UNDER THE OAK TREE: IN ANOTHER LIFE

03 Is There A Problem?

"There is something on the front line."

Riftan halted the knights as soon as the wizard's words were heard.

Again?

He looked around the ominous forest. The forest should never be silent, but it was as quiet as the dead of night. Except for their horses' nervous neighs, no chirping birds or whistling wind could be heard.

"It's far too quiet here. Something's not right."

Riftan drew his sword in response to Hebaron's groan, and the knights followed. They immediately assumed battle stances, while the wizards were prepared to use their magic at any moment. They soon discovered a small pack of werewolves in the woods.

"Werewolves! Put up a barrier!"

The wizards erected a barrier in front of them and the supply carriages at Riftan's command. The werewolves snarled as they moved forward, closing in on their prey. With their teeth bared, the werewolves dashed at lightning speed and plunged onto the knights. However, before the monsters could devour the solid meat, Riftan and his men charged ahead and slashed them in half in the air.

"Is that all? There were only six of them."

Riftan frowned as he skimmed through the dead monsters. "Don't loosen up your guard. The black werewolf hasn't appeared yet."

The knights immediately turned their heads around, remaining attentive. The rustling of leaves could be heard above their heads at that moment. With their mouths gaping open, the black werewolves leapt from the thick tree branches. The knights brandished their swords and slit them in the blink of an eye, not taking any chances.

"They are here too!"

The wizards in the back screamed and started fighting with attack magic. The black werewolves used concealment magic to attack them from behind, making it harder for the wizards to identify their movement. Riftan clicked his tongue in irritation, ready to spur Talon to the rear.

He noticed Maximilian standing by the wizards, shielding them from getting attacked by their blind spot. She was preoccupied with protecting the wizards that she didn't notice a werewolf lurking behind a giant tree, eyes locked on her like a predator waiting for the perfect opportunity to run down the prey.

Suddenly, the werewolf lunged ferociously at her. A shiver ran down Riftan's spine, so he sped up Talon and threw himself in front of the werewolf, killing it instantly. When werewolves continued to emerge from all directions, only then did Riftan realized the gravity of the situation.

"We are surrounded! Don't leave the rank!"

Dozens of werewolves appeared one after another, almost encircling them with their growling reverberated sharply in all directions. The eager knights who were about to dash forward reversed their course and fell back to the rank. They retook the battle stance and slaughtered the monsters mercilessly.

The battle eventually came to an end after a vigorous fight. Riftan spat blood from his mouth and stared at the decapitated werewolves scattered on the ground.

Where the hell did these werewolves come from?

Uslin dismounted and kicked the nearby werewolf head. "How unusual. Were they already under the control of the dragon?"

Riftan shook his head at Uslin's curiosity on the unexpected attack by a huge pack of werewolves. "The dragon hasn't woken up yet. It couldn't control the monster while it was sleeping."

A small pack usually range from three to seven, but normally they would range from three to fifteen. As a result, killing more than forty werewolves in a single encounter was extremely rare.