Ugh... The sick feeling Lawrence mentioned was somehow worse than the [Weakness Sickness] in the first few days after being bitten. But being drowsy while working at my workplace in real life is even worse. Maybe I should have taken Bryan's advice more seriously. Until then, I have to suck it up and make sure that my deadbeat boss won't find...

"There you are, Lowell!"

...out.

Great, I'm only entering the general store and I already got his stink-eye. But for some reason, we're not alone. Not only a few employees are surprisingly present, but they're staring at me like I did a crime or something. No, it's not only that. Along with my boss and so-called colleagues stood a familiar face sneering down at me. Of course, one of David's goons had to be involved in this gathering.

"At least you have the gall to show your face at this time. Besides, you have a new colleague here," the boss grinned. "This is Eric. Says that you and him go way back."

Of course, I recognize his smug face! He's David's right-hand man who can never leave his side singing praises to that bastard. Knowing them, I have a feeling they got their dirty hands on his dodgy recruitment.

"Since you knew him, you're in charge of giving the newbie some pointers! Make sure you don't shriek off your work afterward. Lacy told me she would be taking a break with me tomorrow night. Hehehehe..."

Those bastards...! That's his dumb and obvious excuse to goof around with the female workers! Even worse, they only care more about piling more work on me than worrying about the boss's lecherous behavior and my important priorities. Adding Eric to the mix meant trouble for me and my sleep schedule...

"Now get back to work!"

Dammit... I didn't get to say a word about this. Knowing David, he must have bribed the boss so he had his goons torture me even during work hours. How far will they go until they stomp out all of my dreams and hopes for the future?!

"Happy to work with you, "senpai"!"

Eric cackled and smacked my back before he headed to who knows where. I have a feeling he's gonna slack off than being serious at this job.

Either way, I am suffering and I need help...

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It took about 6 hours, but I managed to survive the hellhole known as a part-time store worker. Despite that, Eric spent almost the whole time harassing and subtly mocking me from behind. He's never gonna stop until I punch him in annoyance or something that would make me fired from my job early. I guess he's also pissed about the incident since I was the one who tried to stab him and later got wiped by Lawrence and Fenrir.

Right now, it's only an hour away until my shift's done. Unfortunately, Eric threw most of the inventory job to me like with the boss and some unruly colleagues. Namely, I have to carry all of these boxes into the storage by myself. I can't get a break, will I?

"Do you need some help?"

I looked up when I heard a deep baritone voice while I was carrying another box. Then, I gasped to see a man smiling at me. He looked like any other customer I saw except his black short hair and narrow gray eyes reminded me of a certain someone I know.

"Uh... No. Customers aren't allowed at the back. I'll take care of this." He looks nice to be concerned about me, but I already have enough troubles to share for one day.

"All of that by yourself?" The middle-aged man looked around the area before turning back to me. "Seems like it will be impossible for you to finish the task on your own before nightfall. No matter what you say, there's no way I won't leave you alone with all of these dreaded boxes."

And he starts picking up the boxes before I have a say in this. Then again, he's right about one thing. If I'm stuck here hauling my ass with them, there's no way I can get to [Isekai] on time for the in-game full moon. Besides, those bastards are already giving me grief with more chores 2 hours before my shift's over.

"Alright... I'm only saying that because my boss will blame me for letting a customer help me with my job."

"I can tell. You seem exhausted from it and no one is here to help you lighten the burden," the man said while he placed two boxes in the storage. "If you ask me, that's the poor way to manage a store."

I raised my eyebrow. "I wish that's the case... Not like everyone will believe me even if I post a video online."

"Why the doubt, kid? I feel like you're beating yourself up because a few bad apples see you as useless. If anything, you're a diligent worker who is determined to see things through no matter the obstacle you will face."

I quietly chuckle at his exaggerated compliment. "First off, I'm 18 years old. Second, one of them has connections to someone willing to put me down over a petty motive. Even if I work hard, chances are he will ruin my hard work, and not even a viral video can save me."

The man sighed. "I get you're worried about your harassers. But as my friend just stated recently, hiding behind a mask for so long out of cowardice will lead you to stagnation. If you want to move forward, then find a solid motivation to do it."

I widened my eyes when I heard those words coming out of his mouth. "Huh. You remind me of the guy that helped me get through my problems. Only he's an NPC from a fantasy video game I'm currently playing."

"Oh? Is that man a village leader of a werewolf village?"

I almost drop the box upon hearing that.

"And not to pry, but is that game the same one that everyone's raving about? A VRMMO called ?"

And I dropped another box. This time, the man managed to pick it up and put it at the back. This gives me time to process his words before making an undeniable conclusion. "Wait, are you telling me...?"

But the man quickly covered my mouth after putting another box and said, "How about we discuss it over a drink later? I think you can take care of the rest from here, correct?"

I wish he could tell me more right now. But he's right. I need to finish this before the boss finds out I got help. I silently nodded to him as he went out of the store before I went back to work.

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It only took about 30 more minutes to finish transferring the boxes, but I managed to finish it long enough to take a break and grab a drink (with no employee discount no thanks to my stingy boss). I ran out and to my surprise, the man who helped me was there drinking a can of coffee of the same brand as mine. Regardless, I joined him and opened my can to take a sip.

"Well... I knew how shitty your work life was from your descriptions alone. But I never thought you were working in those poor conditions under an exploitative manager, kid."

At least he has the decency to avoid calling me by my in-game name. "You have no idea. If you think working with that asshole was worse, try working with a bully's minion in the same workplace." I take another sip of my canned coffee and let out a sigh. "By the way, how did you know I'm... You know..."

"If I tell you I'm a mind reader, would you believe me?"

As if. I roll my eyes at that cliché joke.

"Alright, alright. I won't goof around. To be honest, I didn't know you were the player behind that character. I was passing by getting some snacks for my kid when I saw you struggling with those boxes," The player behind Lawrence explained. "When I noticed you doubting yourself and complaining about the green-eyed guy with earrings, I was reminded of your character. I shrug it off because both of you have different heights and it's a bit of a pain to recognize you because of your [Race's] physical appearance. Your reactions when I mentioned Fenrir's words from his stories about his first encounter with you are the straws that break my hill of skepticism."

Okay, true. Though I'm not proud of the fact I barely copied my real-life self into my character. Other than the [Insignis's] white hair and blue eyes, I only changed my height to make myself a bit of a wallflower kid. And I doubt I'm a great protagonist for a story.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"So it's a bit of a coincidence running into each other, huh? I don't know if fate is giving me mercy for all of the shit I've been through for almost my whole life."

"Truth is stranger than fiction, kid. You never know what you can expect outside of the VRMMO world. But to me, I feel like this is a great opportunity for both of us."

I gulp down the rest of the coffee. "But I didn't reply through Discourse yet. And like I said, I'm still having budget issues and I need to stabilize before resigning."

The Lawrence player slowly sipped his coffee and hummed. "Either way, there's no way for you to continue working part-time in this establishment. If you continue to make excuses..."

I froze when he said that "e" word. "...then I won't do anything to move forward. I know... But still..."

The man looks at me for a while. I guess I'm relapsing back to my cowardly self thanks to those two. Ugh... This is another part of myself I hate so much.

"Then how about an incentive?"

My eyes widen when I see him grinning weirdly. "Incentive? And will you stop grinning like that? It's creeping me out!"

"Hehe... Sorry, force of habit. But how about we'll make a bet? It's going to be a full moon at [Isekai] in a few hours, so I feel like you might do something that other players might do the same."

I raise my eyebrow. What he's offering that gives me a reason to switch jobs?

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I sighed in big relief as I found myself back in my apartment. I can see the dark blue sky with a few stars shining outside my window. I thought I couldn't come back here after 8. But thanks to Lawrence's player, I managed to finish my work on time. It's a shame I didn't get his real name. But both of us need to respect our privacies and he told me he will tell me when the time comes. For now, it's almost Day 6 before the full moon in [Isekai]. So I take a bath, change clothes, and prepare my dinner.

After all of that, I went to my bed and accessed the [Browser Room] through the [VeilCon]. I do need to study for the exams soon and I have a feeling I can't go to sleep in real life on time after today's play session. Besides, with the possibility of the [Mind Link] messing me up in the game, who knows what will happen during the full moon? So I boot it up and open my usual workstation...

And I was met with a new email with a familiar email address.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Oh, Lowell...

Hey. I know you're still playing . You may put yourself invisible in my friend list, but I know you're not the type to quit the game after one failed dungeon run.

I suggest you meet up in if we want to keep this partnership "amicable".

Unless you don't want to be the one to blame on the other newbies here.

Of course, he had to resort to subtle threats. If this is another level of pettiness, then I don't know what does. Although there is a chance my ban from the outside world will be lifted after the full moon, so there's a high chance I can't ignore him and [Viper's Fangs] any longer. But that's one burning bridge I have to cross someday. There's another message. This time, there are three new replies in the private Discourse group DM.

[LycanFanatic:

Yo, Mask! Don't push yourself too hard on your part-time job! If you need help or give that bastard a piece of his mind, LMK!]

[StylishYetDangerous:

Lycan told me to send a message to you because he's worried about you. Then again, you always have issues with your part-time job lately.]

[StylishYetDangerous:

You should listen to Lycan and try not to beat yourself up because of your boss. We're here for you.]

Bryan... Harley... I guess those two really got my back despite our tomfoolery with each other. I guess I shouldn't ignore their advice for my sake. Right now, it's exams or bust for the next hour.

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I yawned as I got up from my bed in the guest room. Ugh... The sick feeling came back after I logged back in. Looks like this will go away after the full moon, so I have to get used to it. At least it's a small sacrifice to pay after working my ass off with my studies. I should head out and find Fenrir downstairs...

At least that's the plan until a sharp pain suddenly invaded my head. It's too unbearable for me to endure and I can't seem to endure it. I clutch my head and collapse on my knees while trying not to scream from it. Dammit, not right now! I already suffered enough from my part-time thanks to Eric and my no-good boss!

[Oh, hello there!]

[Morning, Diana! So nice to see you!]

Huh? Why am I starting to hear voices all of a sudden?

[Kai! I know you got my dagger! I'm gonna tell Mom on you!]

[Just for a while! I'm trying to make something for her and Dad before the full moon.]

That's Kai and Christa's voices! They don't sound like I'm hearing their inner thoughts...

[DAD!!! HAVE YOU SEEN MY SHEATHE?!]

"Argh! Too loud!"

That one is definitely Claw's. I know he hasn't left for training yet. But if I can hear his voice loud enough to almost break my eardrums...

Then again, I am becoming a werewolf-inspired [Sub-Race]. I already gained the strength and instincts of it, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the next one was the wolf's senses. I still think that werewolves having enhanced hearing is a bit exaggerated from real-life wolves. Despite my bias, I'm not complaining about how it applies to the [Lycanthropes] in the game world. Besides, it might have some uses if I can control it. All I have to do is take a deep breath and focus my hearing so I can't listen to everyone in the village at once. It only took a few minutes, but I managed to deafen the voices low enough to get back into my headspace.

Now that I think about it, there is another ability that most werewolves in most media have. I took a quick sniff in the air.

And I quickly regret it.

"ACK! That stinks! Was coming from me or someone else?! And who's burning meat around here?!"

Okay... Maybe the simulation of smell here might be too much for my poor brain. I closed my eyes again and just like with my hearing, I tried to focus my senses on one single point. Only this time, I slow down my breathing so I don't take all of the scents at once.

[NOTICE] [You have gained the ears and nose of the wolf! You have gained the [Hunting Mastery]!]

Well, this is a surprise. I guess that means I managed to control my enhanced senses. Still, I didn't expect to learn the [Hunting Mastery] like this. It's normally reserved for hunter and scout-type characters and now I have it in the form of my werewolf senses. This is going to help me in the long run!

[Lowry?] My thoughts broke as soon as I turned to see Fenrir and his son entering my temporary abode. [We heard some racket here. Has something happened?]

Right. Since they're [Lycans], they must have heard my sensory overload moment.

"Sorry. But I kinda got overwhelmed with my newfound hearing and smell. That's not something I experienced every day."

Claw's eyes perk up. [Are you saying you now have the wolf's ears and nose?! That's awesome, Mr. Lowry!]

Fenrir then nodded and said, [With the full moon now on the horizon, you're one step closer to becoming one of us, young cub. It also means you will start to succumb to your inner wolf soon.]

I raise my eyebrow. I get I'm going to become a half-wolf tomorrow, but I'm a bit lost at his last statement. "What do you mean? I thought I just have to let my inner wolf take the reins and my consciousness will be out for a while during the full moon."

[Ah... It's more than a temporary loss of self, cub. As your mind shifts along with your body, your thoughts will begin to flip around as you grow accustomed to your transformation. On your first night, you cannot tell who is your ally or enemy and you are only driven by your instincts as your human thoughts are completely buried in your mind. It's tempting to resist so you can have a small semblance of control in your new form. But my advice for you is to succumb to your instincts. Never resist the wolf inside you and let it run wild. If you do, then your transformation will be much more difficult for you in the long run.]

I see where he's getting at. Looking back, my inner wolf wants nothing more than to roam around the world and hurt anyone in their vicinity. I trust them not to hurt anyone but the monsters in my feral state and I know Fenrir is going to do everything in his power to protect the village from myself.

"I understand. I will be in your care for tomorrow, Master." I bowed to Fenrir with great respect.

[I'm sure you will, young cub.]

Claw then flashes a thumbs-up and a big grin. [I know you will become a great [Lycan], Lowry!]

I hope I will. Until then, I'm gonna use my spare time to try to prepare for the inevitable.

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[Lowry's Masteries]

[Martial Arts] Level 8

[Fire] Level 6

[Life] Level 7

[Physical Enhancement] Level 4

[Magical Affinity] Level 6

[Hunting] Level

[Alchemy] Level 9

[Scribe] Level 7

[Magecrafting] Level 1

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[The full moon is coming...]