Chapter 17: Acceptance

I may or may not have broken the fourth wall in this chapter. It does contain a time skip in a way.

Either way, cheers!

Don't forget to drop some power stones, leave a comment, a review and add to your collection if you enjoy the story!

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"Yip!", Miles happily yipped. He was satisfied with the way he invested his current stat points. Of the stats he could adjust freely, Strength was now his highest. Endurance was next, following Agility. Miles was tempted to invest most of his points into Agility, but Miles knew Strength played the most vital role for him currently. Miles didn't need to fear the two Geese he killed earlier in the day now.

To add to that, Miles's Luck stat was now his highest stat. It was a whopping twenty points! Superior Luck was already starting to factor into his stats. Back when he was only level one, his Luck was only at five percent. If he launched a flurry of twenty strikes, only one or two had a chance to become a critical hit. That is, if said target had zero resistance to it.

But now, it was at twenty percent! Every five attacks or so would potentially net Miles a critical hit. With a higher frequency rate now, Miles even had the possibility of landing two critical hits in a row, if he used one in tandem with Lucky Strike!

'Superior Luck is quite broken, isn't it? I've already praised it a couple times, but I think this is where Superior Luck shines the most...', Miles thought.

'Won't this mean I'll reach fifty percent at level ten, and a hundred percent chance to crit at level twenty? Will this system really let me deal critical hits with each strike I'll end up doing in the future? That sounds too good to be true...', Miles continued, doubting the potential his critical hits could reach in the coming future. Miles wondered if his chance to do will break beyond its limits?

In games, rates typically went up a hundred percent. It was extremely rare to see their efficacies go beyond that.

It was something Miles couldn't help but wonder.

As he thought that, Miles knew it was well into the night. His lips frowned as he gazed up at the darkened, ashen sky. Snow fell at a steady pace. Thanks to the snow melting onto the ice around him, the carcass he slid off into the lake moments ago already started to get cleaned up. The first prey he buried into the beachy sand not too far away from here was already hidden away by a fresh pile of snow. If one looked closely, it still had pink hues seeping inside it. 

A sense of melancholy swept his body as he stayed silent to observe the falling snow.

Miles took a moment to recall everything that had happened to him. It all happened so quickly, and everything was out of his control.

He was a man in his twenties working at a high-end accounting firm, making six digit figures a year and had a loving family, for the most part. He did suspect his wife at times since they didn't spend a lot of time at home, due to their different shifts. It's not like he could do anything against that though, his wife still properly raised their couple of kids.

And then he was met with an unfortunate accident, which cost him his life. Not expecting there to be an afterlife, he had a chance encounter with a self-proclaimed fox goddess, and wound up getting reincarnated into a world of fantasy. Something that had completely blown his mind, not expecting such a reality.

But now, that new reality was present before him.

He was but a fox.

No longer bound by human desires. Miles was free. He didn't have to do what humans needed to do to live. He could frolic and roam without a care in the world, as long as he had the strength to protect himself out here in the wild.

Coming to this realization, Miles felt melancholic. Could he really put such a life past him? Can he really start his life anew, living how a fox would?

[Ding! A new skill has been created, Howl - Lv1 (0/100)]

As if his system reacted to his newfound feelings, Miles unexpectedly received a new Skill.

'Are you telling me to start howling at times like this?', Miles pondered as he looked over this new Skill of his.

[Howl - Lv1 (0/100)]

 -Special Effect 1: Boosts Attack Damage by 30% for ten minutes. Effect is doubled under direct moonlight.

'Wow.', Miles mused, seeing the effect of Howl. It was very simple in terms of what it did, but it was very effective! 'So this is my first skill which uses a buff-like effect to what those priests and mages do in the stories I've read in the past, eh?', Miles continued as he checked over what Howl did.

It was a pretty straight forward Skill, but Miles couldn't help but retort seeing this Skill appear now. It was as if it reacted to his feelings just now.

Miles could only accept what had happened to him. A fate left unknown for him to explore. Was this just Wolverine's world? Or was it something more?

As if it were natural to him, Miles plopped his butt down onto some soft snow after using Ice-Walk to safely navigate off the ice. He just blankly stared up at the gray skies. Coming from deep within, Miles's vocal cords started to undulate.

"Awooooo!", Miles howled into the snowy night sky, accepting his new fate.

Miles's howl lasted for several seconds. It was loud and it stretched in all directions. The sound carried into the forest situated on his left and the other forest situated on his right. 

After another moment of silence, more howling suddenly echoed across the open plains Miles was now seated upon. This howling came from deep within the forest off to the right. It was as if this howling greeted Miles. Miles didn't know whether this howling was friendly or hostile.

But it meant one thing. Danger was definitely present within the forest to Miles's right.

Miles could only shift his gaze toward the pine trees off in the distance. The cold winds were shaking them, making constant rustling noises that were nice to listen to. The howling that came from inside only lasted just as long as Miles howled. Miles didn't pay attention to what had just happened to him, but a faint red glow wrapped around his entire body.

Miles's pupils constricted for a second, before they focused. Miles acted as if he wanted to try and find something. Perhaps the source of where that howl came from.

"Yip!", Miles yipped again. Determination appeared in his eyes as his body crouched into the snow, and leapt forward. His little paws started to carry him at a fast pace, and his figure soon blended into the snow that was falling onto the ground. Miles soon vanished from sight, heading right into the pine forest off to the right!

Meanwhile, as Miles vanished into the endless sea of snow-covered pine trees after accepting his newfound fate...

Back toward the northwest side of Cold Lake. 

"Hiyah!", A yell echoed throughout the base of the large hill that overlooked the little miner's town at its base. Fast clops of hooves striked against the ground, which was packed with the falling snow, echoing throughout the night. A large figure left the little town of Cold Lake at a fast pace, reaching the one path that stretched all the way upward to the giant estate resting atop the hill.

The large figure belonged to a horse. Two of them to be exact. One of the horse's mane was light and tan while the other was crystal white. Reins were currently in their mouths, appearing to be pulling an open carriage with no walls or roof. This type of carriage was popular in the late 1800s. It was called a phaeton.

It was currently being driven by a rather fancy-appearing englishman. With the cold winds pelting his face, one of his hands blocked his view so it wouldn't get into his eyes, while the other rested on the reins. A large black leather-faced jacket was currently draped over his gray suit. He sported a mustache that curled upward at their tips. Even a rounded, black top hat could be seen placed over his hair.

Next to him appeared to be an orange-haired girl who was wearing a victorian-style dress. She also had a large leather jacket draped over her to shield her from being pelted by the snow.

"I do apologize for my late arrival, lass. Quite a snowstorm out there it is. Even the wolves be howlin' tonight.', The man said, trying to look at the girl to his side as he said that.

"Am truly grateful for Master John takin' me in. Really I am.', The girl said as she also raised her arm to block the snow being pelted against their faces..

'It ain't everyday a lass like yourself 'an write and read. Am sure the old man will take a likin' to ya.', The englishman responded in confidence.

"Boy I sure do hope so, Mister Kenneth.", The girl said with a hint of worry. 

As the two started to have a conversation, the carriage they were riding departed the little town of Cold Lake, making its way up the giant, snow-covered hill. The man was supposed to come pick this girl up earlier in the day, but it seemed something kept him occupied, making him late. Only now could he pick her up, even though the snowstorm was still active. The sooner they could reach the estate, the better.

Unbeknownst to Miles though, this girl shouldn't have made an appearance until a decade later. Right now, she should have only been one or two years old. But presently, she had the appearance of a young woman. Twelve years old to be exact. She was almost an adult, despite being only twelve. Things worked very differently here in the olden times. Many folks became adults much younger, not when they turned eighteen or twenty years old like in the twenty and twenty-first centuries. Women aged a lot quicker, they didn't have the long life expectancies nor could they use the modern technology to improve their standard of living. 

Little did Miles know that Yozora actually told Miles another little white lie, one that she didn't mention to him during his reincarnation. She originally stated he brought Miles into this world in the year 1885 before she left through that portal back into her domain.

But boy was that ever so wrong.

Yozora didn't bring Miles here in 1885.

No. It was already 1896.

The events of Wolverine were set to happen in a year's time.

Remember folks, never trust a fox.