Reborn as a God-tier player

The Pack's Fury

Eagan's breath came in ragged gasps as he dodged the first wolf's snapping jaws. Its claws swiped at him, barely missing his chest. 

He countered the clawed attack aimed at his stomach, but the wolf's thick hide deflected the blow as it growled in Eagan's face. 

While engaged with the first wolf, two more wolves crawled out of the darkness, both growling and sneering at him with dripping saliva.

"Damnit," Eagan cursed as he barely took down the first wolf before the other two charged at him, "I really miss calculated this time." 

Sweat dripped down his face as he parried and counterattacked, his sword flashing in the dim light. But for every wolf he took down, two more emerged from the shadows, their red eyes blazing with hunger.

As Eagan stumbled backwards, gasping for air, a figure burst into the dungeon. Sword-slicing through the darkness, the newcomer took down a wolf within a blink of an eye.

Eagan froze up, his instinct flaring up against the newcomer as he dealt with the wolf in front of him. 

"Need help?" a low, smooth voice asked.

Eagan hesitated, unsure if this was a genuine offer or a ploy. But the newcomer's skilled fighting style and calm demeanour put him at ease.

'With my current body, I won't be able to take down the whole pack by myself anyway. It won't be bad to have a helping hand' he mused while still having his guard up.

Seeing how hesitant Eagan is to accept her offer, the newcomer decides to go in for an introduction. "I'm Lyra," she said, dispatching another wolf. "I'm sorry if I disturbed your hunting, but I only came in to help when I noticed it's a full pack," she clarified and Eagan nodded.

Lyra's words were laced with a hint of amusement, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. Eagan's caution began to reduce, replaced by curiosity.

"Appreciate the help," Eagan said, his voice low and measured. "I'm Eagan."

"Oh I know you," Lyra chuckled. "You are Alastair's younger brother " 

At her words, Eagan let up his guard again while narrowing his eyes at the young brunette-haired lady. "Oh come on, I mean no harm. You know?" Lyra breathed out as she paused her killing.

"It's hard for people not to pull you two together you know? Just like how they always pull the sword saintess and me together," she explained.

"You are Lisa's sister?" Eagan asked, curious, and Lyra huffed playfully.

"I thought I and her are identical? I guess not?" she joked with a bright smile and a wink directed at Eagan. "Come on, I intend to be amongst the top three; let's continue hunting; we can talk over lunch later," she beamed and picked her next target.

Eagan's gaze locked onto Lyra, drawn to her carefree demeanour and impressive sword skills. He wondered what lay beneath her surface.

Throughout his past life, even until the lady moment, he never met anyone as skilled as Lisa during their generation of hunters, and there was never any news about the sword saint's sister.

'Did she do it during the nightmare squirmish?' he pondered. 'But that event is three years away, and three years is enough for a young and talented newly debuted hunter to become famous.' 

"You are getting distracted," Lyra noted. "I know I'm pretty, but you won't see me again if you fail the test ", she teased. 

Eagan scoffed at her attempt at motivation, however, knowing time was of the essence, and although he wasn't trying to get into the blue wolf guild, leaving with an impressive rank would boost his chances in the future.

Eagan shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. "Let's move. We've got a long way to go."

Lyra grinned, falling into step beside him. "That's the spirit. We make a decent team, Eagan."

Their banter continued as they killed their way to the end of the dark dungeon. As they turned a corner, they arrived at what looked like the boss room, with a large iron claw wolf standing at the back of four medium-sized ones.

"Looks like this is the pack leader," Lyra noted. "And his four guards, do you think you are up for the fight?" 

"The guards are all level fifteen, and the pack leader is a level twenty monster," Eagan replied with a frown, and Lyra chuckled.

"Are you scared?" She teased, and he rolled his eyes.

"There is nothing to be scared about; I might not be as swift as you, but I've got my own good spots too." 

"For some who are rumoured to be weak and unable to use sense or use mana, you sure are holding up longer than I expected," she mused aloud. "But then again, one can never trust those rumours."

Eagan's eyes narrowed, his grip on his sword tightening. "So you came after me because you thought I would give out halfway?" He demanded, his voice sounding cold and threatening.

Lyra's grin faltered, her expression turning serious. "Oh hell no!" Lyra replied."I was mainly curious. That's why I came in. You knew there was a pack, and yet you continued fighting. It's either you were stupid, or you've got potential. I wanted to see for myself," she explained.

"I'm not disappointed though." She shrugged. "You are just a late bloomer. You got the purest mana ever." 

Eagan's curiosity was immediately cut off by the loud growl from the pack leader. The pack leader's growl sent a shiver down Eagan's spine, but Lyra's grin returned.

"Time to put your skills to the test, Eagan," she said, her eyes sparkling. "If you manage to take down two guards without needing my help, then we'll share all the kill equally, but if you don't, we will share it seventy-thirty." 

With a nod, they charged forward. Lyra took on the two guards on the right, while Eagan faced the two on the left.

Their swords clashed with the wolves, the sound echoing through the chamber. Eagan focused on his opponents, his movements swift and precise. His movements, compared to when he started the hunt, had become more fluid and practised. 

Although he hadn't returned to how he was in his previous life, he is well on the way, and now, even without the mana of a hunter, he can be categorised amongst the average young hunters. 

Lyra, meanwhile, danced through her fight, her sword slicing through the guards with ease. She finished her opponents before Eagan, turning to watch him with an interested gaze.

'He's really got a great potential,' she noted with a frown. 'Did Alastair not notice?' 

'If he is properly trained, he can stand along those B-ranked Hunters.' she continued as she watched every one of his movements. The more he fought, the more his pace and strength increased. 

Eagan parried a wolf's attack, counterattacking with a swift strike to the neck. His opponent fell, joining its companion on the ground.

"Not bad," Lyra said, approaching him. "You're getting the hang of it. I guess we are keeping it fifty-fifty then. Too bad."

Eagan panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thanks for your help. I probably would have given up halfway if you hadn't showed up"

Lyra chuckled. "You're selling yourself short, Eagan. Now, shall we take on the pack leader? And then you can buy me lunch as a thank you for making the test easier on you."

"Alright, let's do it!" Eagan agreed. 

Together, they faced the iron claw wolf, its eyes blazing with fury and hunger. 

"Level twenty," Eagan reminded Lyra. "This won't be easy."

"I know, with this, we should be ahead of others," she replied. 

Their swords clashed with the pack leader's claws, as it charged towards them. Lyra leaped up, dodging his fatal blow to her head, while sending an attack at its back. 

Eagan focused on dodging the wolf's attacks, striking when openings appeared. However, his attacks were just a little deeper than those of Lyra's.

Lyra fought in sync with Eagan's attacks, her sword slicing through the wolf's defences. Together, they pushed the pack leader back.

The wolf's claws swiped wildly, but Eagan and Lyra dodged, their movements flexible after several practices with the pack members.

In a moment of clarity, Eagan spotted an opening. "Now!" he shouted.

Lyra responded instantly, striking the pack leader's exposed flank. Eagan followed up, his sword biting deep into the wolf's shoulder.

The pack leader's roar turned to a whimper, its iron claws faltering as Eagan gave the last stab to its heart.