Chapter 17: Fighting a Level 2 Wave Beast
A few minutes after Cain had left, a group of eight cadets arrived. The one leading it was a handsome youth with green hair and eyes.
He stared at the two dead Earth Lions, and his eyes narrowed at the lack of wounds.
“Whoever killed them, they did it fast, and all their attacks aimed at vital points. Their knowledge about these Wave Beasts’ physiology and martial skills are vast.” The youth with green hair did not expect any feedback from the others, and he was just thinking out loud.
After that, he glanced at the three people behind the group.
“What are you three waiting for?”
The trio trembled as they heard the man’s cold voice. Their status was inferior to those of the rest of the group, which did not seem to be a problem initially since they all treated them very well, but once they were alone, the group dynamic changed significantly.
Unfortunately, even if they regretted their decisions, there was nothing they could do.
.....
The group’s leader did not care about the trio’s thoughts, and his eyes focused on the direction where Cain had left.
—
Cain ran for almost an hour, changing routes from time to time and doing his best to hide any sign of his presence. Only after making sure no one was near him did he escalate to a large tree and sit on a branch.
All the running and the battles had awakened his appet.i.te. No one provided them with meals for this test, but there was food all around them.
However, Cain did not plan to eat the fruits in the surroundings. He took out one Earth Lion’s heart and bit it, taking a large piece into his mouth.
A Wave Beast’s heart had a large concentration of Life Wave, something beneficial for any Wave Cultivator. There were downsides, such as the possibility of food poisoning, but that was not something Cain had to worry about, thanks to his Lycan Physiology.
Of course, there was also the fact that cooked meat was much better, but Cain would not risk revealing his presence with fire just to satisfy his palate.
Cain’s eyes widened as he felt the surge of Life Wave inside him, and without hesitation, he adopted a meditative position and began cultivating.
While Cain focused on his cultivation and had chosen a location where no one should bother him, he did not let his guard down. The [Basic Scan Force Field] never stopped working and would alert him if anyone entered it.
Cain did not stop cultivating until the last surge of Life Wave transformed into Astral Wave.
The day had ended by the time he came out of training, but that was not a problem for him. Wolfs had always been great night-time predators.
Cain’s night vision allowed his field of view to be around 80% as good as during the day. He quietly descended the tree before picking up a scent and following it.
It did not take long for him to see a group of Wave Beasts. They were five rhinoceros-like creatures with spikes all over their bodies.
Just two Wave Beasts pushed him to the limit, so fighting five of them was not something Cain would do. Still, that did not mean he would just leave.
‘System, scan targets.’
A few seconds later, a virtual screen appeared in front of him.
[Target scanned.
—
Race: Wave Beast
Linage: Porcupine Rhinoceros
Path of Power: Wave Beast (Level 1)
—
Stats:
Strength: 0.14
Agility: 0.07
Vitality: 0.20
Life Wave: 0.18]
While there were slight variations, the five Porcupine Rhinoceros had around the same stats.
As Cain a.n.a.lyzed them, he realized those beasts were a perfect example that stats did not fully represent the danger of an enemy.
Porcupine Rhinoceros had lower stats than Earth Lions, but Cain would find it much harder to face them due to their racial traits and his lack of long-range attacks.
Cain left without alerting the Porcupine Rhinoceroses and soon reached the location of another Wave Beast. This time the beast was only one, but he did not take it lightly as the feeling it gave him was that of immense danger.
The Wave Beast resembled a two-and-a-half-meter tall gorilla with sinning metallic fur.
After the system showed him the beast’s stats, Cain understood the reason for the dangerous feeling.
[Target scanned.
—
Race: Wave Beast
Linage: Metall Gorrilla
Path of Power: Wave Beast (Level 2)
—
Stats:
Strength: 0.42
Agility: 0.22
Vitality: 0.51
Life Wave: 0.41]
The Metall Gorilla was a Level 2 Wave Beast, surpa.s.sing Cain in everything, especially in strength.
Cain knew that facing a Level 2 Wave Beast would be dangerous, but he also knew that he would not always be able to fight easy enemies, and running away from every danger would only harm him in the long run.
Of course, that did not mean he would blindly charge toward the Metall Gorilla. Using the information gathered by the [Pseudo Cellular a.n.a.lysis], he projected the battle inside his mind with [Basic Virtual Simulation].
He spent almost half an hour going through the simulation, and only after considering everything did he decide to fight. Even then, he waited another hour for the Metallic Gorilla to lower its guard and generate an opening.
Just as the Metallic Gorilla stretched its body due to boredom and tiredness, a sense of danger a.s.saulted it. A burst of aura appeared near it, and from that same direction, a spear flashed toward it.
The Metallic Gorilla managed to move in the last second, stopping it from piercing its chest, but it still landed on its shoulder before it could unleash its Wave Cloak.
Cain emerged from the trees’ cover, and his eyes narrowed as he saw how the spear barely managed to penetrate the Metallic Gorilla’s flesh. While the simulation showed that outcome, he was still surprised by the beast’s resilience.
“AHHHH!” The Metallic Gorilla roared with pain and anger as it saw the one responsible for its wound. Its Wave Cloak burst with power and increased the amount in its right arm as it attacked.