The beast stumbles due to the sudden and unexpected force, and I seize the moment, dashing forward to unleash a [Vertical sh] aimed at its neck. The creature instantly feels the danger and envelops itself in a thick casing of ice.


    "Foolish," I think, readying to strike again. Preparing my sword for a mighty blow to cleave both ice and beast, I draw a breath. But before I can raise my weapon, the frozen Direwolf erupts like a fiery volcano. mes spew outward, and I''m forced to [sh Step] backward to avoid the explosive attack. The beast is relentless, its mastery of elemental magic evident in its cunning defensive strategy.


    This overwhelmingly shy move must''ve been pretty draining on its reserves because the wolf stops enveloping its body in lightning. I can''t help but let out a sigh of relief; the current pace of the battle was greatly exhausting for me too. I couldn''t keep such a tempo up for long; after all, the entire confrontation happened in less than five seconds.


    Quin must''vee to a simr conclusion as I did in that the monster ran out of a significant portion of its resources and is attempting to regain them by stalling the fight, so he decided to charge in to stop it from doing so. I can''t help but marvel at the bravery of mypanion; he is just so adorable, though, of course, I would never say that out loud.


    I would never hear the end of it; either he would think of it as an invitation to get into my pants, or he would take it as an insult. A man getting called adorable by a woman isn''t something they want to hear, I imagine. Though Quin is quite the special man, so I can easily envision a scenario where he takes it as apliment.


    I keep staring at him and I can''t help but growparisons to the men I''ve known from my n. Only a very few of them had such an innate talent forbat as he does.


    Quin might not want to admit it, or doesn''t even realize it, but just the fact that he is currently dashing at a monster that could end him in one strike to capitalize on its momentary weakness and to press our slight advantage further is an amazing achievement on its own.


    Many experienced warriors would falter in his position,pletely frozen both in body and mind and could only pray that I, the strongerbatant, manage to win all by myself and save their hide in doing so. Even I myself was covering behind my father''s broad shoulders when I was a beginner, but here he is, staring death in the eyes and he doesn''t even flinch.


    Quin is a big enough person to ept that it''s best to stay out of my way, a thought that would hurt the pride of many men, and as soon as he sees an opportunity he is ready to pounce like a lion that was sharpening its fangs while patiently waiting for its prey to make a single, minute mistake.


    I absolutely love this aspect of him; he''s made it painfully clear that he''s trying to woo me, but he isn''t trying to show off his ''manly qualities''. He epts that I am a warrior woman and dly assists me on the field of battle, even if it means bing my supporter instead of grabbing the limelight and glory for himself.


    But enough mental praising and analyzing of my student and masterbined into a single individual, I have to step in before his brave charge turns into an actual suicide charge, which by the looks of things can happen at any moment.


    I intentionally begin to dash towards the beast from the other direction from which Quin does to draw its attention onto me, and to best achieve that I shout using the full vocal might of my throat; "[sh Step]!" As intended, it freezes momentarily and then focuses its entire being on my person.


    [sh Step] Is a mighty spell that speeds me up greatly for a moment, but it onlyes with three charges. Once I''ve used it for the third time, it will enter a long cooldown period, which means I can no longer use it for the time being as I''ve expended all charges.


    I arrive just in front of the monster and sh my sword in a horizontal arc, attempting to amputate its front limbs, but it retreats by jumping back. What it doesn''t realize is that that is the exact direction my overeager partner is rushing at it from, and in fact it jumps straight into his spear''s way.


    It yowls in great pain and I see blood gushing out of the beast''s new wound. Quin quickly pulls his weapon back and drives it into the hole once more, capitalizing on the boss''s momentary confused state, a state which doesn''tst long as it swipes its inferno enhanced ws at him.


    A single hit would melt his armor, skin, flesh and bones into nothingness, therefore I can''t allow the attack to connect.


    He might be able to dodge it on his own, but I''m not going to risk it. I nt my feet firmly on the ground, feeling the surge of energy coursing through my muscles. With every ounce of strength I possess, I push off, my leg muscles bulging from the effort with my veins popping as I sprint forward with all my might.


    The ground cracks under the force of my departure, and in a blur of speed, I appear just in the nick of time to sh at its outstretched limb, poised for a lethal strike against Quin.


    As I close the distance, time seems to slow. I see the wiry tendons and thick, armored fur of the Direwolf''s leg, its massive ws gleaming with deadly intent. My sword swings with a precision honed from years of relentless training. The de meets the thick hide, slicing through fur and muscle with a sickeningly smooth motion. The resistance is fierce, but I''m stronger.


    The Direwolf''s howl of agony reverberates through the chamber as my de cleaves through sinew and bone. Blood sprays in a crimson arc, the severed limb falling to the ground with a heavy thud. The creature stumbles, its bnce disrupted, and the ground shakes with the weight of its copse.