Every time he leveled up, Cole felt the change in his body. His joints were lighter, and he could move faster. Even though his muscles didn’t get bigger, he could lift heavier weight. His skin grew sensitive against the natural energy as if it had been wrapping itself around him gently, making him fresh. Those were all possible because of the system. It gave him the power to do many impossible feats for a normal human.

Cole was happy to level up again, and this time, he leveled up because of them. He felt grateful to them. He wanted to see them getting stronger like himself too.

“Have you decided who is going to absorb the other experience card?” Cole asked when he saw them still discussing in a circle.

Lisa looked at him and said, “Not yet, but I am thinking of giving it to our wizard. What’s your opinion about this, Brother Cole?”

Cole shrugged. “Well, I am fine with whoever. Just decide it faster. We are still in a dangerous area.”

“Then why don’t you pick someone instead, Cole? We are going in a circle about this. We will respect your opinion,” Mark said.

Cole nodded and pointed at the wizard. “I pick you. I will focus on leveling you up first because I think that’s the more effective way to strengthen your group,” he said. This decision wasn’t definitely because he felt guilty about him that his girlfriend had asked to make love with him.

Mark clapped his hand, drawing everyone’s attention. “Alright. As I said, we will respect your opinion. Let’s give it to Roger.”

The wizard man took the floating experience card and absorbed it, and a golden aura surged from his body for a second, increasing his level to level eight. Feeling stronger, he inspected his body with a wide smile.

After enjoying the sensation of getting stronger, Roger looked at his friends and spread his hands to the sides. “Hey, man, I am the first one to reach level 8 among us.”

Roger said that with a proud tone. That was his last happy moment in this world. Suddenly, a cold, blue mist ball passed by his left arm and kept advancing toward the people in front of him.

Cole was the first to respond. He had pushed the ladies, kicked Mark, and jumped to the side, avoiding the ball. The ball hit the tree and exploded, freezing the surrounding in a small radius.

Roger was confused about what had happened. He looked at his left arm and widened his eyes. His arm froze. He tried to move it, but crack lines appeared all over and shattered his arm to pieces. “No, my hand!”

As Roger cried about his arm, a giant silhouette rushed at him and bit his neck. It was another Frost Wolf Brat, but this one was two times bigger than the previous one. The wolf pulled its head and tore a chunk off Roger’s flesh. Blood spurted out of his nape, and he fell to the ground.

“No, Roger!” the healer woman cried as she saw her boyfriend’s lifeless eyes.

She effectively drew the wolf’s attention. The giant creature growled at her, ducked in a stance, and pounced on her. It dragged her farther, leaving a blood trail on the ground.

Cole knew the female healer was beyond saving, so he would do what he could do. He put his sword in the inventory and immediately ran toward Lisa. He closed her mouth before she could scream. After that, he carried her in his arms and ran away. “Come on, Mark. Save your life.”

Mark gritted his teeth, trying to hold himself from shouting in frustration. His veins bulged out of his head, and the color of his face reddened.

Cole was worried about him, so he lifted Lisa on his shoulder and slapped the man’s back. “Focus.”

“I know, damn it!”

“Cole, you want to run faster. That wolf is chasing us!” Lisa suddenly shouted near his ear.

“I hear you.” Cole glanced at Mark once again in worry. From now on, everyone could only depend on themselves. Luckily, he had two free points. He put them all to increase his agility.

Agility: 17 à 19

Cole’s feet moved faster. He jumped on one foot, evading a giant root; ducked when he was about to crash a low branch; and hopped from a trunk to another trunk, evading the shrub below. He was like an agile beast.

“Lisa, how is the situation behind us?”

“The wolf is still chasing us.”

“How about Mark? Where is he?”

Someone patted his shoulder from the side, and Cole turned his head. He saw Mark running by his side.

“I don’t know you can run so fast. That’s a good thing,” Cole said. His level was higher than Mark's, so he was genuinely surprised.

“No, I bought speed-increasing cards for this situation. I have one more. Use it.” Mark threw a yellow card at him.

Cole caught it, and it turned into a potion. When he saw Mark once again, he realized a yellow aura covered his body. That was probably the effect of the potion, so he opened the lid and drank it.

His body suddenly emanated the same yellow aura as Mark’s aura. He threw the potion away and ran even faster than before. Luckily, Mark could keep up with his pace.

Even though they had become faster, they still couldn’t relax yet. In this forest, they weren’t alone. They met several monsters on the way, and those creatures were chasing them too.

Cole could feel the effect of the potion was almost running out. Luckily, they almost reached the base. “How is the situation behind us?” he asked Lisa, who was watching the monsters.

“The wolf is still chasing us. It is the strongest monster among them. Oh, no. It is shooting the ice ball toward us.”

Cole felt a freezing sensation on his back, and he realized it was too late to evade it. He summoned his sword from his inventory ring and held it over his back. Suddenly, the sword crashed against something cold and pushed him forward.

Cole rolled on the ground and immediately used the momentum to stand again. He looked around to search for Lisa, and he found her kneeling close to him.

“Lisa, run!”

Lisa looked at him with one eye closed. Blood was flowing down her head. She staggered when she was trying to stand up. However, Mark immediately came and carried her in his arms.

“I am sorry, Brother Cole. I will call for reinforcement.”

“No need!” Cole exclaimed as Mark was leaving. He was about to run, but monsters suddenly surrounded him. He looked over and saw the giant wolf was about to arrive too.

Cole glanced to the side, and he spotted his sword on the ground. He immediately rolled over and took his weapon. After that, he ran again.

When he was running, a level eight Armored Tiger climbed onto his back and bit his nape. They were on the same level, and the damage he took was massive. His [HP] depleted so fast, but thanks to it, his skills became active.

Cole’s skin turned red, increasing his speed. He outran every monster. Not only that, a red helix hit the tiger on his back many times. Even so, the tiger didn’t stop biting him, so he stopped his movement and stab the monster in the belly.

Unlike its other body parts, no armor protected its belly. Cole dealt critical damage to it. The tiger screeched and dropped its neck on his shoulder. It died. After that, it turned into several cards. Cole immediately took them and ran.

Because he had stopped, a monster caught up to him. It was a level seven Metal Bee. The creature shot a stinger from its lwer body part, and he blocked it with his sword. It grew its stinger back and attempted to stab him, but Cole ducked, letting the stinger hit the air over him.

At the same time, a frost mist ball passed over him, freezing the Metal Bee to death. Cole didn’t have to look back to know that the giant wolf was getting closer. He could hear its loud footsteps. Luckily, he saw a light at the end of the path.

His heart raced, spreading adrenaline throughout his body. The biting pain in his neck dulled, and he became naturally faster. His eyes—focused on the light at the end of the path—became dilated.

Cole almost reached the end of the path; he only needed to pass several trees more. However, the temperature on his back dropped even lower, a sign that the wolf was getting even closer. He had a feeling that he couldn’t get out of the forest at this pace, so he did something crazy to save himself.

Cole lifted his greatsword with its blade pointed downward, and then he grazed his rib. He howled in pain, his skin turned into a murky red color, and he bolted even faster, getting out of the forest. He saw the bridge and the base beyond it.

Cole thought he was already safe, but he heard a rustling sound behind him and felt a familiar cold sensation on his back. The giant wolf was still chasing him. He had lowered his guard just because he had seen the base, and he had dropped his speed.

“Ah, this is my end.” Cole thought. His HP was only five percent left because of the bleeding in his rib. A mere scratch from that giant wolf would be fatal for him.

The freezing air felt like piercing his nape as the wolf arrived behind him.

Thinking he was about to die, infinite memories flowed into his brain. Death. Dead people. Those were the memories of each time he had killed his gladiator brothers.

Cole had spent his previous life killing to survive, and he had been doing the same thing in this world too. However, no one forced him to kill in this world, and he had been enjoying killing in this life. Suddenly, he suddenly roared in rage as the joyous moments in this life flashed in his mind.

“I refuse to die!” Cole gripped his greatsword with both hands, spun his body, and swung the weapon with all his might. The blade created a whoosh as it collided with the air. He saw the wolf lifting its front foot to attack him, revealing the opening in its belly. Cole changed the sword’s trajectory to the belly. However, someone suddenly kicked him from the side, pushing him away from the wolf’s attack range.

Cole immediately stood again and checked his HP. 5%. The kick might have been strong, but it wasn’t enough to injure his enhanced physiology, and the person didn’t have the intention to harm him. In fact, the person had saved him.

In front of him, the giant wolf growled as it looked down at the man who had saved Cole. He had dark skin, and there was an X-shaped scar on his cheek. The man was none other than Jeff Doucette, the leader of the Alliance.

“Yo, Cole. I heard you are in danger, so I have come to rescue you.” Jeff lowered his hips and opened his hand forward in a greeting gesture. “Nice to meet you, monstrous wolf. My name is Jeff Doucette. If you want to kill that man, kill me first. I am as delicious as him.”

Cole thought there was something different in him because he sounded so confident. So, he peeked at his information.

Name: Jeff Doucette

Level: 8

Class: -

Cole was surprised that he had reached the same level as him, but he knew the wolf was stronger. He had fought its cousin species, so advanced information about it should have been available for him. He looked at the towering creature to see his information.

Name: Frost Wolf

Title: Ace

Level: 15

The cousin species of the Frost Wolf Brat. Aggressive. It will chase its first targets everywhere until it loses sight or after a certain time has passed.

……