Shapeshifter

Chapter 7: First Fight

The trail of blood that hung in the air like a lingering haze led Xen to a bend in the dungeon. Up ahead, he could hear the shouts of humans and the pained howls of fellow wolves. Slowing to a cautious trot, Xen sniffed the air.

It reeks of nothing but wolf blood. The humans must be overpowering them.

Having devoured both wolves and humans, along with the effect of his new skill, Blood Scent, Xen could easily discern the origin of the blood.

What should I do? Xen looked over his back down the corridor he had charged down. Along the way, he hadn't encountered any monsters—only blood-stained walls and traces of combat. These humans are strong and efficient at killing as they leave nothing behind and keep pressing deeper.

A frustrated snarl escaped Xen. If I go back the way I came, it leads me to where Sarah is coming from with people in tow to retrieve Jonathan. Once they see him missing, they might investigate deeper and run into me.

Xen slowly crept forward and poked his head around the bend to see what he was dealing with. The scent of blood told half the story, but he needed to witness the fight with his own eyes.

I am only a level one wolf, so despite being one of the apex creatures of this floor, if I get ganged up on, I could even lose against enough slimes. What I do have, though, is speed, so I should be able to run if they see me.

This was all speculation, of course. Xen had never been in a real fight before. As a Mind Slime, he could only cower and watch from the cracks in the wall while disguised as simple dungeon moss. But now he had limbs ending in claws and teeth so sharp he could chomp through iron.

New found strength gave him options for the first time in his short life, but also risk. Nobody went out of their way to kill a Mind Slime nestled in the cracks, but Xen knew for a fact that a lone level one wolf was well worth the hassle of hunting. He had seen Hunters lay traps and wait for hours to kill a single one; they would then skin the wolf for its fur and harvest its meat. Leaving only a sad pile of bones for the dungeon to reabsorb.

Rounding the corner, Xen got a good view of the fight. He could see the backs of five humans. It was still hard for him to differentiate between male and female as they all looked similar in his eyes, but if he had to guess, it was three men and two women. They seemed to have a well-balanced party as three took up the frontline against numerous black fur wolves while the other two attacked from behind with spells and arrows.

More bizarre was this metallic aura that coated their skin. Xen had seen it many times before and always wondered why some had it while others didn't.

"Gerald, could you cast Beserk on me? I'm going in deep." One of the men on the front line holding a large tower shield asked the robed man in the back while hurling a wolf gnawing on his arm into a nearby wall.

The wolf let out a helpless yelp as it was crushed against the stone. The impact knocked the wind out of it, so the wolf let go of its vicelike grip on the man's arm and tried to limp away.

"Thank the Legion for the aura," the man grinned as he checked his arm, which had no bite marks or blood despite how ferocious the wolf's bite had been.

Xen searched his fragmented and scattered memories for anything to do with this metallic aura but came up short. He was still clueless about so much. He could only remember seeing it coating large groups like this, but never on solo Hunters.

"Buff of the Berserker," Gerald—the robed mage—infused his voice with mana, and Xen noticed how the world bent to his will. A ferocious red brilliance that blazed with concentrated rage engulfed the shield-holding man, causing him to roar like an animal.

The poor wolf, limping away, turned and growled just in time to see the human raise his shield overhead by the rim and smash it down on the monster. Obliterating the beast in a shower of blood and bone. The ground shook from the impact, and Xen didn't need to sniff the air to know that the wolf was dead.

Howls filled with grief echoed through the hallway as the dead wolf's pack circled the man, and Xen almost joined in on instinct as the remainder of the pack charged at the human. He shook his head to remind himself those weren't his pack mates howling with sorrow. They were mana constructs birthed by the dungeon. He needed an opening to get past these humans, not a bitter fight to the death.

"Bunch of mangy dogs," the man roared as he swung his arm, hitting one of them square in the face and sending it flying back.

Annoying humans and their strength in groups. Xen glanced around and noticed a wooden platform on wheels stacked high with corpses between him and the Hunter's backs. It smelled delicious, like a buffet. Subconsciously, he ran his tongue along his sharp teeth and licked his lips.

It was terribly hard to resist sneaking over and devouring the whole lot while the Hunters were busy, but he was sure to be noticed and killed. He was level one, and these people were beyond Sarah's level. They were professional Hunters.

Xen stepped forward to try his luck regardless of the risk. He wanted to nab a single corpse before the archer woman in the backline noticed and shot him—his ear twitched. Over the clangs, shouts, and howls, he could hear soft footsteps coming from behind.

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Are the humans at my tail already? Xen turned to see a single wolf a head taller than him stalking out of the shadows one step at a time. Its head was hung low, and its shoulders were arched up in an aggressive stance. A low growl rumbled deep within its throat as its scarlet eyes gleamed with killing intent.

Xen turned to engage in a slow dance with the wolf as he mirrored this newcomer's prowl. They circled each other, looking for an opening. Xen felt his heart pounding in his ears, and he searched for the slightest hint of aggression.

Why does it see me as an enemy? Aren't we both dungeon monsters? Xen had delved deeper into the dungeon, thinking he could sneak up and kill unsuspecting monsters that saw him as a fellow monster birthed from the labyrinth. Running from the humans was already enough, but now he had to face fellow monsters instead?

I really am all alone.

The wolf suddenly lurched at him. Xen tried to twist his body to avoid the vicious bite, but the intense pain told him clear as day that he hadn't been fast enough. The wolf had moved with such speed that he hadn't even had time to process what was happening. It's definitely level 2 or above.

Xen tried to shake it off while ignoring the pain—the wolf answered his pathetic attempts by savagely clawing at his legs, making them buckle under him. Having lost his footing, he fell into the dungeon wall where the higher-level wolf could press him down without mercy. The wolf seemingly weighed far more than him as he couldn't squirm, let alone breathe.

Panic was setting in—this was the first time he had felt so close to death as the black-fur wolf kept him locked down. It then started tearing off pieces of flesh and fur, making Xen howl in pain. Being eaten alive was by far the worst thing Xen had experienced so far. He was only spared from the vicious assault as the wolf took a moment to gulp down the torn-off flesh. Its lips curled up into a sneer as if enjoying the weakness of its prey, showing its rows of teeth caked in bloodied blonde fur.

Wait, why do I have blonde fur and not black?

Xen thought back and remembered spending biomass to turn his elven hair into soft fur. Had that carried over to his transformation? Shouldn't his claws also be longer? Not that it mattered; he was pinned down with his vision darkening as the pain tortured his mind.

System messages he had been ignoring buzzed in his mind like useless static.

[Repair body with biomass?]

He felt like a fish swimming in a sea of mud. Focusing on anything was an absolute chore. All he wanted to do was flop down and sleep forever as his breath left him. There was an intense ringing alongside the sound of rushing blood that filled his head. There was also a distinct nasty metallic taste in his mouth. He tried to shift it lazily with his tongue and almost choked on the metal badge he had forgotten about. A Hunter's badge.

That realization pulled him from the mud of his mind and awakened him from his daze. He may not be a Hunter, but he could darn well act like one. He was a shapeshifter, which put him above being a mere wolf.

[Name: Xen]

[Level: 4 (F)]

[Race: Mind Slime (Rare Variant)]

[Current Form: Wolf Male (Level 1)]

[Biomass: 230]

[Repair body with biomass?]

He agreed with the system prompt and spent 80 biomass to repair his body. The overwhelming pain from being ripped apart while alive was screwing with his thought process. As a Mind Slime, he knew all too well that having a cool head and focused mind was crucial for victory.

With the numbing sensation of his spent biomass spreading through the wolf corpse he was controlling, Xen could finally think. Continuing with the idea of abusing his shapeshifting abilities, he thought of claws growing on his neck where the wolf currently had him pinned down.

[25 biomass consumed]

The area around his neck sizzled and let off a pungent stench, an attack in its own right as his bones extended upwards through his dissolved flesh and fur into ivory spikes. They pushed up into the black fur wolf's paw on his neck, causing the wolf to reel back in surprise and pain.

Xen raised his head and eyed the confused wolf. "Holy Smite," he snarled.

Golden lightning crackled between his teeth, burning his mouth and numbing his tongue, but Xen didn't care. As if letting out a howl, the lightning shot out his mouth. The hallway flashed with light as the lightning lashed out at the wolf.

It was... pathetic. The tiny spark didn't even contain enough power to make the distance and hit the wolf looming over him. Why do wolves only have 1 magic per level? Xen mentally cursed his luck. If he had been an elf or human, the [Holy Smite] skill would have hit and maybe even stunned. But as a wolf, it was nothing but a small flashbang.

I need to get closer. Xen hauled his body upwards. "Savage Bite," Mana surged toward his teeth, coating them in a red light as he chomped into the still confused wolf's neck. The skill may not have stunned in the intended way, but the wolf was distracted nonetheless. Giving Xen the perfect opportunity to strike.

His teeth sunk deep, giving him a mouthful of foul-tasting fur. The wolf, clearly unimpressed by his attack, tried to throw him off, sending his body lurching sideways with such force he felt his neck snap. But he held on.

"Holy Smite." Xen snarled again. Lightning gathered in his mouth once more, but it had a direct route to the wolf's neck this time. The wolf convulsed as the spark went off. Yet it remained standing and was even more motivated to smash him into the nearest wall. "Holy Smite." "Holy Smite." "Holy Smite." Xen kept chanting as he felt his brain grow fuzzy from expending too much mana. Each shock slowed the wolf's movements until the final one hit home. The black-furred wolf fully seized up and fell upon Xen.

It was stunned.

Xen rolled over to get on top of his opponent. "Savage Bite," Xen spat out the fur before clamping down on the wolf's head. It cracked like an eggunder his empowered jaw.

You have killed an opponent 2 levels above your own. Bonus experience awarded.

Experience split between [Mind Slime] and [Wolf] form.

[Wolf] has leveled up: 1 -> 2.

Xen took a moment to enjoy the refreshing feeling of a level-up as power filled his limbs. The joy of victory, however, didn't last long as two more wolves emerged from the shadows and encircled him.

Each was bigger than the one he had just killed with all he had. It was at this moment that Xen realized his mistake.

Why did I think this wolf would be alone?

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