abcnovels
Chapter 195
Chapter 195: Idle Gossip: The Wolf Sharpen Its Fangs
After the encounter with Kazuto and the others, Schwarz went to a mountain forest a short distance from the town.
The sun had already set and only the light of the moon illuminated the surroundings.
If it was a human in this area right now, they would definitely lose their footing if they did not pay attention to their surroundings. But Schwarz was different.
In fact, his gait was instead lighter than usual.
“….I am growing.”
There was a reason behind his good mood.
The reason he was in a good mood was because the person he had designated as his enemy and the vessel of the guard had both grown beyond his expectations.
Moreover, even though they had become so strong, there was still no limit to their potential.
They will become even stronger in the future.
“If it was not like this, it wouldn’t be fun.”
A smile appeared on his face naturally.
If we had continued fighting, the conclusion wouldn’t have been interesting. We both need to be in our best condition to fight after all.
Ah~ I am fired up!
Just thinking about that moment makes me so excited.
But still, I think,
“It’s strange.”
Schwarz was surprised at the change in his thinking.
Before he had evolved, he had never thought of throwing himself into an uncertain battle.
His first priority was always the survival and the safety of his flock.
As a leader, his raison d’etre was to assess the strength of his opponents, hunt them down without fail, and increase the number of his flock.
In such a situation, he is obsessed with his one and only prey.
This is not the result of wild vigilance.
This is clearly something different.
“But I don’t feel bad.”
Strangely, I don’t feel bad.
In fact, I even feel comfortable.
Accepting such a change and moving on is also a pleasurable feeling.
“Now then….”
Walking through the mountains, Schwarz came to a slightly open area.
As he unfolded the [darkness] under his feet, several Shadow Wolves and one Soldier Ant were revealed.
They are the ones who belong to Schwarz’s pack.
Just like Momo’s [Shadow Crossing], Schwarz can also use the [Darkness] to move his pack members freely.
However, the scale and scope of the effect is incomparable to that of Momo.
“How are we doing?
“Gah! Gwau Gwau!
One of the shadow wolves answers.
It is one of the smartest individuals in the pack.
Hearing its reply, Schwarz nodded in satisfaction.
What he ordered his flock to do was to raise their level.
They were much weaker than Schwarz. Or rather, they were too weak in general.
So Schwarz ordered them to hunt monsters at random and raise their levels while he headed towards where Kazuto and his party was.
“Have any of you evolved?
“Skree! Skree!”
The next one to speak up was the only black soldier ant in the group.
It was an individual that used to follow the queen ant Alpa that was nesting in the city, but luckily survived and now belongs to the Schwarz swarm.
It has evolved during this expedition.
It looks the same as it did when it was a soldier-ant, but the energy it contains is much greater than before.
It is a bipedal ant with two pairs of arms. It’s race name is called the General Ant.
“Ho….You did well.”
“…..sk! Skree!”
“……Grrrr.”
“Wau…….”
It quivered its fangs and antennae in delight at Schwarz praise.
The other Shadow Wolves looked at it with envy and jealousy.
To them, being praised by Schwarz was the greatest joy.
The black ant boasted with a smug face after being praised by Schwarz, and the Shadow Wolves were so frustrated that they would have bitten off their handkerchiefs if they had one.
While laughing at the state of his family members, Schwarz considered his future plans.
“Hm…..”
I’ve been on my own for the past few days, it would be good to take care of them once in a while.
It is essential to improve not only our strength as individuals, but also our strength as a group.
We need to strengthen our coordination, and each of us needs to be able to understand the situation and make the best decision.
These are things that we still lack.
Schwarz nodded, “Okay.
It is also the role of the chief to lead the flock.
Schwarz decided to give them some training.
“Follow me.”
““Waauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!””
“Skreee—!”
The herd members rejoiced at the prospect of being trained by Schwarz.
Now we can become even stronger. They thought that they would be able to help him.
But they were naive. They were so naive that it was staggering.
They realized the difference in power between themselves and Schwarz, and how much of a gap there was between their perceptions.
This was also the beginning of the “Seven Days of Hell” that would later be passed down among the flock.
A few minutes later, Schwarz and his friends were in a place far away from the town where Kazuto and his friends were.
A higher level skill of [Shadow Crossing] is [Darkness Crossing].
It is a powerful skill that allows you to connect your darkness to a place you have been to before, and use darkness as a bridge to come and go as you please.
“It is fine around here.”
Schwarz unfolded the [Darkness] under his feet and created a huge humanoid form.
The size of the figure is similar to the Guardian Golem — Titan that Kazuto and his party had fought against in the past.
Or rather, it’s natural that it was similar because he made it by imitating it.
Schwarz is able to manipulate darkness and create various things at will.
There are only two skills that Schwarz mainly uses.
The skill to move darkness and the skill to manipulate it.
But these two skills are incredibly powerful.
“Gu… grrr…?”
“Ki… kiiii…?”
The flock gasped at the sudden appearance of a giant dark golem.
“Alright, this is our first training session. Your task is to defeat ‘this’.”
“Haaahh?!!”
“Haaahh?!!”
“Haaahh?!!”
“Haaahh?!!”
Everyone was surprised by his words.
“You don’t have to worry about dying. I’m holding back its power.”
Perhaps it was because he instantly realized how upset they were, but he added that.
They were relieved by his words.
The flock had expected Schwarz’s training to be tough, but it seems like perhaps they could actually complete the training.
He would probably release the power of this dark golem in stages and adjust it so that their power would gradually build up.
As expected, our chief.
You really think about us—
“Gwuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
At the same time, the dark golem slammed its fists on the ground with a loud noise that could be described as neither a scream or a roar.
The ground shook unsteadily.
A plume of smoke flew and several Shadow Wolves were blown away.
The black ant that managed to stay in place and the smart shadow wolves gasped at the sight.
When the smoke cleared, there was a huge crater about ten meters in diameter.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The Shadow Wolves and a single black ant stared at the scene, dumbfounded for a moment.
Schwarz nodded his head in satisfaction.
“Good. Let’s do this.”
“Sk… skree?!”
“Wauwauwauwau!”
“Cooing! Cooing!”
Impossible, impossible, impossible! No matter how you think about it, it’s impossible! They continued shaking their heads.
Because, the destructive power itself is wrong!
What do you mean by “holding back its power”?!
But Schwarz simply tilted his head,
“What is it? Is it too weak?”
Is what he said.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
At that moment, the flock finally realized the difference between Schwarz and their own abilities.
For our chief, this is normal.
This is still the ‘weak side’.
The Shadow Wolves shuddered at the difficulty of the path they were about to take.
But if they kept trembling, nothing could be achieved.
“Wa,waoooooooowwwww!”
A shadow wolf made up its mind and started to run.
It was the one that was said to be the smartest of the pack.
His hobby is clawing, and his favorite foods are meat (mainly offal) and water.
“Sk,skreee!”
“Grr, grrrrr!”
“Ggoaaaaaa!”
The black ant and other shadow wolves followed suit and started running.
They had no choice but to do what they had to do.
They made up their minds.
It was a deadly assault.
“……”
On the other hand, the dark golem was silent.
He bent the end of his long arm a little bit.
As if saying, “Come at me.”
This golem seems to have a will of its own. It’s not made of just stone.
“Ggoaaaaaa!”
You’ve got to be kidding me!
The smart Shadow Wolf manipulated his own shadow to clamp down on the dark golem at once.
Alright, it looks like I have managed to slow down its movements with this―
“….gwo?”
However, the dark golem simply let out a yawn.
The shadow was cut off in an instant.
Eh? What just happened?
“Wa..waow?!”
“Skree!”
The black ant immediately attacked as soon as the shadow wolf’s attack failed.
The two pairs of arms on the left and right side each, held a sword capable of unceasingly delivering slashes!
Now I can use my newly evolved power to the fullest―
“…gwah!”
Before it could even attack, it was crushed by the dark golem’s foot.
Well, that was obvious. There is a huge difference in their sizes after all.
It is obvious that this is what happens when a small ant rushes into a huge golem without any plan.
The black ants were a bit smarter than the Shadow Wolf but still…
“Uwaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“Gwagwa!”
“Ggwaaaaaa!”
The black ant is dead!
Oh, my God!
It was such a nice guy, it would even let me claw on its shell!
The Shadow Wolves were saddened by his sudden death.
“…..No, it’s not dead?”
The moment he was crushed, Schwarz had collected it in his darkness, so it was still alive.
But the Shadow wolves did not know that.
They had only one thought in their mind. To avenge the black ant! With that, they launched a fierce attack on the dark golem.
But the difference in strength was obvious.
The Shadow Wolves, who challenged it without any plan, were defeated one by one, and were defeated quickly.
“Ga,gahh…”
The last remaining Shadow Wolf, who was a little smart, finally fainted.
It was only three minutes from the start till the end.
It was an instantaneous annihilation.
“……”
Schwarz was stunned by the scene.
He had no idea that they were so weak.
It made Schwarz realize that he had been naive.
If he isn’t tougher on them, they wouldn’t be able to survive in the future.
Schwarz vowed that he would train them with all his heart.
…… Just so you know, it’s not that they are weak.
It’s just that Schwarz is too strong.
[T/N: Poor wolves and ant (;¬_¬)]
The next day.
Based on his analysis from yesterday, Schwarz created a slightly weaker dark golem.
The size of the golem was adjusted to match the size of the herd.
But he thought that would be a bit tasteless to create only one, so he increased the number to about ten.
This would be a good match.
The result – they almost died.
The third day.
Based on his observations from yesterday and the day before, Schwarz created a weaker Dark Golem.
He made it human-sized, and limited the number to three.
This would make it an even match.
But since he was going to make it this easy, he set up some traps on the battlefield.
Results,
――All of them were caught in the traps and annihilated.
The fourth day.
Thinking that it would be better to have a real battle against a monster than to have a golem made out of darkness, Schwarz took his flock and looked for an opponent.
He found a group of Orcs that looked just right.
He had his herdsmen fight, and they showed some well-coordinated movements.
The days of training had not been in vain, and he was filled with joy.
However, on the way, Schwarz sneezed and the darkness inadvertently overflowed.
As a result, the herd was caught in the murky waters of darkness and were destroyed.
In addition, the Orc pack was also wiped out.
Well, it’s a good thing that we were able to travel further.
The fifth day.
The Orc pack, Goblin pack, and Skeleton pack were destroyed.
On the way, Schwarz somehow caused the flock to almost die.
Day six.
They confronted a pack of orcs, a pack of goblins, a pack of apes, and several golems.
Unsurprisingly, they almost died again.
However, as a result of overcoming the deadly battles, a reasonably intelligent individual evolved.
The somewhat intelligent Shadow Wolf evolved into the considerably intelligent Dark Wolf.
It does not have a name yet. Schwarz is still looking for a name.
And then the seventh day.
After multiple rounds of training and actual battle, all the members of the flock have managed to evolve.
Their coordination has strengthened, and their communication with each other has become much more precise than before.josei
Well, the number of times they died in the past week came in double digits, but let’s leave that aside for now.
“Well then, this is the final training session.”
“Ha!”
“Ha!”
“Ha!”
Schwarz manipulated the [darkness] under his feet to create a dark golem again.
The size and strength of the golem is the same as it was on the first day.
“Now that you have come till here, make sure you defeat it. Go!”
“Grrrrrr!”
“Skreee!”
“Wawww!”
“Gwooo!”
The pack rushed out in unison.
They ascertained each other’s position and deployed the [Darkness].
Then, they strangled the golem which had been made from the same [darkness].
“Gaaa……”
Seven days ago, they couldn’t even stop it from moving even for a moment, but now it’s different.
The restraints are definitely hindering the dark golem’s movements.
“Skree!”
In the meantime, the black ant unceasingly unleashed a barrage of slashes.
The constant barrage of blows were all aimed at the dark golem’s blind spot, giving the golem no chance to counterattack.
Of course, the Dark Wolves were not just restraining it with darkness.
They used the mass attack from the [darkness] that Schwarz used in the past, and roared loudly.
They used a perfect combination of these attacks to chip away at the dark golem’s body little by little.
And then, thirty minutes after the battle began.
“……Guwa……”
The dark golem fell to its knees and its body collapsed.
Finally, they succeeded in destroying the dark golem.
“U,Uwaaaaaaaaa!”
“Skree! Skreeee!”
“Gwaa! Gwagwagwa!”
Yes! We finally won! It is our victory!
The Dark Wolves and a single black ant rubbed their bodies against each other and praised each other for their good fight.
After overcoming the hellish training and this battle, a unique bond was born between them that transcended the boundaries of race.
“Hm. You did well.”
Schwarz nodded in satisfaction at the scene.
The strength as an individual and as a pack has become even stronger.
It will be perfect if his guard truly awakens and joins him.
It is still a long way off, but this is definitely a step forward.
Looking up at the starry sky, Schwarz pondered the scene.
“…”
Then he suddenly remembered the words of the zombie.
“Do you understand, [Wolf King]? I don’t know how much [time] we have left! [The Deadly Sins] and the [Six Kings]! If you don’t keep them with me, sooner or later–“
That’s what the zombie had said.
Schwarz somehow understood what that meant.
When Schwarz got the [Wolf King] skill, and that zombie got the [Arrogance] skill, they were exposed to another side of this world.
He doesn’t know why, but perhaps the holders of the skills of the deadly sins and the six kings are ‘special’.
For this world and for “them”.
“[Time], huh…”
The time left is certainly limited.
This world – the chaos frontier – is a tower that has been built on top of sand.
He couldn’t understand why the zombie was trying to fight it.
“…”
Schwarz looked up at the starry sky once more.
As he cleared his senses, he could feel the presence and vibration of enormous forces far away – from the other side of the ocean.
One was in the sea.
Another was on the western continent.
The last one came from the eastern continent.
The one in the ocean was already awake.
The other two are almost about to wake up.
Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, all the Six Kings and Deadly Sins will be revealed to the world.
The holders of the other unique skills and the Named ones are waking up one after another.
The end is approaching quickly.
But still, Schwarz will not change.
“I will go my own way.”
If there is something blocking his way, he will not relent, no matter who it is.
If there is no path to follow, he will simply open a new one.
With his unfaltering footsteps, he continues to lead his flock to new heights even today.
Members of the pack:
Dark Wolf #1, female, very smart
Dark Wolf #2 Male: Good-natured
Dark Wolf #3 Female: Stupid
Dark Wolf #4 Male Cautious
General Ant. Female. Dodgy.
None of them have names yet.
We will go back to the main story in the next chapter.
T/N: Sorry for the mistake in the previous chapter TwT I forgot to change Rokka to Rikka before posting and cocoa is momo. Any way, I need a proofreader for this novel. If anyone is interested, please message in the recruitment channel is the discord server () or message me privately. Whatever works. Not only will you get access to extra chapters, this is also paid work (≧▽≦)/