The spaceship loomed on the horizon, a jagged silhouette against the bruised purple sky. It was moving *west*, engines humming with a low, sickly vibration that made the colonists' teeth ache. Mark watched it from the ridge, his knuckles white around the hilt of his katana. Beside him, Ren spat into the dirt, his dagger already slick with the morning's hunt.
**"We need to make people stronger,"** Mark said, finally breaking the silence. Blood flecked his lips—a remnant of the hydra fight, or maybe the demon's toll.
Ren grunted, nodding toward the huddle of colonists below. A hundred faces stared back—gaunt, hollow-eyed, their clothes stained with ichor and sweat. **"Volunteers first. See who's stupid enough."**
Mark turned, his boots crunching gravel as he descended the slope. The crowd parted like scared animals, but two figures stepped forward.
A girl, barely seventeen, her hair dyed an electric blue that clashed with the grime on her face. Her hands trembled, but she clenched them into fists. **"Me,"** she said, voice cracking.
Beside her, a lanky boy with raven-black hair and a jawline sharp enough to cut stone. He didn't speak, just raised his hand, eyes burning with something hotter than fear.
Mark studied them. The girl's heartbeat thudded loud enough to hear. The boy's nostrils flared like a cornered wolf.
**"Ren takes the girl,"** Mark said, jerking his chin toward the blue-haired volunteer. **"I'll break the boy."**
Ren smirked. **"Try not to kill him, farmer."**
The girl flinched.
---
The boy—Kael, he'd grunted when Mark asked—moved like a ghost. Silent. Observant. Mark's kind of recklessness. They'd been walking for an hour, the forest thickening around them, when Kael froze.
**"There,"** he whispered.
A **chest** pulsed in the clearing ahead, its surface moss-covered and ancient. Vines coiled around it like serpents, but between the leaves, a green light throbbed—alive, hungry.
Mark's left eye burned. *"Touch it,"* the Blood Demon purred.
Kael reached first.
The moment his fingers brushed the lid, the vines *twisted*, snapping back. The chest creaked open, green light erupting in a wave that painted the trees in neon.
**[You have opened a Bronze-Level Treasure Chest]**
**[Item Identified: Mortal Rank – Wind Serpent Ring]**
**[Item Identified: Mortal Rank Skill Book – Gale's Howl]**
Mark picked up the ring. It was cold, etched with runes that squirmed under his touch.
**[Wind Serpent Ring]**
- *Rank:* Mortal
- *Effect:* User can release a 1 meter tall wind serpent every 24 hours: Damage: 25 HP.
- *Curse:* Attracts storm wolves during rain.
Kael grabbed the skill book, its pages fluttering open. Symbols glowed—a wolf mid-leap, wind tearing at its fur.
**[Gale's Howl]**
- *Rank:* Mortal
- *Effect:* Unleash a sonic roar that staggers enemies.
- *Cost:* 10 Stamina
**"This… this is real?"** Kael breathed, tracing the wolf's outline.
Mark's demon eye flickered. **"Try it."**
Kael hesitated, then slammed the book against his chest. Paper dissolved into his skin, runes burning gold across his collarbone. He staggered, clutching his throat as the knowledge seared into him.
**"Now *roar*,"** Mark said as rain began to fall.
But kael suddenly said his stamina was too low, then the silence that followed was weird, something answered.
A howl.
Then another.
**"Storm wolves,"** Mark said, reading the ring's curse. **"Run or fight."**
Kael bared his teeth. **"Fight."**
---
### **Ren's Pov**
The blue-haired girl—Lira—wouldn't stop talking.
**"What if I puke? What if my legs stop working? What if—"**
**"You'll die,"** Ren said, not slowing his pace. **"Probably screaming."**
She was paled but she kept following.
They found the wolves first.
Three of them, pelts crackling with static, fangs dripping saliva that sizzled where it hit the ground. Lira froze. Ren didn't.
His dagger flashed, severing a wolf's foreleg. The creature howled, but Lira's scream was louder.
**"Shut up and *stab*!"** Ren barked, tossing her his backup blade.
She caught it, trembling—then lunged.
The knife sank into the wolf's eye. Acidic blood sprayed, burning her arm, but she didn't let go.
**[Lira (Unclassified) has slain (Unclassified) Level 3 Storm Wolf. +80 EXP]**
Ren's laugh was sharp. **"Welcome to hell, kid."**
---
Back in the forest, Mark dropped his katana to Kael, as he jumped on a 5 meter tall tree branched.
The Wind Serpent Ring hummed on Mark's finger.
**"You think you're scared? Good. Fear means you're still alive. But right now?"** He turned, his red eye blazing. **"Fear's a luxury. You wanna live? *Earn it Mark said to Kael*."**
The wolves attacked.
**[To Be Continued…]**
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