Ch 121

  Seeing what appeared to be a group of five individuals chatting casually and carefree as they approached the safe room where the others were all sleeping heightened Matt’s alertness. Instantly, Matt attempted to wake Bob using their mental link, but it was futile as the bobcat was in a deep slumber and simply ignored the connection. This compelled Matt to once again try to employ his skills in the manner he had during their previous encounters with other groups. However, unlike those times, Matt was getting no response. So, when the group was about 50 feet away, he called out to them, adhering to standard etiquette.

  “This safe zone is occupied, and we have no prior engagement. Halt or be considered hostile,” he declared firmly, his voice echoing in the stillness of the night.

  The five figures ceased their chatter as they noticed Matt for the first time. However, they didn't pause for long before one of their members, another wolflike man, began to laugh and continued moving forward while speaking.

  “You must be new to the area if you don’t know who we are. I’ll tell you what, you all clear out, and we won’t kill—”

  “What is it with acting like you’re the top dogs and wolfmen?” interrupted Matt, recognizing the man as just another fool. “Really, despite the fact that I have yet to encounter any who can challenge me, I still offered you the chance to leave without being humiliated. Is that offer itself some form of humiliation to you?”

  “Oh, you’re not some pushover who jumps at every shadow,” replied the wolfman, seemingly pleased to be confronted. “That’s good. My claws get dull fighting these monsters all the time since they don’t fight like someone who knows they’re about to die. I just hope you can last more than a few blows.”

  As the wolfman finished speaking, the other four members of his party began to chuckle darkly, and Matt lost any consideration for a peaceful resolution. At least the sound of their talking had been enough to wake up Bob and the others as Matt prepared to charge in. He sprang into action the moment the wolfman reached the midway point between the safe room and his party. The initial clash involved Matt transforming his hand into a blade, as was usual for him, and hardening the area he expected to be hit. However, the wolfman merely smiled as he caught Matt’s blade-like hand, examining it as one would a new toy, and spoke with an unsettling curiosity. "Interesting, you might actually be more fun than I thought."

  A moment later, Matt transformed the rest of his arm into tooth enamel, but it proved futile as the wolfman brought his hand down and severed Matt's hand at the wrist. Despite the tooth enamel transformation, Matt still experienced the excruciating pain one would expect from such an injury. However, it only took a second for his body to regenerate the hand, and it caused only around 50 damage to his HP. Considering his total HP was over 4,000, it amounted to little more than a gentle tap. Nonetheless, Matt understood that he was not yet at a level where he could defeat his current opponent through conventional means. So, he merely smiled as he watched the very hand that had severed his fall to the ground, a moment after his own had regrown.

  "What the hell are you?" demanded the wolfman, staring incredulously at the stump where his hand used to be. "You're weak, but you just regenerated in a moment what will take me a day to do. I'd say you were some kind of slime, but that doesn't fit. So, what are you?"

  "A survivor," replied Matt cautiously, his eyes fixed on the wolfman. "Even if that means allowing my enemies to damage me, only to find they've dug their own grave."

  "Not what I asked, but fair enough," the wolfman conceded, a hint of respect in his tone. "So, you walk the path of regeneration and possess something that returns injuries you heal. It's a truly troublesome pairing, as it means that unless an attack is sure to kill you, I have to endure the same fate. You don't even need to land a blow to win most fights. That just means I'll need to take my time and slowly kill you, as I'm sure your essences will run out before you do—"

  Matt merely smiled as the wolfman surged forward and punched him squarely in the gut. But Matt allowed the entire area to transform into nothing more than a blood-soaked scene as the man's eyes widened in shock. Moments later, Matt’s body was fully healed, while the wolfman was left with a gaping hole in his own abdomen. The laughter from the rest of the wolfman’s group abruptly ceased as Matt grinned, realizing the attack had only cost him 100 HP. Indeed, his body was more than just a mere cheat, as evidenced by the wolfman’s struggle to breathe before he collapsed to the ground.

  "Your mistake was assuming I would allow you to hold back," Matt commented. "You even saw me shift my body to be tougher and didn't consider that I could do the opposite, or perhaps you thought I would fear the pain. I wonder how much experience I'll gain from you."

  "That's enough," stated one of the wolfman's party members, stepping forward with a note of warning. "Even if we can't kill you, if you kill him, there will be nowhere for you to hide. We know you can't catch us, and even if it takes sending 100 others-"

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "You think I fear having free experience come running to me?" Matt interrupted, cutting off the man's threat. "Please, feel free to make my leveling easier. I don't even fear A ranks, let alone those you could persuade to do your bidding. Not that I expect there are many who would, given the way you act, unless you plan to intimidate them. With your leader dead, I wonder how many would-"

  "You don't even know who you're messing with, and-"

  "I can say the same to you!" retorted Matt angrily. "You all laughed at me when this piece of trash attacked. I could tell he was planning to take his time with me, and for that, his life will end."

  Matt didn't wait to hear the other four respond as he drew back his arm, poised to attack, and watched all four of them rush forward as if their lives depended on saving their leader. Determined not to let them escape with their leader, Matt surged forward, sacrificing both of his legs in a manner similar to how he had previously allowed a hole to be blown in his gut. This move only allowed him to incapacitate two of them, but by the time they reached their leader, Matt was already back on his feet. They were left with only two members capable of fighting, as his skill had finally begun to guide his actions with precision.

  "And you've lost," declared Matt, disregarding the fact that he had lost over 1,000 HP during the brief exchange. "You see, now you have me here and are trapped."

  "You're dead—"

  That was all they managed to say before they were suddenly struck by a barrage of arrows and Greg's potent magic from behind, catching them completely off guard. They had forgotten that Matt wasn't alone, which proved to be a costly oversight. Despite this advantage, Matt knew he had to act swiftly. If the adversaries managed to turn the tables and take someone from his party hostage, they could potentially recover control of the situation. However, it seemed that strategic thinking wasn't their strong suit, as they impulsively launched an attack the moment Matt charged in. Matt endured two powerful strikes, watching in horror as 1,500 more of his HP vanished and two massive holes were torn open in his torso.

  Even though he managed to recover almost instantly, Matt was forced to harden his arms, blocking two additional attacks as his flesh rapidly regenerated. This defensive maneuver sent him hurtling backward, resulting in the loss of another 1,000 HP, bringing him to a critical point where he couldn't afford to take another hit. Nevertheless, this unintentional retreat gave him some distance from his attackers. As he regenerated, he observed the openings in their defenses where they had attacked him. Both adversaries remained on their feet, even after enduring the damage from their follow-up strikes. However, neither could move with any real speed or agility, giving Matt a momentary tactical advantage.

  This, unfortunately, meant that they were caught in a stalemate, as approaching the enemy would require enduring their attacks while they fought desperately for their lives. Even if Greg were to begin launching blasts of magic at them, Matt felt that they would simply charge at him and kill him, even if it meant crippling themselves in the process. However, there was one simple exception to this predicament, and Matt grinned as, seemingly out of nowhere, their leader was suddenly yanked away from them. Bob had used his stealthy skills to launch a surprise attack. This move did not go without a counterattack, but the enemy hesitated, unsure of where Bob was and fearful that they might accidentally kill their own leader if they acted recklessly. This moment of hesitation was just enough for Matt to perceive the solution to the current standoff.

  "I think things have gone far enough," stated Matt firmly. "While I know that my side has won, killing all of you would likely result in casualties on both sides. The only question is, how do we deescalate the situation without harming the five of you?"

  "Cut off one of our legs and leave us in the safe room to recover," suggested the wolfman leader, who had finally regained enough composure to speak, though it was evident he was in considerable pain doing so. "I started this, so I'll bear the pain of the loss."

  "Alright, start cutting," replied Matt, instructing Bob to retreat. The fact that Bob was still alive was nothing short of a miracle, considering their leader seemed recovered enough to act. This indicated to Matt that the wolfman leader realized killing Bob would have eliminated any chance of their survival. "Though I have to say, what's to stop you from hunting us down when you recover?"

  "Nothing," coughed the wolfman, his voice ragged. "But I expect it will be a while before we regenerate enough to do so. How can we be sure that you won't send others our way to finish us off?"

  "Fair enough," retorted Matt, considering the impasse. "I am going to focus on recovering my health as my group prepares to move. Once they are ready, you can all crawl into the safe room while I follow behind."

  "Fine, let's just get this over with," the wolfman leader replied, resigned to the temporary truce.

  The next ten minutes were rather tense as Matt watched the leader amputate his own leg along with the legs of the two who were still standing. It wasn't until they were well over two hours away from that safe room that Matt finally felt able to breathe freely. If it weren't for his adaptable body and cellular regeneration, he would have died several times over in that fight. It was only by catching them off guard and transforming what should have been a light blow into a catastrophic one that he managed to secure victory.

  However, what Emily revealed about them all being C-ranked, with the lowest being level 40, hit Matt the hardest. Part of him couldn't help but think about the experience points he could have gained by defeating them, but more than that, he pondered two of his titles, Defier of Fate and Rank Crosser. He suspected that the encounter was orchestrated by the influence of the first title, and he was only able to survive through the workings of the second. This realization caused Matt to worry about how hard Fate was trying to influence events to end his life. Additionally, it made him wonder if he was inadvertently dragging the rest of his party into his own turmoil, as they would have been killed too had they lost. This led him to question once more whether being near them was truly what was best.