“Glenn, are we really going to fight that monster?” Little Leaf tilted her head up to ask.

  Driving the two captives ahead of him, Glenn replied, “Mm. And pick up a few things along the way.”

  Little Leaf once again found herself unable to comprehend the thoughts of adults, so she simply stopped asking and joined Little Mushroom in examining the flora and fauna around them.

  Along the path, they inevitably encountered more “locals.” The two guides even tried warning their companions to flee, but it was useless.

  Not one of them took Glenn’s group seriously. Their attempts at robbery were instantaneous— and just as naturally, Glenn’s team gained a few more unwilling laborers.

  Ahead, a crescent-shaped ruined structure rose high above the trees, strikingly conspicuous.

  “That… that’s where Compli and the other two lived. The monster is there too. We—we won’t be going any farther, right?” The male elf halted, fear twisting his expression.

  Glenn stared at the glaringly obvious structure, then cast him a skeptical look. “Something this conspicuous? And you didn’t know the dark mages lived here?”

  “This building didn’t exist before! The prophet said it only appeared after Compli and the others died!” the elf said quickly, waving his hands.

  The others nodded furiously.

  Glenn pondered a moment, then said flatly, “All of you are coming with me.”

  Instantly, their faces turned ashen. They wanted to protest but didn’t dare.

  “Move. Don’t make me repeat myself.” There was warning in his tone.

  Forced onward, the group pressed toward the structure.

  A thunderous snore rolled across the ruins, rattling their eardrums and flooding them with terror.

  Several locals felt their knees buckle as cold sweat drenched their backs.

  Seeing them tremble over mere snoring, Glenn’s patience ran thin. He released both his werewolf curse and the demonic flame-dragon pressure of Blazefang.

  Everyone except Glenn felt their minds explode with a single deafening boom.

  In that moment, the world itself seemed to become Glenn’s backdrop. Just standing there, he radiated a presence they could neither meet nor defy— as though he existed on a higher plane of life entirely.

  “Keep moving.” His low voice reverberated through them. No one dared disobey.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Only then did he withdraw his aura.

  The two girls stared at him with wide, fascinated eyes.

  Though he had intentionally shielded them, they still felt a sliver of that overwhelming, unknowable power. They wanted to ask—but with strangers around, their shyness clamped their mouths shut.

  At last, pushing past layers of obstructing rubble, the group reached the base of the structure.

  In the yellow dust lay a ruin, and atop it curled a massive creature bristling with bone spikes, snoring in its sleep.

  “That’s the monster?” Glenn asked, turning to the elf.

  “Yes… its strength is terrifying. It can spit green liquid that melts everything. We absolutely mustn’t provoke it,” the elf whispered, terrified even of waking it.

  After confirming, Glenn studied the beast in silence.

  Its body was slightly smaller than Blazefang’s dragon form, yet still emanated tremendous pressure.

  “Little Leaf, Little Mushroom—watch these people. Don’t let them run. I’m going to deal with that thing.”

  With that, Glenn leapt—tracing a perfect arc as he hurtled toward the sleeping giant.

  The locals nearly fainted in fright. Instinct drove them to flee, but Little Leaf cast an earthen prison that locked them firmly in place.

  Already half dead from Glenn’s earlier beating, they had no strength to escape her magic.

  Before Glenn touched the ground, the giant beast snapped awake, sensing a creature entering its radius.

  Its head twisted toward him. Its asymmetrical eyes were mismatched in size, its teeth skewed so badly that several pierced through its own lips.

  The whole beast looked as if a child had sculpted it from clay.

  The moment it faced Glenn, it inhaled sharply— ready to suck him into its all-devouring stomach.

  But as soon as it felt “prey” in its mouth, several teeth abruptly snapped off.

  Glenn, now in his fifth-tier werewolf form, stood within the beast’s jaws—one hand bracing its upper palate, the other slashing with steel claws.

  Its flesh parted like soft tofu; before it could react, Glenn had already cleaved off its lower jaw.

  The distant captives gaped in horror.

  Little Leaf and Little Mushroom, however, cheered wildly.

  Bereft of its jaw, the beast let out an absurd, garbled roar. Enraged, it swung its bone-studded arms at Glenn.

  BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

  Chunks of ruins exploded skyward under the force of its blows, yet none came close to touching him.

  Instead, the beast itself suffered—each furious strike costing it more flesh under Glenn’s relentless claws.

  Strangely, no matter how deep the wounds, not a single drop of blood seeped out.

  Is this thing really made of clay? Glenn wondered—but his assault never slowed.

  After failing repeatedly, the beast’s abdomen swelled. A bulge surged upward through its throat— and erupted in a spray of corrosive green acid.

  Glenn couldn’t dodge, and the liquid splashed over him.

  The acid’s corrosive power was immense—but nowhere near enough to breach Glenn’s magic resistance.

  Sensing its trump card had failed, the monster panicked. Its attacks devolved into wild, chaotic thrashing.

  Glenn seized the opening.

  With an explosive burst of speed, he flashed past its neck.

  He landed.

  Its head dropped.

  “Hooray!” The two girls screamed in triumph.

  But Glenn didn’t relax.

  As expected, his heightened senses detected the severed body parts writhing violently—trying to reassemble.

  “Again with this old trick.”

  With a derisive snort, the Blazefang bracer on his wrist erupted into flame. He swung lightly—

  A blazing arc swept across the ruins, igniting every twitching fragment. Within moments, all were reduced to ash.

  Returning to human form, he called out: “You can come over now!”

  The girls teleported over with the captives in tow.

  “Glenn! What magic was that?! You turned into a giant wolf! It was amazing! Can you transform again? Please?” Little Leaf tugged at his hand, bouncing with excitement.

  “I want to see it too—and touch it,” Little Mushroom added eagerly.

  Glenn rubbed his forehead helplessly. “You two… don’t know what a werewolf is?”