The blazing sun was unforgiving. Under the tree canopy, Edwin was sweating, not from the heat; three huge wolves were attacking him.
He had scratches all over his body. Pain was assaulting him from every angle.
The leading wolf jumped over Edwin. As he was distracted by the leading wolf, the other two attacked from different directions. One scraped his right shoulder with its dewclaws.
"Fuck!" Edwin flinched the spear in pain. Blood gushed from his fresh cut. He was covered in red stains.
"Brat, if you get distracted by their cheap strategies again, you will become a permanent citizen in the underworld." Azazel's voice rang in his ears.
Edwin stood still as he slowly spun around, moving in a circle, eyes on the three wolves. The wolves had now circled him and were also moving in a circle.
Edwin stood still, his gaze landed on one wolf, and he closed his eyes. The wolf slipped. He opened his eyes and lunged forward with his spear locked on the fallen wolf.
Two other wolves jumped on him. He fell. Fighting three wolves with his unmastered awakened ability was tough. He had to first close his eyes to focus on the target. This was a huge flaw; it wasted reactive time, the target could have moved already. It also left him vulnerable to other unnoticed attacks as all his focus was on willing the cinder to make his target clumsy.
He quickly gripped the spear, rolled, sent his one leg into a slashing blade, sending the wolves away from him. He stood up.
"Don't be stupid. They're weak. Making you lose your energy is their goal. They're observing your every move."
One wolf launched at Edwin. He drew the spear to pierce the coming wolf. He missed.
"Lad, taking your time in battle is significant, but giving your enemy too much time is foolish." Azazel was hammering his words down into Edwin.
Edwin pounced at the wolves, spinning his spear in all directions. One wolf pounced from his left blind spot, smashing him down. As he slammed down, the spear slipped off his hand.
Another wolf sank its fangs into Edwin's left leg. He screamed, his hand reaching for the spear.
He used his right leg to kick the wolf's head, but it did not stop. He threw his punches wildly to keep the other wolf away.
He bent, punches landing on the wolf's head. It did not flinch.
He threw his fist at the wolf's neck. The wolf let go of Edwin's leg. Blood gushed out of the leg. Blinding pain made the leg feel heavy.
Right at that moment, another wolf saw an opportunity. It pounced on Edwin, biting his left shoulder. He screamed, throwing his right arm at it. The bite crushed his pelvic bones.
"Even though in pain, staying calm in front of danger allows you to understand your situation and make necessary plans."
Edwin endured the pain, thinking of how to save himself from these dangerous monsters. He was motivated to kill these hungry wolves, not to pass Azazel's test, but to assess his own growth.
"Be resourceful." He moved, ignoring the pain. The other wolf's dewclaws drew lines on Edwin, removing skin from his right cheek.
He kept ignoring the pain as he grabbed the spear, swinging it to force the other wolves to keep their distance.
"Brat, break the spear and use it to stab the wolf chewing your shoulder."
Edwin moved the spear between his legs, grabbing it with one hand as he forced it to break. It snapped; the splinters almost made him blind.
"Aaar!" A deafening roar came out of Edwin as he thrust the broken part of the spear with an iron head into the wolf's neck, piercing through it.
The wolf's fangs released Edwin's left shoulder. It scrambled on the ground as life squeezed out of its body. The other wolves were frozen for a moment. Then they pounced at Edwin.
He had lost his energy. He closed his eyes; his head hurt. He had no Myrr left.
The wolves were already on him. He grabbed the remaining part of the spear and slammed it at the coming wolf.
When he was dealing with that wolf, the other went for Edwin's neck.
Right at that moment, a tiger with feathered ears appeared out of nowhere, jumping over the wolf. The tiger's mouth covered the wolf's neck; its fangs pierced through the broken neck. It sucked the wolf's blood dry. The other wolf got scared and ran off into the nearby forest.
Edwin went numb, looking at the tiger. He was petrified.
"Hahaha, well done, lad!" Azazel clapped his hands as he approached Edwin.
"Filthy human, you couldn't kill three old sick wolves? What a disappointment." The tiger spoke as it turned back into a fluffy, huge rabbit. It was Kelo.
"Take this, boy." Azazel took a bottle of potion and threw it to Edwin.
"Master, are you wasting that precious Awakened potion on this useless, weakling human?"
"Pathetic weakling," Kelo snarled.
"Who are you calling weakling? I just slaughtered a wolf with my own hands." Edwin brought forth his achievement.
"Hahaha!" Azazel and Kelo went into laughter.
"Brat, you mean you just killed an already dead wolf. Give it a week, it would have already died on its own." Azazel had reduced Edwin's achievement to dust.
---
Meanwhile at the shrine…
Shaman Zu had just finished offering a sacrifice to Venerable Mola and the ancestors. He prayed for Edwin's protection and safe return.
"Edwin is gone." A voice rang from the other exit of the shrine.
A young man in white robes walked in. His arm was resting in a piece of silk, hung around his neck to prevent it from dragging his shoulder down.
"Zara, don't lose faith in the Venerable." Shaman Zu turned, facing the recovering Zara. During the fight in the Tuvwala forest near the river branching, his bones had been disjoined.
"The report from Marable clearly indicates Edwin didn't reach there. He was swept into the Forest of Horror Songs." His voice echoed in the pavilion shrine.
"Say no more," Shaman Zu warned.
"You're already eighty, grandpa. You have to let go." Zara was concerned and worried. "You aren't the only one who wants Edwin to return, but…"
Shaman Zu smashed a bowl to the floor, spilling the lamb's blood out.
"Don't become like those hypocritical elders. My great-grandson is still alive. Wherever he is, the Venerable and ancestors are protecting him. The Venerable will return him to us at a destined time."