I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"I'm in a bad mood, so I'll ask only once for civility's sake. Guide me to your leader."

Adam's icy voice, as cold as a tundra, echoed through the forest, his eyes narrowing on the pack.

"Step out of the forest, human. We won't hesitate to shred you if you ignore our advice."

A tall wolf jumped before him, a predatory glint flashing in its piercing golden eyes.

"Tier-five werewolf?"

He nodded, his lips stretching into a soul-chilling smile as the metallic core in his chest roared to life.

The puppet's and Macuahuitl's engravings pulsed inside the wood as a surge of incredible power filled his wooden frame.

White solar flames appeared, engulfing him in a radiant halo and raising the surrounding temperature. Lightning and wind roared on his blade before a layer of silver moonlight enveloped the sharp edges as the same solar flames blinded his adversaries for a second.

"He knows of our weakness! Bite his neck off!"

The cracking and hoarse voice of the pack leader echoed as he saw him stumble back in fear and felt his strength weaken.

Before the leader's words could linger, a blur of red and black shattered the surrounding air. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire

"ARGH!"

Agonising howls reverberated before his trembling eyes as his sharp fangs clattered and horror engulfed his hastening heart.

Despite his strength, he only saw violet, white, and silver lights crisscross the air before scarlet jets burst from his subordinates' necks. Then, the disturbing sight of their falling heads hurling a last yelp before dying and the blood dripping from the human's terrifying blade.

Finally, Adam reappeared before him, a vicious grin stretching his lips as he casually checked his notifications.

[Tier 4 magical beast: Werewolf defeated. Experience points limit reached. Tier up to unlock it.] x4

His eyes trailed down as he checked his unnatural stats, boosted to absurd heights by the puppet and his weapon, and patted his back mentally for these fabulous creations.

Vitality: 0 (+800) (+300)

Strength: 0 (+750) (+300)

Agility: 0 (+650) (+300)

Intelligence: 66.8

"How can a human be this strong?!"

Meanwhile, the wolf leader's colossal body trembled and shifted. His once imposing form shrank. His powerful paws became hands and feet covered in a layer of gray fur. A human broad torso crowned with a wolf's head appeared, glinting silver under the sun as icy dread seized him by the neck.

"Darkness' embrace, dark ballista, curse of blindness!"

The second his hybrid form stabilised, he channelled his mana and hurled a barrage of inky spells at Adam.

However, the human's voice resounded behind him as the spells shattered trees and rose dust before him.

"Last chance. Lead me to your leader, or let your bones nourish the forest."

Fear he had never felt before gripped his legs and heart. He felt entangled in a quagmire, at the mercy of a predator, drilling holes in his back with its piercing eyes.

"W-Wait! I'll lead you to him. Please, don't kill me!"

As the werewolf stuttered, Adam saw him raise his palms in surrender.

A satisfied grin stretched his lips as he slapped the bizarre creature's back.

"See? You could have avoided your companion's death if you were a little reasonable."

However, the playful gesture sent the werewolf tumbling before he crashed to the ground with a pained yelp.

"Ah! My bad. I didn't control my strength."

He scratched his hair and offered an apologetic smile before helping the creature up.

With a grin that sent another shiver down the werewolf's spine, he dusted his trembling fur with gentle taps, making him realise Adam had done it on purpose to pressure him mentally. And it worked.

"As good as new. Now, tell me about your leader's personality and your village customs."

"The leader? His name is Soma. He is the oldest among us and the only tier-six individual."

The information aligned with what he knew, making him nod as the creature continued.

"We respect and welcome the strong except for one person. So, I think he'll allow you to step foot in our village. But why did you come to the dwarven territory and search for us?"

His eyes narrowed at the curious werewolf, sending a chill crash into him.

"Lead the way. I'll speak with him directly."

Without wasting time blabbering and with a disgruntled snort, he pushed the werewolf, forcing him to walk.

After a long walk through the forest, he saw houses built into trees and connected with bridges. A mix of elves and humans walked on the ground, passing by wooden constructs and negotiating in the market.

The werewolf in front of him shifted, his ears elongating and fur receding. From two meters and a half, he became a one-meter and seventy-centimeter half-elf and turned to him.

"Interesting."

He tucked his fingers around his chin, witnessing Selene's grimoire theories in action with intrigue.

"Our leader lives in the tallest tree."

He followed the finger, pointed at a wide house overlooking the village and nodded.

Yet, his eyes narrowed the next second.

With a swift pull, he threw the half-elf behind him before backing three steps.

BOOM

The ground caved in on his previous position as a cloud of dust rose.

Before it could engulf his sight, a bulky werewolf's arm swiped in his direction, its sharp claws glinting and brushing the cloud away.

Instead of dodging, he hurled his wooden fist to meet the attacker's, lips twitching in annoyance.

BAM

The collision sent furious gales battering the surroundings as his hat flew off and solar flames crackled in his eyes.

The creature was powerful enough to lock him in a stalemate, leaving only one possibility.

'It's their leader.'

Meanwhile, Soma's eyes enlarged at the human who endured his strike and the weakening solar energy coursing through his fist.

He pushed forward, imbuing his arm with dark mana before frowning.

"Who are you, human?"

"Didn't the dwarves tell you? I'm their too-kind big brother who came to rescue them."

His lips curled into a snicker as he crouched, stabilising his footing and adding his back to the punch.

"Those sixty cowards? How did they contact you? No. It makes no sense. They were slaves to the royal family. You shouldn't even know about them."

Confusion flashed in Soma's eyes as the solar flames eroded his strength, forcing his fist back with each second crawling by.