Author Reincarnated as Villain-Chapter 64 : Two Weeks II

Van didn't realize that his uncle had disappeared. He was only focused on observing the surroundings with caution and a hint of curiosity.

"The environment here is so dim, like night. It's also cold and damp. The ground is a bit muddy too, seems like it'll be full of sludge. The trees here reach hundreds of meters tall. No wonder the readers of my novel think this forest is haunted," Van thought.

Elsewhere, two small monsters immediately panicked upon realizing their uncle had vanished right in front of them.

They clung to Van like snails, occasionally glancing around with fear and anxiety.

"Calm down. That lunatic left us here on purpose—to train," Van said calmly.

'But this doesn't answer my question. Why did he come back? Isn't he the type who likes isolating himself? Never mind. I'll ask him after this training ends,' Van thought.

[MASTER, ARE YOU INTERESTED IN YOUR UNCLE'S [STATUS]? YOU MIGHT FIND IT A LITTLE INTERESTING AND SURPRISING]

Seeing his [System] suddenly pop up, Van cursed it inwardly.

'You're actually showing up? I almost forgot about you, considering how useless you are.'

[BAST*RD! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!]

'Am I wrong? You're useless [System]. Hurry up and show me my Uncle's [Status], you good-for-nothing [System].'

[TCH, I'LL LET THAT SLIDE THIS TIME]

[STATUS]

[Name: Wilbert Black]

[Level: 76]

[Race: Human]

[ATTRIBUTE: Fire, Thunder, Shadow][STRENGTH: 3,000]

[AGILITY: 3,000]

[DEFENSE: 2,500]

[MENTAL: 2,000]

[MANA: 300,000/300,000]

[Skills:

- Sword Aura (Active)

- Beast Aura (Passive)

- World of Shadow Beast (Active)

- Humanoid Beast (Passive)]

[Sword Aura: A sword aura that can be used for offense and defense.]

[Beast Aura: An oppressive beast aura that dominates weaker or equal opponents.]

[World of Shadow Beast: Creates a 100-meter area of shadowy forest around the user. User can summon unlimited [Shadow Beasts] in this world]

[Humanoid Beast: The user is an incarnation of a wild beast. Strength, speed, endurance, toughness, reflexes, and pure instincts are like those of a wild animal.]

Van's eyes narrowed as he looked at his uncle's [Status].

'What the hell?! Level 76? Didn't he reach this level only after Oliver and Olivia graduated from the Academy? Why so soon?!' Van thought, shocked and overwhelmed with panic.

Before Van could think further, the curses and complaints of the two small monsters snapped him out of it.

"I should've known that crazy man actually wants to kill me! Do you know how cruel he was when you weren't around?! He used me as a punching bag!" Oliver cried with teary eyes.

"Brother, how am I supposed to train? I'm a mage! What good is a mage without [Mana]?" Olivia said, looking equally miserable.

"Both of you, calm down. Maybe this place isn't as bad as you think," Van replied calmly.

"ROAR!"

They turned and saw a big black wolf, five meters tall. Its fur was sharp as razors. Its red eyes resembled bottomless pits. Its fangs looked like they could rip through human flesh in one bite.

The two small monsters, who had just calmed down, immediately panicked again. They stared at Van with frightened, angry, and disbelieving eyes.

Under their gaze, Van's face remained calm and composed, though inside, he was deeply embarrassed. He had just said the forest might not be dangerous, and in the very next second, a giant murderous wolf had appeared.

'[System], scan that wolf,' Van ordered.

[Name: -]

[Level: 30]

[Race: Demonic Black Wolf]

[Description: A beast tainted by demonic blood, gaining tremendous power but losing its sanity. Its claws can slice steel like tofu. Its fangs can easily crush diamonds…]

Reading the [System]'s description of the massive wolf before him, Van was certain: if this creature showed up in the Capital of Avalon Kingdom, there would be countless casualties. Staring at the beast, Van finally felt the horror of the [Forest of Death], one of the world's forbidden zones.

According to the books he'd read, the lowest-ranked monster in the [Forest of Death] was level 30—just like the wolf in front of him. This meant the big demonic wolf was at the very bottom of the food chain. Stronger monsters could easily crush it with a single hit.

Van checked his own [Mana] and sighed.

[MANA: 150,000/150,000]

Although there was no [Mana] in the [Forest of Death], people often misunderstood what that meant. It didn't mean you couldn't use [Mana]—you just couldn't regenerate it.

'So I have to survive with this limited [Mana] for two weeks?' Van thought.

"ROAR!"

The big demonic black wolf charged at them at such incredible speed that it left afterimages in the air.

In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of the trio.

The two small monsters' eyes widened in horror as the big demonic black wolf raised its deadly sharp claws to strike them.

'We're dead,' the two little monsters thought as they exchanged glances.

*WHOOSH

Van's figure flickered at lightning speed. He dodged the wolf's attack and appeared at a distance, setting down the two monsters that had clung to him like snails.

'No. I was wrong. That lunatic didn't bring us here to train in conserving [Mana]. He brought us here to train our bodies and minds,' Van realized.

A golden portal opened and three ordinary-looking swords appeared.

Van took one and handed the other two to the little monsters.

"From now on, no [Mana]. We survive using our bodies alone," Van said calmly.

The two monsters were stunned. They looked at Van with wide eyes, filled with shock, fear, and disbelief.

"Watch closely," Van said.

Before they could ask questions, Van dashed toward the big demonic black wolf with the ordinary sword in hand.

In an instant, Van appeared in front of the beast. The big demonic black wolf stared at Van with bloodthirsty eyes and swung its razor-sharp claws.

Van leapt to dodge and reappeared in front of its face. He stabbed the wolf's left eye, causing it to burst.

Compared to the massive beast, Van was like an ant—easily crushed. At level 25, he couldn't seriously harm it because of its steel-like fur. That's why Van aimed for the softest, most vulnerable part of any living creature: the eyes.

The big demonic black wolf howled in pain and glared at Van with its remaining eye, filled with bloodlust.

Its next attack came much faster—so fast that Van couldn't dodge in time.

As he tried to react, the big wolf's paw slammed into him, sending him flying dozens of meters until he crashed into a giant tree.

Oddly, the tree showed no signs of damage.

Van spat out a mouthful of blood from the impact.

'Luckily, I barely dodged and only got hit by the palm. If it had been the claws, I might've been seriously injured—or worse. Also, what are these trees made of? They're absurdly hard!' Van thought, wiping the blood from his mouth.

He stared at the big demonic black wolf, now charging toward him again with murderous intent. Van raised his sword and released a slash of dark purple energy toward the wolf.

The beast easily shattered the energy slash.

But even a second of distraction can be fatal in battle.

As the big demonic black wolf broke the energy slash, it suddenly realized that its target had vanished.

The big demonic black wolf quickly turned to its left and swung its claw through the air.

*WHOOP

Van landed on the wolf's paw, narrowly avoiding the attack.

'As expected from a level 30 beast. Its instincts are razor-sharp—but too bad, you've lost the sanity needed for reasoning!' Van thought.

He jumped toward the big demonic black wolf's remaining eye. For a split second, he could see the beast's pupil widen in fear. Without hesitation, Van slashed at the eye.

'My plan worked. I used that energy slash as a distraction, then moved to its blind spot on the left—its left eye is already gone,' Van thought proudly.

The big demonic black wolf roared in agony and panic, now completely blind. It lashed out wildly in every direction, swinging its claws in blind rage.

Van turned toward the two little monsters cowering behind a tree.

"What are you afraid of? Didn't you say you wanted to be the world's greatest hero and mage?" Van asked.

Their frightened expressions faded, replaced by courage.

"Yeah! I'll become a hero! How can I be scared of a barking mutt?!" Oliver shouted, gripping his sword.

"Yeah! I'm the future number one mage in the world! Why would I be scared of a wolf in some small forest?!" Olivia shouted, channeling [Mana] into her sword.

Van and the two little monsters attacked the wolf together.

Now blind, the big demonic black wolf was nothing more than a giant punching bag. It could do nothing but suffer under the combined assault of the Black family trio.

After a while, the big demonic black wolf finally took its last breath and collapsed to the ground, its body covered in slashes.