Chapter 188: Tail, Research, Taming, Day of the Hanged

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Tail, Research, Taming, Day of the Hanged

At the dining table.

Ella’s hands dug into the edge of the table. She was on all fours, her center of gravity pressed extremely low, looking for all the world like a she-wolf poised to strike.

With a faint groan from the floorboards, she shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

This four-limbed stance was the Werewolf Species’ most common close-quarters killing technique in the jungle.

The Rein Family’s living room wasn’t very large to begin with.

But Ella seemed to defy gravity, scurrying at high speed along the walls and over the furniture like a gecko.

As she moved, she kept her eyes locked on Lance, searching for a blind spot from which to land a killing blow.

But the instant she moved, Lance moved as well.

He didn’t just stand there like an idiot and wait to be a target. Instead, he employed the footwork of the Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style, weaving swiftly between the cumbersome furniture.

His positioning was ridiculously clever. Every single move he made perfectly cut off any path Ella might have taken to ambush him from behind.

He was well aware that his earlier performance had successfully ignited her competitive spirit.

If she actually managed to pounce on him from behind, he had no desire to find out what it felt like to have a she-wolf riding his neck and wailing on him.

"So fast! How is this possible?!"

Clinging to the wall, Ella grew more alarmed the longer the fight went on.

At the Non-Professional Level.

Among all the Intelligent Species on the continent, her Cyan Moon Royal Family was an undisputed, top-tier powerhouse when it came to the agility Attribute.

And judging by the Power he’d used to effortlessly block her whip kick earlier...

’The Breathing Combat Technique this Dragon Descendant practices must be one of those heavy-hitter styles that sacrifices speed for ultimate Power.’

’So why?!’

’Why is his positioning able to keep up with me when I’m going all out?’

She constantly shifted her position on the wall, only to discover to her dismay that she couldn’t find a single angle to attack.

Every single one of his movements seemed to predict her trajectory, as if he’d read the script in advance.

This was just further proof that not only were the Dragon Descendant’s Power and agility absurd, but his Perception was also sharp enough to make her skin crawl.

’What kind of monster is this, and where in the world did he crawl out from?!’

’I’m done with this!’

Unable to land a hit, Ella’s frustration boiled over.

She kicked hard off the wall and dove through the air. Her hands appeared to be reaching for Lance’s shoulders, but at the apex of her leap, she gave her waist a cunning twist.

The gray wolf tail hidden behind her instantly snapped taut from the centrifugal force, becoming like a barbed iron whip that whistled through the air as it lashed unexpectedly toward Lance’s face.

But with his high Perception, Lance had seen this move coming a mile away.

Unhurried, he bent his upper body backward at an exaggerated angle.

The gray tail grazed the tip of his nose, stirring up nothing more than a sharp gust of wind.

But in dodging, Lance walked right into Ella’s trap.

"You fell for it!"

A cunning glint flashed in Ella’s eyes as she hung in mid-air.

Her lithe, serpentine waist twisted sharply, forcibly altering her trajectory before she could lose her balance, and she used the momentum to wrap herself around him.

Her long, slender thighs locked precisely around Lance’s neck.

As her thigh muscles contracted sharply, Lance could even smell the Wolf Girl’s unique scent, a mixture of wildness and floral fragrance that came from her sweat.

"Got you!"

Ella flashed a triumphant, arrogant smile in mid-air.

She planned to use her downward momentum and core strength to execute a high-level submission hold like the Cross Lock and slam Lance to the ground.

Once she dragged the fight to the ground, a Werewolf’s close-quarters grappling was unbeatable.

Unfortunately, she had still greatly underestimated Lance’s absurd, monstrous strength.

Despite the immense pressure on his neck, Lance’s feet seemed to be rooted to the floor. Not only did he not fall, but he took a deep breath and forced his compressed spine ramrod straight.

"What is this monstrous Power?"

Feeling as if she’d locked onto a steel pillar cast from molten iron, Ella couldn’t help but let out a cry of disbelief.

Lance didn’t give her the chance to apply more pressure.

He reached out with his large hands, grabbed both sides of Ella’s frantically squirming hips, and prepared to pry this octopus off with brute force.

But as luck would have it, the intense exercise had left the clothes around her waist soaked with sweat.

The moment Lance applied force, his palm slipped on the slick fabric.

His large palm slid down, following the pull of gravity, and landed on her lower back, where he ended up grabbing the small area where her fluffy tail connected to her spine.

As a man who had never studied the physiology of the Werewolf Species, Lance had no way of knowing that for all canine Sub-humans, the base of the tail was the body’s most sensitive erogenous zone, dense with nerve endings.

"Nnngh..."

A nasal whimper, so sweet and cloying it could give you goosebumps, suddenly echoed through the living room.

Lance felt the thighs locked around his neck first contract violently, as if electrocuted, then go completely slack. The body that had been so full of Burst Power instantly went limp, as if boneless, and turned to jelly.

She slid limply down his back and landed on the cold floor with a soft THUMP.

Just then, a flashing notification popped up on Lance’s system panel, which had been quiet until now.

[Through hands-on research, you have discovered that stroking the sacral nerve cluster of a Sub-human Species: Cyan Moon Werewolf triggers a strong pleasure reflex. Cyan Moon Werewolf Research Progress +15]

’Cyan Moon Werewolf?’

He stared at the brand-new term on the panel. Lance was secretly surprised.

’Is this some kind of special, mutated branch of the Werewolf Species?’

’So the system can create a separate entry in the Illustrated Guide for rare subspecies within a larger category?’

He suddenly understood.

That explained it. No wonder the Trait he’d farmed from Cecilia, the Half-Elf, had such a powerful suppressive Effect against that Pure-blood Elf Female Mage.

In the system’s judgment, Half-Elves were probably just crudely classified as a branch of the Elf Race.

’But at this rate, 15 points for a single touch... if I accidentally brushed against her a couple more times, wouldn’t I unlock the exclusive Trait for Cyan Moon Werewolves right on the spot?’

"Let’s stop. If we keep going, you’re really going to get hurt."

Lance said kindly, looking at Ella, who was slumped on the floor.

But to the proud Wolf Lady’s ears, his words sounded like a blatant taunt.

Having her most private, sensitive spot touched by a strange man, on top of having her prized close-combat skills utterly crushed—the double blow sent Ella into a fury of shame and indignation.

"Go to hell! You shameless, perverted Dragon Descendant!" 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Ella shrieked, her face beet red. Tossing all tactics to the wind, she leaped up from the floor and pounced again, all teeth and claws.

This time, however, she still hadn’t recovered from the physiological shock. Her legs were shaky, her movements were a complete mess, and she was wide open.

Faced with such sloppy flailing, Lance couldn’t even be bothered to dodge.

He simply leaned slightly to his right, avoiding a harmless swipe of her claws, and hooked his right thumb against his middle finger.

SNAP!

An extremely crisp flick landed squarely on Ella’s smooth forehead.

"Ouch!"

The flick wasn’t light. Ella clutched her forehead and stumbled a large step backward.

But her innate stubbornness wouldn’t let her swallow her pride. Gritting her teeth, eyes full of defiance, she lowered her head and charged forward once more.

SNAP!

Another crisp sound echoed through the room.

For the next few minutes, no matter what angle Ella pounced from or how fast she swiped her claws, she was always met with that same finger, landing steadily, accurately, and ruthlessly right in the center of her forehead.

SNAP!

[Through training... Cyan Moon Werewolf Research Progress +1]

SNAP!

[Through taming... Cyan Moon Werewolf Research Progress +1]

SNAP!

[Through nurturing... Cyan Moon Werewolf Research Progress +1]

The crisp sound echoed through the room again and again.

A few minutes later, the farcical battle finally came to a complete end.

Ella squatted pitifully on the floor in the corner, looking like a little girl who had suffered some terrible injustice.

Her large tail, which had been so defiant just moments before, now drooped limply on the floor, completely still.

Right in the middle of her pretty face, a large, conspicuous red welt had swollen up on her forehead.

She clutched her burning forehead, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. But with the last shred of her royal pride, she bit her lower lip and refused to let them fall.

[...Biological Research Level has increased: Level 1 → Level 2... You have obtained...]

Just then, with a CLICK, the front door was pushed open from the outside.

Rein walked in, leaning on his crutch and carrying a bundle.

As soon as he entered, he saw Ella squatting in the corner, silently weeping, and Lance standing nearby with an innocent look on his face.

"What happened between you two this time?"

The old soldier frowned, asking with a hint of exasperation.

"Nothing much."

Lance shrugged, his expression perfectly natural.

"We were bored, so Ella wanted to play a game of forehead flicks. She just had a bad losing streak."

Of course, Lance wasn’t about to reveal that they had gotten into a fight over a bag of puppy snacks.

He wasn’t about to tattle like a three-year-old running to their parents after a fight.

Rein looked at Lance, then back at Ella, who looked so aggrieved she seemed ready to curl into a ball.

He shook his head with a sigh and didn’t press the matter.

He walked over to the dining table and placed the bundle of materials he was carrying heavily on its surface.

"I’ve gathered everything for your ritual. How many more days do you need to prepare?"

"Three days should do it."

Lance quickly calculated his progress.

Three days would be enough time for him to grind out the rest of his missing Skill Proficiency and get himself into peak condition.

"The sixth day after Midsummer, eh?"

Hearing this, a complex, nostalgic smile appeared on Rein’s face. "Now that’s an interesting day."

The fifth day after Midsummer was the day the Church of Justice held its grand "Festival of the Scales," when the eyes of the entire continent would be focused on the radiance of the True God.

But few ordinary people knew that the day immediately following, the sixth day, was known as the "Day of the Hanged."

It was the anniversary of Chaos’s ascension to godhood, and also the secret date when the elite Puppies of the Black Iron Command Bureau—those who had survived the brutal selection process—were collectively unleashed to take up their Professions.

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The day Lance had long awaited—the day he would receive his Profession—finally arrived.