Chapter 4: The Hunt
Scene I — The Silent Caretaker
A girl with sapphire-blue eyes watched over him, her gaze at a storm of tangled emotions. She traced the details of the poor boy’s battered face—the swollen, blood-cracked lips; the dirt-streaked cheeks; the raw, gaping wound across his ribs.
Without a word, she pulled a high-grade healing potion from her pouch. The violet liquid shimmered inside, swirling like captured starlight. She hesitated for a moment, then—with a soft sigh—uncorked the vial and poured the potion gently over his wounds. His flesh began to knit, but his body was too weak. Determination rose in her cheeks as she uncorked another vial.
She leaned close, her lips pressing to his, feeding the potion into his mouth. It was an intimate taste of potion and something more, a technique of CPR for fast recovery. As the boy’s wounds mended, she pulled away, her face blazing red. A gentle glow radiated from him, sealing torn flesh and knitting muscle. Her fingers brushed a stray lock of hair from his brow.
“…I wonder what kind of person you really are…” she whispered, a tired smile curving her lips. Exhaustion finally claimed her. She slid down against the cave wall, her breathing softening as she drifted into unconsciousness.
Minutes later, a gasp tore from his lips. He was awake, and his body was a pristine, painless canvas. How? His lips tingled, and his mouth carried a strange, floral taste. He turned and saw the girl, asleep beside him, a faint drop of violet liquid at the corner of her mouth… the same liquid that lingered on his own.
Realization struck. CPR. Potion. Her lips.
Embarrassment consumed him, his face burning hot. Chaos filled his mind, but he forced himself calmly, He stood, steadied his breath, and began planning their next move.
Scene II — The Relentless Hunt
A week before.
A week of relentless hunting, blood, and tormenting drills under Lord Roy’s brutal training. Shekhar had endured, had risen, and had changed. He had finally broken through to level 35, and his reward was freedom—the right to roam, to test his power.
And with that freedom came new strength. New spells. New techniques. New weapons.
Grim Staffs
Black ice blade( A crystallized icey sword)
Thunder Wolf Dagger
The familiar scent of damp earth and pine filled his lungs. He stood on the path where his torment began. Now, the forest was his playground. The bears came, drawn by instinct—massive shapes, eyes gleaming. And behind them, a ghoul bear in berserk rage.
Shekhar smirked, opening his inventory. His hand wrapped around the hilt of the Thunder Wolf Dagger.
Whoosh—swipe—slash!
Four bears collapsed instantly. The dagger crackled with thunder magic, awakened to its full potential as a B-rank weapon. A silent string of notifications flashed through his mind, a testament to his brutal efficiency.
> [You defeated C-class Bear]
[You defeated B-class Bear]
[You defeated A-class Bear]
He moved like a storm given flesh, cutting, dodging, striking again. By the time silence fell, the system had tallied his progress all the way to level 54. His stats soared, and his body thrummed with new skills and sharpened instincts.
But he did not rest. His eyes locked on the berserk ghoul bear. The true prey. Sliding the dagger back into his inventory, Shekhar drew the Black Snow Katana. Icy energy licked across the obsidian blade. He activated his unique skill: Elemental Change.
“Okay… let’s begin.”
The ghoul bear lunged, black energy cloaking its claws. Shekhar swung. Steel and shadow collided in a violent clash, blasting both backward. He staggered, stunned by its speed—then smiled, sharp and wild.
“Perfect.”
He unleashed his ultimate technique.
Black Ice Dragon Slash!
A dragon of frozen darkness roared from his blade, tearing through the ghoul bear’s claws—and then its head. The beast collapsed. A flood of system notifications washed over him, detailing the spoils of his victory.
[Boss Defeated: Ghoul Bear]
[EXP +5000]
[Level Up +3]
[Rewards: 5x A-class Potions, A++ Ghoul Bear Fur, 5kg A-class Meat, A-class Dark Spike Gauntlet]
[New Skill Unlocked: Consume]
Scene III — The new Skill
Shekhar opened the skill tab, his eyes widening as he read the description.
Consume:
Create a black smoke or mist. Targets covered by it are consumed instantly, converting into mana and expanding the user’s mana storage. Can consume any special attack or any dead body.
“Damn… that’s broken.”
Black smoke rose from his hand, curling like a living shadow. It coiled around the ghoul bear’s corpse, and the body vanished.
[You Consumed Boss: Ghoul Bear]
[EXP +500 | Level Up +1]
[Mana Storage Expanded +1000]
The excitement lit his face. He turned the skill loose on the battlefield, one corpse at a time. Each one vanished into smoke.
[You Consumed C-class Bear] → [EXP +50 | Mana +2]
[You Consumed B-class Bear] → [EXP +100 | Mana +10]
[You Consumed A-class Bear] → [EXP +300 | Mana +100]
He consumes everything until he reaches the sixteenth body, and then earth trembled. A roar shook the air. From a nearby cave came heavy, thunderous steps.
Shekhar sighed, annoyed. “Tch. I barely got started…”
Scene IV — The Dragon’s Judgment
The cave mouth cracked, shadows peeling back. A massive shape emerged. Terrifying. Alive.
A dragon.
Not fully grown—but still enough to churn Shekhar’s blood with dread. Scales like molten jade gleamed under fractured sunlight. Its golden eyes glowed—not with hunger, not even with rage, but with a cold judgment. It wasn't looking at prey; it was weighing him.
A grin split Shekhar’s face. “Finally. A real fight.”
The dragon’s roar shattered the sky. It charged. The ground tore apart beneath talons the size of tree trunks. Shekhar rolled aside, sweat flicking from his brow.
“No daggers this time…” His hand gripped the Black Snow Katana. The obsidian blade sang with ice magic. “Let’s see… if you bleed.”
Mana surged. Icy winds howled as he unleashed a wave of frozen fury.
The dragon inhaled, its chest glowing white-hot.
FWOOSH!!
A tsunami of fire swallowed the world. Shekhar’s barrier flared, sigils cracking, burning. His knees buckled. Heat is pressed down like the weight of a mountain. But he endured.
The inferno faded, and he moved. His blade carved an X across the dragon’s scales. Black blood sprayed. It worked.
The dragon roared in fury, its tail whipping. A wind cutter sliced through the air—its edges glowing with white flame. Shekhar barely dodged, heart racing.
But then—a scream.
“Human! Help!”
His head snapped toward the voice. A girl, frail and desperate, ran toward him, her barrier flickering like a candle in a storm. And behind her… another dragon.
His focus shattered, his mind screaming a hundred questions at once. A single breath. A single heartbeat. It was all the dragons needed.
THWACK!
The first dragon’s tail slammed into his ribs. Pain detonated. Bones cracked. His body flew, smashing into stone as boulders rained down. His vision swam.
“…Useless… again…” he thought bitterly.
The girl stumbled,
tiny hands trembling as her fragile shield crumbled.
Her lips quivered.
Her eyes were pure terror.
The dragons loomed above her, merciless. She wasn’t only shielding herself; she was casting barriers around a small, unconscious boy behind her.
To be continued…
