The End

Kraun stepped toward the door leading to the backyard when he suddenly heard two heavy thuds.

The Golden Light Incantation Visualization Method had not only granted him rapid recovery but also sharpened his five senses.

Although those two sounds were fleeting, they were heard with absolute clarity in the quiet of the night.

What has gotten in?

He muttered to himself in his heart, but instead of continuing forward, Kraun slowly retreated.

Immediately after, he heard a low, short growl and instantly realized the identity of the uninvited guest outside.

Who else could it be but that werewolf that had escaped!

Through these past few days of training, Kraun felt that his strength, stamina, and reflexes had all improved significantly.

The increasingly robust muscles on his chest and abdomen were one piece of evidence of this.

He did not continue forward because he was waiting—waiting for the werewolf to lose patience and charge in on its own.

Poor door, I only just replaced it a few days ago!

He quipped in his heart, his expression focused as he stared at the small door.

The sword in his hand was one he had borrowed from the priest, a sharpened Star-Patterned Steel Sword. While it was far from the toughness of Valyrian Steel, it was still capable of slicing through the hide of a monster.

With a sharp weapon in hand, the intent to kill arose naturally.

The close-quarters combat training had given him the ability to handle danger.

He was confident that by relying on time-stop, the razor-sharp Star-Patterned Steel Sword, and the swordsmanship he had painstakingly cultivated, he could teach the werewolf a more unforgettable lesson.

The werewolf held its position, intending to execute a perfect ambush.

After a long while, it heard no sound from inside the room, and doubt began to stir in its heart.

In its werewolf state, it clearly lacked patience. Having heard no movement inside for so long, the werewolf let out another low growl, raised its claws, and swiped the door panel off its hinges, sending it flying inside.

The brightness within made it somewhat uncomfortable, and the werewolf instinctively shielded its eyes with its arm.

Kraun nimbly dodged the incoming door panel. The werewolf's shielding motion gave him a perfect opportunity.

With a sudden lunge, the sharp sword in his hand thrust toward the werewolf's throat.

The werewolf's senses were extremely keen; it seemed to perceive the danger and dodged to one side.

Kraun shifted his technique, changing the thrust into a slash. The blade bit fiercely into the werewolf's neck, reaching the bone.

He exerted force, but the blade could not sink any deeper.

Changing tactics again, he stepped back, gripped the hilt with both hands, and wrenched the blade free.

The wound on its neck burned with searing pain, and the werewolf's roar grew even louder, a shrill cry that echoed through the intoxicating night air.

The werewolf swiped its claws forward, seemingly wanting to tear the one who had wounded it into pieces.

Kraun's body first feinted to the left, then immediately dodged to the right, exiting the werewolf's attack range.

He thrust his sword forward; this time, he intended to drive the entire blade into the werewolf's mouth.

Perhaps the werewolf's combat instincts were naturally sharp, as his sword only sliced its cheek, shearing off a patch of black fur.

Having failed to land a decisive blow, he hurriedly pushed off with his legs to put distance between himself and the werewolf.

At this point, rage had completely consumed the little reason the werewolf had left.

It roared again, making a move to charge forward.

Little did it know that Kraun's speed was a step faster. As he approached the werewolf, he activated time-stop.

The werewolf froze for an instant, its expression twisted in hatred.

Though this instant was brief, it was enough for Kraun to complete what he intended to do.

The blade of Star-Patterned Steel was already buried deep into the werewolf's maw.

Kraun gripped the hilt with both hands, engaged his waist, and executed a side-spin.

Half of the werewolf's neck was severed.

The consequence of a severed carotid artery was that blood began to spray like a broken faucet, unstoppable.

The more violently the werewolf struggled, the more the blood gushed out like a fountain, as if it were worthless.

Kraun retreated a few steps, moving away from the spray of blood.

A werewolf's vitality was strong, but under such an injury, it was absolutely impossible to survive.

He had, after all, added something extra to his weapon.

After struggling for another ten minutes or so, the werewolf collapsed to the ground, completely still.

Backing away a few more steps, Kraun sat in a chair, gasping for air.

The duration of the battle had been very short, but the energy he had expended was considerable.

A real fight was, after all, completely different from sparring.

The sensation of dancing on the edge of a blade was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating.

With the massive boost from the Time Sand, time froze, bringing the werewolf's movements to a complete standstill and granting him the time to feed his blade directly into the creature's maw.

Kraun closed his eyes, reviewing the battle just passed to identify his shortcomings.

Once he finished his review, he picked up his weapon again and headed toward the backyard; tonight's swordsmanship practice had to continue.

He dragged the werewolf's corpse to the corner of the wall with a casual tug; sharing a room with a dead body was no longer a big deal to him.

Church training ground.

The sunlight poured down, stretching the shadow of the priest who stood ramrod straight.

"You are late today."

His voice was slightly cold, and he let out a huff through his nose: "Do you think that because you have gained some ability, you can start being slack?"

"Thud," Kraun dropped the bundle wrapped in black cloth from his shoulder and explained: "A werewolf broke into my home last night, and I killed it. After waking up this morning, I went to the police station to file a report, which is why I am a bit late."

"Did you not say that although they are useless against monsters, filing more reports might force them to report to their superiors, and Rhine City might eventually send some truly capable personnel to help maintain the stability of the parish?"

"A werewolf?" Nick stepped forward, bent down, and tore away the black cloth.

Seeing that it was indeed a werewolf inside, he judged by the state of the congealed blood that the monster had died around eight or nine o'clock last night.

"A werewolf's teeth can fetch a few Gold Shields; they can serve as your meal supplement. Your appetite has exceeded my estimates, so now I won't have to subsidize you. I'll go handle this; you continue with your physical training."

Kraun nodded in agreement, put on his Sand Vest, and began to run.

Time slipped away, and soon it was the middle of the Frostfall Month.

With physical training, strength training, and swordsmanship training during the day, Kraun lived a tense and fulfilling life.

At night, he would even add extra sessions; although only ten days or so had passed, his strength had made significant progress.

[Golden Light Incantation: 4132/50000; Tier 1]

[Basic Swordsmanship: 586/5000; Tier 3]

[Cross Sword: 758/2000; Tier 2]

The Golden Light Incantation was progressing steadily, and his Basic Swordsmanship had reached Tier 3, allowing him to execute various clever combinations with ease.

The implicit bonus brought by his high-level Basic Swordsmanship was that his Cross Sword was improving rapidly, now already at Tier 2.

The only downside was that Father Nick was no longer a match for him in terms of swordsmanship technique, leaving him with no one to spar with.

Perhaps I should look for Geralt. If it comes down to it, I'll pay. Finding a strong sparring partner is worth spending a few Gold Shields.