When I opened my eyes again… I was back in the snow cave.
Flat on the cold icy ground.
My body was aching. My head was spinning.
Standing before me was the Wolf Guardian.
But this time… he wasn't smiling.
He was staring at me—eyes wide, jaw open—like I had just committed some kind of unthinkable crime.
Like I had murdered his entire family.
Or maybe eaten his lunch.
I blinked at him, confused.
"Uh… what happened? Did I… pass the test?" I asked hesitantly.
The Guardian didn't answer at first. He just pointed one trembling paw at me.
"Y-Y-Y-You…" he stammered.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
I tilted my head.
"What do you mean? I just did what you told me. You yourself said—'The more I kill, the better the reward.' So what's wrong?"
The Guardian glared at me and growled.
"You see, young wolf… that blood trial you just came out of… it is meant to enhance your bloodline power. The more you kill, the more your bloodline grows stronger.
That's why I told you to kill as much as possible.
But what you don't understand is… YOU WENT TOO FAR!"
He was pacing now, visibly agitated.
"In all my 10,000 years as the Guardian of this trial, I have NEVER met anyone—ANY wolf—that has done something like THIS.
Do you even realize what you've done?"
I gulped. My ears twitched nervously.
"Umm… no?"
He continued, voice rising.
"When you entered the trial, the monsters started at level 10.
But with each kill, the level of the monsters gradually increased. The stronger the wolf, the stronger the monsters become. It's designed so that wolves will eventually reach their limit and leave the trial."
He stared hard at me.
"But you—YOU ARE A FREAK OF NATURE.
You kept going.
And going.
And GOING."
I started sweating buckets.
Well… not buckets—more like a damn river.
I used to be human, after all.
So maybe I was a little freaky for a wolf.
I was still lost in my panicked thoughts when the Guardian barked again.
"You know, young wolf—do you know how many monsters your own father killed in his blood trial?"
I blinked. "I don't know. He never told me."
The Guardian's voice softened for a moment.
"Your father killed only three monsters."
My ears perked up in shock.
"THREE?!"
"Yes. And that is already considered an acceptable result.
Most wolves can only kill 1 or 2. The strongest wolves may kill 100 at most. That is already extremely rare.
But YOU—you insane creature—YOU KILLED THEM ALL!"
My jaw dropped.
"All… of them?"
The Guardian nodded solemnly.
"There are exactly 10,000 monsters in the blood trial.
In the entire history of this trial—from the first day it was created to this very moment—when you add up ALL the kills of ALL the wolves who have ever come here…
The total still does not come close to what YOU alone have done."
I just stared at him, mind reeling.
"But… but… how? When? I don't remember killing that many…"
The Guardian smirked and shook his head.
"I know exactly what you are thinking."
He leaned closer, eyes gleaming with amusement now.
"How did you kill all 10,000 monsters without noticing, right?"
I nodded weakly.
The Guardian chuckled.
"It's because you were inside the trial for three whole years."
"THREE YEARS?!" I howled. "But… I didn't feel time passing! I didn't feel hunger or anything!"
"Of course not," he said. "This cave is a divine structure.
Once you entered the trial, your body began feeding on the energy of this place. That's why you didn't feel hunger or exhaustion."
He looked at me seriously.
"But once you leave this place, you will feel hunger return. And you MUST hunt and restore your energy quickly—or you will die of starvation."
I gulped again. "Okay, okay… I understand."
"And as for why you didn't feel time passing…"
He sighed.
"You were completely consumed by bloodlust.
You became blind to everything around you—lost in the thrill of the hunt. Like a madwolf. That is why you didn't notice three whole years passing."
I blinked again.
Three years…?
10,000 kills…?
I was still in complete shock.
"And now," the Guardian continued, his voice proud,
"You are the first wolf in history to achieve this feat. You have set a record that no other wolf has even come close to.
I am honored to witness this moment."
He paused, his golden eyes gleaming.
"And because of this, I will personally grant you a special reward—different from what the Wolf God normally gives."
He turned and began walking deeper into the cave.
"Now—follow me to the God Chamber.
There, your reward will be bestowed upon you."
I staggered to my feet and began following him, mind still swirling.
Did he really say I killed all 10,000 monsters?
And I was in there for three years?
What the actual fuck?!
I shook my head.
Man… I had SO many questions.
But for now—I would shut up and follow him.
I wanted to see what reward was waiting for me.
"Hehehehehe," I grinned to myself.
"Let's see what the hell this God Chamber is all about…"