Chapter 37: Upgrading the Holy Light Skill

Carrying Lucas on his back, Lin Xiao walked with the others to the edge of the forest. None of them spoke a word along the way. Who could have imagined that Michael and Lucas would end up bitten by werewolves? These legendary dark creatures were supposed to exist only in tales and myths—how could they appear in the real world?

Strangely, Lin Xiao felt a sense of calm settle over him. The generous rewards for killing the werewolves somewhat eased his worry over his friends’ injuries. Besides, with the system at his disposal, perhaps he could exchange points for a healing potion and cure them both.

But then came the real question: should he really cure them? After all, becoming a werewolf meant possessing extraordinary powers. If the two awoke and learned of their transformation, they might not even want to be cured. As the saying goes, it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white—as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.

As for the risk of losing their sanity after their transformation, that didn’t seem so daunting. With himself and Number Eleven around, there was little chance of any real havoc. And if things got out of hand, a swift blow to the head would be a simple and effective solution.

He shared his thoughts with Number Eleven, and her expression slowly brightened, even breaking into a smile through her tears. Being bitten by a werewolf didn’t seem like such a bad thing, after all. Michael, who was always pestering her to teach him superpowers, finally had some real powers to speak of.

“For now, let’s not tell their parents what happened today. I’ll ask my teacher if there’s any way to cure them or at least suppress their bloodthirsty traits. Perhaps there’s a remedy to this flaw,” she said.

Number Eleven readily agreed. Jonathan’s teacher possessed remarkable abilities—perhaps he could indeed resolve this.

Back at the edge of the woods, the three of them bundled the two unconscious boys into the car. They remained unresponsive, showing no sign of waking. If not for the steady rhythm of their breath and heartbeat, one might have thought they’d never awaken.

On the drive home, Lin Xiao called both families. The parents rushed over and together brought the boys to the hospital. After an examination, the doctor confirmed that neither had suffered serious injuries; they were simply running high fevers and were given antipyretic injections.

Lin Xiao doubted the injections would help. According to countless films and records, werewolf transformations were the result of a werewolf virus. The fever was most likely a symptom of the virus’s invasion, and so the standard treatment would be ineffective.

To prevent any accidents, Lin Xiao and Number Eleven stood watch outside the ward all night, while the parents kept vigil by their children’s bedsides.

During the long wait, Lin Xiao opened up his system interface. He still had two SP points left from his last level-up, which needed to be carefully allocated to maximize his strength.

Currently, he had three general skills and five basic skills. Apart from Dash Slash, which he had upgraded to LV2 Mastery, the rest were only at LV1 Novice level and not particularly powerful. Their success in defeating the two werewolves owed much to Number Eleven’s cooperation, but the LV2 Dash Slash had also played a crucial role. Without it, their victory would have been far from certain given the werewolves’ lightning-fast reflexes.

Clearly, having more skills was beneficial, but skill level was equally important. Since skills below level 10 could only be raised to LV2 Mastery, he even considered further upgrading Dash Slash.

After careful deliberation, Lin Xiao ultimately chose to upgrade a LV1 skill: Holy Light.

He made this choice for two reasons. First, the skill allowed him to convert his mana into a light attribute. Second, dark creatures were naturally aligned with darkness, so light-based magic would likely have a targeted effect. Moreover, since Michael and Lucas had been bitten, if they transformed into werewolves, he couldn’t very well kill them. Perhaps Holy Light could suppress the virus within them and diminish their bloodlust.

He invested both SP points into the skill, instantly raising Holy Light to LV2. A small interface popped up:

[Holy Light: LV2 Mastery. Converts internal mana into light attribute power, creating a sacred light that dispels darkness. Grants a 15% bonus to magic attacks against dark creatures. When the light collides with enemies, it explodes, dealing light attribute magic damage. Consumes 40 mana per use.

LV2 Mastery Special Move: Spear of Light—Condense sacred light into a radiant spear capable of piercing armor. Enemies struck by the Spear of Light suffer a 10% reduction in defense and take 50 points of magic damage.]

“Oh, it unlocked a special move! I really underestimated the value of Holy Light. In terms of cost-effectiveness, it truly deserves priority. Good thing I didn’t spend points on a new skill.”

Satisfied, Lin Xiao closed the interface. He now possessed the means to protect himself. He couldn’t claim invincibility, but at least he could safeguard himself and his family from harm.

The werewolf clan leader, Lucien, who had escaped, was very likely to return for revenge. Even without Number Eleven’s assistance, Lin Xiao was confident he could defeat him with his current power.

Nonetheless, to prevent any desperate retaliation that might endanger Joey or Will, he would need to remain vigilant for the next while and make sure they didn’t go out alone.

To be sure, Lin Xiao instructed Number Eleven to start tomorrow by disguising herself once again as a girl, donning the golden wig from last time, and accompanying Joey to work to protect her from the shadows.

As for Will, Lin Xiao could accompany him to and from school, so he wasn’t too concerned about anything happening there.

By the next morning, Michael and Lucas finally awoke from their comas.

“I’m starving… so hungry!”

They cried out in unison. Their parents wept tears of joy and embraced each other, hugging Lin Xiao and Number Eleven tightly in gratitude for bringing their children back.

The parents bought food, and the two boys immediately tore into it like ravenous wolves. Lin Xiao couldn’t help but notice that they ate in a strangely canine manner, smacking their lips as they devoured their meals.

Their appetites were astonishing—they consumed enough for five people before finally patting their stomachs with satisfaction. Their parents looked on, both worried and relieved; after all, a healthy appetite was a good sign.

Lin Xiao then questioned them about the events of that day. Michael recounted how, after parting ways with Number Eleven, he had been on his way home when he was suddenly seized by a monster and slung over its shoulder. He struggled desperately but to no avail, so he feigned compliance, hoping to lower the monster’s guard. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he used a small knife he carried to leave marks along the way.

Lucas related his own story: he had stumbled upon Michael’s marks and followed them, only to be attacked by a monster himself, after which he lost consciousness.

Their parents also questioned Lin Xiao about the incident. He omitted the combat details and the fact that the boys had been bitten by werewolves, merely saying he’d received Lucas’s signal and, together with Will and his distant cousin (Number Eleven), set out to search for them.

“What kind of monster took you? Was it the Jersey Devil?” Michael’s father asked curiously.

Seeing Lin Xiao signaling him, Michael quickly amended his answer: “Not really a monster—just someone in a big fur coat, very tall, looked a bit monstrous.”

The parents breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, the boys had been frightened and imagined they’d been taken by a monster—after all, monsters don’t exist in the real world. Children will be children.

As they spoke, Sheriff Hope entered with Nick and Eddie, taking statements from the boys and noting the characteristics of the so-called “monster” that had abducted them. He assured the families they would continue investigating and told them not to worry.

With the crisis seemingly resolved, Lin Xiao and Number Eleven left together, preparing to return home. Just as they were about to leave, Nick and Eddie caught up to them, handing over a large envelope, bulging as though stuffed with many things.