Then he received it. He freed himself and ran at the knights, one after another. He cut them down in seconds with the sword. It was much easier than fighting with Wolf Strikes.
Only the red cloak man and I remained in the throne room.
"What is your name?" I asked.
"My name is Fireborn. I will soon be the king of humans," he replied.
"No," I said. "I doubt that."
Fireborn laughed. He drew his sword. A red ruby sat at its center. He grinned. "You really want this, huh? Ha ha ha."
He lowered his voice and the words sounded different. "I should introduce myself. I am Fireborn. Or rather, Player Dragon, level sixty."
Level sixty and Player Dragon. No. That cannot be.
"He has a system," someone breathed.
"You too?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes. I have it. Player Wolf."
"How many of us are there?" I demanded.
He only laughed and then charged. He swung his sword. I held the dragon blade tight and parried. Metal clanged against metal. He pulled back and stabbed again. I dodged to the right.
Then the castle roof collapsed. A colossal dragon head tore through the stone. It was larger than every dragon I had killed combined. It ripped a wave of fire into the throne room. Fireborn's sword flared and a red shield wrapped around him.
A fire shield, I realized. No. No.
The flames hit me hard. A system message blinked into my vision. I pressed yes without thinking.
The prompt was simple. Do you want to let the Wolf take over?
I had already chosen yes when everything went black.
My hands turned into claws. My mouth became a snout. Fur covered my arms. I could not control my body. I howled without meaning to. Fireborn sent the giant dragon away and laughed. "This will be fun," he said, then slashed at my belly.
At first I did not feel it. The change drowned sensation. Patched into that savage shape, I raised a claw and nearly ripped Fireborn open. He parried. We traded attacks, his sword and my claws, bleeding and brutal. But my magic emptied quickly. The transformation snapped back.
My body would not respond. Fireborn seized the moment and cut me open. He carved across my back. I hit the ground.
System Message
HP 0
Then nothing. I woke in a forest.
I heard a wolf howl. The sky seemed to shift. A huge wolf face filled the sky and its voice spoke without moving lips.
If you do not accept the deal, you will die, it said.
Give me half of your body and live again with my power.
"You—you were the wolf who talked to me in my head," I yelled. I felt myself lift off the ground. The wolf spoke again.
Yes. I saved your life. Be grateful, human. Call me Wol.
I am one of the Five, it said.
The Five. I remembered the word. I tried to speak but the wolf continued.
It is too early to explain everything. Do you accept the deal?
I did not have to think. I could not die now. Then I asked the only thing that mattered.
"How can I beat Fireborn? He is already stronger. When he is close to death he will call his dragon. Why should I trust you?"
The wolf answered calmly. Fireborn has already made a deal. The dragon now rules the Shadowland. I want half of his body, not to rule but to claim power. I want all Five to be reunited in your body. You will gain strength. I want nothing evil.
The idea of giving half my body to a wolf sounded impossible. Wol explained. You misunderstand. I will take half only to give you more power. We will be one hundred percent merged. I will not use what belongs to me without your consent.
The wolf disappeared. Light poured into me. I was reborn. The transformation completed. I fell from the real sky into the base. I survived the fall without breaking a bone. I stumbled into the dorm where Has, Giel, and Kad were sleeping. Lasa was there too. I missed them. Fireborn was stronger and would return. I still had much leveling to do.
Back in the throne room the memory repeated. He had said Level sixty, Player Dragon. No, that cannot be. He has a system. You too? I had asked with disbelief. He grinned and replied yes.
He raised his sword and charged again. The ceiling crumbled and the dragon pushed through. Fire filled the room. A red barrier surrounded Fireborn. The flames struck me.
System Message
Do you want to let the Wolf take over?
I hit yes.
Everything went dark.
Then I felt it. Claws
My fingers turned into claws.
My mouth stretched into a snout.
Fur erupted across my arms and chest and for a moment I could not control my own body.
The dragon vanished at Fireborn's command. He laughed and whispered, This will be fun, then slashed my stomach.
I did not feel it.
Without thinking I raised a claw and slashed at him. It was fast, too fast. He barely parried. We moved like blurs, claws against blade, the air full of sparks and blood.
We both bled badly, but suddenly my magic collapsed and I snapped back to human form. I could not move. Fireborn did not hesitate. He cut deep across my back.
SYSTEM: HP 0
Everything went black.
When I opened my eyes again I lay in a dark forest. A wolf howled in the distance. Above me a colossal wolf face formed in the sky. Its voice echoed without a mouth.
If you do not accept the deal you will die, it said. Give me half of your body and I will let you live again with my power.
You were the voice in my head, I shouted.
The face chuckled as I was lifted into the sky, glowing like a comet. Yes human, it said. I saved your life. Call me Wol.
I am one of the Five, it told me.
The Five, I whispered, confused.
Not yet, Wol said. It is early for you to know everything. Do you accept the deal?
I did not pause. There was too much left to do. Fireborn would come back. If I could not die now, I had to accept.
How would I beat Fireborn, I demanded. He is already stronger and he will call his dragon when he is weak.
Fireborn has already made his bargain, Wol answered. The dragon now rules the Shadowland. I want half of your body too. I am not your enemy. I want nothing evil. I want all Five reunited inside you.
Inside me, I echoed.
Wol explained I had misunderstood. He only wanted half so he could channel power into me. We would be one. He would not seize control. He would lend me his strength.
Light exploded. I was reborn. I fell from the sky and somehow survived the crash. Not a single bone broke. I crawled back to the room where Has, Giel, Kad and Lasa slept. I missed them more than I expected, but the knowledge in my bones was cold and clear. Fireborn would return. Next time I had to be ready.
Then another voice spoke, this time from inside me. Human we can speak now.
I jumped. No please not again, I thought. I lay back down and closed my eyes. Seconds later I was teleported somewhere else.
Human, Wol said. We must train. All other players have been reborn at least once. Anyone who reaches zero HP again is out for good.
WHAT OTHER PLAYERS, I screamed.
You will meet them, Wol answered.
I had to see him. I moved fast. A crowd filled the street outside the energy measurement shop. Strike howled and appeared at my side. I told him to scare the crowd and clear a path. People screamed and scattered. A security guard grabbed me by the collar and started to scold me, then I vanished.
When I blinked the SSS rank stood before me. He was huge, arrogant, and cold.
Hello, sir, I said.
What is your name, he asked.
My name is Mike, I answered.
He laughed. Reg he called himself. I control water magic and I am already the strongest. Do you plan to join an academy, Mike?
I said I was an S rank Sal and I used strength. He scoffed and said he did not need an academy because he was already the strongest. He set a fight for one month out. Reg would be a hard opponent. If he was a player too then I could not rest.
The wolf face in the sky pulsed. I will say this once, it said. The other five players. Players, players, players. There were five of them most likely with systems too. My head spun. Reg might be one of the five. If so I had to get stronger fast.
System flashed. Open it, it ordered. I opened and the event loaded.
One month quest
500 push ups
200 kilometers run
Five nights without sleep in a row
Reward Level up to 40
I sat there and stared. There was no way I could do five nights without sleep easily, but I had a plan. Run nonstop through the five nights. The push ups I could grind out.
I started right away. I told the others I would be gone for a few days. They asked why. I said I had found a way to level up.
Push ups 50 out of 500. Later 85 out of 500. The pain came quicker than I remembered.
Baz stopped by my room. He had news. There is an SSS rank now and a new SS rank, he said. He wanted to get re ranked. Would I come with him? I hesitated because scanning now might lock me into S before something higher showed up. I still had a hundred push ups to do, and I wanted to keep training.
Baz went first. He stepped up to the scanner, palms on the stone, whispered please, and the monitor beeped.
Your Rank SS. Congratulations you have achieved the new rank.
Baz screamed and whooped like a kid. I laughed because he looked so happy.
Then he turned to me. Your turn, he said.
Not yet, I answered. I had other plans. Midday training was starting and I had to hurry.