Night settled heavily over the outpost.
The last of the campfires had died, leaving only faint embers glowing like dying stars in the wind. Around them, the survivors lay scattered in deep, dreamless sleep—bodies finally surrendering after days of fear and a battle soaked in blood.
Only one remained awake.
Colin sat alone at the highest point of the fortress.
The rough wood beneath him bit into his skin. The wound on his back throbbed in rhythm with his heartbeat, each pulse sharp and cold in the night air. But he didn't move.
The pain kept him clear.
Kept him honest.
The battle replayed in his mind—again and again.
Sarah falling, her eyes wide in shock.
Ira collapsing, that terrible wound in her chest.
Goff's face… aged in an instant.
Lina and the others, screaming as they braced the gate with everything they had.
Each memory burned like iron pressed into flesh.
They won.
Yes.
But there was no triumph in it.
Only a quiet, suffocating dread.
Too close.
Far too close.
If even one moment had gone wrong—one arrow missed, one command delayed, one misstep—
Everything would have collapsed.
Colin lowered his gaze to his hands.
These hands had killed.
Torn.
Crushed.
But they hadn't been enough to protect everyone.
A bitter truth settled deep in his chest.
He wasn't strong enough.
Not yet.
Not even close.
His mind began to move again—cold, precise, relentless.
His own strength was insufficient. Against a stronger enemy, or against numbers, he would fall like anyone else. He needed more—more power, more speed, a body that would not break.
The others… they weren't soldiers.
They were survivors.
Driven by desperation, not trained for war.
Next time, courage alone wouldn't save them.
They needed fighters.
More people.
More strength.
And the fortress…
He looked out over the walls.
What stood here now was not a true stronghold.
Just reinforced wood. A single vulnerable gate. Traps that would fail under proper assault.
Against a real army… it would crumble.
Strength. Numbers. Defenses.
All lacking.
All urgent.
Colin closed his eyes.
The system appeared before him.
[Host: Colin][Race: Werewolf (Subspecies)][Strength: 21][Agility: 19][Constitution: 11][Spirit: 9][Skills: Wolf Claw Bite (Intermediate), Tracking (Beginner)][Kill Points: 87]
Eighty-seven points.
Hard-earned.
Paid for in blood.
Still not enough.
Not nearly enough.
His decision came instantly.
"Forty points. Constitution."
The confirmation flashed—
—and then the pain came.
It exploded from his chest, flooding through his entire body like molten fire.
Not warmth.
Not energy.
Destruction.
His muscles tightened violently. Bones groaned under pressure. It felt as though something inside him was tearing him apart… only to rebuild him stronger, faster, denser.
He bit down hard, blood filling his mouth.
No sound escaped him.
The pain lasted.
Stretched.
Burned.
Until finally—
It faded.
What remained was… power.
Real, tangible, undeniable.
His heartbeat was heavier now. Each pulse carried strength. Even the wound on his back—once burning—had dulled, already knitting itself together.
[Constitution: 11 → 19]
Colin didn't pause.
"Forty-five points. Strength."
Again, the system responded.
Again, the transformation began.
This time, it was even more violent.
His body swelled, muscles tightening and expanding as if something within him demanded more space. His bones cracked sharply, echoing in the silence. Power surged through him, raw and explosive.
He felt it.
Not as pain.
But as force.
Contained.
Barely.
Then—
Stillness.
[Strength: 21 → 30]
[Kill Points: 2]
Colin exhaled slowly.
The air felt different.
He raised his hand… and clenched it.
Crack.
The sound wasn't human.
It was heavier.
Like something breaking under pressure.
He could feel it—the strength in his body, coiled and ready. If he faced that commander again…
He wouldn't need skill.
One strike would be enough.
He stood.
The hesitation.
The doubt.
The fear that had lingered since the battle—
Gone.
Replaced by something colder.
Sharper.
Certain.
He turned his gaze toward the distant darkness.
Toward the lands ruled by Earl Raymond.
His eyes burned faintly in the night.
"This is only the beginning."