All of the werewolves who had been ready to charge at Gary, believing Slit's words, had paused for a moment.
They hadn't just seen the impact of Gary's punch on the first werewolf.
They had felt it.
The werewolf that had been hit now lay motionless on the ground, blood draining from its mouth. It wasn't breathing. It wasn't moving. A single strike, from someone who appeared to them to be just a human, had taken it down.
And it had been done with nothing but a bare fist.
"That's impossible!" Slit shouted. "He's not even transformed! How is he able to hit that hard?!"
The werewolves were still shaking off the shock. But it wouldn't last. Regardless of whether this was a strong opponent or not, there were many of them, and only one Gary.
And this was a target they needed to eliminate.
If they could take out the Alpha of another pack, especially this Alpha, it would earn them massive prestige among the Ironfangs.
The werewolves rushed forward all at once.
Gary tensed his fist.
One claw slashed straight toward him, and with a quick, simple motion, he swatted it away. Diving in close, he punched the werewolf directly in the gut, launching it into the air. Its body crashed into one of its allies behind it.
Another wolf lunged at him, pouncing.
Gary leapt upward, met it mid-air, and grabbed the back of its head. With incredible force, he slammed it down into the ground. The werewolf's skull cracked, and its teeth shattered from the impact.
From the side, several claws, almost like nails, were launched toward him. Gary spun his body mid-step, weaving to the side. Most missed, but a few embedded into his forearm.
He ripped them out with a quick motion. His arm healed nearly instantly.
The wounds hadn't even scratched his HP bar.
Gary's stats were already extremely high. Even without transforming, he was beyond the realm of ordinary werewolves. Just like Harvor, another who had trained to push their human body to the peak.
While Gary's human form couldn't quite reach the level of Harvor outside the ring, he was surprisingly close.
Thanks to his AFA training, Gary was incredibly skilled at hand-to-hand combat, even without his werewolf form. And now, with Qi at his disposal, he could enhance his limbs, sharpen his strikes, and move faster and harder than ever before.
He didn't have access to all his werewolf abilities. Not in human form.
But even so, he was stronger than Harvor had been when he wasn't transformed.
Lifting his leg, Gary launched a kick that collided with a werewolf's face. The force knocked it clean off its feet. Before he could fully reset, another came from behind, he spun with a back fist, slamming it into the creature's jaw.
A third came in, faster than the others. Its claws slashed toward Gary.
This time, Gary had to meet it head-on. He grabbed the creature's wrists mid-swing. The claws dug into his hands, tearing into his skin, but his endurance stat was so high, the pain barely registered. A sliver of HP. Nothing more.
Pulling the werewolf in, he met its face with a crushing fist.
The entire scene looked surreal. A lone human, using only his fists and body, dismantling deadly werewolves like he was swatting flies.
Meanwhile, Slit hadn't joined the rest of the pack near the restaurant. He was still occupied, facing off against the three former AFA students.
Ian launched bristles from his body, flinging them through the air like needle-tipped projectiles. Slit darted to the side, easily avoiding the incoming barrage.
So the rumors are true, Slit thought. Gary isn't transforming. Not even partially. He's not risking it, not even a claw.
I know he went toe-to-toe with Lupus, so he's strong… but if he's not using his transformation, then these daggers should be enough. I'll be able to take him down.
As the bristles kept flying, Slit vanished into the shadows. His dark dagger pulsed with an eerie energy, and his body melted into darkness. The shadows wrapped around him like a cloak.
And then, he reappeared.
Right in front of Ian.
"You're the most annoying one of the group!" Slit growled.
As a defensive response, Ian exploded bristles out from his body in all directions. A wall of spikes.
But with a single sweep of his blade, Slit sliced right through them. The bristles shattered like fragile glass.
Spinning behind Ian, Slit unleashed a devastating kick to his back. Ian's body went flying, tumbling across the ground like a rag doll.
"Numba! I'll hold him! Go for it now!" Izzy shouted.
Several strands of her hair whipped forward, lashing out toward Slit.
This time, Slit pulled out a second dagger. Its blade glowed faintly orange. Even the edges shimmered with heat.
The Sun Dagger.
With a mighty swing, Slit slashed the blade through the air. Flames burst outward in spirals, engulfing Izzy's strands and forcing them back. The fire then whipped forward, slamming into Izzy herself. She spun from the impact, staggering backward.
Numba was already mid-air, charging in with his fist cocked back.
His strongest strike.
Slit calmly placed both daggers away and caught Numba's fist with one hand.
What…? Numba's eyes widened. That was my most powerful strike!
"You're forgetting something very, very important," Slit said, tightening his grip. "These weapons, they just made me stronger. But even without them…"
He raised his other hand.
"I was chosen as an Ironfang for a reason."
With that, he slammed his palm into Numba's back.
Numba crashed into the floor, groaning in pain.
And just like that, Slit had handled all three Altered students.
"But I can't just leave it here," he said, standing tall and cracking his neck. "I need to make sure none of you get up again."All of the werewolves who had been ready to charge at Gary, believing Slit's words, had paused for a moment.
They hadn't just seen the impact of Gary's punch on the first werewolf.
They had felt it.
The werewolf that had been hit now lay motionless on the ground, blood draining from its mouth. It wasn't breathing. It wasn't moving. A single strike, from someone who appeared to them to be just a human, had taken it down.
And it had been done with nothing but a bare fist.
"That's impossible!" Slit shouted. "He's not even transformed! How is he able to hit that hard?!"
The werewolves were still shaking off the shock. But it wouldn't last. Regardless of whether this was a strong opponent or not, there were many of them, and only one Gary.
And this was a target they needed to eliminate.
If they could take out the Alpha of another pack, especially this Alpha, it would earn them massive prestige among the Ironfangs.
The werewolves rushed forward all at once.
Gary tensed his fist.
One claw slashed straight toward him, and with a quick, simple motion, he swatted it away. Diving in close, he punched the werewolf directly in the gut, launching it into the air. Its body crashed into one of its allies behind it.
Another wolf lunged at him, pouncing.
Gary leapt upward, met it mid-air, and grabbed the back of its head. With incredible force, he slammed it down into the ground. The werewolf's skull cracked, and its teeth shattered from the impact.
From the side, several claws, almost like nails, were launched toward him. Gary spun his body mid-step, weaving to the side. Most missed, but a few embedded into his forearm.
He ripped them out with a quick motion. His arm healed nearly instantly.
The wounds hadn't even scratched his HP bar.
Gary's stats were already extremely high. Even without transforming, he was beyond the realm of ordinary werewolves. Just like Harvor, another who had trained to push their human body to the peak.
While Gary's human form couldn't quite reach the level of Harvor outside the ring, he was surprisingly close.
Thanks to his AFA training, Gary was incredibly skilled at hand-to-hand combat, even without his werewolf form. And now, with Qi at his disposal, he could enhance his limbs, sharpen his strikes, and move faster and harder than ever before.
He didn't have access to all his werewolf abilities. Not in human form.
But even so, he was stronger than Harvor had been when he wasn't transformed.
Lifting his leg, Gary launched a kick that collided with a werewolf's face. The force knocked it clean off its feet. Before he could fully reset, another came from behind, he spun with a back fist, slamming it into the creature's jaw.
A third came in, faster than the others. Its claws slashed toward Gary.
This time, Gary had to meet it head-on. He grabbed the creature's wrists mid-swing. The claws dug into his hands, tearing into his skin, but his endurance stat was so high, the pain barely registered. A sliver of HP. Nothing more.
Pulling the werewolf in, he met its face with a crushing fist.
The entire scene looked surreal. A lone human, using only his fists and body, dismantling deadly werewolves like he was swatting flies.
Meanwhile, Slit hadn't joined the rest of the pack near the restaurant. He was still occupied, facing off against the three former AFA students.
Ian launched bristles from his body, flinging them through the air like needle-tipped projectiles. Slit darted to the side, easily avoiding the incoming barrage.
So the rumors are true, Slit thought. Gary isn't transforming. Not even partially. He's not risking it, not even a claw.
I know he went toe-to-toe with Lupus, so he's strong… but if he's not using his transformation, then these daggers should be enough. I'll be able to take him down.
As the bristles kept flying, Slit vanished into the shadows. His dark dagger pulsed with an eerie energy, and his body melted into darkness. The shadows wrapped around him like a cloak.
And then, he reappeared.
Right in front of Ian.
"You're the most annoying one of the group!" Slit growled.
As a defensive response, Ian exploded bristles out from his body in all directions. A wall of spikes.
But with a single sweep of his blade, Slit sliced right through them. The bristles shattered like fragile glass.
Spinning behind Ian, Slit unleashed a devastating kick to his back. Ian's body went flying, tumbling across the ground like a rag doll.
"Numba! I'll hold him! Go for it now!" Izzy shouted.
Several strands of her hair whipped forward, lashing out toward Slit.
This time, Slit pulled out a second dagger. Its blade glowed faintly orange. Even the edges shimmered with heat.
The Sun Dagger.
With a mighty swing, Slit slashed the blade through the air. Flames burst outward in spirals, engulfing Izzy's strands and forcing them back. The fire then whipped forward, slamming into Izzy herself. She spun from the impact, staggering backward.
Numba was already mid-air, charging in with his fist cocked back.
His strongest strike.
Slit calmly placed both daggers away and caught Numba's fist with one hand.
What…? Numba's eyes widened. That was my most powerful strike!
"You're forgetting something very, very important," Slit said, tightening his grip. "These weapons, they just made me stronger. But even without them…"
He raised his other hand.
"I was chosen as an Ironfang for a reason."
With that, he slammed his palm into Numba's back.
Numba crashed into the floor, groaning in pain.
And just like that, Slit had handled all three Altered students.
"But I can't just leave it here," he said, standing tall and cracking his neck. "I need to make sure none of you get up again." [Moon Dagger: Enhances the user's agility. At night, the user's visibility is greatly reduced to enemies.] [Sun Dagger: Increases the user's flame-based attacks. During the day, visibility is greatly increased.] [When both daggers are used simultaneously, visibility remains normal. However, both weapons' power is significantly amplified.]
These were the weapons Slit now wielded in his hands.
He was a master of the Moon Dagger, often relying on its agility boost and how it worked with his natural speed. In the dark, the dagger cloaked his body in shifting shadows, making him almost impossible to track.
But now he had drawn both, the Moon Dagger and the Sun Dagger, simultaneously. Doing so didn't just increase his raw strength. It made him something else entirely. A blur of speed, precision, and power. As an Ironfang, he had always been dangerous. With these weapons, he was lethal.
The three Altered, Ian, Izzy, and Numba, were still recovering from their last exchange. They had taken hits, but they weren't out. Physically, they were still in fighting condition. Mentally, though, they were rattled.
None of them knew if they stood a real chance against Slit, especially after how easily he had handled them so far.
"You, I'm taking you out first!" Slit growled.
He dashed forward, both daggers raised high, aiming straight for Ian. His steps made barely a sound, shadows coiled behind him. The daggers gleamed in his hands, ready to stab downward.
But just as the blades descended,
Something shifted in the light.
A flash of green.
Out of the corner of Slit's eye, illuminated by the glow of the Sun Dagger, a figure stepped between them.
Green hair. Determined eyes.
Gary.
Both daggers plunged into Gary's shoulder, slicing through flesh.
But he didn't even flinch.
Gary's fist was already moving, driving upward with full force. It collided with Slit's chin, so fast and hard, Slit's entire body lifted off the ground. His head snapped back as he was launched into the air.
The impact forced Slit to lose grip on one of the daggers.
Spinning mid-air, Slit twisted his body and managed to land back on his feet. He skidded across the dirt, stunned but still balanced.
That punch… he thought. It was like getting hit by another Ironfang. No wonder the others couldn't get up after he hit them…
What shocked Slit more than the punch itself… was Gary's complete disregard for pain.
He had willingly let himself get stabbed.
Not in his werewolf form.
Not partially transformed.
Just his human body.
He had allowed two enchanted daggers to dig deep into him, and hadn't hesitated for a second to return the strike.
[-12 HP]
"Gary!" Numba shouted from behind. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," Gary replied, his voice calm but focused.
His high endurance was doing its job. The stab had barely made a dent in his massive HP pool. When he built his class, it was based on survivability, high health and energy reserves. It was paying off now more than ever.
Even without transforming, even without most of his werewolf abilities, he could tank a dagger strike like it was nothing.
I can still only channel Qi through my hands and legs, Gary thought. If I could spread it through my whole body, I might've taken even less damage. Still… it's working.
More than anything, though, he wished he could transform.
If he could, this fight would already be over. Against someone like Slit, Gary in full form could've torn him apart. Qi was helping, but it was still no match for his complete werewolf self.
"Ian, Izzy, Numba, help the others!" Gary shouted. "They need you more than I do. I'll deal with him."
It was another tough call, but one Gary had to make. He'd been guarding the restaurant from being overrun, preventing any enemies from reaching the rest of the Howlers.
But if Slit wasn't taken out here and now, it could cost all of them.
Protecting the Altered was the smarter move.
"Alright, Gary! Take that guy down!" Izzy shouted, turning toward the restaurant.
Ian and Numba followed her, the three of them sprinting up the hill.
Slit stayed where he was, eyes locked on Gary. After what he'd just seen, he wasn't about to turn his back. Even in human form, Gary was too fast, too unpredictable.
As the trio reached the restaurant, they could already hear the sounds of chaos.
Howlers were firing makeshift weapons down from the second floor. Blood painted the floors. Screams echoed throughout the building as they fought off incoming werewolves using whatever they could find.
Without the Altered, the Howlers were barely holding it together.
"Will Gary be alright?" Ian asked, glancing over his shoulder one last time.
"He's always been strong," Izzy replied. "And I don't think he would've switched with us if he wasn't confident he could win. The best way we can help him now… is by clearing this place."
Without hesitation, the three of them leapt through the shattered window. Glass crunched under their boots as they rolled into the bloody chaos.
In seconds, they were back in action, striking down werewolves, protecting their allies, and shifting the tide of battle inside.
Back outside, Gary and Slit were still locked in a deadly stare.
Neither moved.
Not yet.
Gary's body tensed, and then in a flash, he dashed forward, his Qi boosting his speed. His hands swung from above, but something was different.
His hands were held in a specific way, almost as if…
Slit narrowed his eyes.
He's holding something…
"You're not the only one who can use a weapon!" Gary shouted.
In an instant, a massive warhammer materialized in his hands, its metal glinting under the fading light.
****
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