Finally, some alone time! Now I know how Harley feels after seeing him exhausted every weekend. There were a lot of customers earlier, and if it wasn't for him and his Dad, I wouldn't get through my training shift unscathed. Thanks to that experience, I now know what to expect and learn from my mistakes from there. Let's hope my school work won't affect my performance as a part-time barista for days to come.

  For now, I should shove the thoughts of work and school aside for a while. It's been a while, but I think it's time for me to get back into [Isekai] immediately. With the new event coming, I should be ready for anything. That includes learning more about my new abilities as a [Lycanthrope] and how I should incorporate them into my current skillset. So far, there have been fewer guides about [Sub-Races] in [Isekai Companion] and other game guide sites. It will be a lot of trial and error outside of my usual grinding sessions. But I know I can make it work.

  So I boot up my [VeilCon] with the patch updates and the usual brief maintenance. It might take a while since I just unpacked them from my move, but I managed to finish them in under an hour. After that, I wore the console and lay down in my new bed. Let's hope things haven't been crazy during my absence.

  "[Dive In]!"

  I yawn loudly as I stretch my arms out. It's only been two days since I logged in, and I feel like I've been sleeping for months. Well, days if I go by [Isekai's] accelerated timezone. As I got out of bed, I took a look at my hands. Right now, they look like any normal human hands. But the moment I wake up in this virtual body, it feels like I'm not in the right one. Honestly, this is a bit surreal considering it's barely a real-world week since I became a [Lycan].

  First things first, I decided to head down to the ground floor and meet up with the village leader as usual.

  [Oh, you're awake already? You sounded like you need a few more hours after your long hunt with Lawrence.]

  I smiled at Fenrir as I sat on the sofa. "I wish. But it's bad for me to lie in bed for too long. By the way, how's the refurbishment project coming along?"

  [It's coming along swimmingly. Thanks to your [Human] friend, half of the huts and houses are already finished. As for your home and the portal linked to your charm, it should be done by tomorrow.] Fenrir approaches me with a tray as he places a plate of biscuits and a cup of tea on the coffee table. [Our carpenters are also working on the furniture. So you won't be worrying about a bed once you move there.]

  That's what I want to hear. I'm glad Lyco helped them out in my absence, or I might be forced to stay in an inn tomorrow. "Good. Cause I need to get back on my training later. I heard that there's an arena event coming up in ."

  [Oh? And whatever happened to your promise of keeping it a secret, young wolf?] I quickly flinch once I see Fenrir's grin aimed at me. [Why are you changing your mind?]

  I have some selfish reasons, but there is another reason behind it. "Thanks to the training you gave me during my stay, I feel like I'm delaying my duties as an adventurer for too long. I have a lot to learn, not only about the world and [Lycans], but also the knowledge that I missed thanks to my previous tormentors. I won't break my promise on revealing my identity as a [Lycan], but I want to try becoming stronger to explore more of the world outside

  . Besides, I have a feeling those jerks aren't going to leave me alone even if I'm off the grid. I have to act now before they do something more than raid this forest again."

  Fenrir hums while placing his chin on his hand. [Are you saying you're going to find out the source of these shrine raids?]

  Huh... That was one of my potential goals beyond my revenge plans, but he's right on the nose. "Something like that. But I can't investigate without any clues and knowing them, direct confrontations, even in my wolf form, are a no-go. For now, I need to gather my strength and practice my new abilities on the field before anything else."

  [If that's the case, I do have some requests while you're out training. If you do them, it might cover the cost of your new home.]

  That guy... He has a way to work me to the bone. But I'm not complaining about it since it's also for the village, too. "I'll do them. I'll be returning to town in about two days or so. If you have any other requests by then, just give me a holler."

  [Consider it done, young wolf. And before you ask, the village tailor informed me that your new clothes will be ready by tomorrow.]

  That's great to hear. So it's only one more day until I'm out of these replacement clothes. "Awesome! I'll be waiting!"

  That takes care of multitasking with [Quests]. Up next is the training itself.

  After my brief tea session with Fenrir, I bought some essentials from the general store and headed out of the village. My plan today is to go west, where several rabbits and other monsters are found roaming near the lake. Unlike before, running through the woods was much faster than I anticipated. I should thank my new passive [Racial Skills] for this sudden boost, or I would end up exhausted if I ran as a normal [Insignis]. Once I arrived, I took this time to catch my breath as I saw a closed area with a lake streaming through the trees and a bright orange sky above me. It seems quiet with some rabbits, goblins, and slimes roaming around, and since players can't access this area through the usual channels in the forest, I have the whole area to myself.

  First things first, I have to recheck my stats and equipment to see my progress in my past leveling sessions so far.

  Interesting... Unlike my [Dagger Mastery], I easily level up my [Martial Arts] up to 10, but I also got my [Claws] to 3 while grinding the rest of my combat [Masteries] with 1 level. Along with my [Alchemy] and [Scribe], I managed to make some decent progress after my transformation. Unfortunately, with my new [Masteries] came with downsides. Thanks to math rounding down the number of [Masteries] and their levels together, I'm currently at [TML] 6. Which means it's going to be a while until I reach the required level for a battle royal event. I might try leveling my [Crafting Masteries] back at the village, but it might take some time to reach it, and my combat ones would still be at low levels. I might as well spend the remaining time before the event training and grinding my levels.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  However, the only puzzle to solve is my [Lycanthropes] abilities. When I first saw my stats after the full moon, I was shocked at the changes to my stats. Most of the passives that came with it gave me a big boost to my [HP], [MP], and [SP] along with my [STR] and [CON]. The only downside to one of these passive [Racial Skills] is that my skill use consumption will be doubled, so I have to be mindful of my [SP] and the food I eat. Man, I heard the werewolves here a gluttons, but not this much.

  Another boon to my transformation is my [Hunting Mastery]. I heard players who had it during Day 1 found it to be a big help for them since it helped them analyze the enemies' stats. Yet it has a big downside of having a confusing skill that has a contradicting description and effect. I don't know much about the latter, but that scanning skill should be useful for my guides.

  Either way, I should resume my training. It's been a while, so I need to refresh myself on everything I learned about my new abilities. And luckily for me, a certain rabbit came into my view.

  Ah, those jerks. I heard they have a habit of trolling na?ve players with their uncanny speed and taunting abilities. It should help me with my first training of the day.

  "[Stealth]."

  I take a deep breath as I crouch down when the skill activates. Normally, when facing a speedy monster like a [Horned Rabbit], you would have used a ranged weapon or spell to kill it immediately. But that's not my intention for today. With another deep breath, I wait for the rabbit to stop hopping and let it smell the flowers nearby. Once it did, I deactivated the skill and rushed towards it with my clawed hands.

  "[Scratch Swipe]!"

  [Scratch Swipe]. As its name implies, it's a [Claw] skill that seemingly leaves a graze from a naked eye. In reality, it deals guaranteed light damage when attacking the target from behind. Not only that, it has an increased 20% chance of stunning it when you attack without damaging the target beforehand. In other words, this skill is perfect for a pre-emptive ambush.

  Just as I predicted. With that annoying rabbit completely stunned, it's time for my next move.

  "[Jab]!" I threw my fist into the rabbit's gut before I overwhelmed it with several jabs on my own. Then with a few kicks, I finish it off with one last [Power Attack] and out came the items and [Lapi].

  Not bad for my return fight. Looks like my knowledge and physical motor skills still haven't gone rusty for a day. But I'm not done with my training just yet. That's only the physical portion of it; let's see if I haven't forgotten about my magic as well.

  Once again, my newfound enhanced smell saved the day. Let's try a bit of [Fire] for this training.

  “Spirits of flames, show yourselves! Erect the shield of flames to deter my enemies! [Fire Wall]!"

  A wall of flames suddenly erupted from the ground where the rabbit was about to flee. Another weakness these trolling rabbits have is their reaction speed. While they're fast to react, it can be their downfall if you predict their movements correctly. That gives me time to cast another spell after the cooldown.

  “Spirits of flames, show yourselves! Bring the fire from my heart and help me gather into my hand! [Fire Arrow]!"

  I toss the arrow once it is fully formed at the rabbit, causing it to stab through its head.

  Nice! Two in a row! While my magic is still in single digits, my new passives boost them a lot, especially the [Racial Skill] one.

  What's more surprising about this skill is it's actually a reward from my transformation [Hidden Quest]. It's as if this skill was made for me since I'm mostly focused on magic. I'm still in disbelief about it. But I risked my sanity to finish the [Hidden Quest] for it.

  Still, this is a lot of progress compared to my navigator days with [Viper Fangs]. At this rate, getting to [TMI] 15 should be a breeze if I keep this up. I just hope no more surprises are waiting for me at .

  And I should stop thinking about it before I jinx myself...

  [Meanwhile in ...]

  Geez... I can't believe how much editing I had to go through for the latest chapters in the backlog. If I weren't on that cappuccino latte from earlier, I would have plopped myself to bed immediately! Thank god I finished them early so I can have a brief time back in [Isekai]. Unfortunately, it seems like Lunar has to stay back in the village for a while, so I can't see him right now, despite he's now visible in my friend list. I can't blame him. While I only have a few days away from to escape Savior's mafia guild, he now has a huge target on his back, even if he's going by his new name. I hope he's okay. I don't know how long until he finds him...

  Either way, I have no problems going to town right now. So all I can do is refresh my equipment and buy some materials for the village refurbishment...

  "Hey! Didn't you hear about the [Viper Fangs] lately?"

  I stop at the entrance of as soon as I hear that dreaded guild from two other players passing by.

  "Yeah. I just saw their leader earlier. He said he and some of the members are going to participate in the [Arena of the Strong] event."

  "Whoa, seriously? I heard from the forums that his guild was completely wiped out from a [Dungeon Run] in that forest [Dungeon] and recently, some of their members also suffered during their repeat run. I thought they might be crippled because of their lost equipment and penalties from their failures."

  "Seems like Savior manages to work out their equipment problem. Knowing how much of a whale he was, I'm not surprised he can stand back up after two failed runs."

  "Tell me about it. Though the big question now is whether the Vipers or [Force Blade] can win the whole event."

  I watched the players heading into town while I froze at what I heard. Geez... Even after those werewolves and Lunar teaching the Vipers two lessons already, they are still too stubborn to stop repeating their schemes. This time, they're going to use the first PVP event to gain some brownie points or something to drive them away from the failures on the forums and social media. If Lunar is here right now, he would have commented on how stupid Save is right now in using the event to restore his dirty reputation.

  Either way, it's not my problem if Lunar feels the same. Besides, he's back in the village. There's no way he will be involved with the Vipers and the event, right?