CHAPTER 233: CHAPTER 194: FOR THE TRIBE!_2

Through the beast-like eyes of the mask, the old Wizard saw the captives shrouded in black fog, who, to others, appeared to be going insane, frantically biting themselves and those around them.

The reddish mist spread out, merging with the black fog, and the violent fluctuations gradually subsided.

Seeing this, the old Wizard finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued his interrupted communication.

Where is that wolf with the awakened bloodline...

Everyone thought the incident was nearly over. Unexpectedly, the Wizard started convulsing without warning, then stumbled and fell backward.

None of those present, not even Warwolf, had time to react. However, sensing the Wolf God’s power vanish, he hurriedly rushed over to help the old Wizard up.

With just a slight movement, the wolf-bone mask shattered, revealing an aged face, blood streaming from its eyes.

"Great Sorcerer, are you alright?!"

Even Warwolf couldn’t help but panic. The tribe could exist without a leader, but not without a Wizard.

At that moment, a very old white wolf emerged from a nearby stone house. Its fur was dull, and its movements were no longer nimble.

No one hindered it. The white wolf approached the old Wizard’s side and extended its tongue to lick him. Afterward, however, the old wolf quickly weakened. It became unable to stand and could only lie beside the Wizard, whimpering softly.

Gradually, it could no longer even lift its head. Only faint breathing remained before it died completely, all within the span of a few breaths.

The Wizard, who had seemed lifeless, revived. His chest began to move, and consciousness returned, though his eyes remained shut forever.

The old Wizard accepted this naturally. He knew the perils of his craft; surviving was a blessing in itself, so nothing surprised him.

A pity for my substitute of so many years...

The old Wizard lifted his hand to caress the stiff, dead wolf by his side.

Hearing the chaotic noises around him, he grew irritated and shouted, "I’m not dead yet!"

But that very sentence seemed to trigger something, and he spurted blood.

"PFFT!"

He turned his head and almost collapsed again, but Warwolf helped him up, then turned and called out, "Quickly, fetch the Potion seized from the Deerhead Tribe."

A warrior promptly returned with a verdant Potion. After it was administered to the Wizard, he slowly began to recover.

"All of you, leave."

Once recovered, the first thing the Wizard did was dismiss everyone, leaving only Warwolf with him.

"I’ve found your father’s killer, as well as the missing equipment. It was his power that erased the bloodline of the Head Wolf, and now he is stealing the Wolf God’s power."

The Wolf Fang necklace worn by Warwolf and the Head Wolf Pendant are a set; when worn together, they grant even more formidable power.

These were made when the tribe had not yet declined. The current tribe no longer possesses the ability to create equipment of such quality. Moreover, they are tokens of the tribal leader and must not fall into others’ hands.

Though blind, the Wizard stood up as if he could see, pointing southeast.

"Go. Whether for the Head Wolf, for yourself, or for the Wolf God, we must find him—the killer—and find that wolf, and retrieve our tribe’s stolen power."

Warwolf’s eyes blazed with fierce anger. He clenched his fists and roared, "For the tribe!"

「...」

"AWOO~"

"Stop squirming! If you dare spill water on me, I’ll throw you straight into the river, you damn dog."

Lance held down the white wolf as it tried to escape, rubbing vigorously all over its body with water to wash away the bloodstains and the foul smell clinging to its fur.

This white wolf had never touched water since birth. Naturally, it struggled fiercely, splashing around and howling pitifully as if it were being slaughtered, utterly unwilling to endure the bath.

But how could a twig snap a thigh? Before long, it stood obediently, its attention shifting to lapping at the water.

Lance looked at its foolish appearance, finding it hard to reconcile with the ferocity it had displayed moments before.

During his Experiment, Lance had attempted to use the Wolf Spirit to access the power within the equipment. However, a problem arose: the Wolf Spirit directly devoured the equipment’s power, rendering the Head Wolf Pendant—an item brimming with Spiritual Essence—useless.

The consequence, of course, was that the Wolf Spirit grew stronger. Its ghostly form rapidly expanded to the size of a normal wolf, and its demeanor became more animated, as if it were a living being.

It also gained an interesting new ability: spiritual possession.

This very possession sent the white wolf into a frenzy, granting it tremendous strength. Unlike before, however, it did not lose its sanity, though the aftereffect was a prolonged period of weakness.

However, this side effect was trivial for Lance, who could exploit the Bless refresh mechanism.

Still, this ability caught Lance’s attention. He had seen the scrolls and knew of its existence within the Fang Wolf Tribe.

The difference was that the Wolf God possessed humans, whereas the Wolf Spirit could only possess the white wolf.

Lance had wondered if this was because humans lacked the ’bloodline,’ but upon reflection, that didn’t seem right.

The Spirit of the Wilderness, configured as a wolf, likely possessed wolf-like traits. If it possessed a human, wouldn’t that be...

At that moment, Lance began to feel that the Fang Wolf Tribe might have made a mistake. Could it be that this ability was originally intended for wolves and had somehow been misused?