Looking at the wandering Wild Wolves around him, Ethan was starting to get anxious.
"Come on, step up! With that cowardly look, you think you can be a leader? Pfft!" Ethan muttered to himself.
He nudged the Wild Wolf occasionally, but the wolf remained completely indifferent.
"This is so boring."
His fleeting curiosity vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Ethan flopped aimlessly across the wolf's back, fidgeting out of sheer boredom.
"Huh, why is there no fur here, just wrinkles? It really looks like a big butt," he said, poking at the area with his Parasite avatar.
Swimming to another spot, he clicked his tongue in mock wonder. Then a thought struck him.
"Damn, isn't this a butt?!"
Ethan recoiled. If he had lingered another second, he might have gone too far.
"Go inside? How could I even think something that disgusting? This is my character, not some perverse experiment," he muttered.
Still, glancing at the Parasite's pathetic stats, it was clear normal combat was out of the question. He had no choice but to get creative.
"Star Domain is supposed to be realistic, right? Fine, let's see just how realistic," Ethan said, bracing himself.
He maneuvered toward the small crevice between the wrinkles.
Thud.
His head bounced back. Well, technically it was the Parasite's head that bounced.
Ding. Warning. This is a normal game. Please refrain from inappropriate behavior. Ignoring this warning may result in account suspension.
"Damn it! What is this garbage thinking? You're the one interested in that! I just want to kill monsters. Is that too much to ask?" Ethan growled.
The Wild Wolf wasn't the problem. The system announcement was.
Fuming, he directed the Parasite to bite at the wrinkles randomly. Eyes closed, it wasn't gross—it was all digital.
After one bite, the Wild Wolf twitched violently.
"Whoa, hey! Are you going to attack or what?" Ethan shouted.
The wolf jumped once, then froze.
"You motherfucker! If you're not going to fight, why jump?"
Ethan stared at the wrinkles, then realized something.
Every time he bit the wolf, it jumped.
Could it be... he was controlling it?
He bit again. The wolf leapt another body length.
Ethan's eyes lit up. "This is genius! I can control the wolf!"
He bit repeatedly, guiding the wolf into another Wild Wolf's territory. The two creatures began fighting.
"I'm a genius for figuring this out," Ethan said, grinning. He leaned back, enjoying the chaos he had orchestrated.
Ding. System. Your host has defeated the opponent. Parasite attributes increased to 0.003.
Ding. System. Your host has defeated the opponent. Parasite attributes increased to 0.007.
Using this method, Ethan had the Wild Wolf defeat twenty-six others, leveling it from 2 to 4.
Name: Wild Wolf ★★★
Aptitude: D
Level: 4
Health Points: 35/35
Physical Attack: 7
Defense: 2
Skill One: Bite Level 4. Each attack deals 170 percent of current damage with a 7 percent chance to inflict bleeding for 3 seconds, losing 4 percent Health per second. Cooldown 30 seconds.
Talent One: Self-Healing Level 2. After exiting combat, recovers 2 Health Points every 10 seconds until fully healed.
Description: An ordinary wild creature, but its D-level aptitude is not ordinary. Could rise to leadership within its pack.
Ethan realized each level added 5 Health Points, 1 Attack, and 0.5 Defense. The 0.5 didn't show until it totaled 1.
Looking at the wolf, then at himself, he noted Parasite attributes had risen to 0.027. A 27-fold increase sounded impressive, but starting at 0.001 meant even a 100-fold jump wouldn't feel powerful.
"Sigh. Pointless," he muttered.
He logged out of the game.
Ethan looked at his worn-out helmet.
"Maybe it's the helmet," he said, uncertain. The Star Domain logo was barely visible. The rest was battered, pitted, and one corner completely missing.
Only someone as reckless as Ethan would dare use such a discarded helmet, risking brain fry in the process.
He tossed it aside and remotely guided his wheelchair out of the small room.
Outside, rows of low two-story houses lined the street, neat and beautiful in design.
If it weren't for the garbage and dilapidation, this would have been a perfect place to live.
The neighborhood had been abandoned for centuries. Ethan's home was one of the many structures along the street.
"Next year, once my legs are healed, I can leave," Ethan said, glaring at his crippled legs with hatred.
His legs weren't broken by accident. They had been shattered by someone who wanted to destroy him. The memory of the pain and humiliation remained.
Years ago, someone sneered at him, mocking his title in the Cole family and leaving him to beg in the streets.
Inside one house, a dozen youths spotted Ethan and rushed toward him.
"Hehe, Brother Ethan," one called.
"Brother Ethan, are you going to eat?" another said.
One of them pushed his wheelchair from behind.
"Yeah, let's go. If you haven't eaten, join us," Ethan said.
Over three years, Ethan had earned enough to start repairing his legs. The youths were his apprentices and assistants, scavenging materials while he focused on assembly.
Ethan had grown up wealthy, never lacking for anything. But his love for mechanical and electronic devices had earned him a reputation as a prodigy.
Three years ago, he had settled here, near the No. 37 Mechanical Waste Heap, a place no one cared about.
What others saw as trash, Ethan saw as treasure. He scavenged components, built devices, and sold them for profit.
The youths assisted him, gathering scrap and finding buyers. Ethan handled assembly. His recent supercar, crafted over months, had sold for ten million.