The preparations were complete and with a few tugs it looked like Gary was secure.
“I’m not so sure about this, Gary, you broke out of my parents' storage unit with ease. I’m worried you might be able to break out of this one as well.” Tom shared his concerns.
“It won't be like last time.” Gary stated confidently. “I’m not sure how to explain it, but I feel weaker now that the full moon has passed. I should still be able to use its power to transform me, but it shouldn’t last too long.”
None of that was true. Gary was actually going to test out his newly acquired Full Transformation skill. There was one thing the high schooler had sworn to himself, and that was that he wouldn’t tell Tom anything related to the Underdogs, which included the system. Who knew if this system was created by them as well. In the worst case scenario, they might kill anyone who knew even the tiniest bit about it.
Gary's plan was to use his Charging Heart and Claw Drain skills to lower his Energy down to around 35. Using Full Transformation cost him 20 Energy and since it took 10 Energy for every additional minute in that transformed stage, the teenager was sure his transformation should automatically be cancelled after thirty seconds once his Energy value reached 10, thus reverting him back to his original form.
‘These chains don't need to hold me for long, they just need to buy me thirty seconds.’ Gary thought.
Tom then placed the bags of food, which were filled with raw meat, a small distance away from where Gary was. This would be used for after the transformation. The distance set up was based on these thirty seconds. If he was to break out, it was possible he would reach the food, giving him more Energy and lengthening the transformed state, which was why they needed to be set a certain distance away. So he wouldn’t reach them in time.
“Are you completely sure about this, Gary?!” Tom shouted. “What if you can’t control it? You said last time that you didn’t know what was happening! That could easily happen again, right?”
Gary looked at Tom, he looked strange tied up, but his eyes were sincere.
“That’s what I need to find out, whether I can turn and still stay in control.” Gary replied. “Just trust me, everything is set up so even if I can’t remember everything or my Werewolf instincts take over, I'll turn back into a human before anyone gets hurt… I hope.”
Hearing this, Tom started to head in the other direction, and turned on the recording of Gary's phone. Then Gary waited a good ten minutes for Tom to be far enough away.
Finally, it was time. Gary had used a Charging Heart on his walk here. He realised that whenever the skill was used, and he wasn’t actually fighting, a rush of adrenaline would enter his body. It was hard for him to even walk. All he wanted to do was run, but he was holding himself back due to Tom.
Now, with his Energy down to 35 it was time for him to act.
[Skill activated Full Transformation]
[-20 Energy]
[Transformation has begun]
Gritting his teeth, Gary was bracing himself for the unbearable pain that he still vividly remembered. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been a one-time thing and everything was happening all over again. The strong heartbeat, the bulging of his muscles and more.
He wasn’t sure if it hurt more or less than last time, but he was determined to stay focused, so he could remember everything.
‘I have to keep conscious! There’s a good chance that if I pass out, my mind gets taken over by my natural instincts… or however it works. I need to learn to resist it.’
His skin quickly started to fall off his body, as his fur came to grow through his hands, he wanted to claw and rip at his body, but the chains seemed to be doing their job. As he pulled forward, they were digging into the tree, pulling it back and forth, ripping off the bark. However, one of the spikes that were digging into the other tree had ripped out from the tree.
‘Stay focused!’ Gary told himself, this time feeling even his face change, and eventually the transformation came to an end.
Gary felt like he was slightly taller than before. When he looked down, the teenager saw a hairy pair of legs. He also saw the clawed hands, unable to recognise any sign of his old body, yet he could tell that it was his by the feel of the wind blowing through his ‘hair’.
‘It….it worked! I’ve transformed and I’m still conscious!’
“Rawr rawr (it worked)!'' Gary tried to say it out loud, but only growls came out from his mouth. It didn’t sound even remotely like any human speech. The large tongue and his vocal cords were all foreign to him.
In front of him, his system was displaying an Energy bar, and he could see it was going down rapidly. It was a good thing and a bad thing, he imagined it would be a distraction, but it also served as a warning of when he would turn back.
Still, as it was going down, Gary wanted to check one more thing, and that was his Status. He needed to know just how much stronger he was at the moment.
[State: Werewolf (Omega)]
[Grade: Pawn]
[Strength 18 (+5)]
[Dexterity 14 (+5)]
[Endurance 28 (+5)]
The stats displayed corresponded to his own during Charging Heart, yet that much should have been a given. However, he also benefited from an extra five points in all of them while in his Werewolf Form.
‘This looks to be even better than when I got strengthened by the power of the moon. I wonder if those stack. I might actually be even stronger when I turn on a full moon as well. Still, just because I’m still conscious for this, doesn’t mean it will be the same on that day. The turning back then… I don't think this one’s the same, that day it felt far more aggressive.’
'And what is this Grade thing?'
While thinking about this, his time eventually ran out. The high schooler started to transform back to his normal self. His body was shrinking and, thankfully, there seemed to be no pain associated with his reverting to his normal self.
Unfortunately, the sensation on his skin when he came back was a little weird… what he hadn’t accounted for was that his clothes had stretched to the point where they had ripped off him… leaving him pretty naked once again…
‘Screw me, I just hope Tom comes back soon. If someone happens to pass by and see me in the woods chained up like this, they’ll think I'm some kind of super pervert!’ Gary would have loved to facepalm himself, yet he was unable to reach.
Nevertheless, this was definitely a step in the right direction!
‘Now…it's time for me to hunt you, Billy!’.
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