After enjoying the sunset for a while, Leo and Celia continued toward the exit of the settlement while Maria returned to their house. Since the Redwater settlement was located in a valley hidden between many mountains, its exit was naturally difficult to access. Not only was the path narrow but they needed to take many turns here and there. It was a complicated road with many paths leading to dead ends. 

Luckily, Celia was used to the road and despite its complexity, they were able to quickly reach the end of the road. However, there seemed to be no way forward from there. A part of a mountain was collapsed and the road was blocked by its rubbles. Without hesitation, Celia walked into the space between a big piece of rubble and the mountain side.

‘Damn.’ Leo cursed as he looked at the space that seemed too narrow for him. After hesitating a little, he walked behind Celia. Luckily, he only struggled a little before going through.

Once outside, Leo shook his body a little to get rid of the dust that fell on him and turned toward who was dusting her dress too.

“Should we wait here? Or should we head further?” Leo asked as he looked at the green forest that was slowly covered with the veil of the night.

“No, it is best if we stay here. They are coming here and if we head somewhere else we could end up missing them.”

“Alright.” Leo replied before he opened the system to check his current mission.     

 [Savior 2.0

Mission introduction: A savior mission again? Hero one day Hero forever. Is that what you think? What are you playing at? Is your brain not receiving enough air because of your costume? Do you think you are some kind of hero sent to bring salvation to the world? Do you think you can afford to play Hero when you are not even sure if you could keep your own life? Today, it is slaying the evil orc to save a maiden in distress. Ah, you have a grudge against the orcs too. Justice with a sliver of vengeance. Are you an Avengers or Batman? And what will it be next? Are you going to start a quest to slay some demon king? Or sacrifice yourself to save the world? Anyway, this system doesn't care, just make sure to not die too soon.

Clear conditions: Protect the Redwater settlement and slay the orc chief Yag'arz.

Rewards: A brand new hero costume with a bright red cape, it is superman approved.

Punishment: You will wish to be dead.]

[Do you wish to accept the mission? Yes/No]

Speechless. Stunned. That was how Leo felt when he read the description. He was already used to the system's weird behavior but that one reached a whole new level. Why did it look like the system disliked heroes so much? Why would the system care if he wants to be a hero? He may not personally aspire to be a hero or something like that. He wasn't the kind to go out of his way to help people or try to save the world. But he wouldn't mind helping other if he has the opportunity. 

Anyway, even if he chose to ignore the mission introduction and the system's apparent dislike for heroes, he couldn't ignore the weird reward and more than ominous-sounding punishment. 

[Don't worry about it and just accept the mission.] Luxia said before he could complain too much.

"You are weird. At least, now, I know that you aren't going to ask me to save the world." Leo grumbled as he accepted the mission. Hopefully, he wouldn’t get scammed by the system.

"So are you sure you want to do it?" Once he was done, Leo turned around and asked Celia. The latter nodded her head and didn’t add anything else.

"Okay, I understand that I can't change your mind but don't intervene unless I ask you to." Leo said. While her intentions were good, Leo had his own goals, and letting her wantonly intervene during his fight would do him no good, he thought. Not only would he need to help her in case she found herself in a dangerous situation, but he would be unable to gain experience from the beasts she would kill. 

'I can't let her waste my precious experience now, can I?’ Leo muttered, from his point of view no matter how much Celia would be able to help him, it wasn’t a worthy trade-off.

"You…. I am just trying to help you here. There is no need to make things hard for me." She complained as she lightly waved the magic staff in her hands. It was a one-meter long ash grey staff with a shimmering red beast core embedded at its top. As Celia waved it around, Leo could feel the surroundings being slightly distorted by the heat it emitted. However, that effect was very weak and almost indiscernible if one didn’t pay attention to it. Leo could tell that the staff wasn't a very good one.

"I am not trying to make things hard for you. I just think it would be better that way. Just bear with me." Leo said as he cast appraisal on Celia's staff.

[Low-quality magic staff: Common

Slightly increase casting speed and magic power.]

‘So I was right.’ He muttered when he read the result of his appraisal.

[Ding...Appraisal has leveled up. Appraisal is now level 2.]

'Hum, that's unexpected but good.' Leo said and he once again used appraisal on the staff. However, the result was still the same, disappointing him a little. 

'Not like I was expecting much. Luxia, do you think there is a way to help Celia? I mean, I believe she can take care of herself but better be safe than sorry.' Leo asked.

[Hum, if you trust her enough, you can buy some equipment for her. You can also give her a potion or two. It's your call.]

'Nah, she is good. I will just cast Earth armor on her and help her if she is in a tough spot.' Leo said without hesitation. Celia was already finding him pretty weird with everything he showed this far. But, since his unnatural wisdom and power could pass as a blessing or whatever they want to call it, she only showed curiosity toward him. However, he was sure that Celia would start having too many doubts if he suddenly made something like a magic staff or a potion appear out of thin air. It wasn't something a beast should be able to do, he thought. And most of the time, when someone, be it a beast or human, is unable to understand something, they will start fearing it. And fear can lead to many unwanted situation. Also, the more he shows, the more there is a chance of his secrets being exposed. 

AWOOO...AWOO

"Here they are." Leo muttered as he turned around to look at the wolves that were now within sight. Rushing toward him, was a little pack consisting of 10 dire wolves. Each wolf was almost a meter tall and was radiating an aura full of bloodthirst and viciousness. Even though he wasn't afraid of them, Leo couldn't say that he wasn’t impressed by their momentum. 

[Dire Wolf: Rank E+

HP: 800/800

Danger level: None]

[Gale Wolf: Rank D

HP: 2000/2000

Danger level: Minimal]

'Aren't they a little too weak?' He thought as he looked at the wolves that weren’t less imposing than himself. He was expecting a more imposing lineup when Celia talked about big shots. So he couldn't help but feel disappointed when his eyes landed on the wolf leading the pack. Leo could tell with a single glance that it was the most powerful of the pack but he wasn’t feeling the least threatened by it. The wolf was more imposing than his peers. He was a head taller than them and his body was more muscular. As he growled at him, Leo noticed two big sharp fangs dripping with saliva and that looked like they could crush steel with a single bite. If he was still a human, Leo would have already turned his tail while crying for his mommy. However, for better or worse, while facing those wolves, there was no fear, there was only a single thought in his mind and that was the fact he hadn't eaten anything for a while.

[Berserk wolf: Rank D+

HP: 5000/5000

Danger level: Minimal] 

"It's the pack of the wolf king. This should be a scouting party. The rest should be following behind. Be careful. " Celia whispered as she grasped her staff tighter and looked at the wolves who emerged from behind the tree.

"I see. Anyway, it won't change anything. Let me see how powerful I am now." Leo grinned. What kind of host would he be if he didn't greet his guest first? Without hesitation,  he opened his mouth to cast a shadow ball. For starters, he was going to see how much his previous skills improved.

[Shadow Ball: 

Launch a shadow ball that deals 125% of your magical damage to your target.

Cost: 200 MP]

For the first time since his evolution, he was going to use magic once again and he was really excited to see how much his magic improved. As soon as he wished to cast a shadow ball he could already feel an immense difference between now and the previous time he cast it. Unlike before, his mana flow was smoother and quicker and he was able to feel it more clearly. It wasn't just a vague and distant feeling. Once the skill was activated, he could feel that the shadow elemental energy responded a lot quicker and in less than a second, the skill was successfully cast. In the blink of an eye, a deep black and pulsating ball made of shadow appeared in front of him and whizzed towards a gale wolf. The shadow ball was quicker than a ball thrown by a professional baseball player and it reached the wolf's head in an instant. 

WHOOSH….

Under the flabbergasted eyes of all those present, the head of the wolf Leo targeted was blasted apart, sending brain matter and blood flying through the air. Worst, before they could recover from their surprise three ominous balls of shadow once again appeared and three wolves were granted a swift death.

'1..2..3..4. I can cast two of them each second and the power of each of them isn't that bad. However, why is the system so stingy with the experience?' Leo commented as he watched the four headless wolves fall on the ground. 

THUD. A soft but loud sound, sounding like a resounding wake-up call in the ears of the wolves. It was only when they heard the sound of their comrades' bodies hitting the ground, that the remaining wolves regained their bearings and reacted. Horrified, they looked between Leo and the four wolves' bodies on the ground. 

They had just arrived here and before they could even assess the situation and understand who their enemies were, four of them were already dead. Leo's attack was unexpected and incredibly ruthless. When the wolves looked at Leo and felt the aura radiating from him, their fear was amplified and they immediately tried to retreat. Even the berserk wolf, who was supposed to lead the wolf, chose to retreat.

'Hmph.' Leo snorted when he saw the cowardly behavior of the wolves. Where was their hunter's pride? How could they so readily turn tail and flee? Anyway, there was no way he was going to let them go.

Crouching down, Leo flashed towards the fleeing pack of wolves. He didn't activate Dash since he was curious about his speed when he didn't use a skill. Even though his race wasn't best known for its speed, Leo was still hoping that his speed wouldn't be too shabby. However, he was still underestimating himself too much as the speed he displayed exceeded all his expectations.

Whoosh. The sound of a heavy object tearing through the wind sounded inside the forest and in an instant, Leo was already upon the closest wolf. Before the wolf could react Leo had already lifted his paw and smashed it into the wolf's face. With a sickening crunch, the wolf skull caved in and it was sent flying toward a tree like a broken kite. 

'5' With that first kill, Leo was just like a wolf in a chicken pen. Haha. With a grin on his face, he dived into the wolf pack and started a slaughter. Under the effect of his dominating presence, the wolves seemed to forget how to fight back and only focus on fleeing. However, they were completely helpless before Leo's speed and a hit was all it took for him to kill or disable them. Like that, the massacre ended as quickly as it began. 

[Dominating Presence: Lvl1/5

Your power and bloodline command respect. Few can stand upright in your presence. Those exposed to your aura will receive a fear effect and have two random stats reduced by 10%.

The efficiency of this skill is determined by the difference between your highest attribute and the highest attribute of the target. The effect will be reduced if the target rank is higher than you.]

'9' In less than a minute,  Leo was able to kill the remaining half of the wolf pack. The once proud pack of wolves was reduced to a bunch of dead and dying dogs strawn around the place like trash in a messy teenage room. Some were left with their body whole while others were blasted in a garish mess of flesh, bones, blood, and inwards. 

The only survivor, purposefully left alive by Leo, was the Berserk wolf who watched with red eyes as his companions laid on the grassy floor while letting painful and agonizing whimper.

Uncaring about the scene around him Leo now covered with blood silently analyzed his prowess during that short burst. It is important to remark here that the wolves didn't stand still and took things lying down. They did their best to escape, and their speed was no joke, but he was able to deal with all of them in such a short time. It was like putting a bunch of unarmed and defenseless soldiers against a speedy and agile tank. The consequence was a foregone conclusion. 

'I think I can top at 150 km/h without any skills. Also, my body control is pretty good, even though my movements aren't the most refined. The only thing that is a little annoying is the stamina consumption.' Leo concluded, satisfied with what he had shown so far. 

[It isn't your best. Also, your speed would have been even more impressive if you had chosen the reaper cat. ] Luxia said.

'Well, I still need a little test to fine-tune my gear.' Leo thought as he finally set his eyes on the berserk wolf. The latter was still there because Leo was standing in front of him, blocking his path.

 Once again, Leo whizzed through the air like a bullet. In an instant, he was able to reach his target, the berserk wolf. However, unlike his comrade whose fate would have been decided at that moment, the wolf showed skills worthy of a peak rank D and managed to dodge Leo's claws, albeit barely.

Awoo. The wolf let out a howl as his body glowed a deep shade of red and he charged at Leo. Moving to the side, Leo dodged the wolf's charge and slapped him away with a swing of his tail. With a low whimper, the wolf was stunned and sent rolling on the ground.

Bang.  Leo then threw a shadow ball toward him to finish him off. 

AWWWOOOOOOOOO

'10' Just as Leo killed the last wolf, he heard it. A long, deep, and powerful wolf howl filled with power and authority.

'The big shot, uh!' He thought as he looked at the forest and saw countless red glowing eyes staring at him from within the forest. He could feel the furry within those eyes as the wolves advanced toward him with the cover of darkness. 

"Leo." Celia called, her voice uneasy.

"I may finally need some help." Leo said awkwardly,  his face serious as he ignored the numerous eyes staring at him and focused on a presence lurking within the darkness. A presence that surely belonged to the one Celia called the wolf king.

Exp gained: 430