After patching up their wounds and gathering up the loot, the group pushed deeper into the woods.

  Ren stayed several steps behind, peeking nervously over his shoulder every few seconds, as if half-expecting another wolf to come barreling out of the bushes and bite him in the ass.

  Kanuka kept apologizing under his breath.

  The others mostly ignored him, focused on the growing tension in the air.

  The forest was getting darker.

  The trees grew thicker.

  The wind barely moved.

  And ahead, the faint shimmer of herbs glowed under the silvered moonlight filtering through the branches.

  Shadowvine.

  Patches of it grew along a shallow rocky cliffside just ahead.

  Ren could almost taste the success.

  ‘Just gotta sneak in, gather fast, and get out before anything nasty shows up,’ he thought optimistically.

  Naturally, that’s when something nasty showed up.

  Perched atop a nearby cliff, a Shadow Wolf Alpha lifted its massive head and growled, deep and rumbling.

  Its eyes glowed a faint red.

  Its fur was darker than the others, almost smoky around the edges, and it was easily twice the size of the regular wolves they had been fighting.

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  A black name floated over its head.

  With skulls.

  Lots of skulls.

  “Oh shit,” the ranger said eloquently.

  The thief immediately crouched lower behind the nearest warrior.

  Ren didn’t blame him.

  The Alpha wasn’t just a boss—it was an overleveled boss.

  Way beyond anything they could handle in a straight fight.

  If they charged in, they’d be wiped in seconds.

  Ren’s brain was already racing.

  There were ways to fight monsters way above your level: traps, terrain abuse, dirty tricks, and distraction tactics.

  Fair fights were for suckers.

  And Ren?

  Ren had no pride to lose. And nothing to prove.

  He tightened his grip on his staff and turned to the group.

  “Alright,” he said, keeping his voice low. “New plan.”

  The warriors looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

  “The plan,” Ren said, grinning grimly, “is to fight like absolute cowards.”

  The thief immediately perked up.

  Now that was a strategy he could get behind.

  Ren glanced over at Kanuka, who was still scowling at his staff like it had personally wronged him.

  “Kanuka, have you hit Level 2 yet?” Ren asked.

  Kanuka shook his head, huffing out a breath. “No, but I’m close.”

  He actually hadn’t been doing too badly.

  Even with the two of them being relatively useless as clerics, the sheer number of Shadow Wolves they had been grinding through meant the whole group was leveling at a decent pace.

  “Alright, everybody,” Ren called to the group, raising his voice. “New side mission.

  We’re grinding until Kanuka the blind cleric hits Level 2.”

  Kanuka flipped him off in response, which Ren decided to interpret as healthy enthusiasm.

  He pointed up ahead, where the forest gave way to a series of rocky, broken hills.

  “We’re heading for those mountains. The mission? Hunt down every Shadow Wolf along the way. And keep your eyes peeled for Gloomsprites too.”

  A few of the newer players blinked, unfamiliar with the term.

  Ren sighed and explained.

  Gloomsprites were tiny little mouse-sized creatures, looking like smoky-furred weasels with faintly glowing eyes.

  They lived symbiotically with Shadow Wolves, grooming them by eating parasites and cleaning dirt and blood out of their fur.

  In return, the wolves protected them from bigger predators.

  If you could kill one—which wasn’t easy—you’d get a scrap of Gloomsprite Dust.

  Not valuable for potions or armor, but alchemists used it in cleaning spells and hygiene buffs.

  Basically gloomsprites were walking bars of soap.

  Not exactly glamorous.

  Still, the plan was the same: if it moved and wasn’t in their party, it died.

  Full-on murder-hobo mode engaged.