The tree Aaron hid behind was wider than his whole body. As soon as he heard movement behind him, he became alert. With his special ops training from his previous life, he quickly realized that whatever was coming wasn't human—the footsteps were too quiet, almost like shadows moving, and there was more than one approaching.
He was feeling much better; his wounds were healing, and his health points went up to 38/50. Aaron guessed that his recent awakening had caught the attention of some nearby beasts.
Aaron stayed hidden and listened as the sounds got closer. He tried to decide what to do, since he didn't know what was behind him, and fighting without knowing his enemy was risky.
He considered using Abyssal Insight to gather information before taking any action. He also wondered if he could use Shadow Stealth, but he wasn't sure how these new skills worked yet, since everything felt unfamiliar.
While he was thinking, a system message suddenly appeared before him.
[Skill Activation: To use a skill, simply focus your thoughts on the ability you wish to activate.]
Aaron stayed quiet and nodded. He waited for the creatures to get closer, planning to use his stealth to check the situation, knowing that once he activated Shadow Stealth, he would have only one minute for any action. If there was danger during that short window, he'd have to think and move fast.
As the voice neared, only a few steps behind Aaron stood up straight against the tree without making any sound, and thought of activating Shadow Stealth.
Instantly, he felt power spread across his body, then a faint shadow covered him. He could see himself perfectly, but he thought the faint shadow he was feeling was maybe because of the skill.
Aaron remained perfectly still, hoping the skill had truly activated. Suddenly, the soft sound of footsteps stopped right beside him.
Three wolves appeared—two of them were average in size, but the one leading the pack was massive, nearly twice as large as any wolf Aaron had seen before. Its head almost reached his shoulders, and at six feet tall, Aaron was far from short.
The two smaller wolves had lean, silver coats, while the giant wolf's fur was darker, and its body was more muscular. All three moved with precise, silent steps, their eyes sharp and alert to every shift in their surroundings.
They walked right past Aaron's position. He thought, So the stealth is really working. Otherwise, they would have caught my scent by now.
He decided to check their information first. Focusing on the largest wolf—the biggest threat—he activated Abyssal Insight. Instantly, a status panel appeared before his eyes.
⟡⟡⟡
Name: Storm Lykara
Tier: Fragment ★ (Max three Stars per tier)
Level: 5
⟡⟡⟡
Health Points: 200 / 200
Mana Capacity: 50 / 50
Attack Power: 45
Affinity: Wind
⟡⟡⟡
Skills
Zephyr Pounce
A quick leap assisted by a gust of wind, increasing jump distance and speed by 20%.
Cyclone Snap
A snapping bite that releases a small spiral of wind on impact deals increased damage by 15%, knocking the target off.
Howl of Drafts
A howl that gathers wind around nearby allies, giving a small temporary boost to movement speed by 10%.
⟡⟡⟡
When Aaron read the wolf's stats, he knew right away that just one hit from this beast could finish him off for good. Its health alone was four times higher than his own, and he doubted he could take it down in a single strike.
He quickly checked the stats of the smaller wolves, too—he couldn't afford to overlook any detail before deciding what to do.
⟡⟡⟡
Name: Storm Lykara
Tier: Fragment ★
Level: 2
⟡⟡⟡
Health Points: 100 / 100
Mana Capacity: 30 / 30
Attack Power: 18
Affinity: Wind
⟡⟡⟡
Skills
Zephyr Pounce
A quick leap assisted by a gust of wind, increasing jump distance and speed by 15%.
Cyclone Snap
A snapping bite that releases a small spiral of wind on impact deals increased damage by 10%, knocking the target off.
⟡⟡⟡
After reviewing the stats, Aaron's focus snapped back to the big wolf. That one was the real threat. Running wasn't an option—he only had thirty seconds of stealth left, and he doubted he could outrun the pack once he was visible.
He took a few seconds to come up with a plan that might at least wound the larger wolf, but he needed a weapon. From his memories, he knew he would usually have a knife when hunting in the woods, but there was nothing like that in sight.
While Aaron studied the wolves' stats and tried to come up with a plan, the pack moved a few steps ahead, sniffing the air. They could sense someone had been nearby, but couldn't spot him. As they searched, one of the smaller wolves scratched at a pile of broken branches on the forest floor, uncovering something silvery-grey beneath them.
The glint of silvery grey instantly caught Aaron's eye right away. It was the knife—his only hope—but it was much too close to the wolves. He looked around, trying to find any way to get to it. Time was running out; he only had twenty seconds before his stealth faded.
Aaron grabbed a broken branch and threw it in the opposite direction to distract the smaller wolves. The noise worked—both of the smaller wolves ran after the sound, while the massive one stayed still, its eyes locked on the spot.
Aaron moved forward quietly, closing the short distance to the knife. Using skills he remembered, he picked up the blade without making a sound.
He moved behind the big wolf as quietly as he could, using all of his years of training to hide himself. Only a few steps remained. The countdown in his mind ticked: ten seconds before stealth would end—if he didn't attack now, he'd be the pack's next meal.
In one swift thought, Aaron activated Shadow Veil and Predator of the Weak, boosting his damage to the limit. He gripped the knife in reverse with both hands, then jumped at the wolf's back with all his strength.
He drove the knife into the wolf's withers. The blade was old and dull, but Aaron used all his strength, determined to make it count.
As the knife went into the wolf's shoulder, the beast shook in pain, thrashing around. Aaron lost his grip—his weak body couldn't hold on. He was thrown from the wolf's back, crashing hard against a tree trunk a few meters away.
The hit shook him—pain shot through the back of his head, and his health points dropped to 32. There was no time to check his wounds. He got up quickly and saw the knife still stuck in the wolf's back. Thanks to the stacked damage from his skills, he knew he'd dealt a heavy blow.
He glanced at the wolf's health—it had dropped to 42.5. That strike had done a whopping 157.5 damage. It wasn't enough for a one-hit kill, but it was a massive hit. The wolf struggled, trying to stand but collapsing back down from the blow.
The moment the other wolves heard the wounded one's cry, they rushed over and stood in front of their injured leader, looking toward where Aaron was. Even though they still couldn't see him because of the stealth, they could tell something was wrong—the ground was pressed down as if someone was standing there.
At that very moment, Aaron's stealth faded—the shadow concealing him vanished, and he appeared in full view of the wolves. Their growls deepened, and their eyes locked onto him, ready to strike.
Aaron felt a little less worried now that the larger wolf was down, but the danger was far from over. The two remaining wolves left could still easily finish him with just a few attacks, and he didn't have any weapons left.
He raised his hands to defend himself and used Phantom's Resilience, getting ready to hold out against their attacks until his stealth skill was ready again. Only then could he think about what to do next.
Then, the two wolves split up, circling Aaron from opposite sides and slowly getting closer. When they were just a meter away, both used Zephyr Pounce—wind swirling around their back legs—as they jumped at Aaron from different directions.
He couldn't block them both. Thinking quickly, he planted a foot against a tree trunk and launched himself forward with all his strength. He barely dodged one attacker, but the other wolf's claws raked across his shoulder, leaving a deep, burning wound.
Aaron ignored the burning pain in his shoulder and kept his guard up, aware that only ten seconds remained until his stealth skill reset. One of the wolves rushed at him, using Cyclone Snap, while the injured wolf—unable to move—let out a Howl of Drafts, boosting its packmates' speed.
Aaron didn't have a moment to think. Reacting on instinct, he shifted to dodge the attack—Phantom's Resilience allowed him to clearly see the path of each strike. The second wolf lunged at him right after, but Aaron managed to sidestep that one, too.
After dodging both attacks, Aaron felt his stealth skill finally reset. He quickly used Shadow Stealth, turning invisible again. Moving carefully in the crucial minutes that followed, he walked toward the injured wolf. Blood was still dripping from his shoulder, and his health was now below twenty.
With nothing left to lose, Aaron decided his best chance was to finish off the injured wolf and get his knife back before the timer ran out again.
The moment Aaron vanished, the other two wolves lunged at where he'd just been, snapping at empty air before quickly scanning the area for his presence. Meanwhile, Aaron had reached the injured wolf, which lay on the forest floor, weakly searching for him.
Aaron checked his health—it was still dropping from the bleeding, sinking even lower.
Without hesitation, he lunged at the wolf's back, gripping the knife and yanking it free with all his strength. The injured beast tried to throw him off, but it was too weak to resist. The other wolves raced toward them, but they were too late. Aaron plunged the blade back into the wound, activating Shadow Veil for one final burst of power.
As the knife pierced the wolf again, it shook and let out one last, loud cry before falling still on the ground. As its body stopped moving, streams of mana particles rose from the fallen beast—most faded into the forest floor, but a few drifted into Aaron, filling him with new strength.
A system message flashed before Aaron's eyes:
[Storm Lykara (Lv. 5) Defeated]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up. Bonus attribute points awarded.] x2
When the level-up message appeared, Aaron felt a warm feeling rush through his body. Instantly, his wounds began to close, and his health was fully restored. A confident grin spread across his face as he looked at the remaining wolves and quietly said, "Now, you've really messed with the wrong guy."
Seeing their pack leader fall, the rest of the wolves broke formation and started to retreat, fear in their eyes. Aaron ignored the attribute points for now—he didn't want to use them without thinking, so he decided to wait until later.
With thirty seconds left on his stealth, Aaron moved quickly toward the others. He used Predator of the Weak and hit one in the hind leg, its health dropping to 55 as it cried out in pain. The last wolf, still unable to see him, started to run away in fear.
With the pack leader down and the uninjured wolf fleeing, Aaron focused on the wounded one. The injured wolf tried to get away, but it was slow. Aaron kept attacking, aiming for its weak spots whenever he could.
With all his damage-boosting skills not ready and just a few seconds of stealth left, he wanted to do as much damage as possible before he became visible again.
Aaron kept attacking until the wolf's health dropped below ten, and it fell to the ground. As his stealth ended, Aaron gave the final hit, ending the wolf's struggle. Just like before, streams of mana came out of the wolf's body—most faded into the ground, but some went into Aaron.
A system message flashed again before Aaron's eyes:
[Storm Lykara (Lv. 2) Defeated]
There was no level-up notification this time, but Aaron didn't mind—he had already gained two levels. The last wolf had fled, and he doubted it would return. With no more threats in sight, Aaron let out a breath and sank to the ground to rest. Today had truly been one hell of a day.
Aaron let out a tired laugh. "First, I die, then I transmigrate to a game-like world, awaken superpowers with a system, and end up fighting a wolf the size of a bear..." As his stomach growled, he grinned and said quietly, "After all that, I've really earned a meal."
He figured the old Aaron wouldn't have left any rabbits in the slums for him anyway. Looking at the wolf, he thought, Maybe this will do. He grabbed his worn-out knife and set to work butchering the wolf.
It took him an hour to carve up half the pack leader—he couldn't carry more than that. Just as he got ready to take the meat, a system message appeared in front of him.
[You can store any non-living item (up to 30kg) in your inventory. To store an item, simply hold it and focus your thoughts on storing it.]
Seeing the message, Aaron grinned. "Well, that's convenient." He quickly cut the meat into two portions and stored them in his inventory. Remembering that rabbit skins used to fetch a price, he decided the wolves' pelts might be valuable too.
Drawing on the butchering skills from his special ops training, Aaron efficiently skinned the wolves and stored the hides away with the meat.
Aaron left the wolves' carcasses behind—his inventory was full, and he didn't need any more meat for now. He started making his way toward the city, thoughts racing through his mind about his next move. Returning to the slums was out of the question; if the gang members spotted him now, he'd be no match for a group of Level 10s.
Aaron figured he could sell the wolf pelts—maybe earn enough for a room in the city. Glancing down at his shredded, bloodstained clothes, he muttered, "A hot bath and some fresh clothes wouldn't hurt either."
As Aaron walked, he remembered the unassigned attribute points and the mysterious mission. He decided to wait until he had a room before distributing his points, but curiosity got the better of him. "System, what is this mission about?" he asked.
A system panel materialized before his eyes.
[Mission Overview: The Mercenary Emperor System is designed to guide its host in building a powerful mercenary empire. Complete missions, grow your influence, and rise to the top.]
Aaron nodded as he thought it over. "So, these missions are here to help me become a mercenary—just like in my last life." He paused, then asked, "System, what happens if I fail a mission?"
A system panel appeared in front of him.
[Warning: Failure to complete multiple missions will result in the system unbinding from the host—this will lead to the host's death.]
Aaron gasped quietly, but he didn't mind this dangerous, game-like world—it brought a thrill he hadn't felt in a long time.
He had already gotten revenge for his parents in his last life, so now he felt a sense of fulfillment, and the idea of building a mercenary empire actually sounded interesting. He nodded to himself and said quietly, "I'll keep that in mind."