The forest had grown quieter since the night of the Shadowfang Wolf ambush. For two days, Kai and Elara had continued their steady march toward the Capital, and with every step, Kai felt a profound change taking root within him. The journey was no longer just about survival; it was about growth.
He had spent those two days training relentlessly. The moments between foraging for food and walking the endless dirt path were filled with Elara's demanding drills. There was endless sparring with a wooden stick against her blindingly fast staff, grueling mana control exercises that left his head pounding, and even forced meditation sessions that tested his patience more than any monster.
His body ached with a deep, constant burn, but beneath the exhaustion was a thrum of newfound power. He could feel the difference. His movements, once clumsy and panicked, were becoming sharper. His strikes, once wild, were now faster and more precise. The system was a testament to his progress; he was now Level 4, and the stats to prove it felt like a warm, reassuring hum in his very core.
Yet, as they walked along a high ravine path where the trees thinned and the vast, open skies loomed above, an uneasy sensation began to gnaw at Kai's chest. It was the same cold, heavy feeling he'd felt just before the Pyre Hound attacked, a primal instinct screaming that they were being watched.
Iris stirred inside his mind, her voice sharp and devoid of any gentleness. "Be on guard. A predatory mana signature is circling. High altitude. It is observing you."
Kai's gaze shot upward. High in the clouds, almost lost against the glare of the sun, a dark shadow circled lazily. Then, a piercing screech split the air, a sound so sharp and predatory it made his skin crawl.
Elara halted instantly, her casual stride gone. Her expression turned grim. "That's… no ordinary bird," she whispered, her hand already gripping the smooth wood of her staff. "Stay close."
The shadow folded its wings and dove.
It fell from the sky like a black meteor, growing larger with terrifying speed. Wings as wide as two men stretched out, their feathers the color of midnight with shimmering streaks of violet. A hooked beak gleamed like dark, polished iron, and its talons, each as long as a dagger, looked large enough to pierce clean through solid rock. The creature landed before them with a ground-shaking thud, the earth trembling beneath its immense weight. A blast of wind kicked up dust and pebbles, forcing Kai to shield his eyes.
His breath caught as the familiar, glowing text of his system shimmered into his vision, overlaying the monstrous bird.
[Name: Gloomtalon Harrier] [Level: 6] [Health: 8000/8000] [Stamina: 3000/3000] [Mana: 1200/1200]
Kai's heart sank like a stone. Level 6. It was two full levels higher than him. Its health pool was enormous. He glanced at Elara, but she hadn't flinched at the glowing display—of course, she couldn't see it. This strange, analytical ability was his and his alone.
"Stay back," Elara warned, her voice low and tense as she stepped in front of him.
But Kai shook his head, a stubborn fire igniting in his gut. "No… I need this fight." He gripped the hilt of his simple blade, his knuckles white. "I won't always have you beside me to save my skin." This wasn't just about proving himself; it was about banishing the ghost of the helpless boy who had died in that school hallway.
Elara's eyes narrowed. For a heartbeat, she looked as if she might argue, a flash of annoyance in her gaze. But then, she saw the desperate resolve in his eyes, and she gave a single, sharp nod. "Then prove your training wasn't a waste of my time."
The Gloomtalon shrieked, a deafening cry that echoed off the ravine walls. It snapped its wings outward, blasting them with another powerful wave of wind. The beast's crimson eyes, filled with an unnatural intelligence, locked onto Kai.
The fight began.
The Harrier lunged forward with shocking speed for its size, its massive talons raking the ground, carving deep furrows in the dirt. Kai rolled aside, dust and rock exploding where he had stood just a second before. He came up slashing with his blade, the steel grazing the creature's wing. It barely flinched, the attack feeling like a pinprick. In return, it swiped with a wing that was as hard as iron, catching him across the chest and sending him sprawling. The impact felt like being hit by a speeding cart, and the air was ripped from his lungs. His health dropped instantly.
[Health: 1600/2000]
"Too strong…" he hissed, forcing himself up, the coppery taste of blood on his tongue.
"Don't panic!" Elara shouted from behind, her voice a steady, grounding force in the chaos. "You can't beat it with brute force! Remember what I taught you. Read its movements. Stop wasting your stamina on wild, useless swings!"
Kai gritted his teeth, wiping blood from his lip. Focus. She's right.
He slowed his breathing, pushing the fear down. He watched the Harrier's body carefully, ignoring the terrifying beak and talons. Each beat of its powerful wings, each twitch of its talons as it shifted its weight, carried a rhythm. It was a dance of death, and he had to learn the steps. He timed his next move, ducking beneath a sweeping wing swipe, then lunged forward, slashing his blade across its exposed leg. Dark blood spattered the ground.
The Harrier screeched in rage, its health dipping slightly.
[Health: 7600/8000]
Not enough. Not nearly enough.
The beast, infuriated, took to the air, circling with a murderous grace that was terrifying to behold. Then it dove, beak first, plummeting toward him faster than his eyes could track. Instinct screamed—he raised his blade in a desperate, two-handed block just in time. The impact was shattering. It rattled his arms to the bone, the ground cracking beneath his feet from the sheer force of the blow. His health plummeted again.
[Health: 1200/2000]
One more hit like that and I'm done.
"Kai!" Elara's voice cut through his panic. "Use your mana! Reinforce your body! Like I showed you!"
He closed his eyes for a brief second, forcing the warm energy from his core into his aching muscles. His body thrummed with a new, humming strength. The pain in his arms dulled, his grip on his sword became steadier, his stance firmer. When the Harrier dived again, Kai didn't try to block. He rolled aside at the last possible second, then leapt up, driving his blade across its chest as it shot past.
A clean, deep strike.
[Health: 7000/8000]
Still, the beast barely slowed, pulling up into the sky again with a furious screech.
Iris's voice whispered sharply in his mind: "It's testing your defenses. It will stay in the air where it has the advantage. Don't chase it. Force it to come down."
Kai's eyes flicked to the environment around him. The trees were bent and twisted from the gusts of its wings. Loose stones and jagged rocks littered the ravine floor. An idea sparked, a desperate gamble.
"Elara! Can you trap it? Just for a second!"
Her lips curved into the faintest, predatory smirk. She slammed the butt of her staff into the earth, chanting a single, sharp word. Roots as thick as his arm erupted from the soil, twisting into the air to form a sudden, thorny cage. The Harrier screeched, swerving violently mid-flight to avoid the unexpected trap—which put it on a direct collision course with Kai's waiting blade.
Steel met flesh with a sickening tear. The creature shrieked in agony, its flight path broken as it tumbled heavily to the ground.
[Health: 6000/8000]
"Good!" Elara called, though the root cage had already withered away. "Now press the attack!"
The grounded Harrier thrashed wildly, its wings beating with gale-force strength, creating a vortex of wind and dust. One wild strike of its talon slammed Kai aside, and he felt his ribs crack under the force. He crashed hard against a boulder, his vision swimming in a sea of white-hot pain.
[Health: 400/2000]
"Kai!" Elara shouted, finally moving to help, but Kai staggered up, blood dripping from his lips, his body screaming in protest.
"No… this is mine."
He forced mana through his veins again, not just to reinforce his body, but to fuel his will. His simple blade began to glow with a faint, silvery light, heat coursing along its edge as he poured his intent into it.
The Harrier, now on its feet, charged.
Kai dodged left, the movement clumsy but just enough. He slashed at its wing joint, then, as the beast turned to snap at him, he spun with all his remaining strength, plunging his sword deep into its chest. The beast shrieked, its beak snapping towards his head—only for Iris's cold, logical voice to echo in his mind: "Now. Drop."
Without hesitation, Kai let go of his sword and dropped flat. The Harrier's beak strike missed by inches, its momentum carrying it forward—straight into the wall of jagged rocks. The impact stunned it for a crucial second.
Kai roared, scrambling to his feet. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, still embedded in the beast, and with every ounce of power left in his body, he dragged the blade upward. He felt bones give way, the sickening tear of muscle and sinew. Blood poured, feathers scattered. The beast convulsed, its massive wings thrashing one last time, then it collapsed in a final, gurgling screech.
For a moment, there was only silence, broken by Kai's ragged, desperate breaths. Then, the system chimed.
[Gloomtalon Harrier defeated – +200 EXP] [Level Up!] [Level: 5] [All Stats Increased] [Health, Stamina, and Mana Restored]
A wave of golden energy, warm and soothing, washed over him. He felt the sharp pain in his ribs dull, the broken bones knitting back together with supernatural speed. His exhaustion vanished, replaced by a surge of new, potent power. He pulled up his stats, his eyes wide.
[Health: 6000/6000] [Stamina: 2400/2400] [Mana: 2000/2000]
He dropped to his knees, panting, drenched in sweat and the Harrier's dark blood. His blade quivered in his grip.
Elara rushed forward, kneeling beside him. Her sharp eyes shone with something between pride and deep concern.
"You stubborn idiot," she muttered, but there was no heat in her words. A faint, cool magic glowed from her palm as she placed it on his shoulder, steadying him. "But you did it."
Kai let out a shaky laugh. "I… I leveled up."
Elara chuckled softly, a rare and surprising sound. But her expression soon hardened as she gazed at the Harrier's massive corpse, her tone turning low and serious. "That creature doesn't usually hunt in these ravines. It was driven. Forced out of its territory."
Kai stiffened, the warmth of his level-up turning to ice in his veins. "You mean…"
"Yes," Elara said grimly, her gaze meeting his. "Someone wanted it to attack us. It's the same pattern as the wolf."
Finally, you understand, Iris's voice slithered coldly in his mind. But the question is… why you?
Kai's fists clenched. He didn't have the answer—but he was going to find it. For now, he had survived. For now, he was stronger.
But the shadow of his unseen hunters loomed ever closer.