Later that day, inside his room.
Drayen's eyes were shut. He sat alone on the bed, its surface hard as rock. Fatigue and disappointment clung to his expression as his fingers tightened around the Rank One core. He absorbed it in silence.
The core vanished without a trace moments later. Drayen opened his eyes. The disappointment on his face deepened.
[Don't be so disappointed. It's just that you've used up all your good luck.]
Drayen understood Wing's words. He let out a quiet sigh.
"Status window."
[Nightborne Status]
Rank: One
Nightmare Essence: 100 / 100
Moon Butterfly Bloodline Ability:
• Moon Butterfly Jewel Eyes (Consumes 1 essence per 5 min)
• Few Butterfly Dust (Consumes essence as per use)
• Butterfly Walk (Consumes 8 essence per activation)
Cores Absorbed: 43
Today, he had absorbed nineteen cores—and gained nothing.
In total, he had absorbed forty-three cores since the start of his Nightborne journey. Thirty-seven more, and he would reach the threshold.
Normally, even First-Grade and Super-Grade bloodlines gained a skill once every ten cores. The difference lay only in the quality of the ability.
Yet after nineteen cores in a single day, he had obtained nothing. Wing had been right. He had already burned through his luck—when he obtained Butterfly Walk.
Butterfly Walk wasn't just a high-quality ability.
It was his life.
Because of it, he had escaped certain death. The memory darkened his expression. If he hadn't gained that ability at that exact moment—if luck had failed him even once—he would have been crushed into meat paste without ever realizing what happened.
Essence had mattered too. He had only seven essence then. Butterfly Walk required eight. If his essence hadn't recovered during the attack, he would have died all the same.
Pure luck had kept him alive.
Even so, if the old man had used any Rank Three ability, Drayen would have died regardless. The only other reason he survived was underestimation—he had been seen as nothing more than a Rank One.
Fortunately, he had gained Butterfly Walk at the perfect moment.
It was among the strongest movement abilities at Rank One, rivaling even Rank Two techniques. Yet it was purely positional. A bullet gained power from speed; this technique did not. It moved him faster, but the force behind his strikes remained unchanged. So in conclusion impact force didn't increase.
He didn't want to experience that again.
Power.
He needed more power. Luck was never something he trusted.
His eyes flickered with a power-hungry light as he clenched his fist.
"Only power is reliable," he murmured softly.
"Not luck. Luck saves you once. Power saves you every time."
He picked up the pouch. There were still thirty-one cores inside.
After a while,
This was the twenty-first core from the pouch. Each pouch held fifty cores when Kira had distributed them.
The core dissolved into nothingness, and for a fleeting moment, a spark of happiness flickered in Drayen's eyes.
"Butterfly Bewildering Eyes…" he muttered.
His eyes shimmered with a dim, unnatural purple light—so faint it was almost unnoticeable.
[Butterfly Bewildering Eyes — 25 Essence consumed per use.]
Drayen exhaled slowly. "So much."
It had been hours since he'd sat there, absorbing core after core. His body felt steady—but tired, the kind of exhaustion that came from forcing stillness for too long.
He needed to move. He wanted some fresh air.
What could be better than a little hunt?
He went to Kira's room first. Why was he here?
He didn't know the terrain well enough to hunt blindly. If he was going out alone, he needed information.
The door was open.
Someone was already inside.
"Kael," Kira said calmly, "it's not a good idea to hunt Rockskin Boars alone."
At the sound of Drayen's footsteps, both of them turned. After a brief nod from Kira, he stepped inside.
Her complexion looked better than before.
"Kira… Instructor," Drayen asked, studying her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. My passive healing abilities are already taking care of it."
Kira looked at him for a moment. "You came to hunt as well?"
Drayen nodded.
She had initially planned to accompany Kael. Rock Apple Mountain wasn't forgiving terrain—especially for someone hunting Rockskin Boars for the first time.
But after a brief pause, she reconsidered.
Drayen and Kael together would be different. Drayen was calm and calculative, skilled in the use of his abilities, while Kael possessed strong abilities of his own. They needed to start going on hunts by themselves.
It was time for them to grow up.
She was neither their instructor nor their guardian anymore.
"Then hunt together," Kira said. "Form a team."
Kael glanced at Drayen. Their eyes met, and after a moment, both nodded.
Kira explained what they needed to know before sending them off. She sighed softly. "Just… hunt well. And be safe."
Kael smiled at her. "Those boars should be safe from me. Thank you, Instructor."
Kael no longer kept his distance from Kira. He listened to her openly now—accepted her as a teacher without reservation. It was as if the incident had left no lingering resentment behind.
Kira wasn't the type to hold grudges. She answered every question Kael asked, treating him no differently from her other students.
"Don't climb higher up the mountain," she warned. "Hunt at the base."
Kael and Drayen spoke little as they moved out. They weren't friends—not yet. Just allies thrown together by circumstance.
Drayen was petty at times, but not enough to hold a hot-blooded young man—one willing to change—accountable forever, or to hate him for it.
They used a different exit from the one they had entered through—narrower and less flashy.
Fresh air washed over them as they stepped outside. After three days underground, it felt almost unfamiliar. Purple light from the moon lingered above, while the gray glow of leaves and flowers illuminated the land. In the Nightmare Realm, each territory carried its own distinct sense of time and atmosphere.
They stretched briefly, then moved forward toward the hunt.
Following Kira's instructions, they advanced carefully toward the base of the mountain. The Spider Den's location was dangerous; this area marked the beginning of territory inhabited by Rank Two tainted boars.
Kael activated Dog's Breath, keeping it active as they descended partway down the slope.
Drayen noticed a faint change in Kael's pupils whenever the ability was active. His vision seemed slightly sharpened, allowing him to scout more efficiently with the new ability.
Kael suddenly halted.
"The scent's strong up ahead."
Drayen also activated his vision ability, Butterfly Jewel Eyes. Even during the Realm's brighter hours, darkness clung to the terrain, making the ability effective most of the time. Only when the flowers' glow became too bright did it fall back.
They moved forward cautiously.
Moments later, both of them climbed into the branch of a nearby tree.
Below, three boars grazed on patches of gray grass. Their bodies were layered with rough, stone-like texture. Their paws were wider than those of ordinary boars, built for weight and impact. Unlike normal boars, they lacked forward-curving tusks. Instead, their snouts were dense, packed with hardened rock.
Drayen studied them carefully.
"That one's female," he muttered. There was one female boar and 2 male one was slightly bigger and looked stronger than other.
Kael flexed his claws. "I'll take the two males."
Drayen shook his head. "Let's test one first. We can go aggressive after."
Kael nodded without hesitation.
He trusted Drayen's judgment now. The way Drayen assessed situations, adjusted plans, and held back when necessary—it wasn't something Kael was good at.
If it had been him alone, he would've rushed in.
Drayen paused.
"No," he said quietly. "Let's capture all of them at once."
Kael froze. He stared at Drayen in disbelief.
This cautious scoundrel… what is he thinking?
They moved ahead quietly.
Kael tugged at Drayen's sleeve. "What's the plan?"
"Plan?" Drayen replied without slowing. "There isn't one."
Kael stiffened.
Drayen glanced at him. "Afraid?"
Kael scoffed. "Who said I was afraid? Let's go."
"Good," Drayen said. "Because you'll do the hard work."
The boars grew agitated as unfamiliar scents reached them. Both of them froze. Any further movement would give them away. The Rockskin Boars shifted restlessly, snouts lifting as they searched for the source of the disturbance.
Drayen was already positioned near the female.
That was his target.
He met Kael's gaze and made a brief slicing motion with his fingers.
Now.
Kael hesitated for half a heartbeat—then gritted his teeth and lunged toward the female boar.
The boar faltered for a fraction of a second—just enough.
Instinct took over as it twisted its body, but Kael's claws still raked across its back.
The beast groaned, slamming its hooves into the ground as it turned to retaliate. Drayen fired once. The bullet sparked off stone, sending a small fragment flying.
The larger male shook its head violently and charged, rock-plated mass barreling straight toward Kael.
"Run!" Drayen shouted.
Kael didn't argue. He moved the instant the command left Drayen's mouth.
Facing all three at once would have been suicide. Rockskin Boars were ranked among the top ten Rank One tainted beasts for a reason.
Kael burst back toward Drayen's position.
"What now?" he barked. "Say something."
His legs muscles moved as it started to grow a grey fur on his feet. He was still running like a human but his speed had increased.
It was his new active ability.
Speed surged through him.
Drayen's gaze focused on the female's gaze. Bewildering Eyes - He thought.
The female Rockskin Boar faltered mid-charge, confusion gripping it for a split second. It tried to stop, nearly crashing into a tree before skidding to a halt.
Butterfly Bewildering Eyes created a brief false perception, lasting only a few seconds. It was especially effective against tainted beasts, as they relied on instinct rather than reason. Even Rank Two Nightbornes weren't immune—unless they possessed detection abilities of the same rank.
Then it turned toward the larger male.
The boar stomped hard, mistaking the oncoming presence for Kael, and charged.
The male hesitated—just a fraction—caught off guard by the sudden rush.
Boom.
Their bodies collided in a violent crash. Stone-plated armor skins slammed together, shards of rock flying from the impact as the larger boar was knocked backward by the force.
Drayen activated Butterfly Walk and burst toward the smaller male.
The boar growled, twisting to face him as Drayen closed the distance.
"Bewildering Eyes."
Drayen vanished into the trees, his movement dissolving into shadows.
The smaller male lurched, its instincts misfiring. Mistaking the larger boar for Drayen, it charged.
The larger boar nearly fell to the ground as another impact slammed into its back, leaving it no time to breathe. The violent collision fully dragged the two males into conflict.
Drayen and Kael watched from a distance as the boars tore into one another.
At times, the larger male gained the upper hand. Then the female and the smaller male would drive it back together.
It was pure chaos.
Their rock-armored skin shattered under the force of the collisions, fragments of stone scattering across the ground.
"Ruthless," Kael muttered.
He glanced at Drayen. "What the hell did you use?"
Drayen smiled faintly. "Your turn soon. No time for talking."
The Rockskin Boars had two clear weaknesses.
Stamina—and the underside of their bodies.
The rock-armored skin protected their upper frames. Beneath it, their bellies were exposed—tougher than a normal boar's hide, but nowhere near as resilient as rock.
And with all that weight, their stamina was limited. The longer the fight dragged on, the slower they became.
Blood streaked the ground as chunks of shattered stone plating fell away from the boars' bodies. Their armor cracked and broken in several places. Bare muscle was exposed across parts of their bodies.
The fight had dragged on too long.
Burdened by its own weight and outnumbered, the large Rockskin Boar finally began to falter.
The larger male let out a hoarse grunt and turned to flee.
Kael moved instantly.
His legs—still shaped into powerful wolf paws—launched him forward in a blur. He closed the distance in seconds and slashed across the boar's exposed ass.
The beast howled, collapsing as its strength finally gave out. It had already exhausted itself in the earlier fight—otherwise, it would have fled rather than try to continue.
Kael didn't hesitate. He stepped in and drove his claws up beneath its throat. Blood sprayed as he ended its life cleanly.
The remaining male and the female reacted at once. Exhausted and wounded, instinct screamed at them to retreat.
They didn't get the chance.
Kael was faster.
Before either could escape, his claws tore them down one after the other.
Silence settled over the clearing.
"Tough," Kael muttered, wiping sweat from his fore head.
Drayen's gaze lingered on the fallen boars as he clapped his hands, acknowledging his and Kael's success.
This was the first time he hadn't relied on weapons in the hunt—he'd fired once, but it hadn't affected the boars in the slightest.
Kael and Drayen began extracting the cores. Each one carried only a faint rocky texture, with nothing more than a dull hint of gray.
Three marble-like cores lay in Kael's palm.
Disappointment crept across his face. He clicked his tongue. "So much effort… for just this."
Drayen let out a quiet sigh. "Hunting Shadow Hounds paid better."
He signaled Wing with thought.
[Nightmare Essence: 31 remaining.]
I didn't really understand the importance of essence when I was using guns, Drayen thought. Only now does it feel… limited.
Drayen and Kael couldn't continue the hunt because of essence, so they decided to go back.
Essence only recovered naturally. It couldn't be refilled using cores. The only option was to wait—eight horas, which translated to four hours in Tellus time.
Kael grinned, signaling through his eyes as he teased Drayen. But when his gaze shifted to Kira, his expression faltered. His smile stiffened, and for a brief moment, he forgot to look away.
He turned aside, his jaw tightening.
The word crossed his mind—pretty.
Kael paused, then flinched slightly as he headed inside.
As Kael headed inside, Drayen let out a quiet sigh and extended a hand.
"Can you give me one, Kira?"
She lifted an eyebrow. "Forgot what happened last time?"
Still, she handed him a cigarette. "You're lucky," she added. "They don't carry my usual brand here."
Drayen took a drag of smoke before speaking.
"It was a good hunt."
Kira nodded. Her expression showed reluctance as she spoke.
"I'll have to leave soon."
Drayen coughed as smoke clouded the air. He froze for a moment.
"Le… leaving?"
He studied her serious expression, then slowly returned to his composed state—at least on the surface. Kira had helped them so much. She was a teacher; she had her own life, her own goals. It wasn't like he hadn't anticipated this moment.
Still, a heavy feeling settled in his chest. He wanted to spend more time with her.
Seeing his expression, she added softly,
"Not anytime soon."
"Where?" he asked.
He didn't ask for the reason. It was obvious—her job, her income, everything had been affected.
She looked up at the moon.
"I don't know," she muttered.
When will I be able to break this Seven bloodline curse of mine? she thought.
She exhaled the smoke slowly, then added with a faint chuckle,
"I guess… I'm just chasing the smoke."
She changed the topic. "We can't stay here for long. This isn't a donation center."
Drayen didn't press further. He followed her lead instead.
"Where?" he asked. "And when?"
Kira flicked away the cigarette butt.
"Rock Apple Town. Tomorrow. We're leaving."