcasm.

Nuri scoffed.

"Told you I’m a black sheep."

Diana hurried over, looking jubilant.

"Two whole kills! You’re a natural, Nuri. That swordsmanship is beautiful."

Murray smirked at Hugo as he sheathed his sword.

"What did you say again? Kid’s gonna slow us down, he said."

"Ay man," Hugo dismissed it like it was some rumor. "I didn’t know he had an Imprint, alright? The past is the past. Am I right, kiddo?"

Nuri smirked.

"Sure, sure. Past is the past. Don’t even try to say that when I win the bet, though."

"Damn, this kid’s more persistent than those loan sharks! Who do you think I am? Remember this — a bet is holier to me than the Church, you hear? It is an oath between men, a sacred pact between—"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Nuri groaned, snapping Hugo’s mouth shut. "Move along, will you."

"...This motherfucker. Hey!" Hugo called after Nuri, but Nuri had already walked away. "Murray, sis, you see this? He got no respect for his seniors!"

Murray burst into laughter, and Diana giggled.

Meanwhile, Nuri was already replaying the fights in his mind. He wondered how the poisoning worked, because the wolves didn’t seem to be affected by the wounds he inflicted.

Maybe the name of the effect was literal. He decided to look at the Trait again.

────TRAIT────

1★ [Venom Gash (P)]

Affix: [Common]

State: [Wet] (0%)

Proficiency: [Novice] (1%)

Description: [Your slashing wounds carry venom, building poison in the target.]

Effect:

[Poison Buildup +12] (8 + 0.5 per Toxin Potency)

───────────

’Building poison...’

Nuri contemplated as he stared at the description and the effect. If he was correct, it meant two things.

First, for poison to take hold, he had to attack enough times to build it up. It might take a few hits or a lot, depending on the target’s poison resistance.

If he fought a Poisonous Baby Mantis, for example, there was a good chance this passive would be nullified. Most insects that produce their own venom are highly immune to their own chemicals.

It depended on his Toxin Potency, too. Nuri didn’t know whether the number tied to Poison Buildup measured how quickly poison accumulated or something else. Toxin Potency, at least, was clearly a damage amplifier.

If the first point was correct, then the second meant this passive was better for longer fights, against tougher monsters. But now that Nuri had a party, dispatching monsters was quick work. The fight just now proved it.

Unlike when you were alone, when facing a pack was a death sentence, a party could isolate each monster and make everything straightforward — you just had to do your job and kill one.

Even a Second Constellation would struggle to dispatch a pack of Steel Wolves. They definitely wouldn’t die, but they wouldn’t escape unscathed, and the injuries would accumulate over this 15-day hell. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Nuri was always reminded of how incredibly difficult it was to go solo. Almost nobody embarked on that reckless endeavor. But then again, he would be the first to challenge that notion with his future army of summons. Hopefully, he would stay alive long enough to live out his days without a party, sharing nothing with anyone.

To Nuri, seeing every bit of XP, money, and loot go into his pocket... that was his ultimate dream!