The battlefield reeked of acid and blood.
Souta stood among the smoking corpses, his dagger dripping with the acidic remains of the fallen monsters. His chest rose and fell heavily, each breath burning his lungs. Around him, the ground was scarred and blackened by acid burns, a grim reminder of the Steamgnasher he had just slain.
His arms trembled, but before he could even take a step, the forest moved.
A low growl echoed through the trees. deep, guttural, and far too close.
Then came another, and another.
From the shadowed underbrush emerged dark shapes, sleek muscled beasts with jagged fur that glistened like shards of black steel. Their eyes burned with crimson light, each gaze filled with hunger and bloodlust.
[Name: Dreadfang]
[Level: 15–20]
[Rank: C]
[Skill: Shadow Pounce]
Souta's jaw tightened. "C-rank… again?"
He counted quickly, One, two, three… ten?!
Ten Dreadfangs surrounded the clearing, each one baring its teeth in anticipation.
[Multiple Hostiles Detected]
[Estimated Threat Level: High]
[Suggested Action: Run or Die]
Souta exhaled shakily. "Yeah… for once, I'm gonna listen to you, System."
He turned on his heel and ran.
…
Branches whipped against his arms and face as he sprinted through the forest. Behind him, the wolves howled a haunting, synchronized chorus that shook the trees.
He leapt over roots, ducked under low branches, and dashed between thick trunks. His stamina bar drained fast, every step heavier than the last.
He couldn't stop, if he slowed down even for a second—
Thud!
He stumbled. His foot caught a root, and he fell hard against the dirt, pain shot through his leg.
"Ugh… this is my worst day ever," he groaned.
Sweat poured down his forehead as he pushed himself up. His vision blurred, his body screaming in protest.
And then—
Swoosh!
A Dreadfang lunged from the shadows, fangs bared. Souta reacted purely on instinct, slashing upward. His blade met flesh. The beast fell with a whimper, its body dissolving into mist.
"One down," he muttered breathlessly.
But another came immediately after. Souta raised his left arm to block, too slow. Fangs sank into his forearm, drawing blood. He hissed, stabbing his dagger into the beast's throat.
"That's… two."
His hand trembled he was losing strength fast.
I don't think I'll survive this.
Ding!
[Critical Moment Detected]
[Trait Activated — Cursed Curiosity]
+10 Power Boost (Strength, Agility, Endurance) for duration of battle.
Warning: Monster Corruption Triggered. Dreadfang's Strength and Agility increased by +5.
Souta smirked weakly. "Trait activated, huh? Guess that's my cue."
He tightened his grip, the pain faded slightly, replaced by a burning surge of power.
…
The next wolf lunged straight for his throat. Souta ducked, pivoted to the side, and slashed upward. The dagger cut through its side, blood splattering across the dirt.
Another came in low, claws outstretched. Souta jumped back, barely dodging its snapping jaws.
The rest began to circle round him. shadows moving as one fluid, precise, deadly.
They weren't mindless beasts, they were hunters.
Souta's eyes darted between them, tracking every subtle shift in their bodies.
The alpha, larger and darker than the rest, growled sharply. The others froze for a heartbeat. Then, with a single bark, they attacked.
Two from the left.
Souta dropped low, spun on one knee, and swept his dagger through the first wolf's legs. It howled, collapsing in a spray of blood. The second leapt from behind—
[Instinct Dodge – Lvl 1] (0/2)
Souta's body moved on its own. He bent backward unnaturally, the wolf's fangs grazing past his face. As it flew overhead, he slashed upward, cutting deep into its belly.
The beast hit the ground with a painful thud.
But the others didn't stop.
Five came next, charging in waves. Souta blocked with the flat of his dagger, deflecting one strike while another claw raked across his shoulder, blood splattered across his chest.
He kicked one wolf hard in the jaw. The crack of bone echoed through the forest as it stumbled back, whimpering.
His lungs burned. His heartbeat pounded so loud it drowned out the growls.
Still, he stood.
"Don't panic… stay sharp," he whispered to himself.
Another tried to flank him. Souta sidestepped, kicked its knee sideways
crack!
then elbowed its skull as it fell. Another lunged from the right, but Souta snatched up a jagged stone and smashed it into the beast's snout.
The alpha howled again, a sharp command. The wolves began circling faster, their outlines blurring.
Their bodies flickered appearing and disappearing in the mist.
"Oh hell no."
Souta sensed it, an unnatural pulse of air behind him.
He dove forward.
A Dreadfang materialized exactly where he'd been standing, snapping its jaws at empty air. Souta landed on one knee, twisted, and slashed sideways, his dagger cutting deep into its ribs.
It howled and faded into shadow once more.
Not teleportation, Souta muttered, eyes narrowing. It's a dash… cloaked by light, fast but predictable.
He closed his eyes and listened.
Skrrch!
A soft scrape behind him.
He spun, slashing without hesitation. His blade met flesh and another fell.
Then two came at once synchronized blinks from both sides. Souta rolled beneath one, but the second bit into his thigh. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain, and stabbed upward, driving his blade through the beast's eye.
Warm blood gushed across his hand.
He laughed a ragged, manic sound. "Guess I'm losing it…"
Blood dripped down his leg, his arm, his face, still, his grin widened.
He pressed two fingers to the wound. "Gonna need stitches after this… or a resurrection."
…
The wolves attacked together one high, one low, souta leapt, pushed off the lower one's head, flipped midair, and plunged his dagger through the upper wolf's spine.
The body hit the dirt with a dull thud.
Another lunged and souta caught it midair, spun, and slammed it against a tree with a sickening crack. Before it could move, he drove his blade through its eye and slit its throat.
The forest fell silent.
[Level Up!]
+20 Attribute Points
[C-Rank Beasts Defeated: 10]
[EXP Gained: 400]
NewSkill Unlocked: Poison Fang (Lv.1)
—Summon 20 venomous fangs from the ground to pierce anything within range.
[Loot Acquired]
*—Dreadfang Hide ×3
The thick, dark pelt stripped from a slain Dreadfang. Its fur is coarse and jagged, known for its natural resistance to cuts and low-tier elemental magic.
*—Beast Fang ×2
Long, curved fangs taken from the mouths of defeated beasts. The Dreadfang's fangs are laced with faint traces of shadow mana and paralytic toxins.
*—Dreadfang Core (C-Rank) ×1
A glowing, marble-like crystal found in the chest cavity of monsters. It contains condensed mana — the essence of the creature's life force.
*—Dreadhide Cloak (C-Rank Armor) (Rare)
A cloak crafted from the hides of the deadly Dreadfangs. Its surface is dark with faint streaks of crimson that shimmer under the moonlight. The texture is tough but flexible, light enough for fast movement, strong enough to deflect claws and minor spells.
+15 Defence | +5 Agility | 10% drop rate
Passive Skill:
Shadow Veil: When standing still or moving slowly in dim light, the cloak slightly bends surrounding shadows, making the wearer harder to detect.
Acid Resistance: The hide retains part of the Dreadfang's natural resistance, reducing acid or poison damage by 10%.
*—Corrupted fang Necklace:
A pendant made from a single Dreadfang's poisoned fang, bound with black thread and embedded with a faint red core. The necklace pulses softly, like a heartbeat, and leaks faint traces of shadow mana.
+3 Strength | +3 Endurance | 20% drop rate
…
Steam rose from the corpses. The air was thick with the stench of blood.
Souta stood in the middle of it all, chest heaving, drenched in sweat and gore. His body ached every breath hurt.
He dropped to one knee, gripping the ground for support.
"It's… over."
But even as he said it, he felt it, the faint pulse of something deeper in the darkness.
A heavier presence, a colder gaze watching from beyond the trees.
Souta looked up, his dagger still in hand.
" I guess not."
——
—~Ω~———
Name: Souta Kaede
Age: 18
Race: Human
Class: Hunter of the Boundless Path
Title: Reborn One
Level: 10 [85/100]
Rank: SSS
Attribute Points: +26
Strength: 35
Agility: 44
Endurance: 36
Intelligence: 29
Luck: 12
Skills: 3
Traits: 3
—————————
To be continued…