Chapter 47: Merged Essence

Chapter 47: Merged Essence

[New soul equipment acquired: x2]

[Fang of the Wolf: Basic Tier Equipment; Type: Necklace]

[Attribute: The fang of the lunar guardian provides the user with a 5% boost to all stats when in the presence of a full moon.]

As Ben summoned the Fang of the Wolf necklace, particles of white light materialized out of thin air, forming the necklace. A small silver fang, about 2 centimeters long and in the shape of a crescent moon, appeared around his neck, fastened by a dark black thread. It radiated an otherworldly glow under the crimson moonlight.

"Wow!" Ben couldn't help but express his awe, admiring the ethereal soul essence from every angle.

"Hey system, can I merge both of these silver fangs?" A thought struck him.

[Do you want to merge the 'Fang of Wolf' necklaces?]

YES

NO

Without hesitation, Ben selected YES and awaited the merging process. The soul essence rose off his neck, hovering in the air, and soon, another Fang of Wolf necklace materialized alongside it. Both necklaces shattered into countless particles of light, which then merged into a single structure.

The merged particles combined to form a new necklace, which slowly moved towards Ben and fastened itself around his neck. As the light faded, Ben noticed that the new necklace wasn't much different from the previous one, except that the yellowish part had turned whiter.

[Soul essence merged successfully.]

[Fang of the Wolf: Basic Tier Equipment] [Grade: 2]

[Attribute: The fang of the lunar guardian provides the user with a 6% boost to all stats when in the presence of a full moon.]

"Looks like I'm all set now," Ben grinned before somehow retrieving his sword from the wolf's head and proceeding to explore the village ruins.

Contrary to his expectations, the village ruins were much larger than he had imagined, perhaps even twice the size of the current village they were staying in. It was as if he was only exploring the outskirts of a city with crumbling walls and a few remaining houses.

The sheer power required to reduce the robust concrete structures to rubble was beyond Ben's imagination.

After a few more minutes of exploration, Ben found nothing but the remains of concrete structures, overgrown plants, and algae. That was until he heard a voice from behind him.

Ben's eyes widened, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he beheld what lay before him.

"It's been a while since I saw any vampires around."

It was a rough and heavy voice, condemning pressure and aggression. Ben stumbled, looking at the source of the voice. His legs were frozen, his heart was beating rapidly, and fear was creeping in.

"Oh, don't worry, we werewolves are not like you. I still remember the peace treaty signed between our races. I don't plan to attack you first."

Ben looked at the source of the voice; it was coming from an 8-foot-tall black wolf, its silver fangs making a menacing smile on its face. The sheer aura of the wolf told Ben that it was nothing like a normal wolf.

"Yo-you can talk.." Ben clenched his fist as he took a battle stance, looking at the talking monster before him.

"As I stated earlier, I don't plan to attack you first. I was passing by when I heard my children's howling for help, and here I saw you." The massive wolf grinned, strolling around the dead basic-tier wolf's body.

?Blood Vision?

Ben activated his skill to check on his enemy's strength, and his brain couldn't believe what he was seeing. If there was ever a one-on-one fight, Ben couldn't find a single way to beat that gigantic wolf.

"Oh, no need to bother using your magic." The wolf looked at Ben, noticing his red eyes, and he stated, "You could have just asked me politely. I am at the peak of what humans call the 'Advanced Tier,' or, as you can say, I am about to step into intermediate rank."

?{He's right about it, Ben. If he were to attack you, then you wouldn't stand a chance.}?

"Anyway, I recall there was a peace treaty between werewolves and vampires. So are you challenging the agreement by killing our children?" The wolf asked, his eyes glowing golden yellow, looking at Ben with massive killing intent.

"Hey system, what is the peace treaty he is talking about?" Ben asked in his mind. With a cold expression on his face, his crimson-red eyes met the wolf's red eyes, like a reflex action in his defense.

?{From the sound of it, it's more likely some non-killing treaty between vampires and wolves of this world.}?

"I see. I guess I will go along then," Ben thought as he looked at the wolf corpses with a sidelong glance.

"Your children were the ones who entered my territory first. Not to mention, these wolves are the ones who keep attacking human villages. Doesn't that mean you are the one in the wrong here?" Ben stated, using the peace treaty as a shield, hoping to resolve the issue without fighting if possible.

"Hahahaa, you call it your territory? Since when did vampires get so soft for humans?" The wolf laughed, but with a sudden change of expression, he looked at Ben with a sharp gaze. "Or are you perhaps one of a turned?"

"System..." Ben was dumbfounded.

?{'Turned' here means a former human who is now converted into a vampire.}?

"What I am is none of your concern, but if I find any more wolves in this village, they will end up dead like your children here," Ben responded with anger. His ethics wouldn't allow him to let people die on his watch.

"You sure talk big for your current strength, but remember, we wolves were hunting long before you were present here, and we will continue to do so." The wolf lashed out in anger, a grunting sound clear in his voice. n(-o()v(-e.-l/-B(/1).n

"And humans were living here long before you started hunting them. If you have a problem with food, why don't you find some other place to hunt?" Ben asked reasonably, fully aware of the cycle of life.

In nature, one species is another's food, so hunting and killing are nothing new. But how fixated these wolves were on killing humans went beyond the law of nature. It seemed more like a planned attack.

........

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