The leader of the dire wolves was already about to collapse when another arrow flew past Alex, embedding into another dire wolf's neck.
As an experienced hunter, Cynthia knew better than to take things easy.
A single arrow might not be enough to kill a Dire Wolf, but it could wound the beast and buy some time.
"Heavy Slash!" Elaine shouted as she swung her sword at the Dire Wolf, who had decided to target the archer first.
The monster tried to avoid it, but Elaine was a step faster.
The sword dug deep at the side of the Dire Wolf's body, injuring it seriously.
Another wolf lunged at the Swordsman, intending to bury its fangs into her body.
But Alex had stuck close, already prepared to protect her.
For the second time, Alex used his shield to ram the side of the wolf's body, pushing it to the side. Though its attack missed the teenage boy, he still fell on the ground, unable to get up right away.
Sensing an opportunity, the third wolf of the group opened its jaws to attack Alex.
Just in time, a Fire Bullet slammed into its mouth, making it yelp in pain.
Efa was not far behind and charged ahead, thrusting her sword into the monster's eye, drawing blood.
Struggling to push the sword deeper, she quickly pulled it out and swung at the wolf's other eye, blinding it completely.
Having noticed the lady's quick save, Alex thanked the scout silently in his heart before shifting his attention to the wolf whom Elaine had been fighting.
The wolf the swordsman had fought earlier had died, and she was now up against a new one.
'She's stronger than I thought.' Alex was genuinely impressed with Elaine for defeating a wolf within the relatively short time they had spent dealing with the other surrounding monsters.
Now, they were down to the last wolf.
With all its comrades down, the wolf shifted gear and attempted to run away with its slightly injured body, only to get shot by an arrow at the back of its hind legs, making it lose its balance.
Alex, Efa, and Elaine completely ignored the blinded wolf thrashing at the side and focused their attacks on the fallen Dire Wolf.
Three sword strikes landed on the wolf's body from different locations.
The swordsman slashed on its neck, Efa stabbed the side of its body, while Alex stabbed the place that was nearest to him... the wolf's butt.
In his defense, they were locked in a battle of life and death. That said, the young man didn't hold back and stabbed the wolf where it hurt the most.
A pained cry reverberated in the surroundings.
No one knew whose attack hurt the wolf the most, but it didn't change the fact that their combined attacks had injured it severely.
With a roar filled with anger and determination, Elaine slashed the wolf's neck a second time, severing it completely from its body.
Now that three of the four wolves were dead, they shifted their attention to the blinded wolf, which had rammed itself into a tree while trying to run away.
Elaine, their heavy hitter, didn't hesitate and landed the killing blow, finally ending the wolf's life.
Alex wiped the sweat on his forehead after hearing the notification inside of his head.
He then added the three stat points to Agility before glancing at his comrades.
"Efa, please go back and tell the others we've dealt with the enemies," Alex said.
"Yes, sir," Efa replied in a teasing tone before heading back to where they had left the other girls.
Alex didn't hesitate to store the bodies of the Dire Wolves in his Beast Pouch, which made Elaine, Seren, and Cynthia smile faintly.
"You must treat us to dinner when we return to town," Elaine said in a tone that would not take no for an answer.
"Of course," Alex replied. "It's a team effort, so everyone gets their share."
A few minutes later, the scout returned with the ladies in tow, and once again followed Dim Dim's instructions.
They had taken a detour away from the fighting, so it took them a considerable amount of time before reaching the exit of the forest.
Even so, they didn't lower their guard and continued to run to the Town of Thaloria.
Only when they were halfway to their destination did they dare to stop and rest.
After all the running, everyone was inevitably tired. So, Elaine decided to let everyone rest for a few minutes to catch their breath.
Seeing how tired everyone looked, Dim Dim took out some bamboo steamers and handed some barbecued pork buns to the ladies to eat.
"Thank you, Dim Dim," Annie said as she accepted the food that the little one was giving her.
Knowing the effect of the pork buns, Alex eagerly took a bite.
A moment later, he heard the notification inside his head, telling him that his Stamina Regeneration had increased by 30% for an hour.
Perhaps feeling that their stamina was starting to recover, the ladies decided to head back to the town after a few minutes of rest.
All of them were of the same mind.
The sooner they got back, the safer they would be.
When they reached the gates, they saw Annie's father pacing nervously. It didn't take long for the man to notice the newcomers and, as soon as he noticed his daughter, he immediately ran toward her.
"Annie!" The middle-aged man hugged his daughter tightly while doing his best to stop himself from crying. "I'm sorry! I couldn't protect you!"
Unlike her father, Annie no longer held back and cried in his arms, embracing him tightly.
Elaine glanced at this scene before tapping Alex's shoulder.
"Are you staying at an Inn?" she asked.
"Yes," Alex answered. "I am staying at the Cat Tail's Inn."
"Oh, I know that place. They have good wine. Well, then. I'll meet you at dinner time," Elaine said. "By the way, can I keep this sword as a souvenir of this expedition?"
It was looted from a goblin warrior anyway, so he didn't feel bad about giving it away.
Efa, Seren, and Cynthia also bade Alex farewell and told him that they would see him tonight at the Cat Tail's Inn.
After one last glance in the direction of the Floating Forest, he headed to the Adventurer's Guild to sell the Dire Wolves that he had stored inside his Beast Pouch.
Since the girls wanted him to treat them for dinner, he would need some funds to make sure that they were satisfied.
Alex was certain that his Master was still inside the forest since the sound of fighting had reached them even as they had escaped.
This incident reminded him of the benefits of fighting as a party.
If it hadn't been for his allies, who were seasoned Adventurers, things might have taken a wrong turn for the worse.
The young man then glanced at the round, black shield on his left arm and sighed internally.
The moment he had used the shield to bash the wolves, it had felt so natural as if it was a part of his body.
But after checking its information, he knew all of its abilities were still sealed.
This meant that Svalinn hadn't done anything special during the battle, and everything had happened naturally.
Perhaps Alex's experience as a Shield Savant had been engraved in his body, allowing him to act the way he had.
'I hope Master is safe,' he thought.
Although Cairo was meant to gain the title of Heaven's Sword in the game, the young man was still worried about his safety.
For him, Arcana was no longer a game.
This world was light years from the one he had come from, but it was his reality now. And if there was one thing Alex knew for sure, it was that he didn't want to lose the people who'd started to matter to him.