C2 Night Wolves
"The death penalty may be spared, but the sins of life are inescapable!"
Jiang Tianyang declared sternly, "Toss this waste into the Gloom Forest and let him fend for himself!"
Jiang Nianrui's eyes flew open as she pleaded, "Young Master, my brother has no Martial Level. With the myriad Demon Beasts in the Gloom Forest, he won't survive!"
"Die? I merely said I wouldn't kill him; I never promised to keep him alive," he chuckled maliciously.
After finishing his taunt, Jiang Tianyang sneered salaciously, "Jiang Nianrui, my father has ordered me to enter seclusion tomorrow. In a month, when I emerge, you'd better be ready and waiting in my bed."
With those words, he strode away, and his disciples followed, dragging Jiang Nianrui with them. She fought desperately, but to no avail. She couldn't save Jiang Xiaofan, and now, she couldn't save herself either.
Jiang Lun stepped forward and brutally kicked Jiang Xiaofan in the gut. A sweet taste rose in Jiang Xiaofan's throat as he coughed up blood, then darkness overtook him, and he lost consciousness.
"Dump him deep in the Gloom Forest to be wolf fodder," Jiang Lun said before turning to leave.
The disciples gathered around Jiang Xiaofan, one of them sighing, "This is just too tragic. If I were him, I'd have ended it all by now. It's a curse to bring harm to oneself and others."
"He's nothing but a burden, and he's dragged Jiang Nianrui down with him. But let's not talk about that. Jiang Nianrui has such a fine figure. To spend a night with her would be worth dying for!"
"With Senior Brother Jiang Lun leading us, if we do our job well, we might just get a piece of the action too."
"Haha! Just thinking about Jiang Nianrui's body..."
They each harbored their lewd fantasies of Jiang Nianrui beneath them, grinning lasciviously.
...
As dawn broke the next day, a pale light washed over the sky. The chill of the Gloom Forest seeped into Jiang Xiaofan's bones, making him shiver uncontrollably.
"Nianrui! Don't give in to him!" Jiang Xiaofan bolted upright, yelling at the top of his lungs, only to realize he was no longer at the Jiang family estate but deep within the Gloom Forest, miles from Lintian City.
Jiang Xiaofan's fists clenched tightly as he hammered punch after punch into the tree. His knuckles collided with the coarse bark, his flesh torn and bloodied, yet he seemed immune to the pain.
He was consumed by hatred.
He despised his own weakness, loathed being worthless, detested being trampled underfoot by that monster, Jiang Tianyang!
After wallowing in despair, a low growl jolted him to alertness. Footsteps approached, and Jiang Xiaofan's senses sharpened. Out of the underbrush, a black bear charged, barreling straight for him.
With a swift roll, Jiang Xiaofan evaded and pulled Jiang's Steel Saber from his system backpack. Blade poised, he sidestepped as the bear lunged again, and with a swift arc of his arm, his sword sliced through the air.
The saber's edge cleaved into the bear's hide, spilling blood in its wake.
The bear roared in agony, feeling the searing pain across its back. It spun and charged at Jiang Xiaofan, jaws gaping to clamp down on his thigh.
Jiang Xiaofan retreated, sword flashing with desperate ferocity. Strike after strike left the bear's head a gory mess. In a frenzy, the bear swiped at Jiang Xiaofan, its paw thudding against his chest, forcing a groan from his lips as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Seizing the moment, the bear pinned him down, its massive jaws aiming for his throat. Jiang Xiaofan's hand shot up, his sword plunging with a "thrust" into the bear's maw, piercing out the back of its neck.
The bear's pained howls ceased as it collapsed atop Jiang Xiaofan, lifeless. From its body, a wisp of white light emerged, drifting into Jiang Xiaofan's chest.
"System Prompt: Congratulations on defeating the black bear. Experience reward granted."
"System Prompt: Congratulations on slaying the black bear. Bear's paw obtained."
Jiang Xiaofan's eyes sparked with renewed vigor as he shoved the bear off. A slow-burning fire of hope kindled within him.
Jiang Xiaofan had long been the laughingstock of the Jiang family, enduring mockery and bullying for not being strong enough. But that was in the past. Now, he wielded the power of the Devouring System!
With this system, he could grow stronger. Defeating Jiang Lei had elevated him to Martial Disciple Level Two, and after slaying the black bear, his experience bar surged forward. Continuing at this pace, reaching the Original Martial Arts Realm was within reach!
He now possessed the power to grow stronger! And with strength, he could reclaim all that was rightfully his!
One month was all he had.
In one month, Jiang Tianyang would emerge from seclusion, and Jiang Nianrui was set to marry him. Within this month, Xiaofan had to become stronger! He was determined to win back Jiang Nianrui and show the Jiang family that he, Jiang Xiaofan, was no pushover!
The experience bar had risen by a third with the defeat of a black bear, indicating that killing two more would allow him to level up!
With this in mind, Jiang Xiaofan couldn't afford to waste time. He dashed into the forest, eager to hunt monsters and level up!
"Ding!"
"System Prompt: Congratulations on killing a wild boar. You have received an experience reward."
"Ding!"
"System Prompt: Congratulations on killing a lizard. You have received an experience reward."
"System Prompt: Congratulations on killing the lizard. You have obtained lizard skin."
...
"System Prompt: Congratulations on killing an ant..."
...
In the depths of the forest, Jiang Xiaofan spared no effort in his quest for experience points. This relentless approach yielded a wealth of experience, propelling his level higher and higher.
As night stealthily enveloped the forest, hunger forced Xiaofan to pause his relentless pursuit. He had spent the entire day in a frenzy, hunting any animal he could find, and as dusk settled, he realized he hadn't eaten a single bite. It was time for a brief respite.
He sliced a chunk of meat from the freshly killed wild boar, kindled a bonfire, and began to roast the succulent, natural meat. Before long, the tantalizing aroma wafted through the air, and Jiang Xiaofan sat down to a well-deserved feast.
Gazing at his own chest, as gaunt as a rack of ribs, Jiang Xiaofan marveled at the boy's resilience. Had he been this frail since childhood, he doubted he would have survived to this age. But now, with newfound power at his fingertips, he was determined to make his life extraordinary. He vowed to take charge of his destiny; his life and death would no longer be dictated by others.
A slab of pork had filled Jiang Xiaofan considerably. He refrained from eating more, wary of hindering his agility, for a battle loomed ahead. Now, he was a changed man from the one he was at dawn, his considerable experience having elevated him to Martial Disciple Level Seven.
Jiang Xiaofan
Level: 7
Martial Level: Martial Disciple Level Seven
Ability: None
Function: None
Equipment: Jiang Family Steel Sword
Points: 0
Luck: 0
Ability: Devour
After a short wait, the surrounding bushes rustled. Jiang Xiaofan rose to his feet, steel blade in hand, scanning the area. The tantalizing aroma of roasted meat had long since been carried away by the breeze, yet he was confident that it would lure nearby animals to his location.
As expected, a brown bear emerged from the thicket. Upon spotting Jiang Xiaofan, it let out a ferocious roar and charged at him. Jiang Xiaofan, seasoned in such encounters, had already slain six or seven bears of similar size that day. He nimbly dodged the bear's onslaught and, with a swift stroke of his steel blade, harnessed the formidable strike of a Martial Disciple Level Seven to decapitate the bear.
Absorbing the white light with his Devour ability, Jiang Xiaofan gained more experience. However, the experience required to advance in level had increased significantly; without defeating at least twenty or thirty bears, leveling up was out of the question.
Soon, a black bear approached, and Jiang Xiaofan dispatched it with the same efficiency. But fortune didn't favor him for long. The sounds around him grew, and in the firelight, pairs of eyes glinted ominously.
Jiang Xiaofan swallowed hard, realizing the peril he was in—he was encircled by a pack of wolves.
In that moment, Jiang Xiaofan was on the verge of tears, though none came. His initial plan was to attract a few fierce beasts—bears, tigers, snakes—which usually roamed solo. Jiang Xiaofan wasn't scared of them. But he hadn't anticipated the presence of a wolf pack, nor their swift arrival that left him no chance to flee!
Emerging from the forest was an enormous gray wolf, standing as tall as a man, its body shimmering with a golden glow. Jiang Xiaofan was taken aback. In the game, this creature would be considered a boss, and defeating it would yield a substantial reward.
"Ding!"
"System Prompt: Congratulations, you have triggered the mission to kill the Wolf King (Difficulty: C)."
...
Kill the Wolf King (Difficulty: C)
Mission Description: Slay the Wolf King within the pack and receive the system's reward!
...
Jiang Xiaofan blinked in surprise, having triggered a mission. The massive wolf before him was the Wolf King, which explained its boss status.
At that moment, Jiang Xiaofan could almost taste victory. Despite being encircled by wolves, he knew that fortune favors the bold, and he was ready to take the risk.
The Wolf King lifted its head and howled, signaling the pack to charge at Jiang Xiaofan!
As the wolves leaped from the underbrush, Jiang Xiaofan quickly sized them up—about twenty in total, none much taller than his knees.
"Crack!"
When the first wolf lunged, Jiang Xiaofan's reflexes took over. His blade sliced through the air, and the wolf fell, a burst of white light surging into Jiang Xiaofan, his experience points soaring.
The experience gained was significant, fueling Jiang Xiaofan's fervor.
But even the mightiest can fall to many, and after the first wolf's demise, Jiang Xiaofan found himself overwhelmed and pinned to the ground, pain shooting through every limb and his abdomen as the wolves bit down. With a pained shout, he hoisted his steel sword and swung fiercely.
The formidable power of a Martial Disciple was now on full display; each sweep of his blade claimed a wolf's life. Adrenaline coursed through Jiang Xiaofan, his mind in a state of extreme excitement, nearly numbing him to the pain. After felling several wolves and freeing his upper body, he quickly sat up and began to furiously hack at the wolves attacking his lower half.
The blade moved relentlessly, cleaving through the air as Jiang Xiaofan watched his experience bar soar. It wasn't long before a surge of warmth enveloped his body, signaling an immediate level-up!
In that moment of ascension, Jiang Xiaofan's wounds mended rapidly, his vitality surging back to its pinnacle. With an agile roll, he sprang to his feet and backed up against a sturdy tree. This strategic position relieved him of the concern of simultaneous front and rear assaults, allowing him to focus on the encircling wolves with ease.
Before he knew it, the wolf pack had been decimated by more than half. A mournful howl from the Wolf King brought their onslaught to a halt. Now, the Wolf King approached Jiang Xiaofan, its icy gaze locking onto him and sending a chill down his spine.
With a fierce concentration in its eyes, the Wolf King lunged at Jiang Xiaofan with breathtaking speed.
