Right after the abominable clock finally hit zero, the rift’s surface rippled. Yet, this time, it shimmered with a much darker, more sinister light as if announcing that the stakes had been raised.

  I took a deep breath and calmly pointed my new rifle straight at the center of the dark abyss, ready to shoot at anything that came charging through.

  Now that it came to it, I felt no fear or hesitation; I was well past that. I might be a coward, but I won’t sell my life cheaply. I’ll either win and walk out of it, or I don’t, and then I won’t have to worry about any of this any longer. …But I’ll be damned if I didn’t take some of those bastards with me to hell.

  Then, one by one, the familiar shapes began emerging from the rift’s depths—Death stalkers! Once again, they didn’t attack straight away; instead, they lingered by the active rift, most likely waiting until the whole pack made it through before they tried to rip me to shreds.

  But, of course, I didn’t need to play by the same rules. So right as the first one emerged, I steadied my arm, aiming straight at its ugly snout, and then smiled. Gotcha!

  I pulled the trigger, and a loud bang echoed off the stone walls the next moment. The rifle’s recoil made me unable to follow the bullet, but by the pained yelp I heard the next second, I knew I had hit the mark. Take that, you ugly piece of shit!

  Even though my first shot didn’t seem to do much, apart from making the silvery wolf angry, I couldn’t help but grin. However, my joy didn’t last long. Before I could reload and take another shot, a blood-chilling growl made me shudder.

  It looked like all the death stalkers had made it through the portal and were but moments from throwing themselves at me. I did a quick count. One…Two…Three… There were six death stalkers in total. But I couldn’t help but think that something was amiss. It’s the one in the back…

  Its fur was not just silver but interspersed with streaks of black, its eyes glowing a deep crimson. It stood taller than the others, its muscles rippling with raw power, and its gaze locked onto me with an intensity that made the other wolves seem like mere pups in comparison.

  Suddenly having a bad premonition, I focused my sight on it for a moment, wishing to learn more, and the system responded. A row of glyphs formed in my field of view—[Alpha Death Stalker]

  I tensed, recalling the stories the Hunters often told over a beer that outside, the prowling monster packs were sometimes led by a boss monster that was not only much stronger but also more intelligent than the regular ones.

  Crap! It looks like whoever created the rift really wants that glowing crystal. I thought with a frown. The Alpha suddenly howled, which seemed to signal the start of the assault. This prompted the five lesser wolves to leap forward, their movements a blur of silver and darkness.

  Now, all that stood between me and certain death was a thin grey line of golems—five in total. Good thing I built that second grove. I was forced to admit, although it had cost me another precious build slot.

  Still, despite our numbers being seemingly equal compared to last time, only Rocky was a genuine golem, crafted with the help of my [Synthesis] skill. The others were mere copies summoned by that strange building, and I had yet to see how they would fare in combat against those damn wolves.

  However, I haven’t panicked just yet. After all, I was no longer a powerless slum rat, and I had plenty of time to familiarize myself with my much-improved physique so they wouldn’t be able to take me by surprise like they did the last time.

  So I commanded my golems to move forward to intercept the charging wolves while I quickly reloaded my rifle. Yet, as soon as I gave the command, I noticed that things wouldn’t be that easy.

  So far, I haven’t paid much attention to the Alpha, who, for some reason, decided to stay behind and not join the assault. But I quickly understood why. Crap! He’s commanding them!

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  They were no longer the mindless beasts that lunged blindly at anyone standing in their way. Instead, they spread out, with some keeping my golems busy while others were attempting to flank us.

  As if I’d let you! My golems reacted almost instantly. Moving in tandem, each used their [Shatter] skill to disrupt the wolves' advance. Bang! Another shot reverberated through the cavern, and the wolf to my right was violently thrown back.

  It recovered straight away, but now it was visibly limping. This brought a smile to my face as it meant that they were indeed susceptible to the guns. Then everything became a blur of teeth and claws and stony fists as my golems stood their ground, making the monsters pay for every step in blood.

  I shot round after round; then I was out. Dropping the empty rifle to the ground, I hurriedly grabbed another loaded one, promptly resuming my deadly barrage.

  The Alpha, however, was not so easily deterred. It suddenly charged straight at Rocky as if he knew the stalwart golem was the centerpiece of my defense.

  Shit! Its massive paw swatted aside one of my newly summoned golems like it was a child's toy. I could see the strain on Rocky as he took the brunt of the Alpha's attack, his form quivering under the impact but somehow holding.

  I knew this was my moment. With the Alpha preoccupied by Rocky, I aimed, firing straight at the beast’s eye. It managed to dodge in time, but that was okay. I expected nothing less from the cunning bastard. However, this distracted him for a single crucial moment, and that was all I needed.

  Taking advantage of the brief window, I mentally commanded my other golems to converge on one of the lesser wolves while using their skills. The air cracked with the sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh, and the next moment, one of the abominable monsters fell lifelessly to the Domain’s floor.

  [You have slain a Petty Death stalker. You have gained +40 Soul Essence.]

  Yes! With the wolf’s death, the situation somewhat stabilized, and the battle’s momentum finally swung to our side. Since, for the first time, we now had a numerical superiority.

  But this little victory came at a steep cost. After one of its brethren fell to such a cowardly tactic, the Alpha once again howled. Yet this time, its claws suddenly shined with blue light, and it swiped them at Rocky.

  It turned out my golems weren’t the only ones who had skills of their own. “Move!” I desperately shouted, realizing the grave danger my faithful minion found itself in.

  Rocky reacted almost instantly, throwing itself out of the way, but alas, it was already too late to avoid the Alpha’s skill. There was a flash of light, followed shortly after by the sound of stones cracking. Poor Rocky was then thrown back, and one of his arms shattered.

  The Alpha’s eyes gleamed with crimson light as if reveling in his victory. But then, instead of commanding his pack to press the attack to take advantage of this gaping hole in our defense, the abominable wolf all of a sudden doubled down and came charging straight at me. Crap! It looked like the playtime was over, as the Alpha apparently wanted to finish this battle in one fell swoop.

  Not having the luxury of time to look back and assess the situation at the front, I simply commanded my golems to hold the line no matter what while my trembling fingers tightly gripped the rifle's handle.

  The massive wolf was but mere moments from sinking his teeth into my neck. Right about now, I should probably be running for my life, but I knew that if I turned my back on it, I might as well say my prayers. So, this was my one and only opportunity to end it all.

  Holding my breath, I pulled the trigger, and a single shot went out, once again going straight for one of the beast's eyes. Within a single heartbeat, my bullet found its mark, which was not that surprising given I was shooting practically at point-blank range. The Alpha roared, its movements becoming frantic but not slowing one bit.

  It crashed into the impromptu barricade with the power of a raging bull, completely destroying it in the process and sending splinters everywhere. I tried to dive out of the way at the last moment, but the force of the crash still sent me flying.

  Coming to my senses, my head was spinning. I most likely had a concussion, and guessing by the pain, a broken rib or two, but that was not that important right now.

  My heart dropped to my stomach as, to my horror, I realized that right now, nothing was standing between the Alpha and the Seed. Crap! If it decides to go for it, there is absolutely zero thing I can do to stop it.

  In the next moment, however, the abominable wolf, for some strange reason, turned on its heels and was getting ready to jump at me again. I guess he thinks he already won and wants to finish me off first. Whatever the case, this worked in my favor as I still had plenty of fight left in me. Compared to Carson’s beatings, this is nothing!

  I must have lost my rifle somewhere during the chaos, so I promptly unsheathed my machete as I slowly picked myself off the ground, disregarding the pain. Well, bring it on! I scowled at the damn Alpha, getting ready for round two.