Chapter 131: The Ember Howl Sovereign [Part 3] "Good going, Alex!" Bob shouted. "Good job!" Truth be told, Bob was very impressed with how the young man didn’t seem to hesitate to stay behind and stand against a Rank 4 Boss Monster to save them. Though as Bob and his two comrades looked at the Two-Horned Blaze Wolf, whose nose was bloody, they had a misconception that the boss wasn’t a big deal. Clearly, they had not faced such a powerful monster in the past and were underestimating its abilities. Even so, Bob had a good head over his shoulders, and paid close attention to the Monster, who was eyeing the silver-haired boy with blood-shot eyes.l "Bob, there’s no time to explain," Alex said urgently as he looked at the monster, who was still reeling from his three-combo attack. "I want you, Grint, and Jorven to target one of the wolf’s legs and keep hitting on that same spot. "However, only attack it after I use my taunt skill, so it won’t attack any of you. Do I make myself clear?" "Okay!" Bob replied. "You hear that, boys? Alex will tank it, we go for the kill!" ""Okay!"" Grint and Jorven took out their weapons and braced themselves for a confrontation. Seeing their determined expressions, Alex also steeled himself to take a beating. But for some reason, he didn’t feel too afraid of the Rank 4 Boss Monster. Perhaps the danger he had faced during the Monster Outbreak overshadowed the danger he was currently facing. Back then, they had been surrounded by countless monsters and had to first break through their encirclement. They had been on guard every moment, for one mistake would have been all it took for them to be overwhelmed from all sides. Now that he was only fighting one opponent, he could focus all of his attention on it. Vulkarath was strong. But it relied more on speed and its flames to defeat its opponent. Since Alex smartly switched between his two shields, Svalinn and Everguard, depending on the situation, he was able to minimize the effect of the Boss Monster’s flame attacks to a certain extent. Also, the Two-Horned Blaze Wolf’s blows earlier made Alex realize that the Twilight Stag, Aurhorn, had hit just as hard as the Rank 4 Boss Monster before him. He had taken the full force of the Twilight Stag’s charge dozens of times while they were escaping the Dungeon of Beginnings. So, unless Vulkarath’s physical power surpassed Aurhorn’s, Alex was confident he could hold out until reinforcements arrived. "Just remember, after you attack its legs once, immediately distance yourself!" Alex instructed. "Only attack when you see an opportunity!" It was quite unfortunate that Alex’s left arm was still injured, so he could only hold a shield for the time being. if he could use both hands, he would have more options in this battle. Judging by the distance between the blinking dots on the map, it would still take Dim Dim and the others a few more minutes to reach them. ’I need to hold on no matter what.’ Alex focused his concentration on the Boss Monster, whose gaze was firmly fixed on him. The Boss Monster still looked as intimidating as ever, but the sight of its bloodied nose gave Alex a pang of regret. He could only throw Grandma Agnes’ Sandals six times a day. ’If only there were no limit!’ Alex thought. With its mile-long range and supersonic speed, the sandal was less of a joke and more of a tactical nuke in disguise. If he could throw it endlessly, wouldn’t that make him practically invincible? Unfortunately, reality wasn’t that kind. He had already burned through the day’s quota, leaving him with no choice but to fall back on his old roots, the shield. "Unyielding Pact!" Alex shouted as he activated his skill that boosted the resolve and morale of his party members. It also increased their resistance against fear, charm, or mind-affecting charms. Bob and the others had originally been intimidated by the Boss Monster, but after getting the buff, their minds cleared, and they became more determined to fight alongside Alex. Everguard faintly bathed in a golden light, enchanted by the Holy Element. "What’s wrong?" Alex asked the Boss Monster. "Does your nose hurt?" Alex wasn’t using a taunting skill on purpose, but his ridicule was enough to make the Boss Monster charge at him with fury. Unbeknownst to him, a few groups of trial takers were observing the battle from afar because the wolf’s howl had caught their attention. They wanted to see who was brave enough to face a Boss Monster. But there were ambitious people within these groups as well. If they saw an opportunity to strike, they would also attack the Boss Monster to get the sigil. With the sigil in hand, they would automatically pass the second trial and become scholarship students. Alex had no plans on simply taking hits. The moment the wolf’s claw descended to swat him, he positioned his shield to counterattack as well. "Shield Bash!" The young man groaned in pain as he was pushed back a few meters. He had timed his attack perfectly to mitigate some of the force behind the Monster’s blow, reducing its impact. "Now!" Bob shouted as he, Grint, and Jorven all ran and attacked the hind leg of the Two-Horned Blaze Wolf. "Slash!" Grint roared as he swung his sword. "Heavy Slash!" Bob attacked the same spot that Grint had hit before running away. "Sonic Pierce!" Jorven, who specialized in using the spear, unleashed his strongest attack with pinpoint accuracy. The consecutive attacks managed to inflict some damage to the Boss Monster. Unfortunately, the trio’s best efforts were not enough to injure the Blaze Wolf seriously. Angered by the annoying insects, Vulkarath shifted its attention to Jorven, who was just about to run away after unleashing his skill. "Where are you looking at, you stupid dog?!" Alex shouted. < Taunt [EX] activated! > Jorven, who was about to be bitten by the wolf, felt relief when the Boss Monster stopped its attack and shifted its attention back to Alex. "Jorven, counterattack!" Bob, who understood that Alex was about to take another blow from the wolf, charged with his sword raised high. Grint followed behind him and ran after the wolf, who then lunged at Alex with its jaws wide open. Alex’s concentration was at his peak, and he waited until the jaws of the wolf were only a few meters away from him before activating another one of his skills. "Shield Charge!" The sudden burst in speed allowed Alex to evade the wolf’s jaws as he slammed his shield on the wolf’s front leg. < Stun activated! > Shield Charge and Shield Bash both had a chance of stunning their target. It didn’t always work, but when it did, it gave a window of opportunity for the young man’s allies to attack. "Slash!" "Heavy Slash!" "Sonic Pierce!" The three targeted the same spot that they had hit earlier. This time, a visible wound appeared on the Boss Monster’s leg. Alex was about to distance himself from the Boss Monster when it made a move to swipe at him. Due to its superior speed, Alex was barely able to block the attack, so he was still sent flying. Bob and the others wanted to help him, but they also understood that without Alex tanking the blows, they were just easy prey for the Boss Monster. As such, instead of running toward him, they ran away from him. Alex groaned as he propped himself up from the ground. If not for the fact that he subconsciously raised his shield to block, he might have received a serious injury from that blow alone. The Wolf roared as it lunged at the young man, who had still not fully recovered from its counterattack. But at that moment, it saw something fast, white, and small out the corner of its eye. "Dim!" Dim Dim, who had now arrived at the scene, threw its brittle vial at the wolf’s head, targeting one of its eyes. The sound of something cracking, followed by a pained cry, reverberated through the forest. Alex heaved a sigh of relief. Although it would take the others a minute or two to arrive at his location, the Dim Sum God had gone ahead in order to help its partner in fending off the Two-Horned Blaze Wolf, whose furious roar was like music in Alex’s ears.