Chapter 960 - First Form, Lone Wolf Warrior
It didn’t take long for Ferris to notice the declining number of wolves on the mountain. As the alpha of the pack and the master of this mountain, it swore to make whoever was hunting its kin and encroaching on its territory pay.
Ferris let out a howl that cut through the sky. Every wolf on the mountain dropped everything it had been doing to join in. The howls were their way of showing loyalty to their king and the king’s way of showing love for its pack.
Many wolves changed as they howled, advancing from their base state to their First Form.
Han Wu was still climbing upward when he heard the howls and realized the situation had shifted. It felt as though a sleeping predator had awakened, the mountain air thick with killing intent. His muscles tensed instinctively.
This tension felt almost nostalgic. His will to fight burned brighter.
Despite knowing there were angered wolves on the mountain, he decided to push forward anyway. Every wolf that sensed his presence came out to attack. Some were still in their Initial State, while others had entered their First Form. The power difference between the two forms was enormous, but both had sharp senses.
Han Wu had equipped four pieces of gear and two skills. His strength had also greatly improved since the beginning.
Buffing himself with Slow Recovery, which healed his wounds while providing a temporary Constitution +3 bonus, he then ignited his hands with flame. His inscribed skill, Flame Palm, granted Attack +3 and Fire +2, the latter of which was absolutely devastating against fur-covered creatures.
Rage drove the wolves to charge without regard for their lives. Han Wu calmly advanced to meet them. As his palms danced through the air, waves of fire rolled outward, igniting the fur of wolf after wolf.
Many wolves fell in the blaze, with Han Wu scooping up the dropped materials and equipment as he went. He checked the stats, kept anything that fit the three remaining empty slots, and tossed everything else into the Void Stone for the Refiner to break down.
He soon filled all three remaining slots. There was a Rank 1 Wolf Ring with Attack +2 and Fire +2; a Rank 1 necklace with Strength +2, Attack +2, and Defense +2; and finally, a Rank 1 Wolf Fang Dagger with Attack +10.
With all these bonuses stacked, Han Wu’s Attack and Defense easily reached +21 and +18, respectively.
This targeted culling of its wolves allowed Ferris to pinpoint Han Wu’s position. It charged straight for him, seeking to protect its remaining wolves.
The massive wolf barreled down the mountain with ferocious momentum and quickly spotted blood-drenched Han Wu. Most of the blood belonged to its wolves, though some was his own. Thanks to Slow Recovery, his wounds were steadily closing.
The two locked eyes, the tension thick between them. Ferris was furious at Han Wu for slaughtering so many of its kin, while Han Wu was excited to discover what equipment and materials Ferris would drop.
A single exchanged glance told them both that only one of them would walk away alive.
In the next instant, they clashed. Ferris’s claws raked across Han Wu’s body. At the same time, Han Wu drove his dagger into the alpha’s back and struck with Flame Palm using his other hand.
Flame Palm’s power had grown with his increased Attack. The Fire +4 bonus ignited Ferris’s fur and dealt continuous burn damage.
Ferris howled in pain before unleashing a surge of power and activating its Second Form, Lone Wolf. As its fur turned pitch black, its speed and strength doubled, and its claws grew three inches longer, slashing through the air like twin rows of small steel blades.
Han Wu took a swipe during a brief loss of focus. Even his skin, as tough as cowhide, was sliced open. Thankfully, Slow Recovery was still active. The cuts stopped bleeding and started closing, making the damage manageable.
Still, this put Han Wu on high alert. Ferris was the first Second Form creature he had encountered in the White Soul Civilization. He had to put his all into the fight.
After exchanging several more attacks, Han Wu realized that he wasn’t a match for Ferris in raw stats. A one-hit kill was impossible. His only option was to wear it down over time.
If he wanted to improve his strength as quickly as possible, he had no other choice but to commit to a strategy. He stopped meeting Ferris’s attacks head-on, choosing to dodge instead while landing Flame Palms to burn its fur.
Ferris became increasingly burned all over its body, severely limiting its movement. Every step it took tore open the burn wounds. The searing pain drove Ferris into a frenzy.
This loss of composure didn’t help its situation. It didn’t matter if it was stronger if it couldn’t land a hit on the more experienced Han Wu. Three hours later, Ferris finally succumbed to the accumulated injuries and collapsed, its body dissolving into light.
Three glowing items remained where it fell. Han Wu hurried over and snatched them up.
The first was a set of Rank 2 hook claws that gave Agility +5 and Strength +8 with the attached skill, Frenzied Tear. It was excellent equipment. Unfortunately, Han Wu was still at the First Form and couldn’t use Rank 2 gear yet.
The second was a golden, glowing crystal stone called a Rank 1 Divine Stone that could load one of Han Wu’s sealed powers. Han Wu’s eyes lit up. Among his sealed abilities were countless powers and Divine Aspects, but he hadn’t found a way to unseal any of them until this moment.
Before using the Divine Stone, he checked the third item, which was shaped like a wolf skull. Han Wu assumed it was a piece of equipment, but after the Desolation Manifestation carefully examined it, it concluded that it was actually a legacy.
The name of this First Form legacy was Lone Wolf Warrior. When a non-wolf species obtained this legacy, they could follow its instructions to load equipment and crystal stones that would grant them a powerful First Form.
Han Wu scoffed at first. How strong could a mere First Form legacy be? He had killed the Second Form alpha Ferris with nothing but a basic, unnamed First Form.
Then the Desolation Manifestation displayed the legacy’s full details: Strength +50, Agility +50, Attack +50, Defense +50, plus the two skills, Lycanthropy and Crushing Claws.
Lycanthropy temporarily turned Han Wu into a werewolf, doubling attributes for the duration. Crushing Claws added another Attack +50.
Seeing these powerful bonuses solidified Han Wu’s decision immediately.
So what if it’s just a First Form legacy? I’m going to use it anyway! Trying to stop me would just be picking a fight!