Advancement!
Several hundred meters away, the Silverfang Wolf locked eyes with Black.
One man. One beast. A confrontation that crackled with primal tension.
A low, guttural sound rippled from the wolf's throat. Woo~woo~
Its emerald-green eyes gleamed coldly as they narrowed on him, radiating a sneer of disdain.
Just a level 1 human. That's all it saw.
To the Silverfang Wolf, Black wasn't even worth the effort. Even a level 3 human might not be a real threat.
But this?
This fool actually wandered into its territory—
How laughable. How insulting.
It would shred him apart.
Ow—!
A deep snarl echoed out.
Then—
The beast lunged.
Its body vanished in a blur, leaving nothing behind but an afterimage—
A streak of raw speed and bloodlust.
In seconds, it crossed the distance.
It moved faster than any sprinter on the Azure Planet.
Faster than Black could hope to react.
Whoo~!
The air tore open with its approach. A foul stench came with it.
The wolf's massive jaws opened wide, baring yellowed fangs—and it aimed straight for Black's throat.
Black's heart nearly stopped.
His instincts screamed, and he twisted on reflex—just barely—his foot skidding, body tilting.
Too slow.
Not fast enough to dodge properly—
But just fast enough to avoid death.
The wolf's teeth snapped shut inches from his neck.
And in that flash of breathless motion, his hand moved on its own.
White light flickered from his blade as he brought it down with all the power in his body—
A clean arc aimed straight for the wolf's head.
CRACK!
The sound rang out like steel clashing on steel.
His knife struck the skull—
And bounced off.
Only a shallow white mark remained.
The impact jolted through his arm like lightning. His muscles went numb.
He staggered back, breath ragged, eyes wide.
"Fuck... is its head made of iron?"
It felt like he'd just slammed his blade into a slab of metal.
Across from him, the Silverfang Wolf shook violently, dazed from the blow.
It staggered, groaned. Its head buzzed from the shock.
But after a moment, it regained focus—
And stared at Black again. This time, not with contempt—
But with caution.
Something about this human was wrong.
Level 1, yes.
But that strength... that power in his attack...
It was beyond what any ordinary level 3 human could muster.
The wolf's eyes darkened.
No more underestimating.
No more games.
The air thickened again. One man. One beast. Neither willing to back down.
Black gripped his knife tighter.
His expression turned grim.
That earlier strike—
It barely scratched the surface.
That thing's skull was a damn fortress.
How the hell was he supposed to kill it?
Then he remembered—
Old survival advice from his past life, tossed around in urban legends and wolf hunter guides:
"Copper head, iron back, tofu waist."
So the skull's tough. The back's harder.
But the waist?
Soft. Vulnerable.
His eyes sharpened.
Ow~!
The Silverfang Wolf lunged again—
Even faster than before.
Its fury turned it savage.
Swish—!
It appeared in front of him like a phantom.
Mouth open. Saliva dripping.
A wave of stench and heat slammed into Black's senses.
He pivoted hard, dodging the bite by a hair's breadth—
And slid along the wolf's flank.
Close enough now to see the fine details in its silver fur—
Close enough to aim for the waist.
But the wolf wasn't finished.
It twisted midair—its giant paw slashing back at him.
WHIP!
The claws cut through space with a flash of light.
Too fast.
There was no time to parry—
TSSHH—!
The sound of tearing cloth exploded in his ears.
Three burning-hot slashes opened across his chest—shallow, but screaming with pain.
Black gritted his teeth. He used the moment to slip behind the wolf's ribs.
He didn't hesitate.
The knife came down again—
And this time, he didn't aim for the head.
CLANG—SLICE!
A spray of blood burst out.
The blade sank deep into the soft underside of the wolf's body—right between the spine and ribs.
It cut through flesh and muscle.
Found the gap between vertebrae.
And jammed.
"OWWWWW—!"
The Silverfang Wolf howled in agony, its body thrashing wildly.
It bucked forward, trying to escape.
Black didn't let go.
He yanked the blade back—dragging it through the wound, widening the gash.
Blood spurted in thick gushes.
A coil of intestines slipped out, wet and steaming.
The ground turned slick with gore.
The wolf howled again, a sound of pure torment, and tried to limp away.
"You think you can run?!"
Black's voice tore through the chaos.
He chased after it.
The wolf looked back—panic in its eyes.
It let out a cry—long and desperate.
OWOOOOO~!
The sound echoed across the hills—
Carried by the wind.
And then—
From the distance—
Came other howls.
Four. Five. Maybe more.
Shit.
Black's heart thudded.
He'd read about this before.
Silverfang Wolves don't die alone.
If one's wounded, it calls for help.
The howls were getting closer.
He had to finish this. Now.
He lunged again, adrenaline taking over, feet flying across the blood-soaked grass.
The wolf stumbled—body sagging—
Its insides dragging behind it like chains.
Black caught up.
The knife came down in a blur of violence.
THUNK.
The wolf collapsed.
And then—
WOOSH—!
A searing white light burst from the corpse, shooting into Black's chest.
His body jolted—eyes wide.
[You have successfully killed a Level 1 Mutated Silverfang Wolf! Energy +100]
[You have leveled up to Level 2!]
[+10 Strength]
[+10 Agility]
[+10 Vitality]
[+10 Energy]
[You have gained 5 free attribute points!]
The light wrapped around him like a cocoon—
Warm. Tingling. Alive.
Black closed his eyes and felt everything change.
Muscles thickened beneath his skin.
Bones grew denser.
Tendons pulled tight, coiled with power.
When the light faded, he opened his eyes—
And gasped.
He felt incredible.
He wasn't thin anymore.
His body was solid. Strong.
Even his skin gleamed—smooth, warm, glowing with health.
This wasn't just some visual effect.
Leveling up made you stronger.
Physically. Tangibly.
It was real.
All of it.
This wasn't a game.
This world… this system… it was part of something much, much bigger.
And if one level could do this—
If he kept pushing—
If he kept killing, kept surviving—
Then one day, he really could leap across mountains and defy death itself.
A soft grin curved his lips.
Level 2.
And the gap from level 1?
Massive.
+10 across all indexes, and 5 free points on top.
A full leap in power.
He was just about to open his status and check—
When suddenly, light flared again—
From the wolf's corpse.
A shape began to form—dark and shimmering.
A chest.
Black iron.
Heavy. Solid.
[You have killed the Silverfang Wolf. A Black Iron Treasure Chest has dropped! ]
It dropped.
It actually dropped.
Black blinked—then laughed.
"Hah! Finally! A goddamn chest!"
With only a 1% chance, he'd hit the jackpot.