Chapter 3: A Fierce Welcome

Ren’s head jerked towards the sound, his right hand instinctively reaching towards his back. Just then, a streak of shadow shuffled beside him, rustling some rubble. It triggered Ren’s reflexes, prompting him to drop low.

At the same time, the duck shouted, “Behind you!”

Before Ren could even formulate a response, a hand– no, a paw the size of frying pan whistled beside him. If he hadn’t ducked, the claws would’ve mangled his flesh.

Danger! Ren’s instincts shouted at him. His feet quickly shuffled, pulling himself a few feet away in a matter of seconds. Clearly, his training wasn’t for naught. However, he wasn’t in the clear just yet.

Putting some distance from his attacker, Ren finally saw what came at him. It was a gigantic figure covered in gray fur, from the top of its head to its thin, hairy feet. Its two-meter-tall stature still had its arm downward, its five sharp claws fully bared. It had the head of a wolf, while its body was that of a human; a very muscular human that would put bodybuilders to shame.

A werewolf! Ren thought, his eyes bulging. His fingers quickly rummaged through his bag, retrieving a few shuriken. He didn’t need the duck to tell him this guy wasn’t their welcoming party.

Recovering from its failed attack, the werewolf pulled back its arm and tilted its head upwards before letting out another roar. In that position, Ren could take a better look at its face. Its sharp fangs was enough to send chills down his spine, but he also noticed saliva pooling at its mouth and dripping on its body. If that wasn’t bad enough, its eyes were clearly bloodshot.

“Corruption…” he heard the duck mutter, worry evident in its squeaky voice.

“Whatever that is, it doesn’t sound nice,” Ren replied, pulling out the stars, ready to throw them at a moment’s notice.

The werewolf, without another warning, dashed toward Ren. Despite its size, it was surprisingly agile. It closed the distance in a single moment, then once swung its massive right paw at Ren.

Ren shifted his body sideways, evading the deadly wolf claws. But just as he thought he was safe, another strike came down at him. As if on autopilot, he kicked off the ground then flipped backward. While in midair, he could hear the whistle of the air. But this time, it was closer — a very near miss. Then, he landed low; his left hand propping his body from the ground.

However, the rabid monster didn’t give him time to marvel at his feat. Having hit nothing but air, it turned its body sideways then continued to attack. Ren kept his position, eyes dead set on his opponents every step.

The moment the raging beast lifted both its arms for another attack, Ren leaped sideways, keeping out of the attack’s path. In the same maneuver, he got a shuriken and threw it towards the werewolf’s unguarded torso.

The throwing star soared through the air, then landed squarely between the creature’s lower ribs. Two of its six protrusions dug into its flesh. Feeling the pain, the werewolf let out another howl, but this time, it sounded angrier.

Uh oh! Ren gulped. “That didn’t do much damage.”

“But, of course,” the duck blurted matter of factly, “beastmen are known for their tough flesh. Simple blades won’t be enough to fall them.”

“Whose side are you on, really?” Ren huffed back, unamused by his companion’s remark.

It wasn’t just him. The compliment also did nothing to ease the wolf beastman’s anger. Instead, its bloodshot eyes turned towards Ren, then sent a flurry of strikes.

Ren fixed his gaze on his opponent, casting the unhelpful avian aside. However, he couldn’t do much against the barrage of claw attacks. He could simply run backwards, trying to put distance between him and the beast. While doing so, he tried hurling another shuriken towards the werewolf, but the beast effortlessly swatted the star. It harmlessly fell after a sharp ting!

Meanwhile, the duck hovered its way to Ren’s side. For some reason, the beastman was paying it no heed.

The duck said, “Excuse my previous account, young Kazama. I didn’t mean to offend you. As such, I shall offer you guidance. To overcome your opponent, you must use your skills, young Kazama, and not just your weapons.”

Ren, barely keeping his distance from the werewolf, growled, “I am using my skills! If my grandfather hadn’t train me, that angry mutt would’ve mauled me to death already!”

“Ah!” The duck jolted, as if struck by realization. “Yes, yes, you are correct. However, those are not the skills I refer to, young Kazama. Perhaps try to summon your window first. You may simply will it to being.”

“Window? What is that supposed to be?” Ren asked, irritation slowly building up inside him.

That window of distraction, however, was enough for the werewolf to catch up to him. With a swift motion, it sent its sharp claws straight through Ren’s body. Ren, despite the momentary carelessness, still managed to react. He leaped sideways in an attempt to evade the claws once more. However, his distraction cost him. The claws caught his sides, leaving a deep wound just below his ribs.

Ren quickly felt the sharp pain, and his hand immediately clutched it. It was cold and wet. Clearly, he was wounded.

“Quick, think of a box with your status on it!” said the duck in urgency.

Ren growled, but left with no other choice, he obliged. Then, he heard a ding in his mind. A blue window appeared in front of him. There, his name was stated on the upper middle. Right below it was [Level 1], then [MP: 20], [Skill Points: 1], and [Skills: None].

Huh! This looks like a status window from a game! he marveled. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to scrutinize it. The werewolf was, once again, poised to attack.

Seeing the upcoming killing machine, he attempted to move away but quickly felt a sharp pang on his side. He gripped it harder, then scanned around. He spotted a pile of fallen timbers. These ones, while still burnt, looked like it could at least withstand a strike. He quickly ducked underneath it. He felt another sting, but he ignored it. It proved to be the right decision. The gaps might have been big enough for him to wiggle through, but his opponent's humongous body certainly wouldn’t fit it.

Buying himself a bit of time, he put his attention back to the hovering blue screen in front of him. With what he knew of games, that one skill point meant something. And so, he thought, Skill point, activate!

Nothing happened.

Skills! I need skills! He screamed in his mind. Then, another window popped up. It showed him three selections: Lace Poison, Shadow Jump, Blend.

Quickly, he chose Lace Poison as that seemed to be the most usable in the situation. After another ding, Lace Poison was added to his skill list. Howbeit, he couldn’t care less about that. What he needed was to activate it.

During his struggle, the beastman had arrived at his hiding spot, readying to demolish the barely-hanging pieces of wood.

Lace Poison! Ren thought, panicked and desperate. Just then, a warm feeling started to flow from his chest, up his shoulders, to his arms, and finally to the shuriken on his hand. When he looked down, the throwing stars glowed a faint green hue. Success!

The beastman had begun to smash at the wood, sending dust and wood chips on Ren. With his poison-laced weapons, Ren didn’t hesitate any further and threw one at it. It landed on its chest, one of its green-tinged blades embedding itself on its skin.

Yes! Ren thought, letting out the breath he was unknowingly holding.

But just as he was about to celebrate, the werewolf let out another howl before continuing its mad rampage.

Shit! That wasn’t enough! Ren once again panicked, but he quickly pulled himself together.

The beastman raised both arms, preparing to slam down. Seeing a window of opportunity, Ren threw another star towards its head. His precision didn’t betray him as the star flew straight and gouged the beastman’s right eye.

It howled in pain, but still managed to slam both arms down. That strike did the woods in, chopping them. Surprisingly, none fell on Ren, though it was hardly a point of celebration. After all, his hiding spot had just turned into a cage.

Ren looked at his hand — only one star left. He then looked at the beast, who was now huffing a bit harder. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the poison or due to anger. Heck, he wasn’t even sure if the poison — whatever it was — was working.

Is this it for me? Ren thought, ready to give up. Just then, an image of his grandfather’s final moments surfaced in his mind. His last words echoed, “...the Kazama’s will shall never falter.”

He clutched the shuriken tighter and, while the beastman was still in a momentary state of confusion, tried to crawl from his corner. However, the beastman noticed Ren’s movement. It broke out of its frenzy and struck at the boy once more.

Now purely powered by adrenaline, Ren rolled forward, barely dodging its attack. Using the momentum from the roll, he propped himself up and went behind the beast.

No matter the poison, it should be lethal with enough dosage, right? With that thought, Ren grabbed the shuriken with both hands and slammed it hard towards the beast’s jugular. The moment the weapon dug into its flesh, the beast wailed then started thrashing. Even so, Ren pushed harder, only letting go when the claws started to reach him.

At that time, the shuriken was already half-buried the wolf’s neck, and the green hue had somehow turned into a green liquid, flowing down the sharp edge. Then, as if hit by lightning, the wolf collapsed, spasming uncontrollably. Its mouth started to bubble, and its tongue hung on the side of its mouth.

After a minute of pure convulsion, it finally stopped. The beastman laid on the floor, unmoving. Seeing that, Ren’s legs went limp. His butt hit the ground with a thud.

He let out a deep breath, probably the deepest he had his entire life. His grandfather might have trained him, but he never had to fight to the death before; much so with a bloodthirsty monster as an opponent.