Chapter 44: Filthy Blood, Curse of the Moon God

Although Werewolves belonged to the Beastman Species, from Blaze’s perspective, this particular creature looked more like an ape-man species.

With its massive, burly upper body and strong arms that nearly brushed the ground when it leaned forward, it was simply the perfect Hunter.

After its personality shifted, the Werewolf’s attack style changed completely. Instead of recklessly relying on its jaws and their terrifying bite force, it now wielded its arms with lethal proficiency.

Its thick arms swung and smashed, the four-fingered claws whistling as if tearing through the air with every strike.

Yet, the most dangerous threat wasn’t the Werewolf itself, but the Moonlight Worms nesting within the Werewolf Fur.

These fragile insects would fire off Moonlight Beams at the slightest provocation. Any attack launched at the Werewolf would first trigger the Moonlight Worms, causing them to blast moonlight directly at the attacker.

The Eight Fire Curse Poison coating the Twisted Greatsword and the moonlight caused mutual Erosion, scattering Sparks of searing heat with every collision.

Suddenly, Blaze took a step back.

The next second, the previously aimless Moonlight Beams Twisted their direction, crashing down around the Werewolf like a Moonlight Thunder Strike.

The Werewolf froze, seemingly shocked that Blaze had actually managed to evade the onslaught.

By now, having escaped the strike, Blaze had already reorganized his offensive, swinging his Twisted Greatsword horizontally toward the creature’s neck.

The Werewolf’s [Beast Intuition] screamed in a warning of Madness—a premonition that even a mere scratch would mean certain death. It violently threw itself backward, narrowly escaping the Slash.

Blaze easily capitalized on the massive opening left by its desperate Dodge. He kicked the Werewolf to the ground, gripped his Sword with both hands, and brought it down in a relentless flurry of strikes.

The Werewolf rolled away in a panic. It increasingly felt that something was wrong. Every single one of its movements seemed to be predicted by Blaze; even the reactions of its parasitic Moonlight Worms were anticipated.

It was as if this Human had a second set of eyes, looking down on their battle from a high vantage point.

"!"

The Werewolf’s pupils contracted. Silhouetted against the glorious center of the moon was a dark Shadow.

A noble Eagle was soaring through the sky, commanding a bird’s-eye view of the entire battlefield. Those sharp eyes easily tracked its every move—not even the insects hiding within its fur could escape its gaze.

"AWOOO—"

The Werewolf instinctively released a howl of Anger at the chicken in the sky, but an abrupt wave of icy dread cut the cry short, forcing the beast to frustratedly grit its teeth.

It was growing impatient. This Human wasn’t strong enough to force it to tuck its tail and Escape, yet he wasn’t weak enough to be killed without inflicting damage either.

Its [Beast Intuition] was constantly prodding it, making it hesitate and fight with excessive caution.

"ROAR!" The Werewolf bellowed, as if trying to shatter its irritating [Beast Intuition] through sheer volume.

It swung its arm, slamming directly into the blade of the Twisted Greatsword. Skin tore open and blood splattered as the Eight Fire Curse Poison instantly invaded the wound.

The Werewolf revealed a human-like sneer. Toxins were things only weak creatures used; to think its [Beast Intuition] was actually wary of such a pathetic trick.

The Werewolf spread its arms reverently toward the moon. Under the pure moonlight, the Toxins composed of Flames frantically fled from the wound, as if they had encountered something truly terrifying.

[Moon God’s Curse A]

[The Deities symbolizing purity whispered into the ears of the clan that held Faith in her, received her Blessing, and ultimately betrayed her:]

[You, flowing with Filthy Blood, are beasts.]

If the blood within the Werewolf was the physical manifestation of a Curse, then a blood-based venom like the Eight Fire Curse Poison would naturally be scared off.

Convinced that Blaze’s only trump card was the poison on his Sword, the Werewolf unleashed wild, sweeping attacks. It used its arms as weapons to trade Chops with Blaze, not backing down even a fraction of an inch when Chopped. It even licked its wounds with a look of twisted enjoyment.

The moonlight roared like thunder, while the Eight Fire Curse Poison hissed and bit back. Fire and light tore at each other as the Silver Wild Beast and the pitch-black Wild Beast locked in a savage melee.

BOOM—

Mimicking Blaze’s earlier move, the Werewolf turned its arm into a Sword and cleaved down on Blaze’s horizontally raised Great Sword. The solid bedrock beneath them instantly shattered.

Blaze’s eyes shifted slightly as he allocated his Skill Points.

[Learned: *Counterpunch F]

[Restricted to close-quarters combat. When the opponent initiates an attack, immediately counterattack after a Defense or Dodge maneuver. Has a chance to land a critical strike, dealing 1.2x damage.]

The Twisted Greatsword suddenly tilted. The Werewolf’s arm slid down the momentum, scraping against Blaze’s Armor and sending Sparks flying. In that exact instant, Blaze triggered the [Counterpunch] Passive Skill, driving a [Bee Sting Fist] straight into the Werewolf’s snout.

This time, Blaze heard the sickening crunch of fracturing bone from the Werewolf’s face.

Crimson once again flooded its silver-white beastly pupils. Losing all reason, the Werewolf lunged forward to bite him, completely ignoring Blaze as he swung his Great Sword down to Chop. It fully embraced a vicious, mutually assured destruction approach.

SQUELCH—

The Werewolf’s gaping maw froze. A massive geyser of red virtual polygons erupted, almost blotting out the sky. An attack that was only meant to arouse its bloodlust had somehow claimed its life in a single instant.

Its [Beast Intuition] had never given up on it for a moment; rather, it was its Proud, human side that had arrogantly rejected the warning.

[37 (10) - 38 (12)]

[Hunter Level 4 - Level 5]

Blaze let out a breath and took a step back. The chicken plummeted from the sky, complaining as it batted Blaze with its wings.

"Human, you could’ve used that ability of yours to insta-kill this filthy Monster from the very beginning! Why make yourself look so pathetic? Are you a masochist?"

"I just wanted to train myself. I don’t want to rely too heavily on that Skill," Blaze replied, waving his hand as he explained his reasoning.

[Lethal Execution] was so strong it felt like—no, it *was*—a one-hit-kill cheat code. Plus, it was a Passive Skill. But things that were too powerful and convenient would always cause the Erosion of a person’s willpower, fostering dependency and ultimately destroying their fighting spirit.

It was fine against weaker monsters, but any Monster with a modicum of strength possessed Passive Skills like [Danger Perception] or [Beast Intuition] to detect threats. They would notice the danger the second he drew his blade.

The Werewolf he encountered this time happened to be the type that surrendered to bloodlust. If he faced a more rational or cautious Monster, it would undoubtedly choose to Escape without hesitation upon sensing an unknown crisis, or resort to ranged tactics.

Blaze didn’t want to become addicted to [Lethal Execution], nor did he want to be left utterly helpless if the Skill was ever sealed away.

"I never want to experience the sheer panic of when [Lethal Execution] failed to take Effect again, like when I fought those Gold-Eating Ants."

"Not bad, Human. Staying vigilant in times of peace, I see."

Blaze rolled his eyes, ignoring the chicken’s condescending praise. He bent down and picked up a piece of quartz left behind after the Werewolf turned to dust.

[Filthy Blood]

[The pure blood that once flowed within the Silver race who held Faith in the Moon God. Under the Curse of the God symbolizing purity, it transformed into completely tainted blood, driving humans with beastly instincts and turning them into Wild Beasts under the moon.]

[Only has a chance to drop when the Filthy Blood is Boiling due to a resurgence of humanity.]