I will be the Strongest

Chapter 39

Passing through the black portal, Hye found himself once again surrounded by a forest. However, this time, the trees were of normal size, not towering dozens of meters high.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves and gaps between the trees, illuminating the grass around and the path ahead.

"How long until you return to normal again?"

"I'm not sure... for now, it’s best to find a safe place to wait."

"A safe place..."

On one side, the sound of a waterfall caught his attention, but on the other, howls echoed through the forest, reaching his ears easily despite the distance.

'Oh, here they come. I may not like that pathetic old man, but... this method of punishment is quite... interesting.'

The growls approached quickly, making Hye leap onto a branch of a nearby tree.

[The Invisible Steps ability has been activated]

The steps drew closer silently. Their bared fangs gleamed, and the growls did nothing to aid their desired stealth. The dozen wolves, each over two meters tall, immediately surrounded the area where Hye was and, with their caramel-colored eyes, scrutinized every detail around them while their snouts sniffed out every trace of his presence.

'How could this be a punishment? They’re just wolves.'

'Wait, you’ll understand soon.'

As their search ceased, all the wolves lay down on the grass, their long ears pricked and attentive, missing nothing in their surroundings. Not a bird killed with a bite, a deer caught in a single leap, nor the fish that periodically approached the waterfall's edge, none went unnoticed.

Over time, the flowers that seemed dead on the ground rose and bloomed, revealing a beautiful mix of colors in their petals, making the beasts rise and stretch as they opened their mouths.

"Ah, I see... the curse of lycanthropy."

When the sun hit any part of their bodies, the fur in those areas fell away. Accompanied by many grunts, the sounds of their bones breaking and being reconstructed could be heard, though, to Hye’s eyes, the presence of pain seemed almost nonexistent.

The first to be restructured, their leg bones elongated and aligned into human form. Their arms cracked, and with the noticeable reduction of their faces, stretched and aligned remarkably.

With no fur remaining, their bodies compressed, turning all that mass into pure muscle, some large and truly muscular, others less so. Their long, dark hair flowed past the end of their backs, and as they ran with their n***d bodies toward the water, they left trails in the air.

If someone were to approach that place after the transformation, it would be nearly impossible to tell that these... creatures... were anything more than a few people having an immense amount of fun at a simple waterfall.

Their smiles as they splashed the water, ran their fingers over their faces, or simply dived in were nothing less than pure expressions of happiness.

"Come on, guys, it's starting to get late."

"Oh, really?"

"Let’s stay a bit longer."

"Yeah, let’s stay a little more."

"Oh, come on! You said the same thing last time, and we ended up being late."

"When you talk like that, it seems like we’re forcing you to stay..."

"True, Lykos. As far as I remember, you were having a great time too, so much so that you even forgot we had to collect our parts."

"Argh! Enough! Get out of here! We’re heading back."

"Oh, spoil-sport... I don’t get how Arche puts up with you..."

Turning her body, the woman dodged the stone that came flying towards her. But with no time to rest, her eyes widened as she crossed her arms to defend herself from the tree that struck her next, sending her back into the waterfall.

"Hey! It was just a joke!"

As they left the waterfall, everyone split up. Some went to the trees and, after a jump, transformed their nails into claws, perfectly knocking down each fruit hanging from the branches. Using a large banana leaf, they carried the harvested fruits.

Meanwhile, others, with their surreal speeds, scoured the area in an instant and returned with two prey each. Deer, wild boars, and cows were just a few of them.

Slowly making their way back, the path was filled with jokes and complaints about wanting to stay a bit longer. However, something the lycanthropes didn’t notice while smiling was that someone was following them very closely among the trees.

"I don’t think you understand the meaning of the word 'safe,' do you?"

"We need information. Where they live, how they live, and if there’s an easy way to deal with them besides fighting them all."

"Yes, in that case, following them to where they live makes quite a bit of sense..."

With a click of her tongue, the sarcasm in Samantha’s words was more than evident.

"Tell me, doesn’t your invisibility ability have a time limit or something similar?"

"Not that I know of. So far, it only deactivates when I want it to."

"Hmm..."

As the trees ended, the heart of the forest opened before their eyes, revealing a wall of thick rocks that appeared to have been perfectly cut for placement there.

"If you could see this, you’d definitely say that immediate information is quite necessary."

"No, forget it... I can hear them... all of them..."

Passing through the wall’s gates, a whole city rose around them. Not just a few dozen, let alone hundreds, the wooden houses spread in all directions, likely capable of housing thousands of people.