But he felt no pity. Since the Wolf Spirit Lord was ignoring him, he would simply enter the ruins and take whatever he could find. Surely, he would eventually find a way to lure it out.
With that thought, he rushed straight into the ruins and began searching everywhere.
First, he searched the main hall, then the areas behind the two stone doors. Soon, the entire first level had been thoroughly searched.
Strangely, the ruins were completely empty. Even the Wolf Spirit Lord that had slipped away earlier was nowhere to be seen.
"Something's not right. The ruins are only so big. Where else could it have gone?"
"A secret passage?"
After searching for a long time without success, he had no choice but to summon the system and begin scanning every stone within the ruins.
He didn't believe that such a large ruin contained nothing but stones. Even if it were completely empty, the Wolf Spirit Lord couldn't possibly have disappeared from the ruins' boundaries into thin air.
Following the system's guidance, he carefully searched every corner of the ruins, finally discovering a clue in the room where he had previously destroyed the Wolf Spirit Orb.
[Ding! Mechanism detected.]
"Oh?"
Before him was a stone brick that was indistinguishable from the surrounding wall.
Vikram reached out and carefully examined it, discovering that the dust on this particular brick was noticeably thinner than that on the surrounding stones.
He knocked on it with the back of his hand. The sound was hollow. There was indeed an empty space behind it.
With a gentle press, the stone brick slowly sank about half an inch into the wall.
As the mechanism was triggered, the room began to vibrate violently. Then, the stone bricks beneath his feet suddenly collapsed, gradually revealing a stone staircase spiraling downward.
Because the sound of the mechanism being triggered could very likely attract the Wolf Spirit Lord, Vikram vigilantly monitored the Lord's position on his biological detector while slowly descending the staircase.
At the bottom of the staircase was a passageway. Although it was dark, torches were mounted along both walls.
Seeing this hidden passage, Vikram became certain that all the good stuff must be hidden down here.
"It can't be that such a deeply hidden secret room is only meant to serve as an escape route, can it?"
Continuing deeper into the ruins, he followed the corridor until he finally reached a vast underground space, roughly as large as the ruins above.
Five separate rooms stood around the open area.
At this point, the biological detector showed that two rooms were empty, while another contained a creature. Vikram estimated that this was where the Wolf Spirit Lord was hiding.
To his dismay, the remaining two rooms were densely packed with blinking dots. A preliminary count indicated that there were at least twenty creatures between the two rooms.
To be safe, Vikram decided to search the unoccupied rooms first.
He tiptoed toward the rightmost door.
The stone door had no latch or visible mechanism. Vikram approached cautiously, extended his hand, and slowly pushed it open.
To avoid making any noise, he hunched down and crept forward step by step.
Behind him, Guardian Sprout followed closely with its shield raised, while Warrior Sprout stayed slightly to the side, its blade lowered but ready.
A faint green glow from Healer Sprout drifted softly at the rear, its light dimmed as if it, too, understood the need for stealth.
After thoroughly searching the room, Vikram found no treasures, only scattered supplies and various useless odds and ends.
"Looks like this is just a storeroom," he muttered helplessly.
Without wasting any time, he turned around, pushed the door open again, and prepared to check another chamber.
Unexpectedly, the Wolf Spirit Lord was already standing at the entrance, its blood-red eyes fixed on him like burning embers.
"ROAR!" The furious howl exploded through the cramped space.
The shockwave struck Vikram head-on, making his skull throb as if it were splitting apart.
Instinctively clutching his ears, he stumbled sideways to dodge.
It was clear now. When he had triggered the mechanism earlier, the sound had alerted the monster.
The Wolf Spirit Lord had deliberately concealed itself, waiting for the perfect moment to trap him.
The giant beast advanced rapidly. With his mind still reeling from the roar, Vikram could only retreat hastily.
Soon, an icy touch spread across his back.
A stone wall.
He had nowhere left to go, while the towering figure before him continued closing the distance.
"I was a bit too careless this time…" He had been too focused on searching for treasure and had completely ignored the danger outside.
That single lapse had nearly pushed him into a dead end.
Guardian Sprout immediately stepped forward, firmly planting its shield between Vikram and the approaching monster.
Warrior Sprout shifted its stance, circling to Vikram's flank, its blade glinting faintly in the dim light.
Healer Sprout drifted closer, releasing gentle streams of restorative energy that gradually eased the pounding pain in his head.
Shaking his still-dizzy mind, Vikram slowly regained his clarity.
"I underestimated this monster's roar… Isn't this basically a hard-control skill?"
Vikram muttered under his breath, his eyes still fixed on the towering figure ahead.
The Wolf Spirit Lord had no interest in his thoughts. Its two enormous claws stabbed forward one after another, tearing through the air with terrifying speed.
In a flash, Vikram's Iron sword swept upward, deflecting one incoming claw, while he twisted his head just enough to narrowly avoid the second strike.
The gray-glowing claw slammed straight into the stone wall beside him. Like soft tofu, the ancient rock was pierced five or six centimeters deep without the slightest resistance.
A cold sweat instantly covered Vikram's back.
If that blow had landed cleanly, his skull would have shattered on the spot.
Behind him, Guardian Sprout immediately shifted position, pressing its shield against the embedded claw to restrain its movement.
At the same time, Warrior Sprout darted in from the flank, its vine-bound feet springing off the ground as its blade slashed toward the Lord's exposed side.
A streak of green light from Healer Sprout wrapped around Vikram's temples, clearing the lingering dizziness caused by the roar.
Grateful for the edge the Crimson Orb had given him, Vikram didn't hesitate any longer.
This time, he chose not to remain purely defensive.
He suddenly sheathed his sword, placed both palms against the wall behind him, and used it as leverage.
With a sharp exhale, he thrust both legs forward in a powerful double kick aimed directly at the monster's waist.
The Wolf Spirit Lord was momentarily stunned.
Its usually decisive roar-and-pierce combination had been countered so smoothly that its instincts faltered.
Before it could even pull its claw free from the wall, the kick struck.
"Bang!"
A violent shockwave rippled through its abdomen.
The massive body was launched backward like a broken siege ram, smashing into the opposite wall and carving out a deep crater.
Chunks of stone rained down. Dust and smoke surged upward, quickly swallowing the entire chamber in a gray haze.
Vikram narrowed his eyes as he stared through the swirling smoke.
He was absolutely certain of one thing: a creature of this level would never fall so easily.
A few seconds later, as the dust slowly settled, the enormous silhouette of the Wolf Spirit Lord still stood within the fading haze.
Suddenly, a terrifying right claw tore through the drifting fog, sweeping the dust aside as the Wolf Spirit Lord stepped forward once more.
Its body was now drenched in blood. The puncture wound left by Vikram's earlier strike had split its fur apart, making it look battered and savage.
Yet the thick muscles swelling beneath its coarse gray hide and the cruel curve of its exposed fangs made one thing clear: the true battle was only beginning.
The monster slowly drew in a deep breath.
Its enormous chest expanded violently, its ribs stretching as if they were about to burst.
Vikram's pupils shrank. "Not again…"
The instant he noticed the inhaling motion, he reacted. He quickly raised his hands and covered his ears tightly, while behind him, Healer Sprout released a faint green pulse that steadied his mind.
A furious roar exploded from the Wolf Spirit Lord's throat.
"ROOOAARRR!"
The sound waves slammed against the stone chamber like rolling thunder.
Dust shook loose from the ceiling, and even the Lord itself seemed slightly staggered by the force of its own roar.
But Vikram stood firm.
With his ears covered and his will sharpened, the roar failed to shake his consciousness this time.
Beside him, Guardian Sprout dug its roots deeper into the cracked stone floor, its shield raised like a silent wall, while Warrior Sprout lowered its stance, its blade trembling with anticipation.
The Wolf Spirit Lord's golden eyes locked onto Vikram's.
Vikram glared back without yielding an inch.
For a moment, the temperature in the chamber seemed to plummet. Between them hung only killing intent, dense, cold, and suffocating.
Then the stalemate shattered.
Man and beast collided like two storms crashing together in the narrow ruins.
Steel and claw clashed in a blur of motion.
Vikram's Iron sword carved arcs of silver light through the dimness, each swing tearing through the air with a sharp whistle.
At the same time, Guardian Sprout repeatedly intercepted side attacks, its shield ringing like a struck bell, while Warrior Sprout darted in and out of the Lord's blind spots, slashing at its legs and flanks to disrupt its balance.
Behind them, Healer Sprout glowed steadily, threads of green vitality weaving across Vikram's bruised muscles and keeping his stamina from collapsing under the relentless pressure.
The Wolf Spirit Lord's giant claws were terrifyingly sharp. Each swing seemed capable of tearing through the air itself, and every strike carried lethal force.
Yet again and again, Guardian Sprout stood firm at the front, its shield smashing against those massive claws with heavy, ringing impacts.
The tiny plant warrior slid backward across the stone floor under the sheer pressure, but it never retreated even half a step.
At the same time, Warrior Sprout moved like a persistent shadow, darting around the Wolf Spirit Lord's flanks.
Its small blade continuously stabbed, sliced, and harassed the monster's joints and tendons, forcing it to constantly divide its attention.
Meanwhile, Vikram remained at the center of the storm, swinging his Iron sword without any rhythm or technique.
In truth, he knew no swordsmanship at all. His movements were nothing more than instinctive, almost reckless flailing.
But his overwhelming reaction speed made that wild fighting style unexpectedly effective.
Each time the Lord's claws came close, he would narrowly evade or block them, then immediately launch a counterattack.
Behind him, Healer Sprout's soft green glow pulsed steadily, washing away the fatigue in his muscles and stabilizing his breathing.
Because of this continuous support, Vikram felt as though his stamina were endless.
On the other side, the Wolf Spirit Lord was becoming increasingly alarmed. Its raw strength still exceeded Vikram's, yet in terms of speed, endurance, and adaptability, it was gradually being pushed into a dangerous position.
What angered it the most was Warrior Sprout's relentless harassment.
Though the wounds it inflicted were often small, some no larger than a fingernail, the bleeding from them was abnormally heavy, steadily draining the Lord's vitality.
Soon, several such injuries covered its body, crimson trails running through its gray fur.
Vikram could clearly sense the change. The monster's movements were becoming heavier, and its stamina was slipping away far faster than his own.
Realizing this disadvantage, the Wolf Spirit Lord suddenly exploded with power.
With a furious swipe, it knocked Vikram's wildly swinging sword aside, forcing him to stagger backward.
This was an Epic-grade creature with true intelligence. There was no way it would allow itself to be slowly worn down like prey.
Its throat vibrated with a deep rumble before it lifted its head and unleashed a long, savage howl.
"Awooooo—!"
The sound rolled through the ruins like a summoning horn.
During the earlier fierce battle, the surrounding chambers had remained eerily silent. But now, as the howl echoed outward, stone doors burst open one after another, and Wolf Spirit Guards began pouring out in waves.
Vikram clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Can't beat me alone, so you call for backup?"
The Wolf Spirit Lord showed no shame at all. Its golden eyes briefly flicked toward Vikram's Sprout Team, as if mocking him:
You have your subordinates… So why can't I have mine?
It raised one claw and pointed diagonally forward.
At once, the Wolf Spirit Guards surged like a gray tide, swarming straight toward Vikram and his plant warriors.
And the Lord itself didn't stay behind. With heavy, thunderous steps, it followed in the wake of its summoned army, ready to crush its enemy in one decisive assault.