Wow... I didn't expect a lot of monster defeats popping up in my feed. And I did all of that in just an hour. As expected of my new [Masteries], they really packed a punch. What's more shocking is that I did all of that without any penalties, possessing both [Physical Enhancement] and [Magical Affinity Masteries]. Normally, you get half the bonuses if you have them simultaneously. I also had that worry when I got the former during my transformation phase. But as I learned from my [Lycan] [Racial Skills], the [Moonlight Blessing] passive lets me bypass those penalties without any catches. It didn't say anything from its description. But just talking to Fenrir and Lawrence about it made me aware of this hidden bonus. In other words, it's a cheat passive skill of sorts. I feel bad about it, but it fits my current fighting style.

  Anyways, I'm not done with this grinding hunt yet. Cause right now, I'm facing an angry [Goblin] for killing its friends, and running away isn't an option. It's not like I'm going to leave immediately anyway.

  "[Double Jab]!" I quickly threw the attack at the goblin's gut. Unlike the previous [Goblin], it's a bit resilient against my fists. If I recall, there's a chance their stats might be different from the default ones posted in the wiki. Thankfully, I used [Gift of Strength] to boost my power for a while enough to deal enough damage to defeat them, and since I leveled up to 8, I also used [Gift of Protection] to boost my defenses as well. So the moment the monster stabbed me in the arm, I took less damage than before. "[Power Attack]!"

  With a full-power jab, I punched through the [Goblin's] face and finished it off with a horizontal basic kick. Once it's in the air, it explodes into [Lapi] and loot raining down from the sky.

  And with that, my training is done for today. Using the [Hunting] feature, I take the [Horned Rabbits] and [Wild Boars'] carcasses and leave the [Goblin] ones behind. I did consider getting them, but according to Fenrir, their meat might be bad for us when it comes to taste, and there is no way I risk the chance to poison myself to feed my [Inner Wolf]. I then looked up at the sky and noticed it was getting darker. Man, time does fly. Let's see if I have made any progress with my levels so far.

  Nice! I managed to grind up a few more levels. It seems like the leveling growth rate on [Martial Arts] is slowing down, so using it against low-level monsters might not be enough. As for my other combat-related [Masteries], I did gain a lot compared to my fists. Maybe I should focus more on [Claws] and [Fire] tomorrow and see if I can find stronger monsters afterward. Besides, it's getting late, and I don't want to stick around a lot longer than my intended playtime. For now, I should head home and turn in my kills before logging out.

  But before I do, I got a ping from a certain werewolf nerd.

  So Lyco already knew about the PVP event, too, huh? He really is worried about my safety from Savior and his goons. Still, my suspicions are correct. The [Viper Fangs] are going to participate in cleaning up their tarnished reputation from the raids. If I go back now, chances are they will force me to participate in their attempt to take revenge on me. There's no way I will take that risk so soon, especially with my current levels. Besides, they might work me to the bone to get me to the required [TML], and my combat [Masteries] won't be enough to survive.

  This is not enough. I need a way to jump to 15 in a few days, and I don't have enough budget to purchase an EXP booster...

  Unless Fenrir has something for me to help my training...

  I'll head back to the village for now and ask him tomorrow.

  [Meanwhile...]

  In an alley of a certain town, everyone gathered at the old building as Savior looked around with a grin on his face. Most of them were sparring through a [Duel] function, while some were maintaining their weapons and armor with the guild's crafters.

  "What's the progress so far, Sien?" He asked.

  "Most of our crafters already did the replacement equipment, and some of them just finished their grind from the well-known grinding spots nearby," Sien answered. "As for that lowly Lowry, we haven't seen him coming back to ."

  Savior hummed. "Two weeks in a row. That's a long time for him to hide his face." He opened his HUD and checked the contents available to him. "Too bad that guy already deleted me from my friend list. Before, he was invisible. But now, I can't tell if he's online or not because of it."

  "So what do we do now? You said he's going to be in the arena event no matter what. But I heard his [TML] is not enough for the required level."

  "Then I'll just make him grind. I want him to pay for losing our equipment from our [Death Penalties], and the [Arena of the Strong] is the perfect place to pay him back for his treachery." Savior groaned in frustration. "We've been losing traction ever since your stupid run tarnished the guild name even more! If people had known you're the same guy who got judo flipped by that nerd, we would have gotten more humiliation than before!"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Sien also groaned. "At least I kept my [VeilCon] rather than being on house arrest without one. Don't worry about the reputation, boss. I had some people cleaning up the mess while severing my "relationships" with those useless losers from Goodie's."

  "You better... That doesn't mean we can find that a**h*le immediately." But as Savior turned to the entrance, his frown slowly turned into a grin. "Unless we have some help..."

  He walked towards a young brunette man wearing a robe over his ragged white shirt, brown pants, and boots. Savior then quickly grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him closer to him, much to the young man's horror. "S-Savior! I-I swear! I got here on time!"

  "Hey, you're not in trouble for being late this time, . But you will be if you're not going to help us with one itty-bitty favor," Savior sneered at the young man. "I heard you've been all buddy-buddy with Lowry lately, huh? I was wondering if you know where that ba- I mean, our former navigator is in ? We haven't seen him lately, and he hasn't been sending us DMs in and out of the game for the past two weeks."

  The young man shuddered as he looked at Savior's menacing smile. "I...don't know. He hasn't DMed me lately, too."

  The guild leader then grabbed Janus's collar and pushed him against the wall from the rubble. "Are you seriously trying to lie in front of your superior? Don't you know your place in the guild already?!"

  Janus started gasping for air while trying to pull Savior's grip away from his neck. "I-I'm not...lying! Even if I do... (ACK!) know, Lowry wouldn't tell me his location whenever I ask out of curiosity! ACK!"

  Savior growled in frustration. He did everything to convince him to give away his location, yet he thought he remained adamant about answering. Maybe if he could use force...

  "Save your breath, boss..." Sien interrupted. "I told you before that there are no signs of lowly Lowry anywhere in the town today. I checked through the [Adventurer Search] back at the guild hall, and for some reason, I got a [NO PLAYER FOUND] earlier. It's as if he disappeared from the game entirely."

  Savior slapped his forehead while releasing his grip from Janus's neck. "Useless! You guys can't do anything right!" But he quickly took a deep breath and turned to Janus with a grin. "No matter. I did say I have a plan, and you'll be the main star of it."

  Janus's eyes widened. "M-Me?!"

  "That's right." Savior walked closer to the young man as he smacked his hand on the wall behind him. "You can say I'm treating you as a messenger to that hard-headed pushover. You get my drift?"

  Janus then gulped, realizing what he meant.

  "A way to speed up on your EXP grind without any pay-to-win items?"

  I nod while I take a cup of espresso that Mr. Spencer offered me. Unlike in my previous place, my workplace is only a walk away from my new apartment. So it's a bit of an excuse to have breakfast here rather than eating the usual instant noodles and sandwiches at a nearby Goodie's. Although I still don't have an employee's discount yet, the Master still lets me have the recommendations in exchange for a bit of my first salary today. Besides that point, I took this chance to ask for his help with my training in [Isekai].

  "It would be a big help if I could get to [TML] 15 before tomorrow. I'm planning to find some stronger monsters after work later, but I was hoping if you have any [Lycan] secrets that would help me hasten my grinding session," I explained. "I only got about 2-3 in-game days, and I need to pick up the pace before David does something stupid and risky."

  Master sighs and says, "I understand your concerns, Lucas. But I doubt I have anything to help you get to 15 faster. Besides, I can't abuse my position as a [Role Player] to fulfill your demands so recklessly. Besides, I thought the village [Quests] were enough to gain enough [MEXP] for days."

  "That's only for non-combat EXP for some of them. I haven't researched much about the event itself. But PVP events tend to attract strong rankers and players, and [Insignis] is not much meta-worthy if you pit that [Race] against other popular ones like [Beast Folks] and [Feles]. I'm not aiming to be the champion. But enough to help me survive without relying too much on my wolf form."

  Master then hums. "In that case, why don't you transform at night and fight in your wolf form then? It's not much, but there's a passive [Racial Skill] that gives you a bit of a boost against stronger monsters living in the ."

  I raise my eyebrow at his answer. "Are you sure about that? I'm aware I can transform outside of full moon nights. But that would mean I have to surrender control to my [Inner Wolf]. The first time I transformed caused me to woke up in a lake full of dead rabbits and a wooden disc on my mouth."

  "Well, you can gain control if you access the [Mind Link] setting from your skill menu," Master answered. "However, if you do that, your [STR] will be halved for the duration of your transformation. Also, you will have a hard time communicating with others in your wolf form, even if you retained control."

  "Really? But you and Fenrir talked normally in your werewolf forms when we first met. Are you saying I have to master it?"

  "Perceptive as always. Though it will take a few transformations to truly master it. So you might need to come up with ways to communicate with your friends in case you plan to transform outside of full moons. If you need a few loopholes, I suggest you talk to your friends before you try to attempt another transformation."

  It makes sense. Since Bryan already knew my secret, it would be difficult for me to communicate with him even with a text chat in battles. I should keep this in mind when I decide to transform again. "Alright, Master. Thank you for your guidance."

  "No problem. Now, you should finish your breakfast. Harley already left, and it's almost 7 AM."

  Oh, right. I can't be late for a Literature history lecture! I cut my chat short so I can finish my meal and hopefully catch the subway train on time.

  After that almost hasty breakfast and arriving at college, I didn't waste any time rushing to my lecture. It was a close shave, but I managed to attend it with no delays and issues on my end. For the rest of the day, I attended lecture after lecture, meeting my friends along the way and with no David or his goons in sight as usual. Heck, I feel a bit of a good mood and order myself a hamburger with fries from the cafeteria, something that almost gives Bryan a heart attack from my strange decision. Again, life is starting to turn to my favor, and no one can ruin my day!

  Then the afternoon comes, and I'm a lecture away from college being done for the day. I'm already set for it with my writing materials and essay ready. Since I won't start work until tomorrow, I can use the remaining time to finish my training before the event.

  "L-Lucas!"

  I stop walking the moment I hear a familiar voice calling out to me. That sounds like Jared, yet he sounds like he's panicking. I turn around to check up on him, but he suddenly grabs me by the shoulders.

  "T...Thank god. I found you..." He panted. "I would be in trouble...if I don't..."

  Trouble? I have a feeling that's been bothering him the moment he said it. "What do you mean? Don't tell me David is scheming against me again?"

  "P-Probably... But he only told me to be a messenger." He slowly caught his breath as he stood up. "H-He...didn't say much... But he wanted me to tell you to meet him... at ... or else!"

  That bastard... He will never learn. I don't need to guess what he wanted me for. "Or what? I've got other things to do and I have no time to deal with David's shenanigans. If he wanted to tell me, he could have shown his face offline instead of online."

  I start walking away, but I feel a tug on my shirt. "Y-You...don't understand! If you don't show yourself, I... You will be humiliated in front of the whole server if you don't show yourself in !"

  I stopped walking and let out a sigh. As I feared... If I walk away, there's a high chance David will do everything to ruin my non-important image in the game. No, he might know about my blog and do everything to smear my reputation there. I don't want to confront him so soon with my current levels. But why am I starting to make excuses now? I'm not going to be his personal pushover, but that doesn't mean I'm ignoring this threat any longer.

  "Do I need to know why he wants to meet me so bad?"

  Jared shakes his head. "I told you, I don't know. He only gave me the threat, and that's it. But you really need to see him regardless. I get that you didn't bother him after the failed runs outside the game. But I don't want you to get you involved because of me!"

  I froze when I heard those words. "Don't. Say. That."

  "Because of him"? No, no one is to blame for him. That's enough to give me the final push I need for this decision.

  "Don't blame yourself. You shouldn't be the one to blame in your current position," I said. "If you want my two cents, it's David who is to blame for all of our misery from high school."

  I get what he's trying to do. I felt the same way whenever David treated me as his servant out of fear of losing my friends. But when I realized my fears were all in my head, fueled by my past, I realized he's nothing more than a toothless shark threatening small fish in the sea. Jared was the one who made my school life a mess because of David. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to leave him to suffer in his hands as revenge. I'm not letting anyone take the fall because of me or anyone in the vicinity.

  "You know what? Tell him I accept." I turn around as I prepare to leave again. "But on the condition we will meet in-game tomorrow, offline tonight at 8 PM. If he doesn't accept those terms, then I will leave the game and delete my account. Not to mention, tell him about his involvement regarding a certain incident at Goodie's."

  "U-Uh... Okay?" I look at Jared one more time as he looks at me in concern. "J-Just...be careful..."

  I smile at my friend without hesitation. "Don't worry. I bet he won't lay a finger on me."

  I walk away as I wave to Jared. Yet despite my declaration, I have a feeling it might be the opposite. But it doesn't matter since I'm preparing the way to get to my goal quickly. If my plans go well without any complications, then I will hit two birds with one stone.

  And the moment I see David again as Savior, he's about to have a surprise of a lifetime once he meets the powerful [Lycan] named Lunar instead of a lowly [Human] named Lowry.

  Christine Luu for supporting me on !