Finding the wolf boss did not take as long as Kael had expected.Its camp was hidden behind a maze of thick trees and tangled roots, with only one wide entrance leading inside. Several ordinary Forest Wolves guarded that entrance, creating a simple but effective defense. For a boss meant to be the first major challenge for beginner players, the location was almost perfect.Kael had spent several hours searching through the forest before finally finding it.Although he had not gained another level and remained at level four, his stats were considerably higher than those of most players at the same level. Instead of focusing entirely on leveling, he had spent his time improving his other proficiencies and strengthening the attributes most important to a Perrin, especially Strength and Dexterity.When he finally caught sight of the enormous creature inside the camp, he immediately knew he had found his target.‘That’s the boss… he’s huge and has silver fur,’ Kael thought.The game system

Avoiding the blow was nearly impossible.Kael was still stunned, leaving him with nothing to do but stare at the enormous paw hanging above him. As the boss lowered it, the paw seemed to grow larger with every passing moment until it filled his entire field of vision.Then it came down.The wolf’s paw slammed into him, covering Kael in pain and shadow.His arms immediately went numb, and the wooden bow in his left hand creaked under the force. Several points of its durability disappeared at once. Kael’s health dropped just as sharply, and his body was driven into the ground beneath him.[You have lost 91 HP!]The pain was not unbearable because Kael’s pain sensors were lowered, but he still felt the impact clearly. His arms remained numb, and an unpleasant sensation spread through them as he lay beneath the boss.Yet Kael did not experience what most new players suffered during their first serious encounter with a monster.Monster shock.The term referred to the reaction players often

Kael collapsed onto the ground and breathed hard.He had spent so much time running, jumping, rolling, and firing arrows that his body had little energy left. His fingers hurt the most. He had released countless arrows during the battle, then relied on his hands whenever he flipped or rolled across the ground and needed to push himself back into one of his Archery forms.Yet none of that mattered.The satisfaction of defeating the boss still filled his chest, and a huge smile remained on his face. The excitement running through him was so strong that he could not even bring himself to close his eyes and rest.It simply felt too good.There were no better words to describe what Kael felt at that moment.Several minutes passed before he finally managed to stand. His stamina had recovered somewhat, enough for him to move around without collapsing again. He opened his inventory and pulled out a wooden shovel.He still had a quest to finish.With enough clues about where the Steel Ax was h

“Congratulations, Perrin!”Garrick clapped his hands the moment he saw the wolf boss’s enormous corpse. He had already seen it the previous day when Kael had painstakingly dragged it all the way to the first line of defense around the forest, where the dense roots marked the boundary.Garrick had helped Kael pull the corpse over the roots before doing what he always did. He grabbed the massive body and threw it beside the wooden cabin as if it weighed nothing.Kael had been so exhausted by then that he simply said goodbye to Garrick and logged out.Now that he had returned to the game refreshed and full of energy, Garrick greeted him with an enthusiastic handshake and another round of congratulations.He had been looking forward to Kael’s return.Defeating a first boss was an important experience for any player, and Kael’s victory mattered for more than just his progress. Over the past month, the two had grown extremely close. They were approaching the level of best friends, at least

Under the sun at its highest point, Kael swung his Steel Ax and brought it down against the tree, cutting into the trunk exactly as Garrick had taught him.The Tutorial Island had been hot for several days, so Kael spent most of his time working on his Lumberer and Armorer proficiencies without a shirt, letting the sunlight tan his virtual skin. His complexion in the game had already become much healthier than it was in real life, which made sense considering how much time he spent exercising and working outdoors here.The hot weather also helped him notice something he had previously overlooked.A tattoo covered part of his right arm.It depicted Fenrath, his first legendary summon, but rather than showing the tiny white wolf that now followed him, the tattoo portrayed the terrifying Wolf Boss he had defeated. The wolf’s head looked even more ferocious than the monster itself had been, almost as though the tattoo represented what the creature might have looked like in its final form.