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nFor the next few days at the caravan traveled through this magical forest, a small group of nature spirits chose to follow them out of curiosity. Amongst them was that single 'special' one that had just slightly touched Foster's finger. They were mostly just climbing from tree to tree, or jumped onto the carriages to get a ride. Either way, everyone was quite happy to see them around.

nAfter all, when they weren't mistreated, they were great travel companions that increased morale, even if they didn't do much beside look cute. Although they didn't really have to do anything else in the first place.

n

"By the way, I'm kinda wondering... But are there different kinds of nature spirits?

" Foster asked as he looked at Lynol, who slowly nodded his head,

"Of course there are. There are numerous kinds, actually. Most have some kind of relation to a sort of element of nature. Earth Spirits, Fire Spirits, Air Spirits... They're all a thing. I managed to spot Snow Spirits around my village a few times.

" Lynol explained, while Foster stayed quite curious about them.

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"Huh, really? So what kind are these ones that are following us around?

"

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"...As far as my knowledge goes, they are a 'null' type. Basically, they do not have a connection to a specific element of nature, but to the concept of nature itself. And while there is an element in magic indeed called 'Nature', these are still different. It's hard to explain properly, since my knowledge of them is quite limited as well.

" Lynol replied, staying humble although his explanation was still quite interesting and told Foster all that he needed to know. And it was a hundred times better than what Octer would be able to explain to him.

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"That's pretty cool though. I never saw something like spirits before. I mean, I guess I kinda know about them, I just never really... saw them.

" Foster explained, and Lynol slowly opened his mouth,

"Foster, you-

"

nAnd that was when their conversation between these two friends was interrupted by an ear-shattering howl. It was loud, insanely so. As if someone blasted a concert speaker on full volume right next to Foster's ear. And at the same time, a message appeared in front of him.

n---

nYou have been placed under the influence of the {Fear} effect. You are unable to move for 60 seconds

n---

n'Eh?' Foster thought, unable to speak. Even Lynol seemed to be just stuck in place, as if they were both frozen. The carriage suddenly stopped as if they crashed into something, and the growling of numerous wolves could be heard from outside. And Foster was just sitting there, feeling like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He was shaking, he was rolled up into a ball while cold sweat ran down his body and soaked his clothes.

nSomewhere during this excruciatingly horrifying minute, Lynol was able to jump up. He pressed his mask onto his face and ran outside before his sword fully 'unfolded' from the small handle. It took another thirty seconds or so until Foster was able to move again, which was when he started to take in the screams of the adventurers and wolves as they fought one another.

nBut somehow, Foster's heart was still beating rapidly. His state hadn't changed much from when he was under the direct influence of 'Fear', but one small fact did change. And that was that Foster was able to actually stand up now. This time he wouldn't just wait it out until it was over.

nHe pushed his hands into the gauntlets and rushed out of the carriage without a moment's hesitation. And there he saw a pack of giant wolves so large that it was incomparable to that one from a few days ago. But this time, Foster wouldn't just let everything happen without helping.

nHe ran forward, seeing one adventurer that was being pushed back by a wolf. While running, Foster started using the footwork of the Argomna style and was properly holding his body with the right stance. He reached the wolf, and his body nearly acted on its own. Foster chose an attack that was especially heavy and powerful according to Lynol, simply because he had the chance to do so.

nUsing his momentum and the weight of his own body, Foster's fist swung forward. And as if it was an instinct, something else was added on top of that.

nFoster's sole martial skill. 'Single Strike'. He could feel his hand and arm heat up as he swung his fist forward. And soon, it made impact. The metal of the gauntlets pressed into the fur and flesh of the giant, horse-sized wolf, and a strong blast was let out. It was like an audible bang with some cracking and tearing mixed into it, as the wolf lost its balance and was pushed away a couple of meters. The attention of some of the nearby adventurers and employees, and some of the wolves, was pulled toward Foster. That bang was loud enough to drown out the sounds of the battle around Foster. But that was just for a moment, as the fight continued on not even a second later. The wolf that was hit by Foster managed to return back onto a stable position on its legs, and loudly growled at him. It spread its weight in preparation for a jump, but its opponent was already prepared. He knew what to focus on when fighting a dog.

nFoster still made use of the techniques from the Argomna style, but his instincts took over to an extent as he tried to fight this giant wolf, in the sense that his body mixed the Argomna style with his dirty street fighting. While it might simply seem like sloppy execution to outsiders, Foster's body knew that this was the best way to survive this fight.

nHe pushed his fist forward one more time. The adventurer behind him tried to warn him, since Foster was swinging his fist right toward the wolf's wide open maw, which was a bad idea for quite obvious reasons, but Foster just didn't listen. His aim was the snout, just something a slight bit above its mouth.

nThe wolf's and Foster's momentum combined during impact as 'Single Strike' was used once more, and metal crashed against the wolf's nose. It was like the giant wolf's snout was pressed in a little bit, as it yelped loudly. Its body was stunned for a few moments, which was enough time for Foster to grab the sword of the startled adventurer behind him and press it deep into the wolf's throat. And with a punch onto the handle empowered with 'Single Strike', that sword quickly pierced through the wolf's body.

nIt tried to keep standing up on its legs for a moment as its body stiffened up, but then it simply collapsed onto itself.

n---

n33 Experience Points rewarded

n---

nFoster pulled the sword out of the wolf's throat and handed it back to the adventurer,

"Sorry for borrowing it without permission.

"

n

"E-Eh? D-Don't worry about it!

" The adventurer replied, but at that point, Foster already ran forward to keep helping out.

nAlthough, Foster's heart was still beating so rapidly. He was still covered in cold sweat. He still felt light-headed. But after killing that Giant Wolf, Foster realized something.

nWhat he was feeling wasn't fear by any means. It was excitement. Excitement to fight. Or at least that's what he thought when faced with those horse-sized wolves.

nBut when Foster saw that giant, elephant-sized wolf come out from inbetween the trees, the one that the fear inflicting howl earlier probably came from, he wasn't so sure about that anymore.

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