Chapter 30: The Red Bear Mercenaries Part 2

It was about time.

About time for me to test the intermediate skill I had acquired, [Beast Transformation] after reaching level 32.

[Beast Transformation] was a skill that literally allowed you to transform into the form of a beast.

However, the choice of beast greatly influenced the effect of the transformation.

If it was a beast I had thoroughly observed and understood, I could nearly replicate its full strength.

But what if I only knew its appearance?

Then it would result in nothing more than an ordinary transformation.

For this reason, druids intensely studied beasts they were intimately familiar with to maximize the power of [Beast Transformation].

Fortunately, I had such a beast close to me…

– Kuun! Kuunkuuun!

It was Ayla, the shadow wolf.

Over the months of raising her, I had come to understand the shadow wolf exceedingly well.

Its strengths, weaknesses, habits, tendencies…

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I knew everything about her from head to toe.

Having observed her in advance in anticipation of acquiring the [Beast Transformation] skill turned out to be a wise move.

Of course, the luckiest part was ending up with Ayla, the shadow wolf.

Honestly, without [Beast Transformation], I would have been at a loss about how to face Jamil.

"El, tie the flag around my neck when I transform into a shadow wolf."

"Yes, Master."

"Make sure Ayla doesn't get too excited and join the fight."

"Yes…"

El answered in a very nervous voice and nodded her head vigorously.

I let out a long sigh and slowly made my way to the center of the clearing.

Jamil who was warming up saw me and flashed a sly grin.

"Take care of me, Jamil."

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

I could only hope that would be the case.

I ignored everything else and focused my mind.

"I am the shadow, and the shadow is me; the noble moon always watches over me."

I recited the incantation and blew on Ayla's beautiful silver fur that lay in the palm of my hand.

Suddenly, my body's magical power began to surge in unfamiliar patterns.

Whooosh!

Magical power coursed through places other than just my veins and started transforming my physical structure. The rapid transformation generated intense heat that burst forth from my skin, enveloping the surroundings in a mist that resembled white fog.

At the same time, my senses heightened dramatically.

I could feel the pulse of a single leaf, the texture of pouring sunlight, and even the scent of the wind itself.

Even though I practiced it several times, the sensation was still unfamiliar.

Yet, the feeling of having grown stronger was vivid and intuitive.

– Gossip gossip

– Whisper whisper

I could hear everyone around me talking and gasping in surprise, but I didn't pay any attention to it.

– Phwwwwwhht

The whistle signaling the start of the duel echoed loudly.

At that moment, I was focused solely on my only prey.

The red flag of Jamil.

There was no doubt that Jamil was an exceptionally strong warrior.

He possessed incredible brute strength, quick reflexes, and an outstanding sense of combat.

Be it in wars, massacres, battles, or even the lowest street brawls,

He seemed to have no weaknesses.

As if he was born to fight.

But here, Jamil's weakness was revealed.

– Whoosh!

That was incredibly close!

I dodged Jamil's ferociously swung fist with agility and circled the clearing. To think his punch almost matched the famed speed of the shadow wolves. Crazy bastard.

"Are you just going to dodge, how boring?"

Jamil spoke in a very excited voice.

Jamil had tucked the red flag into his belt, in the same spot where one might holster a hand axe. It seemed he did this to protect the flag with his hand, but for me, it was an advantage. The flag was at just the right height for biting.

– Thwack!!!!

Once again, Jamil's fist flew towards me, but it ended up embedding itself in a wooden pillar instead. Using Jamil's arm as a stepping stone, I leaped high and aimed for his back.

– Thud!

I tried to bite at his waist, aiming for the flag, but Jamil quickly wrapped it up, and I ended up biting his arm instead.

"Oh, quite strong, aren't you?"

The teeth of an adult shadow wolf are strong and sharp enough to be fashioned into daggers. Yet, despite being bitten by such teeth, the sound he made was…

– Crunch!

I bit down harder on Jamil's arm. But even as blood flowed, Jamil did not pull away but instead…

– Whoosh!

He swung his arm, hurling me through the air.

– Thoom!!!

The hefty body of the shadow wolf landed in the middle of the clearing, kicking up a cloud of dust.

I quickly checked to ensure the flag was intact. The destruction of the flag was also a condition for defeat.

Phew…

Fortunately, the green flag was unharmed.

"What a pity."

Jamil extracted his fist from a tree and after ensuring the flag was safe just as I did, he began walking towards me with a nonchalant demeanor.

"It seems I'm getting the hang of this now."

-Rumble…

"If I smash you, Theo, the flag will be smashed too, won't it!"

Jamil burst into hearty laughter as if he had made a particularly amusing joke.

Crazy bastard…!

I could tell; that was no joke.

So, before I ended up "smashed" I had to snatch his flag quickly.

I thought I had avoided a direct confrontation, but this is no easy feat either.

Despite the shadow wolf's superior abilities allowing me to dodge every critical hit, each evasion was a narrow escape.

It was only a matter of time.

I had also landed some effective punches. But Jamil, who didn't seem to care about losing an arm, blocked all attacks with his arms.

-Wham!!!

To make matters worse, Jamil seemed to have almost fully deciphered the shadow wolf's patterns and was swinging his fist in response to my charges.

-Kuuuun!

The moment I was struck by Jamil's fist and sent flying.

-Awoooooo…

A very familiar howling sound reached my ears from somewhere

Ayla?!

It was Ayla's howling.

However, there was something odd.

The howling of Ayla was coming from the "shadows" themselves.

-Awoooooo…

That howling stirred the instincts within me, the instincts of the "shadow wolf".

Use the shadows…!

Indeed. The duel had started at dusk, so the shadows were getting longer and longer. Initially, the tree shadows were only around the clearing but now they had enveloped more than half of it.

I am the shadow wolf now.

So, making use of the shadows was the way to go.

-Snap!

My body moved before I even thought about it.

I lunged towards Jamil.

Or more precisely, I dove into Jamil's "shadow".

I could literally feel my body melding into the shadows.

This is the true essence of the shadow wolf…!

Jamil swung his fist, but I narrowly dodged it by leaping aside thanks to my quick reflexes, and Jamil, having swung his fist with all his might, executed a graceful fall to avoid tumbling down.

-Whoosh!

Jamil's reflexes were outstanding. Hence, he must have instinctively performed the fall without thinking.

As a result, he took his hands off his waist.

That was the moment I had been waiting for.

-Crack!

Who would suspect their own shadow?

I sprang from the shadow Jamil had carelessly overlooked and fiercely tore off the red flag that was at his waist.

-Phwwwwwhht!!!

The sound of the whistle signifying the end of the duel echoed throughout the clearing.

***

"Haah…"

I submerged my entire body in a bathtub brimming with herbs and stretched out in relaxation. The hot water relaxed my muscles while the fresh scent of the herbs relaxed my mind.

The beast transformation had been a success. Thanks to it, I had managed to defeat the infamous leader of the Red Bear mercenaries.

It's a good thing that trick worked.

Considering how my whole body feels like it's falling apart from merely dodging and aiming for the flag, facing him head-on would have been disastrous.

"What a monster."

Jamil turned out to be crazier than I thought. Most would instinctively cower in front of a beast or monster, but that guy attacked me with vigor even with his arms in tatters.

Even when I snatched the flag, his face looked more regretful than angry.

In any case, Jamil was now set to undergo combat training with El for a while.

El grumbled about the idea of being trained by someone other than me, but it seemed her opinion changed after witnessing Jamil's skills.

The look in her eyes that said she wanted to become stronger.

That was enough.

-Beep!

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep thanks to the relaxing hot bathwater, a small bird suddenly fluttered in from somewhere.

-Beep!

The little creature perched on my shoulder and began preening its feathers.

"How the hell can you fly with such small wings and a plump body like that?"

Isn't that scientifically impossible?

I muttered this genuine question to myself and playfully poked the bird.

-Beep!

The small bird fiercely pecked at the tip of my finger with its beak before resuming its preening.

"Really now…"

This is ridiculous.

Seeing that it clearly didn't look like a hidden pet, I had planned to release it into the wild at an appropriate time and place.

But every time I tried, the creature returned to me like a boomerang.

So, I couldn't just heartlessly abandon it…

Well, even if it's not a hidden pet, maybe I could train it to be a scout.

The [Unity] skill I acquired at level 20 was a type of possession skill. With this skill, I could possess any animal or beast I touched and control its body. It was commonly used to possess small creatures like birds or mice for scouting and spying purposes.

The smaller the animal, the lesser the side effects of [Unity], so it wasn't a bad choice.

I placed the small bird in my palm and gently stroked its head.

-Beeeep!

In response, the creature chirped happily as if it enjoyed the stroking.

"It looks like you need a name now."

What would be a good one? I pondered for a moment.

"How about 'Beepy'?"

Yes, that would do.

I named it rather casually.

I've never been particularly talented at this kind of thing.

"Alright, Beepy. Now that you have a name, your scout training begins tomorrow."

Whether Beepy understood me or not, it flapped its tiny wings vigorously.

That's when it happened.

"Hmm?"

Something sparkled from within the fluttering wings.

What's that?

Before I could even begin to question it, the sparkle faded away like an illusion.

And then.

"What is this…?"

The wooden tub was overflowing with life force.

It was a level of life force that far exceeded what one could obtain from herbs!