Chapter 5: All Fear Comes from Insufficient Firepower

Whoosh!

The moment Rod stepped through the portal, his vision dimmed.

Towering trees surrounded him, the air dark and damp. He was standing in the midst of an endless, primeval jungle.

Looking up, he saw the sky covered in thick clouds, with faint starlight barely piercing through the gaps in the leaves.

Rod's tense mood relaxed slightly. At least, this wasn't the post-apocalyptic wasteland or the god-filled high-dimension world he had feared. However, that didn't mean there weren't other dangers lurking around. Caution was still necessary.

"It's all forest. Which way should I go?"

Rod rubbed his chin in thought, then noticed a flicker of firelight in the distance—not far from where he was.

Fire meant people. Someone was living here.

"Since I'm unfamiliar with this place, it's better to talk to the locals first."

He patted the shotgun at his waist, feeling a bit more at ease as he started heading toward the firelight.

A few minutes later, a campfire came into view. Beside it, a shadowy figure sat, hunched over, eating something.

A person?

Rod sighed in relief. If it was a human, then communication was possible. Even if they didn't share a language, gestures and body language could do the trick.

"Hey there, I'm a lost traveler. Could you help me out?" Rod called out as he walked toward the campfire. But just as he was about twenty steps away, he froze.

A strong stench of blood filled the air.

Rod finally saw what the man was eating.

It was a leg—a human leg.

The figure slowly raised its head at the sound of Rod's voice.

Dark eyes, completely black, with no distinction between pupils and whites. The face was covered in thick hair. Though it resembled a human, it looked more like a beast.

Shit!

Rod's mind reeled, cursing under his breath. Without a second thought, he turned and ran.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the creature toss aside the leg and dash toward him with terrifying speed.

The creature was fast—within just a few breaths, the distance between them had shrunk to a dozen steps.

"You think I'm scared of you, you bastard?"

Realizing he couldn't outrun it, Rod gritted his teeth and steeled himself.

He came to a sudden stop, drew his revolver, spun around, and pulled the trigger—all in one smooth motion.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire erupted, and six rounds hit the creature square in the body.

The creature howled in agony, blood spraying from its wounds. But instead of slowing down, it became even more enraged and lunged at Rod.

There was no time to reload. Rod had no choice but to engage in close combat.

Wham!

Rod punched the creature square in the face, shattering its nose with the sheer force of the blow.

With a quick move, he grabbed the creature's arms, flipped it over, and pinned it to the ground using a grappling technique.

As the beast struggled furiously on the ground, unable to move Rod an inch, he smirked.

"So, that's it?"

Despite its ferocity, the creature couldn't match Rod's strength. Aside from its remarkable resilience and speed, it wasn't all that impressive.

Just then, a beam of moonlight broke through the clouds, landing on the creature's body.

In an instant, everything changed.

The creature screamed in pain as its body began to transform. Its fur grew longer at an alarming rate, and the wounds caused by Rod's revolver healed before his eyes.

Its once human-like face became more beastly, with the cheekbones pushing forward and its teeth turning into sharp fangs.

In just a few short minutes, the fur-covered creature had fully transformed into a werewolf.

Howl!

The werewolf let out a long, bone-chilling howl. Its once thin and frail body became muscular and powerful as it started thrashing wildly.

Its strength had doubled, maybe even tripled.

Even with all his might, Rod was struggling to keep the werewolf pinned down.

"Well, well... it can transform, huh?"

But so what? Who's got time for a brawl in the modern world?

Rod released his hold and quickly stepped back.

The werewolf, now free, sprang to its feet and prepared to lunge at Rod.

What greeted it instead were the twin barrels of a shotgun.

Calmly, Rod retrieved the double-barrel shotgun from his personal space, his gaze unwavering as he stared at the stunned werewolf.

"Times have changed, pal."

The werewolf's eyes widened. Though it had no idea what the shotgun was, its animal instincts screamed that the thing in Rod's hands was incredibly dangerous.

Sensing imminent danger, the werewolf turned and tried to flee.

But Rod remained calm.

Come and go as you please? You think this is your house?

At this distance, with this angle, everyone is equal before a shotgun.

Even God wouldn't survive this.

Rod pulled the trigger.

"Goodbye."

Boom!

A thunderous blast echoed, and in a flash of fire, the shotgun unleashed its full power.

At such close range, the shotgun's destructive force was at its peak. The barrage of pellets tore the werewolf's upper body to shreds.

Rod stood there, staring at the lifeless remains of the werewolf, his expression completely calm.

This was the power of modern technology.

Fear comes from a lack of firepower.