Chapter 6: Big Brother

Looking at the emotions in her clear blue eyes, Dylan hesitated. He didn’t want to leave her behind, but Allure insisted.

“Hurry! Leave quickly. You can’t help me. Even if you fight with your life on line, you can’t do anything to the wolf.”

A sense of helplessness washed over Dylan as he took off in another direction. This feeling was not good at all. The heaviness in his heart grew as he moved further.

‘RO, is there really no way I can help that little girl?’ Dylan’s steps faltered, and he stopped running. “I… I can’t leave like this. If I leave that girl in danger and run away like a coward, I can never face myself.”

With this, he turned around and rushed back to the place where he had left the girl at twice the speed.

He was stunned when he reached the clearing. He recognised the wolf, but the one facing it wasn’t a little girl. Instead, it was a little fox, with three tails.

Though the fox couldn’t fight back, it was holding its own. Every time the wolf pounced on the fox, it would use its agile body to dodge and run.

“Why is it a fox?”

The sudden change puzzled Dylan. He was wondering if he should leave when he saw the wolf’s eyes. It was the same as the little girl he met.

‘You have guessed it right. The vibrations given out by the girl and the little wolf are about ninety percent similar. Allure must be what they call a shapeshifter.’

Dylan held his breath as he watched the fight. The game of attacking and dodging lasted for a few minutes before the wolf made a feint move and injured the little fox.

“You had better give up, Allure. There is no point in stalling for time.”

“No way!” The fox’s eyes glowed with a determined light. “I won’t give until the last moment.”

“Very well then, I won’t play with you any longer.” The wolf pounced on the fox with lightning speed. At the last moment, the little fox managed to escape through the gap between the wolf’s paws. However, there was another deep, bloody scar on its shiny fur.

‘RO, please help me.’ Dylan clenched his fists. ‘If this goes on, the little fox won’t be able to hold on.”

‘Are you really willing to help her at all costs?’

‘Yes, if you don’t have a way to deal with the wolf, I will jump in front of her, regardless of the consequences.’

‘Alright, I can activate the battle detection program at the cost of burning your nerve cells. But if I do that, you will lose another one of your senses.’

There was a static buzz and Dylan’s eyes glowed with a golden light. A holographic image of the battlefield appeared in his mind. Every move became absolutely clear in his mind. The wolf’s weakness appeared in his mind like a flash of inspiration.

‘Get ready to attack.’ Ro’s voice sounded in his head. ‘You have only one chance.’

Dylan gripped the hilt of the dagger and slipped under the body of the wolf. Without giving it another thought, he stabbed the green protrusion under its abdomen with all his strength.

The wolf let out a pained howl and the next moment, Dylan crashed against the trunk of a tree. His vision blurred and a sense of helplessness crushed him.

In the last attack, he had barely managed to stab an inch of the dagger into its abdomen. Given the wolf’s strength, it was nothing.

However, what surprised him was that the wolf didn’t attack them after that. It let out another pained howl and ran away.

‘What exactly was that green protrusion under its belly?’ Dylan couldn’t help but ask as he struggled to sit up. ‘The wolf was so powerful, but it actually ran away.’

‘That was its seed of life. As per my analysis, rogue wolves procreate using the seed of life. Once it absorbs enough energy, it will take form and turn into a version similar to the parent wolf.’

‘You mean to say that I just tried to kill its baby? No wonder it ran away like that. I… I tried to kill its unborn baby.’ Dylan’s face turned pale. ‘You shouldn’t have done that RO. I…”

‘If I hadn’t done that, you two might have died. Showing mercy to the enemy is harming oneself.’

RO was right, but Dylan still didn’t feel comfortable about it. He decided that in the future, he wouldn’t follow RO’s suggestions before understanding all the implications.  

“Little fox?” Dylan looked around with a frown. “Where are you? Are you alright?”

“Big brother,” a sweet voice sounded as the little girl walked out from behind the thickets. “I am fine.”

She looked weak and pale. So, Dylan rushed to support her. Holding her arms, he looked this way and that. “How are your injuries?”

“Injuries? You mean those scratches? They have already healed. We, nine tailed foxes, have extraordinary healing abilities.” There was pride in her voice. “It’s not easy to hurt us. What about you, big brother?” She blinked her large blue eyes. “You are not hurt, are you?”

All of a sudden, she gasped and smacked her forehead. “Look at me. How can I forget something so important?”

“Big brother, thank you for saving my life.” Allure bowed from her waist. “If you hadn’t scared away that big bad wolf, I would have been in real danger.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Dylan ruffled his hair sheepishly. “I just was lucky. In fact, my strength is not enough to even wound that wolf.”

“No matter what you say. You did save my life.” Allure looked at him with a stubborn expression and grabbed his hand cheerfully. “Today onwards, you are my big brother.”

Dylan felt stuffy in his chest and his eyes reddened. “You….”

“Allure!” a stern voice cut him off before he could say anything. “Come here!”

“Grandma Rose! You are finally here!” Allure released his hand and trotted over to the old woman, who had suddenly appeared. “Do you have any idea how dangerous it was? If it weren’t for….”

“Enough.” The old woman gave Dylan an unfriendly look. “I have already heard everything. Whatever happened can only be attributed to luck. So, you don’t have to feel too grateful to him.”

“Grandma!” Allure’s expression turned ugly. “How can you say that? I have already….”

“Enough!” The old woman’s stern glare made Allure tremble, and she became quiet. She had already made a huge mistake by sneaking out without permission. If she angered Grandma Rose too much, she would probably be grounded for the rest of her life.

Thinking of this, Allure could only watch helplessly.

The old woman grabbed Dylan’s shoulder and pulled him closer. Narrowing her eyes, she asks in a cold voice, “Tell me. What do you want? Why did you pretend to save Allure?”

Dylan’s face flushed with anger and indigence, but he forced himself to calm down. The old woman gave him an unfathomable feeling. It was as if she could kill him with a flick of her finger.

Dylan didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. So, he tried his best to explain himself.

“You overheard our conversation, but there is something else you should know. It was Allure who saved me first.” He narrated everything and then sighs. “So, you can say that I was just trying to return her favour. How can I expect anything in return?”

“You might be weak, but your courage is commendable.” A flash flickered in her eyes and her claws elongated. “However, you should remember your limits.”

The old woman grabbed Dylan’s head and the long, golden claw pierced through his forehead. Dylan felt a stabbing pain and his vision blurred.

“Grandma Rose!” Alure shouted. “What are you doing to him?”

“I am just getting rid of an annoying fly for you.”