Cursed System-Chapter 117: Wolves

RAGNA POV...

I slowly closed my eyes, drawing in a long, steady breath as though I were about to sink beneath invisible waters, and then I let my perception spill outward from me in all directions, stretching thin and wide like an unseen tide washing over the desert.

The grains of sand, the faint shifts of wind, the subtle tremors beneath the earth—everything began to brush against my senses as if the world itself were pressing its secrets into my palms.

At my command—at the mere whisper of my thoughts—a three-dimensional landscape began assembling itself inside my mind. It didn’t happen all at once. No, it unfolded gradually, layer by layer, like an intricate painting revealing itself stroke by meticulous stroke. Dunes rose in smooth curves, depressions sank into shadow, and the carriage stood at the center of it all like a fragile relic stranded in an ocean of gold. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

This... this was one of the greatest improvements I had carved out of myself through relentless practice—through endless repetition of perception and mental fortitude.

I had honed it until it became second nature, until it felt less like a technique and more like an extra organ quietly beating within me. And the best part? The mana cost was laughably small. A mere trickle. I could sustain it with ease, replenish it almost as fast as I expended it.

Within that vast ocean-blue glow inside my mind, a fluorescent geographical map shimmered to life. And there—clustered near the carriage—were small, dark phantom mannequins.

The cursed children.

Each of them reduced to shadowy figures in my mental projection. I could see their movements: one pacing, another squatting awkwardly behind a dune, a few pretending to stand guard while nervously glancing at the horizon. It was almost amusing how exposed they were in my perception. Yet most importantly—none of them were in immediate danger.

With that reassurance, every nearby location continued to illuminate itself in that brilliant blue radiance, the terrain unfolding like the interior of some massive treasure chest cracked open for my inspection.

With this level of improvement, even if a beast were camouflaging itself perfectly against the sand, it would struggle—no, it would fail—to slip past my detection. As of this moment, this entire area lay within my grasp.

That was my thought as I continued scanning, probing for anything out of place. If I extended the radius further and activated Mana Vision, I could distinguish lifeforms by the mana coursing through them—or the lack thereof. Creatures with mana glowed differently, pulsed differently. Even those without it caused subtle distortions in the field.

And if anything hostile made contact with my detection range?

I would feel it instantly—a warning tremor, a ripple across my senses. I would know before claws ever reached my back.

Though I held the title of vice-captain of the cursed children alliance, I had never once lied to myself about my priorities. My policy was simple and unashamedly selfish: I came first. Before alliances. Before loyalty. Before heroics. I would not throw my life away for anyone—not out of pride, not out of obligation, not out of some naive sense of righteousness. Safety first. Survival above all.

With these two layers of security, I was confident that everything within a three-meter radius—roughly ten feet—was firmly under my control. That radius was my sanctuary, my invisible fortress.

As I walked forward, casually surveying the dunes with my physical eyes to complement my inner map, a voice suddenly broke through the quiet hum of the wind.

"Hey, Ragna! It’s time to get on the carriage!"

Reiner’s voice carried across the sand, loud and sharp enough to snap me back to the present.

"Okay!" I called back.

Only then did I realize I had drifted farther away than intended. Wandering alone in a desert like this wasn’t just reckless—it was practically an invitation for death to tap me on the shoulder. Clicking my tongue softly in annoyance at myself, I abandoned the idea of further scouting and began making my way back toward the carriage.

And that was when I felt it.

A tremor.

Subtle. Faint. But unmistakable.

It brushed against the very edge of my detection range like a claw dragging lightly across glass.

My instincts exploded into alarms.

Without hesitation, I expanded my detection radius further, pushing more mana into the field. The once steady ocean-blue reservoir in my mind began to ripple—and then deplete at a noticeably faster rate.

Dark shapes.

One.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

Black silhouettes began appearing at the edges of my mental map, flickering into existence like stains spreading across parchment.

Wolves.

Small at first in appearance due to distance—but numerous. And moving fast. Far too fast.

My entire body tensed instantly.

Though I was startled, my face betrayed nothing. It rarely did. Instead, I increased my pace—quickened my steps without fully breaking into a sprint. I couldn’t afford to overexert myself; my attributes were already halved under these cursed desert conditions.

On the mental projection, the silhouettes multiplied. A large pack of black wolves was closing in on our group and the carriages at breathtaking speed. Worse still, their movement pattern was unmistakable—they weren’t charging blindly.

They were encircling us.

From multiple angles.

From the map’s perspective, it was horrifyingly clear. They were forming a tightening ring around us.

Desert vicious wolves.

I didn’t wait for confirmation.

’Damn it... vicious wolves!’

The curse echoed in my mind as my expression darkened ever so slightly. I vividly remembered the stories—how their claws could carve deep marks into enchanted metal planks. Not wood. Not leather. Enchanted metal.

These weren’t ordinary desert wolves. They were a peculiar and terrifying breed native to the Great Desert of Death. Compared to other wolves, they possessed a savage intelligence and a cruelty that bordered on unnatural. They hunted in packs—large, coordinated packs—and their structure wasn’t based on conquest like other wolves. No, their packs were extended families, bound by blood and led by the oldest living alpha.

Which meant cohesion.

Which meant strategy.

Which meant we were in serious danger.

Their collective strength far surpassed what the demon children could handle. Even I wouldn’t dare claim I could face such a pack alone—not unless I had a death wish.

As I continued observing their approach, my instincts refused to quiet down. They screamed at me relentlessly.

Unless this was some absurd coincidence... could the black steel knights be using this opportunity to thin our numbers? It would be convenient. After all, there was no way the demon children could fend off a full pack of vicious wolves.

Even I couldn’t.

Not alone.

But speculation could wait. Survival could not.

I quickened my steps further.

When I finally reached Reiner and Berthold, I saw it immediately—the unease in their eyes. They were feeling it too. That subtle wrongness in the air.

When they saw me rushing toward them, they stared as if silently asking whether they were imagining things.

I didn’t give them time to wonder.

"We are almost surrounded," I said in a hushed but firm voice.

Both of them stiffened.

Their instincts had clearly been urging them to run, yet everything around us looked deceptively normal. Some of the demon children were still minding their own business, blissfully ignorant.

"A pack of vicious wolves has nearly closed in on us," I continued, lowering my voice further. "I noticed their tracks earlier."

A lie—partially. But a necessary one. I couldn’t reveal the true extent of my detection abilities without inviting suspicion.

Reiner ’s grin was gone.

If what I said was true—and it was—then we were standing on the brink of disaster. And judging by the tightening circle on my mental map, we didn’t have much time left before that brink collapsed beneath our feet.