The world seemed to shrink until all that existed was the rushing sound of the stream and the low, vibrating rattle in the creature's chest.
Ethan's fingers clamped so tightly around the small wooden handle of his pocket knife that his knuckles turned a stark, bloodless white. His breath caught in his throat, coming out in a short, ragged hitch. He was an academic, an orphan who had survived by making himself small, by slipping through dark alleys unnoticed, and by blending into the background of a crowded lecture hall. He had never held a real weapon in his life. He had certainly never fought for his survival.
The Shadow Hound took one slow, deliberate step into the shallow water. The crystalline stream splashed against its matted black fur, turning instant, oily gray where it touched the beast's paws. Its split jaw twitched, stringy saliva dripping into the water and sizzling softly against the stones.
[Warning: Host vitals elevated. Adrenaline surge detected.]
[System Advice: Eliminate target to conclude primary combat encounter.]
"Eliminate it...?" Ethan breathed, his voice cracking. "With what?"
The beast didn't give him time to look for a rock. With a explosive burst of power, the Shadow Hound lunged across the stream. The water erupted in a brilliant spray of droplets as the massive creature flew through the air, its sickly yellow eyes locked entirely onto Ethan's throat.
Instinct, raw and unburdened by thought, took over. Ethan threw himself violently to the side, his boots slipping on the damp moss at the riverbank. He hit the ground hard, rolling onto his shoulder as the heavy mass of the Hound slammed into the exact spot where he had been kneeling a microsecond before.
The force of the beast's landing kicked up a flurry of mud and tearing clover. It snarled, its split jaws snapping shut on empty air with a sound like a heavy trap spring breaking.
Ethan scrambled backward on his hands and knees, his breath burning in his chest. His Westmere College robes were thoroughly ruined now, caked in black river mud, the elegant graduate certificate heavy and useless inside the satchel slung across his back. He managed to push himself to his feet just as the Hound spun around, its claws tearing deep gouges into the earth.
It didn't hesitate. It lunged again, low this time, aiming to take Ethan's legs out from under him.
Ethan didn't try to dodge. He knew he wasn't fast enough to outrun it twice. Instead, as the beast closed the distance, he stepped forward, bracing his weight against a thick, half-buried tree root. As the Hound's split face rushed toward his thigh, Ethan swung his arm down with every ounce of desperate strength he possessed.
The three-inch charcoal-sharpening blade sank into the soft tissue just beneath the creature's left yellow eye.
The knife didn't pierce the skull—the blade was too short, the metal too cheap—but it struck deep enough to draw a torrent of thick, dark, steaming blood. The Shadow Hound let out a horrific, high-pitched shriek that vibrated straight through Ethan's teeth. The sheer momentum of its charge slammed its heavy shoulder into Ethan's chest, throwing him backward onto the hard earth.
The wind was completely knocked from his lungs. Ethan lay flat on his back, staring up at the canopy as his vision blurred into spinning spots of green and gold.
A few feet away, the Shadow Hound was thrashing wildly. The pocket knife was still embedded in its face, vibrating as the beast clawed at its own eye in a frenzy of agony. Dark fluid sprayed across the green moss, blackening the leaves wherever it landed.
Ethan choked, forcing air back into his lungs. He knew this was his only chance. If the beast recovered its bearings, he was dead.
He crawled through the dirt, his muscles screaming in protest. His hand found a large, jagged river stone half-buried in the bank. Gripping the cold rock with both hands, he hauled himself up and lunged at the thrashing monster. With a breathless, desperate cry, he brought the heavy stone down onto the exposed, twitching split-jaw of the Hound.
The impact vibrated up his arms, cracking the bone beneath the fur. The beast shuddered, its legs buckling. Ethan raised the stone and struck again, and then again, until the thrashing stopped, and the creature lay completely still in the stained dirt.
Ethan dropped the stone, falling back onto his hands, his chest heaving as he stared at the carcass. Silence descended over the clearing once more, save for his own ragged breathing.
Then, the cold, crystalline chime rang directly inside his skull.
[Primary combat encounter concluded.]
[Calculating baseline experience points...]
[Target: Low-Tier Shadow Hound (Level 2) — 40 Base EXP achieved.]
The silver text flared with sudden, blinding brilliance, completely filling his vision with glowing characters.
[Passive Multiplier Triggered!]
[Rolling randomized amplification variable...]
[Variable secured: x25,000]
[Total Experience Earned: 1,000,000 EXP]
[Notice: Host is currently in a state of isolation. Amplification is available for manual claim.]
[Warning: Claiming this quantity of energy will initiate a profound physical restructuring. Ensure surroundings are secure before proceeding.]
Ethan stared at the floating numbers, his bloody hands trembling against the moss. One million experience points from a single, miserable forest beast. The warning about physical restructuring hung in the air like a threat, and the quiet whistling of the forest birds suddenly felt very far away.