Three hundred meters ahead, the beasts gave Echo Shadow no time to catch his breath. They lunged toward him with ravenous mouths dripping saliva, their eyes burning with hunger. Yet he did not panic. Instead, he measured the distance and their formation with meticulous calm.

"They must not reach the carriage," he thought. "I need to put some space between them and the target."

Gripping the reins tightly, he commanded, "Bi, halt!"

The horse gradually slowed, then came to a full stop, bringing the carriage to a standstill.

At two hundred meters, just before the beasts could close in, Echo Shadow leapt from the carriage. His steps were swift, steady, deliberate—as if he had measured the battlefield itself.

"Hohohoho!"
The beasts shrieked as they broke formation: three surged ahead, five took the center, and five lingered at the rear. A faint smile curled on his lips.

"So they know formation tactics…" he murmured inwardly.

The distance between him and the vanguard shrank to mere paces.
The stench of their breath filled the air—foul, humid, bestial. Strings of thick saliva trailed from their open jaws as their howls shook the canopy. Thirteen of them. Far more than he'd expected.

Thirteen Khays beasts in one place… that number was far beyond the norm. Even in their largest packs, these creatures rarely numbered more than seven.

When preparing for the mission, he had anticipated two—maybe three at most—in a region still close to the populated zone. But now, narrowing his eyes, steadying his breath, he understood: this was not a chance encounter. Something was wrong.

Facing so many was no small feat. A pack of this size could obliterate a battalion of fifty men. Even twenty seasoned warriors would suffer heavy losses.

For Echo Shadow, a single Khays beast was hardly a threat. Three would leave him drained. Five meant he would need to give his all in focus and precision. Ten... ten would force his hand to awaken his true power if he wished to survive.

But thirteen…

Even he didn't have an answer for that.