4 Chapter 3

To survive in a hostile environment, one needed strength. This was especially true in the world of monsters where the strong preyed on the weak. This was the reason why in a pack of wolves, the one who was hailed as the alpha was always the strongest and most powerful within the pack. Naturally, this also meant that the survival of a pack was fully dependent on the strength of their alpha. The more powerful their alpha was, the highest chance that they would be able to survive. Of course, if a wolf was hailed as alpha, that naturally meant that their strength was incomparable with a normal wolf. And for the young wolf, that reality was now being thrust into his face…

Accompanied by a suffocating presence, the Tempest Wolf descended into the battlefield. With a mighty howl, the Tempest Wolf made everyone in his immediate vicinity shudder including the member of his own pack. Probably desperate to find a ray of hope, the young wolf gazed at his brother's profile. Because of the exceptional strength that his brother has shown earlier, the young wolf hoped that maybe everything would be fine. After all, they have his mighty brother by their side. Unfortunately, even that small glimmer of hope was instantly crushed…

Standing at the front most of the formation was the young wolf's brother. At first glance, he looked like he was bravely standing up against the enemy alpha. But the young wolf could tell, even his mighty brother was afraid. So afraid in fact that the young wolf could see him shaking ever so slightly. When the young wolf saw that, he was overcome by despair.

While the young wolf was standing there in a daze, his brother suddenly grabbed him by the neck. The next thing the young wolf knew, he was lying on the ground and his body was aching all over. Confused, the young wolf looked around. Standing in front of him was his brother covered in mud and bruises. For the young wolf, the sight of his brother injured and in pain was so shocking that he unconsciously let out a whimper. Probably hearing that, the young wolf's brother looked back. When the young wolf's eyes met with those of his brother's, the young wolf understood. His brother was telling him to run and escape.

Despite the pain all over his body, the young wolf forced his body to stand. He then gazed at his brother's eyes with strong defiance. The young wolf's intention was clear, he refused to run. When the young wolf's brother saw that, he made a gesture telling the young wolf to look ahead. As the young wolf followed his brother's instruction, a horrifying scene greeted him.

Up ahead was the enemy alpha. That very same alpha was walking slowly towards the young wolf's group. On the alpha's back, the mangled body of the young wolf's companions was sprawled all over the place. A little distance ahead, the remaining members of the young wolf's group were lined up in front of his brother clearly trying to protect him. And as if trying to buy as much time as possible for his brother to recover, an ally wolf would charge every so often towards the alpha only to be turned into a mangled corpse afterward. Simply put, the wolves were willingly jumping towards their death. Calling it a noble sacrifice was an understatement. It was just plain and simple mass suicide.

The young wolf watched as the enemy alpha slaughtered his companions one after the other without so much as a flinch. It didn't even matter if a wolf was fast or skilled in combat, the overwhelming power of the enemy alpha rendered all of it useless. With a seemingly absolute command of the wind, the alpha would produce a gale that shreds any wolf who dared to come near him. The scene would not even pass as a fight, it was just a one-sided massacre.

Witnessing such a scene, the young wolf lost his will to fight. With eyes clouded with despair, the young wolf gazed at his brother. As their eyes met, the young wolf saw anger and frustration welling up in his brother's eyes. From the looks of it, his brother knew that he could not win. Despite that, the young wolf's brother was still pressuring the young wolf to flee. At that, the young wolf became certain. His brother doesn't have any intention to flee. That brave brother would stay along with his companions and fight the enemy alpha to death. That brother's only wish was for the young wolf to flee and continue to live. When the young wolf saw his brother's resolve, he finally gave in to his brother's wish.

***

With a heavy heart, I opened my eyes. And because of the intense feelings welling up within my chest, I let out a groan. 'What was that...? A dream...? No... For some reason… it felt so… real… Don't tell me… that was this body's memories?'

Confused, I unconsciously stood up. But despite my confusion, I was certain that the dream I had was real. The biggest reason why I think so was because of how much detail it has. Honestly, it felt so real to the point that I thought I was actually reliving that tale. And it wasn't only the freakishly realistic details of the dream, there were also those emotions. That's right, every emotion I felt in that dream was real. In fact, even after waking up, I could still feel the effect of all the raw emotions I had experienced inside that dream.

'If that was really the memories of this body... Does that mean that I wasn't simply transferred into this body but was instead reincarnated as an actual wolf…? If that's the case, that would explain why I could freely move around this body. If I am reincarnated, that means that I had enough practice in moving with this body to the point of it being subconscious... But that would also mean that I have been living as a wolf for quite some time now without being aware of it… Then… for how long have I been living in this world? And why do my memories suddenly emerge?'

In all honesty, I could probably do without my memories from the past. I even think that living in ignorance like that would actually be better. With these memories of two different lives, I only became much more confused. There was a saying that "memories and personal experiences made a person," and now that I am in this situation, I fully understand what that meant. Having memories of two different lives made me question who I really am. Am I the twisted Familia head, or am I the naïve young wolf? Which of those am I really?

'Damn it... Why do I have to go all through this? Just let live a single life at a time man…'

While complaining internally, I noticed something blinking from the edge of my vision. When I tried focusing to know what it is, a detailed notification popped up. Confused by the sudden appearance of familiar texts, I looked around. But no matter where I looked, the text followed. Realizing that it won't go away, I closed my eyes only to find it still there.

'Seriously? Don't tell me this was projected directly in my mind?' I thought as I opened my eyes. 'Well, since it won't go away either way. I'm just gonna read it.'

Focusing on the notification, I saw some noticeable blinking letters at the top. It read as follows: [After resting for 3 hours, the stamina is now fully recovered.]

'What the?! So, I was out for 3 whole hours?! Are you kidding me?!'

While I was thankful that the notification so generously gave the exact detail on how long I was out cold, I just couldn't accept the fact that I sleep so soundly in this dangerous place. The biggest concern I had was what if those gigantic frogs happened to find me while I was sleeping comfortably? Honestly, just imagining what could have happened gave me chills.

'That was close!! I almost died without even being aware of it!!'

While swearing in my heart to never, ever let this incident happen again, I continue to read the notification.

[Name: (Unnamed)]

[Race: Dire Wolf Cub]

[Level: 7]

[Status: Healthy]

[Titles: (No Title)]

[Skills: Enhance Small Fangs (Rank A), Call of The Moon (Rank D), Night Vision (Rank B), Enhance Smell (Rank B), Enhance Hearing (Rank A), Recovery (Rank B), Detect Malice (Rank C)]

After reading through the notification, I couldn't help but be shocked. 'What in the world?! Is this what I think it is?!' I read the notification once again. After reading it about three times just to make sure if I was seeing it right, I finally consented. 'Ha. Ha. Ha. I can't believe it… This is... a status screen…'

Of course, since I was able to play some MMORPG games from my past life, I knew a status screen when I saw one. Even if I didn't play it so often, I still took my time to learn its mechanics. So of course, after seeing what was written in the notification, I would think that it awfully resembled those status screens from MMORPG games.

'So, I didn't just simply reincarnate as a wolf in a fantasy world filled with monsters… The world I reincarnated in also resembles that of a game… HA. HA. HA. HA.'