The sun was sinking behind a thin veil of cloud when Greenwood Orchard's fragile calm unraveled once more. Hours earlier, Kael and Gethran had worked tirelessly to bolster the battered fences with newly forged ward plates—layered Earth and Light synergy lines meant to repel further wolf incursions. Tired orchard hands took some respite, nursing wounds and sharing hushed talk of how the monstrous alpha direwolf might still be lingering in the dense woodland beyond. Yet a day of relative quiet, it seemed, was not meant to last.

  Late afternoon shadows stretched across the courtyard as Rowan briskly organized the final watch rotation. "Baret, Torik—take the southwest corner. Check every new plate for cracks or sabotage. We can't leave a single gap unguarded." His gravelly voice carried a deep sense of urgency. Beside him, Brynn—his arm still bandaged—leaned wearily against a crates pile, determined not to appear useless. Meanwhile, Joren Ashborne stood near the barn door, shoulders taut. If the alpha reappeared, there would be no illusions of an easy standoff; the orchard was already near breaking.

  Kael lingered by a newly installed synergy plate, quietly pressing a palm to test the subtle hum of its runic lines. Gethran's design had indeed worked wonders, forging a mild illusory barrier that might stall mutated beasts. Yet Kael's gut told him such wards wouldn't hold under an all-out attack—especially if that colossal direwolf directed the pack with cunning. He kept his face impassive, hiding the swirl of tension in his chest.

  From the watchtower above, a sharp yell cut through the air: "Movement—north side!"

  Everyone snapped to attention. Spears clattered as orchard workers rushed to vantage points. Kael exchanged a grim glance with Joren, who gripped a worn blacksmith's hammer. Gethran closed the journal he'd been scribbling in, pushing away from a fence post. "Looks like we have visitors."

  Howls in the Twilight

  At first, only faint rustling carried over the orchard's perimeter. Then came a low series of growls, growing steadily louder—an eerie chorus that made the hair on Kael's arms stand on end. Sunset's last glow lit the orchard rows in dusky orange. Shadows lengthened into menacing shapes.

  Rowan signaled orchard defenders to form up. Just as Baret moved to reinforce the north line, the first wave of mutated wolves broke from cover—eyes gleaming with unnatural light, fur bristling in spined ridges. These beasts were smaller than the alpha but still far from ordinary. As soon as they set foot near the orchard's fence, new illusions flared from the synergy plates. The illusions flickered like ghostly silhouettes, momentarily confusing two of the wolves.

  One orchard hand thrust a spear through a gap in the fence, skewering a startled beast. Another wolf scrambled at the boards, only to be repelled by a sizzling arc from the runic lines. The illusions held—for now.

  Yet more snarls erupted from farther down the line. Torik shouted, "They're circling to the west!" That flank was also battered. The orchard defenders rushed to reposition, leaving the north line partially exposed. Immediately, two more wolves lunged over half-broken boards, nearly falling into the orchard courtyard.

  Kael clenched his staff, channeling a thin thread of Earth synergy through the ground. Dirt erupted around the beasts' hind legs—a quick Earthen Snare to trip them. While the beasts flailed, orchard men stabbed down with pitchforks. One beast fell thrashing. The other yowled, wrenched free, and sprang away in a blur of spines.

  Across the orchard, Gethran hissed a curse, stepping back from an onrushing wolf. He flicked out a palm engraved with faint runes, unleashing a small runic pulse that forced the creature to veer left. Rowan lunged, finishing it with a practiced spear thrust.

  But these were only outriders—Kael could sense that. The truly dire threat was the alpha, lurking somewhere beyond the orchard's fence, likely observing how they responded. The orchard staff, battered from previous fights, scrambled to meet each new surge. Tension thickened with every passing heartbeat.

  A Brutal Skirmish

  Within minutes, the orchard faced a renewed barrage. At least a dozen mutated wolves attacked from multiple angles, forcing the defenders to split up dangerously. Through it all, the synergy-laced fences and illusions repelled some, but not all. Here and there, orchard men struggled to hold lines that threatened to buckle under the beasts' savage onslaught.

  "Brace the watchtower!" someone yelled. Kael spotted two wolves tearing at the newly reinforced base, jaws clamping around wooden beams in a frenzied attempt to break them. Joren rushed forward with a hammer, slamming it against one wolf's flank. The beast staggered but lashed back with a spined tail, slicing open Joren's sleeve. Joren grit his teeth, ignoring the cut, refusing to let the watchtower collapse.

  Kael sprinted closer, staff raised. He forced a swirl of Phantom Veil illusions around the watchtower's base—hazy shapes of orchard workers wielding spears. One attacking wolf snapped at an illusory figure, momentarily confused. That bought time for Joren to drive his hammer into its skull. The beast dropped with a choked yelp.

  System Notification

  Significant synergy usage of [Phantom Veil] in high-stakes defense. Skill approaching threshold…

  Kael felt a faint jolt inside him but pushed it aside. Another wolf lunged from behind, nearly tackling him.

  "Look out!" Brynn's voice cut in. Despite his bandaged arm, the ex-adventurer managed to hurl a small hatchet that struck the wolf's hindquarter. The beast howled, reeling away.

  Kael exhaled, grateful for the save. "Thanks," he murmured to Brynn, who simply grimaced in pain. Already, more snarls echoed from the orchard's eastern corner. It felt like the entire orchard was under simultaneous assault—wolves or outriders testing each segment of fence. People stumbled, wounded anew.

  Blood slicked the grass. The orchard's illusions flickered from sustained strain.

  A Grim Turn

  Suddenly, a deep, resonant howl shattered the tense air. Every mutated wolf paused mid-attack, ears pricked. A hush fell over the orchard as though time had slowed. Then, from the orchard's northeastern boundary, the alpha direwolfemerged—massive shoulders rippling under bristling fur, eyes glinting with feral intelligence.

  A collective ripple of dread coursed through the defenders. Rowan inhaled sharply. "It's here," he whispered. Indeed, the alpha's presence dwarfed all other threats. Slowly, it paced along the battered fence line, sniffing at illusions but not stepping fully into range, as if appraising the orchard's new defenses.

  Kael's heart pounded. The synergy plates could hamper smaller beasts, but the alpha's cunning and raw power might unravel their illusions. As if to confirm that fear, the direwolf let out a rumbling snarl. Its spines bristled, and it lunged forward in a burst of motion. One colossal paw slammed against a synergy-warded fence post.

  The runic lines flashed bright—briefly repelling the alpha. The beast snarled, then battered the fence post again. Wood shattered under the impact. With a final heave, the alpha tore a chunk of illusions-infused board free and tossed it aside.

  Alarm cries went up all around. Rowan, Torik, and Baret rushed to intercept, but a swipe of the alpha's paw sent them scrambling back. Torik tumbled to the ground, winded. The monstrous wolf planted itself at the opening, letting smaller beasts surge in behind it.

  "They're breaching the orchard!" Joren shouted, voice edged with desperation. Baret tried to form a spear line, but two mutated wolves leapt in, scattering the orchard workers. The orchard defenders found themselves forced to fall back deeper among the trees, away from the perimeter that had turned into a chaos of snarls and thrashing limbs.

  Defenders on the Brink

  Gethran, seeing the alpha's unstoppable charge, quickly invoked a wave of glowing runes from a small parchment. An ethereal barrier shimmered near one orchard path, slowing down a half-dozen outriders that tried to flank. But the alpha was too massive for such a rudimentary ward. It prowled forward, tail lashing, snapping aside half-collapsed fence posts in its path.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Kael swallowed hard, staff trembling in his hands. If he unleashed the full might of his synergy, he might hamper the alpha—but that risked revealing far more than "runic forging accidents." Instead, he settled on illusions and Earth synergy, darting from one orchard row to the next, setting up quick snares or illusions to redirect smaller beasts. Meanwhile, orchard workers retreated in ragged groups, carrying wounded.

  Still, the alpha pressed deeper, now within the orchard's interior where fruit trees grew dense. Splintered branches fell as it shoved aside anything in its path. Rowan and Brynn managed to rally half the defenders behind a thick trunk, hurling makeshift spears. The alpha snarled in annoyance, mostly unhurt.

  Then came the moment Kael feared: in its next stride, the alpha braced and launched a direct assault on a watchtower that housed the orchard's stored bandages and medical supplies. A handful of orchard hands inside gasped in terror as the beast slammed its shoulder into the tower's support beams. Wood groaned dangerously.

  Joren, panting, tried to intercept with his hammer again, but the alpha spun and backhanded him with terrifying force. Joren flew several paces before crashing into a bush. "Father!" Kael's shout caught in his throat. Gethran rushed to check on Joren, but more mutated wolves blocked his path.

  "Kael, get the wounded out of there!" Rowan roared from behind an overturned cart, fending off two snarling wolves at once. "The tower's about to collapse!"

  Kael's mind raced. He dashed forward, illusions flickering around him. At the tower's base, orchard workers tried to haul out crates of bandages and carry an unconscious orchard hand to safety. The alpha noticed this cluster of activity and let out a thunderous growl. It advanced, muzzle dripping saliva, maddened by the orchard's resistance.

  Teetering on Disaster

  Desperate, Kael thrust his staff into the soil, channeling synergy into a series of illusions bigger than any he'd conjured before. Ghostly forms took shape near the tower—vague silhouettes of orchard men, each brandishing shining spears. They advanced on the alpha in a coordinated formation. The alpha growled, blinking in confusion at the sudden phalanx that materialized out of nowhere.

  [Notification: Your intense usage of Phantom Veil in high-stress combat has triggered a skill evolution. Phantom Veil (Basic, Lv.3) → Phantom Veil (Basic, Lv.4).]

  A brief surge of mana stung Kael's chest. Despite the near-panic of the moment, he felt the illusions grow more vivid, more tangible. The alpha hesitated longer than it should have, uncertain whether these illusions were real. That half-second was all Rowan and two orchard men needed to drag the unconscious guard clear of the tower's threshold.

  Kael gritted his teeth, reinforcing the illusions even as the alpha began sniffing out the trick. The monstrous wolf tested the illusions with a slow, careful snap of its jaws—passing through them harmlessly. Once it realized these spear-wielding orchard men were intangible, it snarled in fury. The illusions wavered, half-dispelled by the alpha's sheer presence.

  Meanwhile, the tower beams groaned louder. With no illusions to hamper it, the alpha lunged at the wooden supports. A deafening crash followed as the watchtower's top half collapsed in an explosion of splinters. Dust and broken timber rained down. Orchard staff stumbled back, coughing. Kael shielded his face with a forearm, cursing under his breath.

  The alpha reared up, letting out a triumphant howl that echoed across Greenwood Orchard. Each orchard defender could sense they were near a tipping point: half the perimeter was overrun, illusions were compromised, watchtower destroyed, multiple watchers severely wounded. If the alpha pressed deeper, the orchard risked total rout.

  Forced to Fall Back

  "All hands—retreat to the inner orchard clearing!" Rowan's bellow cut through the din. He jabbed a spear at a lunging wolf, forcing it back, then beckoned orchard workers. "We can't hold this line. We regroup near the barn!"

  Hastily, the defenders peeled away from the broken watchtower and the demolished northern fence, dragging wounded compatriots. Gethran helped Joren hobble on one unsteady leg; Joren's eyes were glazed in pain, but he refused to collapse. Brynn, battered, used his good arm to yank a half-conscious orchard worker to relative safety. Through it all, Kael retreated last, staff swirling illusions to deter wolves from pursuing too closely. The alpha direwolf watched, head cocked. Perhaps satisfied with having broken their outer defenses, it let them flee for now.

  Moments later, orchard staff regrouped near the barn's central courtyard—what remained was a battered, ragged group, a fraction of their old fighting force. Torik sported a nasty gash on his forearm, Rowan's armor was dented in two places, and Baret's left hand bled from a deep bite. Over half the orchard's synergy plates were either torn away by the alpha or offline from broken fence lines. Fear laced every breath.

  Gethran broke the silence. "That alpha… it's systematically demolishing your strongpoints," he said hoarsely. "This is no random beastly rampage—it's a tactical onslaught."

  Rowan's voice was grim. "So we hold the barn area as our fallback. If the alpha attempts another push, at least we have sturdy walls here." He glanced at Kael. "Though we're short on illusions now that half the wards are destroyed."

  Kael nodded, heart pounding. The orchard had lost ground faster than any had expected. We can't keep retreating forever…

  A weak groan turned his attention to Joren, slumped against the barn. Kael rushed to kneel beside his father, worry twisting in his gut. Joren gave a faint, pained smile. "I'll manage," he rasped. "I… can still swing a hammer if needed."

  Brynn exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. "But how much longer can we last if that alpha storms the barn itself? Even the illusions might not save us."

  Around them, orchard men whispered in exhausted tones: We have nowhere else to run. We need real mages, or an army. Where are reinforcements?

  Observations and Glimpses

  Across the courtyard, Gethran crouched by a small pile of splintered synergy plates, eyes narrowed in study. He picked up a ruined piece, runic lines scorched by the alpha's violent blow. "The beast's raw force overpowered these illusions. If it attacks again soon, your orchard stands on borrowed time," he said softly, addressing Kael.

  Kael clenched a fist on his staff. "Is there any chance you can strengthen them further?"

  Gethran pursed his lips. "We can try, but forging new plates will take hours—time we may not have if the alpha strikes tonight."

  Rowan overheard and nodded grimly. "Let's do what we can. Meanwhile, we'll post watchers around the barn perimeter. If the alpha wants a final push, it'll have to come through our last stand."

  A hush settled over the group. Kael's pulse hammered with conflicting thoughts: If the orchard's final lines fail, so many could perish. Could he risk revealing greater synergy? The orchard's eyes were on him, yet he'd already used illusions extensively—some suspected he did more than normal forging. Gethran, in particular, had glimpsed enough refined synergy to question Kael's real capabilities.

  But the orchard was teetering. The watchers, though brave, were one large assault away from collapse. The monstrous alpha seemed unstoppable, forcing them to retreat deeper into their own home.

  A Darkening Horizon

  As twilight bled into night, the orchard men prepared for another tense vigil. They salvaged what few synergy plates remained intact, placing them in a ring around the barn's courtyard. Torches flickered in a ragged circle, casting trembling shadows across the orchard. Rowan mustered a final headcount—fewer than two dozen defenders still able to stand, many sporting ugly wounds.

  Near the barn's threshold, Kael crouched with Gethran and Joren, forging one last batch of emergency plates from leftover scrap metal. The forge's coals glowed faintly, nowhere near the roaring heat of midday. Kael hammered each plate, mindful that illusions alone might not suffice next time. Joren offered gruff encouragement despite his injury, while Gethran scribed rushed runic lines. Yet even these efforts felt like patchwork solutions for an imminent crisis.

  High above, the moon climbed, pale and watchful. From beyond the orchard's battered fences came distant growls and the chilling echo of the alpha's low roar—like thunder across a battlefield. The orchard braced itself once more, hearts pounding in unison as they anticipated the next savage push.

  At last, Rowan spread a worn map of the orchard near a lantern, conferring with Gethran on final watch placements. Brynn leaned over, giving quiet suggestions about funneling any wolf surge. Joren, grimacing through pain, insisted he'd stand guard if the alpha charged the barn. Kael pretended to busy himself by reorganizing forging tools, but in truth, he listened carefully to every plan. The orchard needed a miracle or outside intervention soon, or they would not see another dawn.

  Behind Kael's steady mask, tension coiled. The monstrous beasts had grown bolder, the alpha's cunning nearly unstoppable. This was not a simple scuffle; it was a siege that wore them down wave by wave. Still, Kael resolved to fight for as long as it took, illusions or synergy forging be damned. If Greenwood Orchard fell, his vow to protect this place would mean nothing.

  He glanced again toward the darkness beyond the torchlight, half-expecting to spot those amber eyes. Perhaps the alpha watched them even now, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. In that hush before the storm, Kael inhaled slowly, staff in hand. The orchard was on the brink. But we haven't lost yet.

  Status Screen

  Name: Kael Ashborne

  Age: 8

  Talent: SSS (Hidden)

  Core Grade: Red (Peak) – near Orange

  Level: 13

  EXP: 200 / 3500

  Free Attribute Points: 5

  Attributes:

  ? Strength: 29

  ? Agility: 10

  ? Constitution: 26

  ? Intelligence: 36

  ? Spirit: 50

  Trait: Sage's Insight (Facilitates advanced synergy & forging comprehension)

  Synergy Channeling:

  ? Earth Channeling (Intermediate, Lv.4)

  ? Fire Channeling (Intermediate, Lv.3)

  ? Water Channeling (Intermediate, Lv.1)

  ? Air Channeling (Intermediate, Lv.1)

  ? Light Channeling (Intermediate, Lv.1)

  Skills & Spells:

  ? Earthen Snare (Intermediate, Lv.3)

  ? Ember Bolt (Intermediate, Lv.2)

  ? Stone Shield (Intermediate, Lv.1)

  ? Windflare Alarm (Intermediate, Lv.1)

  ? Warmth Ward (Basic, Lv.5)

  ? Phantom Veil (Basic, Lv.4) (+1 level this chapter)

  ? Static Lash (Basic, Lv.2)