The entire twisted system of Red Leaf Village finally made sense.
The “wolf grandmother” had raised the villagers like lambs for slaughter.
The village chief kept them docile and obedient, while siphoning resources from the outside.
The priest was simply an opportunistic parasite who had learned part of the secret and used it for his own perversions.
In truth, the true mastermind had been manipulating everyone from the shadows which is still unknown.
Silver harmed werewolves, but they were never truly afraid of fire.
The beasts only stayed away from the village because someone was restraining them.
Once the villagers outlived their usefulness, they would all become food.
Alexander looked down at the broken body of the giant wolf.
“We can’t waste this.”
He placed his hand on the creature’s head.
“Sacrifice.”
A surge of power flooded his body.
Blood roared in his veins as bones and muscles twisted and expanded painfully.
The transformation lasted several intense minutes.
When it ended, Alexander found himself in a colossal werewolf form nearly four to five meters tall.
With a casual wave of his massive paw, a fierce wind ripped the remains of the roof clean off.
Strength, defense, regeneration, and raw power had all increased dramatically.
The downside was reduced agility due to the enormous size, he would be a massive target in this state.
Alexander suppressed the feral instincts and shifted back to human form.
His baseline physique had also been permanently enhanced; even without transforming, he now matched the strength of his previous werewolf state.
A new ability had awakened as well: [Potions].
By blending herbs, magical ingredients, and alchemical processes, he could create powerful elixirs.
The recipe for the Wolfsbane Potion surfaced clearly in his mind.
The very thing that had created the werewolves here.
It granted the bloodline but came with severe side effects: loss of sanity for most, and permanent control by the potion’s maker for the few who kept their minds.
The version of the mastermind used on the grandmother had clearly been refined, producing stronger, more controllable beasts capable of a second-stage transformation.
Alexander stored the unconscious Ruby safely in his Infinite Personal Space, then searched the cabin.
He soon found a hidden trapdoor leading to a dark underground passage.
“Exactly as expected.”
He changed into fresh clothes, pulled out a powerful flashlight, and descended the narrow stairs.
At the bottom, a large secret chamber, several hundred square meters lit up as candles along the walls ignited on their own. The source of this chapter is g.com.
The room was a true alchemical laboratory: shelves of strange herbs, dried specimens, animal carcasses, and two live silver wolves kept in cages for their pure blood, a key ingredient in the Wolfsbane Potion.
What drew his attention most were the iron cages in the corner, covered with black cloths.
Alexander lifted one.
Bang!
A frenzied werewolf inside lunged, claws slashing inches from his face.
Alexander caught its wrist in an iron grip.
The creature was chained to the wall, covered in wounds from repeated experiments.
Nearly twenty similar cages filled the chamber.
These were the “werewolves” of the forest, test subjects for the old witch’s potions.
“They’ve lost their humanity,” Alexander said quietly.
“Living is just torture for them.”
He wrapped the silver cross necklace around his fist and delivered a single, merciful punch to the creature’s head.
Holy light flared, ending its suffering painlessly.
“May your Lord bless you,” he murmured, then Sacrificed the body.
He moved systematically through the remaining cages, granting the same swift, compassionate end to each tormented soul.
Their power flowed into him, further strengthening his bloodline and abilities.