Days before my first [Full Moon Transformation], Lawrence told me more about the gameplay side of the [Lycanthropes], along with their fighting style. Just like most werewolf stories, their curse and powers are based around the moon, and just like in real life, the moon phases itself is based on your current location. So if you're on another continent where the other had a full moon, then it could be a new moon there instead. Then there are the phases themselves. Both rogues and true [Lycans] have their versions of a passive skill based around them. In our case, it's called [Moonlight's Blessing] and its main effect is to increase our [STR] and [SPD] depending on the phases. However, it also has a hidden effect that actually boosts the user's [EXP Rate] if it's much closer to the [Full Moon]. If any player found out, they would abuse it just to gain lots of levels on their [Combat Mastery]. However, it will be at the risk of losing themselves to their [Inner Wolves] if they don't control it in time via [Mind Link]. Even if they disabled it, they would still lose control of their characters if the full moon rolled around. So it's a bit of a risk-and-reward system to avoid abusing the passive.

  On the other hand, there's the New Moon, and it's called "The Night Without Wolves" for a good reason. When it's getting closer, the buffs would be decreased, and when it comes, the passive, along with some skills, will be disabled for the day. So not only can you not get any EXP boost for the night, but the ability to transform into a wolf, among others, will be disabled as well. Essentially, you're stuck as a normal person until the New Moon has passed. Since the arena event is the same day as the New Moon, I'm basically a sitting duck against strong opponents.

  Well, I'm not the type to get the glory anyway. I have other plans than to win the event. Instead, I'll use my moment of weakness to my advantage and get what I really want.

  But to keep up with the crowd, I need more than getting my [Martial Arts] to 15. That's where the [Quests] and partying with Lyco come in. Lucky for me, I found an interesting [Urgent Quest] that would help me get all of my goals in one full sweep.

  "We're going to face the [Mad Bear] at the ?! Are you nuts?!"

  Well, it's expected for him to react like that. [Mad Bears] are variations of a [Wild Bear] and, unlike their weak variants, they're much unpredictable and aggressive in terms of strength and strategy. Not many players took this [Quest] due to the near-impossible difficulty of defeating it in their single-digit [TMLs]. If anything, having a balanced party would be a miracle to stop that beast or simply survive it. Heck, they would rather face a [Wild Bear] [Urgent Quest] than face this monstrosity.

  But I'm not like them. I would do everything to get stronger, even if I face the impossible. If I'm way over my head, I'll just accept it and run away. However, that guy is my possible EXP prey, and I won't let go of this chance. Plus, I didn't get in there without a plan, right?

  "I get your concerns, but you shouldn't worry about that right now. I watched several guides about it before I logged in, and with a few modifications, we might be able to survive its onslaught with less difficulty," I explained.

  "Well, you're our only healer and support in the team. But you're also kind of a tank and melee DPS rolled into one, too," Lyco points out. "I can't learn a healing skill until the 20s, and if you're penalized, I will be in a couple of seconds while shooting my remaining bullet to that fur face. How are you supposed to survive that thing with just the two of us?!"

  I quickly take out a map of

  I made beforehand and show him the marked area I drew. "There's a path that lets us encounter several aggressive monsters along the way. As long as we use our skills and magic carefully, we might rack up enough [MEXP] to level up other [Masteries] before we can reach our target. Plus, I already made some potions for this trip. So we can use it in several breaks in case our [HP], [MP], and [SP] are down to the reds."

  Lyco groans. "Fine. If you're so determined to complete all of the [Quests], including that one, I won't stop you. However, I will drag your dead body out of there and slap you for being this dumb. I'm starting to question whether it's your wolf side or your real self calling the shots."

  To be honest, it's more of myself than the [Mind Linked] instincts that do the talking. I'm so determined not to end up making excuses and let Savior get all of the glory by putting me down that I have to go with this route. However, I only have limited time before the event, and with [Moonlight's Blessings] currently AWOL thanks to the New Moon, I have to take a big risk to get stronger.

  Well then, let's start grinding.

  "D'oh~ Why are you always so cute whenever I see you in pink? You always look so dazzlingly cute, Hiromi!"

  I'm trying my best not to sock her with my fist when I show myself wearing this ridiculous pink frilly dress resembling a maid. God, this is so embarrassing! I'm hoping I can log out of here just to avoid my sister. But she was too fast, and I fear those photos will be leaked if I log out or [Sleep Mode] without a perfect excuse.

  "You know, it would be perfect if you had a matching headband to create the perfect Maid Lolita look. That way, we could be twinsies and make our own maid cafe right here in . And don't worry about the food. I have already leveled up my [Cooking] along with my [Tailoring]. So we can have the perfect idol Lolita party around!"

  WTF is she thinking? I get that this game offers freedom in whatever you want to be, but she's wasting her slots on crafting! Last I heard, she only has [Arcane] and [Light] as her [Combat Masteries], and she can't even use them correctly without [Magical Affinity]! Why is she even playing this game in the first place?! Maybe I should have accepted Lunar's invitation earlier. I would rather fight in the open than let her treat me as her personal mannequin.

  "By the way, I heard there is some kind of event happening tomorrow," she mentioned. "It says something about 'arena' and 'strongest'. Whatever it is, it's not perfect for us to join that barbaric event."

  I'm trying not to scream in frustration. First, she forced me to wear this ridiculous outfit. Now, she doesn't want me to go in there and support Lunar?! Honestly, I stopped thinking about her dumb, feminine logic and questioning what kind of lessons Mom put her in. Damn, I hate this. I hate being her dress-up doll, and I hate being her girly slave.

  I just hate everything about this!

  PING!

  Huh? A DM? Now at a time like this?!

  A favor? What's Lunar up to this time? Whenever he tries to ask a favor from me, it's mostly related to his game guide he was writing on [Isekai Companions]. I would send a reply, but it seems like he sent two more.

  ...Is he joking right now? How can I convince someone who thinks a spar is barbaric? There is no way she's gonna go with me even if Lunar gives me a lot of enchantments to convince me!

  There is one more message. I decided to read it for his sake, but there is still no way...

  Oh... What? Wait, seriously?! What the hell is that guy up to again?! There's no way he would let me go through this ruse!

  "Hey, sis. What's the matter?" I almost screamed the moment Nelli tried to peek into my HUD. Thank god DMs are invisible to other players. "Did you get a spam mail or something?"

  "O-Oh... I-It's...nothing." I quickly turned off the DMs screen as I blocked my HUD from her. "By the way, are you free tomorrow? I know arena events aren't your thing. But can you come with me there tomorrow? I heard Lu- I mean, Lowry is participating as a fighter there."

  "Lowry? As in that boy, you said he's being a slave to a bully from 10th grade? Why do you think you want me to watch those sweaty guys shed blood and stinky sweat in a violent event?"

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  As expected, she's not going to listen to every word I say revolving around the event. I would give up there and send a strongly-worded reply to him. But there was still a third message I didn't expect from him, and I'm not sure if this works in my favor. "Because... Venus Qizuna is there as a co-streamer, and there's a possibility she's going to participate in the event as a guest fighter!"

  And now I said it. When I first saw that thumbnail he sent via [IseCom], I couldn't believe my eyes. Lunar isn't the type to promote his sister's upcoming streams for his schemes. I didn't know what to expect next, but I'm not sure if it's enough to convince her...

  "Q-QIZUNA IS IN THE EVENT!!! Who told you about that?! Is that a lie you make up so you can see that unnecessary violence?!" I wish I could... But I quickly showed her the said thumbnail from my DM. Before I knew it, I heard her ear-piercing scream from his smiling mouth like a banshee. "Why didn't you tell me she's going to appear?! Okay, I changed my mind! But let's find some outfits that will help us get her to notice! Ooh~ Qizuna... My oshi~"

  If only she knew one of my best friends is the brother of her said oshi. Still, his predictions are scarily accurate. Which begs another question: Why is he making us go there to keep an eye on some suspicious NPCs there? And why does he want me to go there with Nelli around?

  I sneezed loudly just as I made the final strike on one of the wolves. I feel like Hiromi is talking about me again. I'm guessing it might have to do with those DMs I sent beforehand.

  I feel guilty sending Hiromi out in the open to confirm my suspicions. But if I ask Qizuna, I might drag her and her fans into my investigations against Savior and [Viper Fangs]. I can't let that happen for her reputation and privacy's sake. Hiromi is the only person I know who should fit the criteria without risking their safety, and since Nelli is still with them, my theory regarding player count might be enough to trigger the event with a double-duty of protecting each other. I just hope they will go through with it tomorrow.

  "Hey, Lunar! I'm done on my end!"

  I sighed in relief as I rejoined my partner from the brief grinding session along the way to the [Mad Bear's] domain. When it comes to facing this beast, you need to deal with the incoming monsters who would guard the boss's room or a tougher monster hidden within the . The reason is that they have to tire out the players and prepare them for what's to come. This is why bringing potions and food is imperative to survive this area. On the upside, it also provides players with [MEXP] needed for their [Masteries] before facing tougher monsters or bosses. Speaking of which...

  "Good job, Lyco. How much did you earn from those monsters?" I asked while checking on my stats.

  "I managed to bring my [Magical Artillery] and [Arcana] up a level. They were Level 12 for MA and 8 for the latter. At least it's enough to help me with the upcoming fight ahead."

  He quickly showed me his screen thanks to [Party Sharing]. Thanks to this feature, we can share each other's stats as long as they have consent from the party leader, which is me for this trek.

  According to him, this build is supposed to focus on mobile shooting. This set requires him to use [Magical Artillery] instead of [Archery] due to the difficulty of firing arrows manually and the lack of a shooting guide feature from other games. If combined with the speed buffs of [Wind], he should be able to fire much faster without losing mobility in battle. I must admit, he managed to make a synergized build without my help. It not only fits with the aesthetic theme of him as a "musketeer" or gunslinger, but he can substitute as a dodge tank whenever a main tank is down or incapacitated.

  "Well, thanks to this, I know what roles we should take for this fight," I said. "I'll act as a tank and support. Since I have [Taunt] from my [Martial Arts], I can redirect its aggro away from you until it's necessary."

  "But even you have your [Lycan] buffs, it doesn't change the fact that you have the worst physical defense as an [Insignis]. You will get wrecked in about 3 hits if you're not careful," Lyco said. "And you said it yourself, you can't transform into a werewolf due to the New Moon coming tomorrow."

  "I can still transform today, but I'm not risking the debuffs once night comes. But I'm not letting that get to me. You just need to do your part, and I'll do the rest. Don't worry, I promised I won't get reckless."

  Lyco sighed and said, "You better be. I can't imagine what will happen if you're penalized."

  I understand why. If I'm penalized, I'm forced to go back to the village, and it will take a while for me to get back. Not to mention those damn debuffs that won't go away until a few hours real life or days in here. I need to be careful when it comes to these kinds of monsters. Since no one's here other than us, I decided to switch from my civilian clothes to my [Lycan] outfit along with a pair of my [Starburst Gauntlets].

  "Alright. Let's recover and get our gear ready."

  It took about 15 minutes to prepare everything from recovering our [HP] and other resources and boosting ourselves with several buff potions I made beforehand. While Lyco's guns are much faster and easier to wield than bows and arrows, they tend to break down in a form of debuffs. Normally, you need to use some consumable kits to repair them or head back to town for an NPC to do them instead. However, he anticipated this and as part of his starting [Mastery] lineup, he used [Mechanic's] [Maintenance] skill to regain its usage in battle. Combined with [Magitech Mastery's] [Repair] and he managed to bring them back to a near-perfect state. He always said I'm always the one who researches and theorizes on some builds for each [Race] and the combination of [Masteries], but when it comes to weaving both theme and practicality in their characters, I think Lyco is mostly knowledgeable in that front.

  "My gear's ready, Lunar. This better be worth the hassle."

  I smiled as I placed my hand on the door to the [Mad Bear's]. "Well, let's see if it does. Get ready!"

  After I open the door without any hesitation. I recall that [Mad Bears] are hard to find and defeat due to their unexpected encounters by RNG, and the only places you have a guaranteed chance to encounter them are through an [Urgent Quest] and by entering a special room in a non-Dungeon field called a [Danger Room]. As its name implies, it's a dangerous room labelled with a floating blood red monster icon above the entrance. Anyone foolish enough to enter will find themselves penalized with no way out but with some escape consumables, and anyone prepared for the dangers will have no other objective but to win and survive.

  As soon as we entered the said room, a red window appeared to confirm my suspicions about its location.

  "Get ready, Lyco! It's coming!"

  After I shouted, I raised my fists just as we heard several stomps coming our way. Red eyes peeking out of the forest's shadows, red fur that mistakes it as corrupted when its rage is fully natural in its species, and white fangs and claws enough to cut down several inexperienced adventurers. This is the monster everyone feared to face alone.

  And I can't wait to bring it down.