But the strike didn't meet the werewolf.

It flew past him, cutting through the air before slamming into the wall behind.

The impact left a crater the size of a man's torso with dust spilling from the cracks.

Even though he didn't put much power in it… it scared the werewolf.

Azel exhaled and lowered his sword.

"I won't kill you right now," he said calmly. "You're right. You still have some use to me."

The werewolf or what remained of him let out a shaky breath.

Relief flooded his pale face, his chest rising and falling in shallow waves.

He was still alive.

For now at least.

"So," Azel began, taking a few steps back, "what's your name?"

The man's lips trembled as he struggled to speak, his body was still very weak from blood loss.

"M-my name is… Ravik," he rasped. "I… hope to be of use to you."

Azel almost laughed at the sincerity in his tone.

Werewolves really were simple creatures.

Defeat them, and they instantly shifted from enemies to loyal followers.

It wasn't a matter of pride… it was law for them.

Among their kind, power dictated loyalty.

The weak followed the strong, no matter what. It was similar to humans but in a more barbaric way…

"Good, Ravik," Azel said with a small smile. "I trust you won't try to betray me along the way."

Ravik swallowed hard.

Just imagining it… the thought of trying to fight this man again made his stomach twist in fear.

Even if he wanted revenge, what chance did he have?

He'd only be signing his own death.

"No," Ravik said quickly, shaking his head as best as he could. "I wouldn't dare. While you may know where Lycas is… without a key, you can't get in."

Azel's grin widened slightly. "Don't worry. I have my own key."

He raised his hand, and a shimmer of blue light appeared.

In his palm was a metallic object in tbe shape of a key.

Ravik recognized it at once… it was The Key of Lycas.

He spun it once between his fingers before letting it vanish back into his inventory.

Ravik's eyes went wide, disbelief painted across his face.

"A… k-k-key?" he stammered.

His voice cracked with awe and confusion. "You — how does a human have that? Keys are given only to the higher hierarchy… to our kind!"

"Yes," Azel said with a smirk. "Can you imagine? I found it just lying on the ground."

Ravik blinked, his expression deadpan despite his state.

"I find that… very doubtful," he muttered.

Steam began rising from the stumps of his severed arms.

Flesh twitched and slowly began to reform, strands of muscle crawling out from the bone.

Werewolves healed fast but even for one of his rank, this kind of regeneration took tremendous energy.

Azel noticed the strain in his eyes.

"But okay," Ravik said weakly. "I won't question your luck."

"Good idea," Azel replied.

He crossed his arms and asked what he was most curious about.

"So tell me something. Why did you even attack the guards? You could've stayed hidden."

Ravik's head drooped.

"I was in exile," he said slowly. "Exiled from Lycas."

"Exiled?" Azel tilted his head. "And why is that?"

Ravik's eyes dimmed with shame.

"Because I failed my mission. I was supposed to guard one of the sacred tunnels, but I was defeated in battle… and disgraced. The council stripped me of my rank and banished me from Lycas. I've been wandering ever since."

"So," Azel said, "you decided that attacking random soldiers would solve your problems?"

"I…" Ravik hesitated, guilt creeping into his tone. "The road they used to bring me out during my exile has been sealed. I can't get back in. The gates won't open for someone like me anymore. I thought… maybe if I caused enough noise, I'd draw attention from the higher ones. Someone would notice. Someone would come."

Azel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's the dumbest thing I've heard today."

Ravik's ears drooped.

"Probably," he admitted quietly.

Azel studied him for a moment.

The man was pathetic… he was also desperate and stupidly honest.

But he knew about Lycas, which was worth more than anything else right now.

"Well," Azel said finally, "you won't need to do that anymore. I'll take you inside myself."

Ravik blinked, stunned. "You'll… take me back?"

"Yes. You'll guide me in."

The werewolf lowered his head deeply, his voice trembling. "Thank you, my lord."

Azel froze for a moment. "…My lord?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes," Ravik said earnestly. "You defeated me. You spared me. It's my duty to serve you now."

Azel rubbed his temple.

'First Feng calls me master,now this guy's calling me lord.' He frowned slightly.

What's next, a fan club?

He sighed and stepped closer, pulling a small vial from his storage ring.

"Here," he said, tossing it toward Ravik… only for it to bounce off the man's chest and roll across the ground.

Azel blinked.

Right.

Ravik had no hands.

"…Right," he muttered, kneeling to pick it up.

He pulled the cork off the top and held the vial out. "You owe me for this."

He pressed the glass gently to Ravik's lips and tilted it, pouring the shimmering liquid down his throat.

Ravik swallowed greedily.

Instantly, his body began to glow faintly as the potion's magic surged through him.

His arms regenerated in seconds, skin and muscle knitting together as if they had never been cut off.

"Hah…" Ravik exhaled deeply, flexing his fingers in disbelief. "Thank you, my lord."

He lowered his head again, the respect in his tone now absolute.

"Yeah, yeah," Azel said dismissively.

He reached into his ring and tossed something at him again… this time a set of folded clothes.

The fabric was clean and looked perfectly human.

"Keep those safe," Azel said. "Wear them when you shift back to your human form. From now on, your name is Ravik Vega. You're my assistant starting tomorrow."

Ravik caught the clothes and nodded.

"Ravik Vega," he repeated, testing the sound. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Good," Azel said, brushing dust from his coat. "Now go. I don't need anyone seeing you here. Come back when it's nearly noon."

Ravik stood, bowing his head deeply before turning away.

His movements were still a bit shaky, but the potion had done its work.

He glanced back once, his expression oddly grateful.

Then he ran… vanishing into the narrow alleys.

Azel watched him go, arms folded.

"Well," he muttered, "that went smoother than expected."

He sighed and then opened the System shop.

He scrolled through the list of available items until his eyes landed on one particular entry.

[Item: Fake Corpse]

[Description: Creates a perfect replica of a deceased body using stored mana. Useful for faking deaths, bypassing detection, or setting traps.]

'It's been a long time since I've used this,' he thought.

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