Each time Max chewed the mana-filled plant, he felt chakra spreading in his mouth. By the time he swallowed it whole, he felt himself rejuvenating. The pain vanished and his complexion turned for the better.

The dark green werewolf leaped at its prey. Its ten claws readied to cut Max into a thousand pieces. It felt and smelled the humiliation that this human had brought to it. Most of its lustrous fur had been burnt leaving scarred skin that was hideous in the eyes.

Max kept his eyes at the target, staying still on the ground, waiting for the right moment to strike. He had tricked it once and he doubted it would work again after that despicable werewolf pulled off the hostage situation.

Max jumped, swinging the combat knife in his hand. Another full-frontal confrontation. The werewolf gleamed, seeing Max utter stupidity. The distance between them shortened and the moment Max’s knife clashed against the claws, he uttered right in front of the beast. “Burn, motherf-” He threw a Mado Flame using the hand he hid behind his back.

The werewolf noticed it, but it was too late. The ball of intense heat hit the furry creature at point-blank. It remembered this pain, this agonizing pain. Flames erupted and spread across the werewolf's entire body. It howled and lashed out in anger at Max. Claws swiped at him but he ducked. His hand moved quickly, completing seal after seal within a short time frame. The werewolf kicked Max to the side but the man grinned as he was flung in the air.“Impale,” Max mumbled.

A ring of spikes erupted from the earth, impaling through the werewolf’s flesh. It howled even louder as the pain was unbearable. Blood seeped through its wounds, flowing on the dirt spikes. It was impaled at every angle of its body and luckily for it, its head and neck remained intact.

Max managed to touch the ground right before he was sent into the air. He watched from a distance while flashing a smile. He witnessed for himself the art he made. A burning werewolf impaled by the earth itself.

Max stood up and gripped the knife tightly in his hand. It wasn’t time to be complacent. His feet fleeted away as he emerged in front of the beast. He wielded his knife, aiming it right at the werewolf’s head. The werewolf growled and with brute force snapped the spikes that impaled its right arm. Max’s strike caught in the grip of the werewolf.

His free hand completed a sequence of seals and threw a fireball right at the werewolf’s face. The smell of fur being burned drifted in the air. The werewolf struggled, howling in madness. The werewolf’s grip on his wrist tightened and Max let go of his knife. The knife fell and Max caught it in his free hand. He slashed without a moment of hesitation. Blood sprayed, accompanied by the painful howl of the werewolf. It looked down and saw its hand missing, cut at the wrist. Through sheer willpower, the dark green werewolf struggled and plowed through the spikes. It released itself from the confinement of the earth spikes and stared down at the one who caused such humiliation.

It growled right at Max’s face, baring its fangs despite being burned. Max responded with his hands performing hand seals. The werewolf saw it and its instinct warned it of danger. It smelled the presence of water and left Max behind. The hunter was now the hunted. Max chased from behind and threw another ball of fire. The werewolf sensed the heat from behind and jumped to the side. The Mado Flame went past it as it got back up and ran towards the lake.

Max clicked his tongue and gave chase. He checked his reserve and his MP was left with ninety. The expenditure for his skills was costly. His Chakra on the other hand was still full. He still got ammo for this fight and he wasn’t going to back down, not now, not after seeing what it had done to Tori.

But Max was too late. The werewolf despite limping on its feet was still faster than Max. It submerged itself in the lake, extinguishing the flames that wrecked its body. It hated the water but it knew it had no choice. A sense of relief came for the beast and vengeance bred in its heart. It dreamed of ripping apart Max’s body into pieces while eating his flesh down its throat. There was nothing more satisfying for the two-legged beast than to eat the person that did this to it.

Yet it felt pain from its back. Its jaw opened wide inside the lake with its howl muffled by the body of emerald water. It looked back and saw Max clinging to it with a knife jammed on its shoulder. The relentless man didn’t hold back and would chase the werewolf even to the edge of the earth. It saw the glint in Max’s eyes and for the first time, the werewolf felt fear. It didn’t know that it had touched a nerve on Max and hurting Tori was something that crossed the line that it shouldn’t have.

Die, Max thought. His arm wrapped around the neck of the werewolf from behind and his legs locked at the werewolf’s waist. He pulled at the neck while the other hand gave a stabbing frenzy. Crimson blood dyed the emerald lake, intertwining with one another as Max took his anger at the beast. There was no reconciliation between them as only death would be the outcome.

The werewolf fought back and clawed to its back. Max dodged but it nicked him by the shoulder. Yet he didn’t let go. The claws lacked power impeded by the water. The wounds on Max were shallow as he continued his onslaught. He stabbed the werewolf in the neck, plunging hole after hole. His arm that wrapped the neck was clawed by the beast yet he stood still, bearing the pain.

Then, it ended. The werewolf turned limp and Max’s sight was bombarded by text panels. He dragged the werewolf to the shore and with much exertion he reached the surface.

Level up to Lv.11

You have defeated the Alpha and took the last hit. You have gain +1 Strength and +1 Agility.

The Rupture will collapse in thirty minutes. Please standby.

He engulfed the fresh air and heaved the dead werewolf away from the water. He did his best and he wasn’t going to let his reward gone to waste. But now, he had other matters to pertained to. He rushed on his feet while ignoring the pain. The wounds on his body were fresh with blood trickling down and his face becoming paler. Yet there was only one thing in his mind and it was to reached Tori.

A body lay on the ground not far from where he was. Tori. He reached and knelt beside her. His hand extended for her neck and checked for her pulse. She’s still alive! The pulse was weak and shallow but she was still hanging on and that was enough for him. He paid no heed to the chunk missing on Tori’s flank as he took out the half-eaten Blood Light Algae. He put it in his mouth and chewed quickly. It turned into mush in his mouth and Max kissed her on the lips. He pushed the paste-like algae with his tongue and into her mouth. Then he closed her mouth and whispered close to her ear. “Swallow it, Tori, swallow it and you will live.”

He prayed in his heart that she would hear him. He carried her in his arms and hugged her close to his chest. “Don’t die, Tori, you can’t die.” He whispered. There was no love between them as they were attracted to each other from physical attraction alone. But now, Max felt something at the corner of his heart. Something that bloomed in the moment of peril. He hugged her close, ignoring the text panels that were floating in his sight. Nothing matter more to him than Tori’s survival.

Tori’s body was getting colder. He felt it on his skin and it wasn’t a good sign. He looked at Tori with his eyes gleaming. He checked for her pulse once more and there was no change. He let out a sigh as he flashed a smile. You can find another woman, Max. There are more fishes in the ocean. He reminded himself but as he looked down on Tori’s face, he felt a knot in his stomach. He stooped down and kissed her on the lips. It’s only been a few days in my third life and I’m already going to use this. You’re still weak for women, Max. He smiled as he gazed at Tori. He lay her down on the ground with careful hands.

Then the soft expression he had vanished as he focused. He formed hand seals, one after another until he reached the hundredth. “Kinshi Art, Life Blood Change.” He placed both of his hands on Tori’s body and immediately his face turned pale like a corpse.

You lost 1 Vitality

You lost 1 Vitality

You lost 1 Vitality

…

Max traded his Vitality with Tori as the numbers went down, one by one. He felt weaker by the second as the energy in him drained out of him. By the eighth point, he saw a change in Tori. Her face got more vibrant with her olive skin returning to its glory. Her chest heaved deeper, a good sign in Max’s eyes. Even the big wound on her flank was recovering at a heightened rate. The Blood Light Algae was finally showing its worth, aiding the effect of the increasing Vitality in Tori. The flesh was regenerating and Max continued to trade his Vitality.

At the eleventh point, he stopped. The wound on Tori’s flank had recovered but it was scarred and lost its original appearance. There was a limit to how she could regenerate without the assistance of a healing skill. Despite that, it looked better than losing a huge chunk of meat. Tori was out from danger yet she still slept in her unconscious state.

Max caressed her hair and then went down to her cheek. She had a serene look on her face, devoid of any worries like he had always seen on her. He brushed her supple bottom lip and he couldn’t resist. He kissed her and he stood up. He wobbled a bit but he stood his ground. He paid a price but he didn’t regret it. I’ll be back. He vowed.