The morning sun shone through the towering trees of the Ultimate Forest.
A cool breeze swept across the Moonfang Valley, carrying the fresh scent of pine needles and morning dew. The forest was fully awake, filled with the distant songs of birds and the rustling of leaves.
In the middle of a large, perfectly circular clearing where the grass had been trampled flat by years of practice...
Kaizen stood barefoot on the cool earth, a relaxed smile resting on his face. He wiggled his toes in the dirt, grounding himself.
Across from him stood Rok.
The massive black Moonfang Wolf stretched his thick neck, a satisfying crack echoing in the quiet air, before digging his sharp claws deep into the soft ground to secure his footing.
Several wolves had already gathered around the edge of the clearing to watch the morning entertainment.
Even Vargan sat quietly on a large, flat rock overlooking the training ground, his tail resting over his paws as he watched with silent interest.
Rira smiled warmly, leaning against a nearby tree trunk.
"Our little brat has grown again."
One of the energetic wolf pups wagged his tail so hard his entire body shook.
"Big Brother will win!"
Another pup quickly argued, bumping shoulders with the first.
"No way! Uncle Rok is too strong! He never loses!"
Rok looked across the clearing at Kaizen, his yellow eyes filled with a predatory gleam.
"Ready?"
Kaizen nodded, lowering his center of gravity.
"As I'll ever be."
Rok's sharp eyes narrowed, turning entirely serious.
"Remember..."
"No Skills."
"No abilities."
"No Magenia."
"Fight using only your physical instincts and your brain."
Kaizen grinned, his golden eyes locking onto the wolf.
"Sounds fair."
Rok smiled, exposing rows of razor-sharp white teeth.
"Good."
"Then..."
"Bring it on."
The moment those words left his mouth...
BOOM!
The ground beneath Rok literally exploded, sending chunks of soil flying into the air as he shot forward like a massive black arrow.
"So fast!"
Kaizen immediately stepped back, his mind racing to process the sheer speed of the assault.
Rok's massive right claw swung toward his chest in a deadly horizontal arc.
SWISH!
Kaizen narrowly dodged by dropping his weight backward.
The razor-sharp claws sliced through the empty air only inches away from his face, creating a sharp whistling sound.
"He's faster than yesterday..." Kaizen thought, his heart pounding.
Without wasting a single second, Rok attacked again, using his forward momentum to pivot.
Left claw.
Right claw.
A sweeping strike with his heavy tail.
Every strike flowed seamlessly into the next without giving Kaizen a single chance to breathe or recover his footing. He was forced into a desperate retreat, constantly moving backward.
Kaizen's eyes darted around the clearing, searching for an advantage.
"Think..."
"Don't panic. He wants me to lose my balance."
Out of the corner of his eye...
He noticed an old, thick wooden training plank lying abandoned near the edge of the grass.
Without hesitation...
He threw himself into a forward roll across the ground, diving right under a high claw strike. He grabbed the heavy plank with both hands and raised it above his head like a makeshift shield just as Rok brought his paw crashing down.
BANG!
Rok's heavy claw slammed directly into the solid wood with the force of a falling boulder.
Deep cracks instantly spread across the surface of the plank, splintering the edges.
"So that's your grand plan?"
Rok grinned, leaning his massive weight into the strike.
"Good!"
He pulled his paw back and attacked again, aiming a thrust directly at Kaizen's center.
Instead of blocking head-on and taking the full force of the blow...
Kaizen twisted his wrists, turning the plank sideways at a sharp angle.
The wolf's claw struck the wood but immediately slid across the smooth surface, missing its target.
Using the massive impact and the sudden shift in Rok's balance...
Kaizen redirected Rok's attack entirely away from himself, pulling the wolf slightly forward and off-balance.
At the exact same time...
He spun around on his heel and launched a powerful, sweeping kick directly into Rok's exposed front shoulder.
Thud!
The black wolf slid backward across the grass, leaving two long trenches in the dirt for several meters before finally stopping.
The spectators' eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"He pushed Rok back!"
Rok laughed loudly, a booming sound that shook the leaves above them.
"Excellent!"
"You've finally stopped relying purely on physical strength."
"Now you're using your head to fight."
Kaizen smirked, tossing the heavily damaged plank from hand to hand.
"I learned from the best."
The two dashed forward again, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
This time...
Kaizen attacked first, taking the offensive.
He swung the wooden plank aggressively toward Rok's massive head.
Rok naturally ducked beneath the sweeping blow.
But the plank continued its downward arc before suddenly changing direction mid-swing.
Kaizen used the built-up momentum to strike a precise, calculated blow against the back of Rok's front leg.
Thump!
Rok stumbled forward for a split second, his leg buckling just slightly under the unexpected pressure.
"Now!"
Kaizen rushed in, completely abandoning the plank.
Three quick, consecutive punches aimed at the wolf's ribs.
One sharp elbow strike aimed at the chest.
One rising knee strike aimed at the jaw.
Rok managed to block most of the flurry with his thick forelegs, absorbing the impacts, but one of Kaizen's punches landed cleanly on his left shoulder, pushing him slightly off balance.
The black wolf jumped backward to create distance, shaking out his leg.
His tail wagged slightly, showing how much he was enjoying the challenge.
"Heh..."
"You've become genuinely dangerous."
Kaizen smiled, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"I still haven't won."
Rok lowered his stance even further, pressing his belly close to the grass.
"Not even close."
For several long seconds...
Neither of them moved a single muscle.
The clearing became completely, unnervingly silent.
Even the birds in the surrounding canopy stopped singing, as if sensing the rising tension.
Then...
Kaizen slowly closed his eyes.
A calm, familiar voice echoed within the confines of his mind.
Title Activated.
Child of the Moonfangs
A gentle, almost invisible silver aura surrounded his body, pulsing with the rhythm of his heartbeat.
It was not a surge of magical power.
It was not a flow of destructive Magenia.
It was the absolute confidence, the primal awareness, and the predatory instincts he had gained from living day and night among the Moonfang Pack.
His hearing sharpened beyond human limits.
His physical senses became crystal clear.
Every subtle movement of the morning wind...
Every rustling leaf falling from the branches above...
Every minute shift and twitch in Rok's powerful muscles...
Entered his awareness like a perfectly drawn map.
Rok smiled, seeing the shift in the boy's posture.
"So..."
"You've finally decided to fight like one of us."
Kaizen slowly opened his golden eyes, their pupils narrowed slightly like a predator tracking its prey.
"I've always been one of you."
For the first time since the spar began...
Rok's smile disappeared entirely, replaced by the serious focus of a true warrior.
He lowered his massive body even further, ready to unleash everything.
"Then show me..."
"what a son of the Moonfangs can truly do."
BOOM!
Both of them disappeared from where they stood, leaving only craters in the dirt.
The clearing echoed violently with the heavy sounds of wood striking against hardened claws, bare feet kicking against the packed earth, and two highly skilled warriors pushing each other to the limit purely through skill, strategy, and instinct.
Watching from the high rock above, Vargan couldn't help but smile, a deep sense of pride swelling in his chest.
"Our little brat..."
"has truly become a Moonfang."
The sound of clashing and heavy impacts echoed throughout the training ground for several more minutes.
Kaizen and Rok finally stood several meters apart, both breathing heavily, covered in sweat and dirt.
A genuine, satisfied smile appeared on Rok's face.
"You've improved again. I actually had to try this time."
Kaizen grinned, holding his bruised arm.
"I still haven't beaten you."
Before Rok could offer a reply...
A loud, desperate howl echoed across the expanse of the Moonfang Valley, shattering the peaceful atmosphere.
Awoooo!
Every single wolf in the clearing immediately turned their heads toward the southern entrance of the territory, their ears standing straight up.
Only a moment later...
A gray Moonfang Wolf sprinted into the clearing at absolute full speed, nearly tripping over his own paws.
His breathing was heavy and ragged.
Fresh, bleeding scratches covered his flanks and legs, and his fur was matted with dark mud.
He skidded to a halt and stopped directly before the large rock where Vargan was sitting.
Lowering his head respectfully, he spoke between desperate gasps for air.
"Lord Vargan!"
Vargan slowly opened his eyes, all traces of his previous amusement gone.
"What is it? Report."
The patrol wolf swallowed hard, trying to steady his voice.
"A wounded Lizardman has arrived at our southern borders."
"He insists on meeting you immediately."
Vargan's expression remained perfectly calm, though a shadow fell over his eyes.
"A Lizardman?"
"Why has he come here? They never leave the Great Swamp."
The patrol wolf answered, his voice trembling slightly.
"My Lord..."
"He is severely wounded. He looks like he barely survived a massacre."
"Before collapsing into the dirt, he kept repeating only one sentence over and over again..."
Vargan narrowed his eyes, leaning forward.
"What sentence?"
The patrol wolf took a deep, shaky breath.
"The Lizardman King..."
"needs your help."
Total silence fell over the bustling clearing.
Even the younger wolf pups stopped playing and hid behind their mothers.
Rok frowned deeply, walking over to stand beside Kaizen.
"The Lizardmen have fiercely guarded their swamp for centuries."
"They are a proud race. They never ask outsiders for help, especially not us."
Kaizen folded his arms across his chest, his strategic mind already analyzing the information.
"If they've dragged themselves all the way here just to beg for aid..."
"The situation over there must be extremely serious."
Vargan slowly rose from the top of the massive rock, drawing up to his full, terrifying height.
His silver fur shimmered brightly beneath the morning sun, radiating absolute authority.
Without saying another word to the crowd...
He stepped forward to the edge of the stone.
Then...
He leaped.
BOOM!
The enormous rock cracked completely down the middle beneath the sheer force of his jump.
He landed gracefully on the ground below, the impact shaking the dirt beneath their feet.
The surrounding wolves instinctively lowered their heads in deep respect for their Alpha.
Vargan looked toward the forest entrance with glowing eyes.
"Take me to him. Now."
"Yes, Lord!"
The exhausted patrol wolf immediately turned around and began running back the way he had come, pushing past his fatigue.
Vargan followed right behind him, his massive strides eating up the distance.
Kaizen glanced sideways at Rok.
"You coming?"
Rok smirked, baring his teeth.
"You really think I'd miss something this interesting?"
The two exchanged a quick, knowing grin.
Then...
They dashed after Vargan, leaving the stunned crowd behind in the clearing.
The cool morning wind rushed past them as the three of them raced through the dense foliage of the forest.
None of them spoke a single word during the run.
The sheer desperation and urgency in the patrol wolf's voice had already told them everything they needed to know.
Whatever horrific event had happened deep within the borders of the Great Swamp...
It was important enough for the fiercely independent and proud Lizardmen to seek desperate help from the Moonfang Pack.
And that alone...
Meant trouble was coming.