Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 87: The Wings of Justice

"...Haxks and Zephyr may be stronger," Amara began with a troubled expression, "but the goblins outnumber them."

"This is bad," uttered Morgana in a critical tone. "They're both going to need healing if this keeps up."

Gloria's expression shifted to one of horror. "I've exhausted all my mana treating your wounds earlier," she confessed with regret.

"I've run out of mana too," Amara admitted reluctantly.

"...Then we have no choice but to resort to that."

At Morgana's suggestion, Amara's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't mean..."

"Mana Conversion."

"Dammit!" Daisuke cursed under his breath. "To think I'd feel this frustrated so soon after fighting Volturax and the golems. It's becoming painfully clear that I lack certain skills, especially AoE and CC skills.

And not being able to benefit from the Dual Blader passive because I'm missing another weapon is just adding insult to injury. Plus, Intimidate doesn't even work on the goblins anymore. Could it have something to do with these two?"

Daisuke cast a glance at the shaman and the demihuman who controlled the goblins like indispensable pawns. "Divide and conquer," he muttered with visible irritation. "These bastards are far more cunning than they appear. That strange goblin might only be at level 26, but its unique rank implies that its stats are leagues beyond those of your typical level 26 monster. And to top it all off, it's wearing armor. Zephyr's clearly at a disadvantage."

As the pup's breaths grew labored and its stamina waned, it found itself unable to mount any meaningful counterattacks, relegated to a purely defensive stance. With each passing moment, its mana dwindled further, leaving it without the means to turn the tide of battle.

The skill Extreme Speed required breathing room to build momentum, but the relentless flood of goblins made that nearly impossible. And while Berserk offered increased power, it came at the cost of defense and stability—and he needed all the stability he could muster right now to refrain from being torn asunder. Falling unconscious once the skill's activation time elapsed would also spell certain doom.

Moreover, Zephyr hesitated to use Divine Armament for his own benefit, reserving it instead for Daisuke's protection given the skill's extensive recovery time. If anything were to happen to Daisuke, he would have utterly failed his given—

WHAMM!

The demihuman swung its club in a wide arc, crashing it into a group of unsuspecting goblins. Like bowling pins, the creatures were sent flying, one of them colliding with Zephyr and hurling them both into the cavern wall. A pained howl escaped the canine as they crashed to the ground, the impact leaving them dazed and vulnerable.

Daisuke's heart sank, rage and apprehension combining to form a dark and turbulent cocktail that coursed through his veins. The Lipanthyer's Fang danced through the air like a frenzied beast, cleaving and skewering any goblin that dared to draw near. Realizing he wouldn't reach Zephyr in time to administer a potion, Daisuke poured all his efforts into his last remaining option.

[Name: Zephyr

Level: 29 | EXP: 131,370/131,406 (99.97%)

Race: Divine Beast

Species: Wolf

HP: 372/5831 | MP: 147/1237 | Attack: 255 | Defense: 149 | Satiety: 31/100 | Loyalty: 44/100

Strength: 191 (+34) | Constitution: 90 (+30) | Agility: 112 (+30) | Intelligence: 168 (+30) | Dexterity: 74 (+30) | Courage: 39 (+30)

Stat Points: 0]