Chapter 187: Who Is the Real Monster?

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Who Is the Real Monster?

At this thought, the frustration simmering in Ella’s heart instantly dissipated.

The sullen expression on her face immediately cleared up, and she even took the initiative to flash Lance a brilliant smile.

As her lips curled into a grin, two small, sharp canine teeth were exposed, giving her a surprisingly unique charm.

This was the first time Lance had ever seen Ella wear such a deceptively cute expression.

"Rein went out to get the materials for your ritual."

Ella’s voice suddenly became light and cheerful.

"Oh, right..."

She deliberately drew out her words, feigning an exaggerated look of someone who had just remembered something.

"I heard from the old man that you’re about to officially select your Profession? He made a point of telling me before he left to find some time and teach you a few practical close-combat techniques."

As she spoke, Ella slowly descended the stairs, closing in on the kitchen.

"I may not have chosen a Profession yet, but when it comes to destructive power in close combat, our Werewolf Species is far stronger than you ordinary humans."

Ella wasn’t lying.

This was considered common knowledge on the continent. Among those at the Non-Professional Level, the physical Burst Power and combat Intuition of a Werewolf were more than enough to crush a human. And that wasn’t even accounting for the Cyan Moon Royal Family blood flowing through her veins.

Her Attributes upon reaching adulthood could rival those of monstrously talented humans.

So one shouldn’t be fooled by the fact that Rein had effortlessly hung her from the rafters twice before.

That was purely because Rein possessed Alchemy Tools specifically designed to restrain Sub-humans.

Furthermore, the old veteran himself was an expert who had fallen from the ranks of High Tier Professions.

Even though his Attributes had dropped, the Specialties and experience he had accumulated hadn’t vanished completely.

In Ella’s mind, a human genius capable of defeating her at this stage was a rarity of the highest order.

At the very least, she firmly believed that such a monster could never possibly appear in a tiny place like Gray Rock Town.

’What a clumsy lie.’

Lance watched her over-the-top, exaggerated performance and couldn’t help but roast her internally.

He still couldn’t figure out how he’d managed to offend this prima donna. From the moment they met, she seemed to be spoiling for a fight.

However, Ella’s words served as a reminder: if a fight inevitably involved physical contact, couldn’t his [Biological Research] unlock a new entry in the Illustrated Guide?

The few Traits he’d "farmed" from Cecilia, while not exactly respectable, did indeed provide beneficial Effects.

He wondered what sort of novel Traits he could obtain from a member of the purely physical combat-oriented Werewolf Species.

Based on the patterns in his previous logs, the Traits from Biological Research Level 1 and Level 2 were obtained based on the specific genetic characteristics of each Sub-human Species.

A Werewolf’s Traits would surely be completely different from a Half-Elf’s.

’Why not... take this chance to get a Level 1 Trait off her and test the waters?’ Lance mused to himself.

’If I end up with some ridiculous Trait, I can just stop.’

’Anyway, I’ll have to move out in a few days after choosing my Profession. Even if it has some weird effect, it won’t bother anyone else.’

But after letting the thought turn over in his mind a couple of times, he suppressed his curiosity.

This Wolf Lady was clearly looking for an excuse to beat him up and vent her anger under the guise of "sparring."

Uncle Rein had strictly forbidden her from going out. If they really let loose and had a brawl in the house, all the furniture would definitely be destroyed.

He hadn’t forgotten the tragic consequences of his last clash with that Elf Female Mage.

An entire house was reduced to a sky full of flying splinters.

"Let’s not," Lance said, shaking his head quickly and pragmatically. "We’d break the furniture fighting in here. We can talk about it later when we have a chance to go somewhere more spacious."

"No problem."

Ella didn’t stop. In fact, the smile on her lips grew even more dangerous. "Fighting in a confined space is a required lesson for close combat, isn’t it? You have to learn to control your power."

Of course, she didn’t dare smash up Rein’s house either. But she had secretly tested the furniture earlier—it was ridiculously sturdy. It had definitely been fully reinforced by Rein with an Alchemy Technique, and a Non-Professional Level physical attack wouldn’t even leave a scratch.

This time, she gave Lance no chance to refuse.

Before the words had even left her mouth, Ella’s legs suddenly exploded with power.

With a dull scrape of her feet against the wooden floorboards...

...the Wolf Girl’s figure instantly became a gray whirlwind, hurtling directly toward Lance at the kitchen doorway.

Too fast.

The Burst Power of a Sub-human Species known for its agility was truly terrifying. She broke through Lance’s defensive perimeter almost instantly.

Her long, slender leg became a gray blur, whistling through the air like a steel whip as it lashed straight for Lance’s left side.

Ella even felt a little smug.

She had intentionally held back on this strike, using only about seventy percent of her power.

After all, her only intention was to teach this clueless Dragon Descendant a lesson and vent her frustrations, not to actually injure him.

However.

BAM!

A dull thud echoed through the living room.

Ella felt as if her leg hadn’t struck flesh at all, but had slammed solidly into a bar of steel!

Lance hadn’t even moved his feet. He had just casually raised his left arm to block.

The arm was as steady as a mountain, showing not even a hint of wavering under the tremendous impact.

Ella, on the other hand...

...a powerful recoil surged violently up her shin, making her entire leg go numb.

Using the recoil, she quickly pulled back her leg. She deftly used her large tail to stabilize her center of gravity in mid-air, then performed two backflips, landing in a steady crouch on the solid oak dining table nearby.

"You were hiding your strength?!"

Crouching on the tabletop, Ella clenched her pearly white teeth, her amber eyes wide with disbelief, as if she’d seen a ghost.

’So hard!’

’How could this shabby-looking Dragon Descendant’s body be this ridiculously tough!’

She realized she had seriously underestimated him.

Forget venting her anger; if she didn’t show some real skill today, she would bring shame to the Cyan Moon Royal Family’s name in Gray Rock Town.

However, having her attack so casually blocked by a peer also thoroughly awakened the carnivorous, canine ferocity in her bones.

Back in her clan, she was widely recognized as a genius, just like her aunt. It was always her using her Talent to bully others, never the other way around. How could she possibly stomach this insult!

’He didn’t use Dragon Transformation, so I can’t use my bloodline Talent either. We’ll see whose base strength is greater!’

Meanwhile, Lance stood his ground.

He casually shook out the arm he’d used to block, already making a precise assessment of Ella’s strength.

’That whip kick had a Power rating of about 10.’

Lance estimated she hadn’t used her full strength. Ella’s Strength Attribute was probably around 15, which was already incredibly powerful for someone at the Non-Professional Level.

The Professional Level Buck’s Strength Attribute had only been about 14 while he was constantly using his Breathing Combat Technique.

To be fair, against an ordinary human who had yet to establish a Source Melting Furnace...

...the Burst Power contained in that whip kick was certainly enough to knock a grown man off his feet.

But unfortunately for her, she had picked the wrong opponent today.

She was facing a monster who was in a constant state of using his Breathing Technique and whose body had been strengthened multiple times.

Lance’s current normal Strength Attribute was infinitesimally close to the terrifying threshold of 20.

Such an absolute statistical advantage wasn’t something that could be easily overcome with mere technique.