There was a moment of silence.
Not the peaceful kind. No birds. No wind. No crackle of leaves.
Just the tense hum of breath held too long.
Five sets of glowing red eyes stared down at me from the treetops.
This was a losing battle. I had to escape. Somehow.
My Star Stream reserves were dangerously low.
"Okay... I see how it is..." I muttered, eyes flickering between them. "That guy was just a scout, huh?"
One snarled. Another tilted its head, almost... curious.
They weren't in a rush. They thought I was finished.
They were right.
Unless...
I subtly loosened my grip on the blade, letting its weight shift forward.
My hand brushed against my pouch. Still there—the gloves, the notebook... a few loose shards I'd pocketed from the forest floor.
I glanced at the tree trunk beside me. Sap dripped down its bark it was thick, golden, and most likely flammable.
Click.
A plan formed in my mind.
I dropped the blade. Let it clatter against the branch.
Their eyes twitched. But none moved.
"Oops," I said, raising both hands. "Guess you got me."
That was when chaos began.
The WereBeast with the whip lunged first, closing the distance in a blur. Fangs bared.
I ducked and picked up the sword.
[Flash Step]
I vanished.
Reappeared behind the one with the spear.
My palm slammed into its back.
A spark of Star Stream flared where I'd smeared the oily sap.
Boom.
A sharp explosion rocked the branch, sending the beast flying. It howled as it crashed through leaves and branches—vanishing into the forest below.
---
[You have slain an enemy.]
[+30 EXP]
[EXP: 55/150]
---
Four left. All confused.
I didn't wait.
I leapt backward off the branch, twisting mid-air—
[Flash Step]
—into a thick patch of brush. I rolled. I coughed. I ignored the pain.
I ran. Low to the ground. Fast.
Behind me, furious howls exploded through the forest.
They were coming.
"Come on... come on..."
I yanked the gloves from my pouch and pulled them on.
They lit up faintly, enchantments activating:
[Hunter's Grace]: +20% physical damage.
"Dammit, I need a speed boost, not just damage..."
The chase began.
But I had already locked in my destination.
I'd mapped the terrain from the sky.
Back when I fell, I'd spotted something far off. Stone ruins. Massive and Endless.
If I could make it there...
I could lose them.
My breath turned ragged. My leg cramped. My chest burned.
The howls were closer now.
I ran.
A root snagged my foot—I stumbled, rolled, scrambled back up.
"Just a little more..."
My throat felt raw. My mind was blank. Sweat blurred my vision.
My Star Stream ticked upward, little by little.
I saw it. The ruins. Coming closer and closer.
Then—I tripped.
The WereBeasts were gaining on me. Footsteps came closer.
Last Flash Step.
I focused and disappeared—
Reappearing inside a ruined structure. From what I could tell I was in a room on the second floor. The ground was low.
I dropped low, hiding behind crumbling stone.
Below, the WereBeasts entered the ruins. Slowly, Cautious.
Snarling with their weapons drawn.
They stalked deeper in.
I held my breath.
Then I heard it.
The sound of steel slicing through flesh.
I looked.
And froze.
There, standing in the ruin's shadow was a being of metal and obsidian stone.
A Knight, with the body of a Golem. A menacing aura eminated from it.
Its eyes pulsed dimly beneath a helm of stone and steel. A claymore dripped crimson.
I looked and froze. My breath hitched. I knew instinctively...
The WereBeasts didn't stand a chance.