It kind of looked like a beastman in the fantasy world. A wolf head on a man's body.

Except, this monster was at least three meters tall. Wearing a set of thick sturdy armor. Holding a metal staff? Scepter? Two-handed mace?

"Oh. So werewolves exist now." Taking out three bristled, Jeff raised his brows and nodded. 'You know what, at this point, I'm not even surprised anymore.'

"Werewolf? I am no werewolf human." The werewolf... not a werewolf spoke in a grumbling tone.

"I am Cinihilipilifii!" (Blurry-sounding name.)

"Uh huh..." Jeff nodded. 'I'm not gonna repeat that.'

"I am a soldier of Hades. Reborn by the mist. We, the mist race, are the new rulers of this world!"

"Ooook." Jeff raised his hands. "Alright... yooouuu. I think we can talk about this."

"Talk?" The wolfman chuckled.

"You humans are so arrogant. Don't you understand. Your petty era is over. It is our time now!" The wolfman pounded his mace onto the road.

"The only value you have left, is to be good prey for our hunt!" The wolfman leaned forward and growled.

"Huh." Jeff nodded, and pushed his fist forward. Three silver rays shot towards that wolfman.

Yet, moving like a blur, that wolfman caught the bristles with its hand.

Pam!

Those bristles exploded in that wolfman's hand. But this monster was not injured.

Without hesitation, Jeff jumped back, making distance.

"What human. You think I'm a monster mob. That you can just attract my attention?" The wolfman heartily laughed. "Now. That's enough time for running. Let the hunt begin!"

Without hesitation, that wolfman jumped off the bridge.

Seeing this, Jeff's expression fell gloomy. Clearly, this thing was just messing with them, treating this as some sort of game.

Jeff clenched his fists.

He felt a tide of powerless engulfing him. Just like when those thugs broke into his home...

'Only if I was stronger...'

Shaking those negative emotions out of his head, Jeff gritted his teeth and ran up to the edge of the bridge.

'If I didn't hide for 11 days... If I took a chance... Would I still be this weak!'

'In this world, even if you are not seeking out trouble, trouble will find you!'

'No more running away! No more hiding!' Jeff jumped down the bridge.

'In this world, you can't hide forever! I have to at least take a chance! At least give a try! I'm not doing something that I'll regret! Not today! I'll at least put up a fight!'

Running forward, Jeff could see a blurry glowing human figure. It's Alice. She was only about a block away.

That wolfman hopped around the roofs and container tops, still playing around.

'Haste!'

With this ability turned on, in Jeff's view, that wolfman was moving at 0.5x speed now.

'I'm much faster with Haste. But my stamina won't last forever...' Jeff grasped onto his newly gained dagger. 'Can I actually deal any significant damage on this thing?'

Pam!

That wolfman jumped down, stopping Alice in her path. "Where are you going little girl?"

"B-Boss. I-I..." Alice stumbled back. Sweating and panting, this girl looked like she was about to lose it.

Jumping down a freight container, Jeff had caught up.

'I just need to halt it for a moment.' Jeff injected his mana into this blade. Unlike the bristles, this blade felt like its insatiable (impossible to satisfy its appetite).

"Your little friend came because of you. How adorable." Wearing a wide sadistic smile, the wolfman raised its mace.

'Buy me a few seconds. Please!'

After injecting half of his mana into this blade, Jeff finally felt a small vibration. Only a small vibration though. However, there's no time left!

Without further hesitation, Jeff threw his dagger at that wolfman. "Run to the river!"

Jeff's dagger shot out of Jeff's hand.

A white light flashed in Jeff's view.

That towering monster froze in place.

With closed eyes, Alice held her head below her arms.

Jeff panted for breath.

The wolfman slowly turned its gaze to its chest. There was a fist-sized hole penetrating its armor and its chest.

There was the sound of water hitting the ground now. The air started to stench of a strong chemical smell.

Apparently, Jeff's dagger had blown a hole through a chemical tank as well... Maybe more than that.

"Huh..." The wolfman grumbled in confusion and disbelief.

Clank.

Its mace dropped to the ground.

Grey mist steamed out of that hole in its chest.

"I..." The wolfman tried to hold the mist in with its hands. Yet, the mist simply streamed through of its fingers.

Letting out one last sigh, this monster began to evaporate into a grey mist.

Alice looked up at that monster all dumbfounded. Then she turned her gaze at Jeff, still dumbfounded.

'Uh huh...' Jeff slowly nodded. 'Wait, I can do that?'

'So that's all it took?'

'Tsk. Equipment gap. Easy.'

'Alright... Good to know... Good to know...'

[ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Incomplete) ]

[ Quest Description: A new energy signature has been detected. Stay within (25) meters of the source of energy signature for (180) seconds... ]

[ Quest Reward: In accordance with the recording energy signature ]

[ Now recording energy signature... ]

A familiar quest screen...

...

[ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Complete!) ]

[ You Have Gained: ]

[ Ability - Stealth (Supernatural) / Toggled Off ]

[ Ability Description: After toggling on this ability, Detection Abilities below Supernatural-Late tier will not be able to detect your presence. ]

[ Cost: Corresponding Mana Cost ]

[ Passive Ability - Warrior's Physique (Supernatural) / Toggled Off ]

[ Ability Description: +20% Strength, +10% Maximum Health, +15% Stamina Regeneration ]

[ (When character surpasses supernatural tier physique, this ability effect is reduced) ]

[ Cost: N/A ]

[ Physique Level: Supernatural - Early 15.0% => Supernatural - Early 35.0% ]

[ Mana Level: Supernatural - Early 1.5% => Supernatural - Early 21.5% ]

[ Psychological Level: Supernatural - Early 2.1% => Supernatural - Early 22.1% ]

[ Loading Update... ]

[ Update is expected to complete in: 11 Hours 40 Mins 22 Sec... ]

[ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. Please seek out more unique energy signatures. The system wishes you a great day ]

"Jeff..." Alice's face looked rather pale.

"I'm listening."

"My friends... The KMR..." The girl seemed to be having a panic attack again.

"Hey. Relax... I'm still here for you..." Jeff gave the girl a firm hug.

"We'll find them..."

Hugging the girl, feeling the girl's throbbing heart, Jeff looked around in this fog.

Broken containers. Abandoned factories. A pungent chemical smell. Silence in the air.

'What's happening to this world?!'

"Everything will be alright..." Jeff mumbled to Alice. "Everything will be fine..."