Chapter 3 – The Hunt Begins
Stepping out of the cave, Apolo inhaled the cool jungle air and felt his mind clear. For a moment, all his worries faded. A small smile tugged at his lips as he crouched slightly—then leaped.
Whoosh!
That single leap carried him almost ten meters from the cave entrance.
"Whoa… did I really just jump that far?"
Excitement surged through him.
He sprinted next, wanting to test more—and the world instantly blurred. Trees flashed past him before he crashed through a few, snapping them apart and even uprooting one.
"So this is what it means to be awakened? With strength like this, I'm basically superhuman without even transforming."
He clenched his fists, feeling the raw power humming beneath his skin. It honestly felt like he could crush a small mountain.
Then the excitement dimmed.
"Sigh… strength gained after killing innocent people."
Shaking his head, he remembered something from earlier—something strange he'd felt while running. He looked down.
His face turned bright red.
He was completely naked.
"My clothes must've torn during the awakening… but how am I clean? No blood, no dirt?"
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. His bloodline clearly did more than heal.
He headed east, where faint human activity echoed through the jungle.
A few minutes later, he reached what looked like a small community. Barely a dozen houses, maybe more. But the village was alive with noise—dancing, singing, brightly dressed people celebrating some kind of festival.
Apolo, naked and bronze-skinned among people pale as snow, instantly became the center of attention. Every face turned toward him. More importantly, certain… areas of his body received far too much attention.
Mortified, Apolo froze for barely a second—then bolted toward a backyard with clothes hung out to dry. He grabbed a pair of trousers and disappeared back into the trees.
Sitting atop a tall branch, he buried his face in his palms.
"God… what was I thinking? Walking into the middle of a festival completely naked?"
He sighed, looking at the stolen trousers.
They were a bit tight but usable.
"I don't want to keep stealing. After their party ends, I'll go down and explain myself… maybe they'll even direct me toward Sky City. If I repay them later, my parents might reward this community too."
Decision made, he climbed higher to watch the celebrations from above.
Hours passed—long, boring hours.
"At last!"
He leaped down once the festival died and sprinted toward the community.
But when he arrived, several armed men were already lined up, waiting.
Apolo frowned and halted a few meters away.
"Good day, sirs. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk—and I'll repay you for the trousers."
"What do you want?"
A rough voice answered from behind the men. A short man with a mace stepped out, his aura dense and heavy and oppressive.
"A bronze-ranked hybrid…"
Apolo's heart dropped. The memory of Sky City's mayor swinging that terrifying sword flashed through his mind. This man's aura wasn't any weaker.
Forcing his voice steady, he said, "Sir, I'm lost. I just need directions to Sky City."
At the mention of Sky City, Apolo sensed a sudden shift—tiny but sharp—in the expressions of every man present. Almost immediately, is stomach tightened.
Something was very wrong.
Trying to stay calm, he smiled politely.
"You must be the chief of this community, right? Don't worry. If you guide me to Sky City, my parents will reward you massively."
The chief didn't respond. He only asked in a flat tone:
"Are you Apolo Quinn?"
"Yes, sir. My parents are the rulers of Falcon Kingdom."
The chief didn't waste another breath.
He swung.
The mace tore through the air with such force that the pressure alone blasted Apolo off his feet. He shot back over fifty meters, crashing through trees and tearing up the earth like a human cannonball.
He landed with his chest caved in, blood gushing from his mouth—but he stood.
And ran.
He didn't look back. He didn't need to. The killing intent behind him was enough.
No matter how naïve Apolo might be, even he knew they wanted him dead.
Faster! Faster!
His legs burned, but he refused to slow down.
"Is this karma? Are the gods punishing me for the people I killed?"
He clenched his fists mid-run.
"I can't die. If I die, then what was it all for? I need to rebuild Sky City. I need to make things right."
His eyes burned—literally. His vision tinted red as his irises shifted, his hair darkening into a deep, blood-red shade, his heartbeat doubled in speed then his speed spiked, leaving only the chief still close behind.
"Kid! Stop and accept your fate! You massacred a whole city of survivors, and you dare step into my community?!"
Apolo wanted to explain. He wanted to scream that they were wrong. That he wasn't himself. But opening his mouth meant slowing—and slowing meant death.
The chase dragged on until they entered a sparser part of the jungle. Apolo's breath was ragged. His wounds were worsening. The fifty-meter gap shrank to twenty… then fifteen.
Up ahead, he spotted towering trees—ancient ones—so huge they seemed to swallow the sky.
His mind clicked.
"The Wilderness."
His teacher's words echoed in his head:
"A place of chaos beasts, monstrous plants, and endless dangers."
"If I can reach it… I can hide."
He risked a glance back. The chief was ten meters behind now, closing fast.
His heart thundered. He forced every drop of remaining strength into his legs.
"Damn you, boy! You asked for it!"
The chief's body swelled, muscles bulging unnaturally. He punched, and the air split. An invisible wind blade slashed across Apolo's back, carving a cross-shaped wound and launching him forward toward the Wilderness.
"No way, boy! You think you'll escape in there? Over my dead body!"
In a flash of silver light, the chief transformed fully into a gorilla and charged causing tremors all over the ground as he moved.
Apolo didn't hesitate.
He leaped—forcing his battered body forward—entering the thick barrier of trees.
"Go and die!"
The chief's massive fist smashed into Apolo's back one last time, sending him flying deeper into the Wilderness. He crashed through ancient trunks before slamming into the ground, creating a crater tens of meters wide.
Blood pooled beneath him.
His vision blurred.
Then silence fell.
Only the deep, dangerous breathing of the Wilderness answered.