It seems that persuading monsters is not only related to the caster’s level, but also to mental strength.

Mental strength is undoubtedly intelligence. It looks like I have that ring of Dexterity Restoration to thank for being able to summon this slightly higher-level giant wolf.

Examining this magic wolf lying on the ground, its body is a bit larger than the first one, and its color is different too. The first one was entirely azure blue, looking extremely cool.

But this one is a dull gray, and the more you look at it, the more unimpressive it seems.

Now that I have two pets, I should give them names. Judging by this wolf’s color, I’ll just call it Grey Wolf.

As for the antelope, I’ll call it Happy Lamb.

With a kick, I sent Grey Wolf into the water. The poor wolf was caught off guard, choked on several mouthfuls of water before waking up, then swam ashore with its tail between its legs, looking utterly aggrieved.

After summoning Grey Wolf, William Carter’s strength more than doubled. Even if he ran into the ogre mage again, he’d have a fighting chance.

Wandering idly across the grasslands, he was hoping to bump into a decent monster to show off his strength.

Unfortunately, he wandered around until noon and still didn’t encounter any powerful monsters. Nothing but sheep, more sheep—just when you want something, you can’t find it; but what you fear always comes to you.

Now, William Carter could kill a sheep in just seven or eight seconds, and do it without taking any damage—a feat that beginners wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

Holy Persuasion is a skill from the Paladin class. He clearly remembered that the Paladin’s four skills—Atonement, Holy Persuasion, Test of Loyalty, and Hand of God—were all absorbed by the purple limit, one after another. Now, only Holy Persuasion had been returned to him; the other skills were nowhere to be found. Did he have to wait until level six or eleven to unlock them?

At noon, he lit a campfire and roasted a whole sheep in grand fashion.

He was actually hoping the aroma would attract wolves.

Just as he was eating with gusto, William Carter heard the sounds of fighting not far away.

There was the twang of bowstrings, the roar of warriors, and the howls of beasts.

William Carter wiped his mouth with his sleeve, stood up, and turned to look. He saw a small party of newly advanced warriors being chased by two magic wolves. Magic wolves were rare on the Despair Grasslands, and they’d run into two at once—what rotten luck.

At the front was a female ranger, shooting arrows behind her as she ran. Her archery was excellent; even in such a frantic sprint, she could still hit her targets. Magic wolves were much faster than humans, but because they had to dodge arrows, they couldn’t catch up.

Behind the ranger was a burly man carrying a girl of about fourteen or fifteen on his back, running swiftly. If he weren’t carrying someone, he’d probably be even faster than the ranger.

Even so, the two magic wolves were getting closer and closer, their sharp claws about to reach the little girl’s backside.

The girl’s eyes were filled with terrified tears. The snarling faces of the magic wolves were only a few meters away; she could clearly hear their heavy breathing and even smell the foul stench from their bloody jaws.

This feeling of being on the brink of death is impossible to understand without experiencing it. So even though the girl was a determined, newly advanced warrior, she was now trembling all over with fear.

The magic wolves kept leaping, their swinging claws just a hair’s breadth from the girl’s backside. She hurriedly turned her head and buried her face in the man’s back, not daring to look.

From a distance, William Carter observed the giant wolves’ stats—level eight, nothing he couldn’t handle.

He was still willing to help others, as long as it didn’t harm his own interests.

In the harsh competition of society, he had used any means necessary to achieve his goals countless times. Whatever kindness he once had was long buried.

Greedy, lustful, lecherous, afraid of death. William Carter was not only far from a good person, he wasn’t even a true antihero.

He had the ruthlessness of an antihero, but not the courage.

In William Carter’s view, all antiheroes are madmen, but not all madmen are antiheroes. Throughout history, countless people dreamed of becoming antiheroes and did many crazy things for it. Unfortunately, in the end, they really did go mad.

People only see the successful madmen and praise their decisiveness, vision, and boldness, attributing everything to their courage.

But they look down on those who fell into obscurity, calling their actions foolish.

Little do they know, there’s only a fine line between foolishness and courage.

So, not taking risks is William Carter’s philosophy.

Courage is something he can’t afford.

Count them up—how many Cao Caos have there been since ancient times?

Even Cao Cao never became emperor in the end, nor did he manage to continue the dynasty he created.

The three-person team drew closer and closer. Grey Wolf began to growl softly, which startled the ranger who kept looking back and shooting. Seeing that there was yet another giant magic wolf here, she was almost in despair.

In her panic, she didn’t even notice William Carter’s presence.

“Grey Wolf, go!” Only by making a move at the last moment can a hero’s value be shown and win the greatest gratitude from others. William Carter knew this principle well.