They were getting closer, slowly and carefully, the wolves circling me with their eyes fixed on every movement I made while their bodies stayed low to the ground like trained predators preparing to finish a hunt.
Their steps were measured and patient, their formation tightening as if they already knew there was nowhere left for me to escape.
They were ready to pounce on me...
My breathing grew heavier with every passing second as the reality of the situation settled into my chest like a stone. I had nothing. No weapon, no strength left, nothing that could actually stand against creatures like these except my bare fists.
I swallowed hard, the dryness in my throat making it painful, because even I didn't know whether the little strength I had left could hurt them at all, but I still had to try.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered those survival animal channels I used to watch from time to time. The host always said the same things when talking about predator attacks.
Aim for the eyes or the throat.
I almost laughed at the memory. It sounded ridiculously stupid right now. I wasn't some trained survival expert or wilderness specialist. I was just a damn office worker who spent most of his life sitting behind a desk.
But even so, I had to try.
One of the wolves suddenly lunged forward without warning.
It moved so fast that my brain couldn't even process what was happening before my body reacted purely on instinct. I threw my arms up in front of my neck to protect the most vulnerable part of my body.
Then came the sound.
CRUNCH.
Its jaws clamped down on my arm.
"GRAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream tore out of my throat before I could stop it. The pain exploded through my entire body like fire.
It hurt.
It hurt like hell.
The pressure of its bite felt as if my bones were being crushed inside its mouth, and hot blood immediately began pouring down my arm.
But even through the unbearable pain I refused to simply lie down and die like prey waiting to be eaten.
"You bastard—!"
I swung my other fist as hard as I could.
SMACK!
My knuckles slammed directly into the wolf's eye. The beast jerked slightly and let out a vicious growl, but it still refused to release my arm.
I punched again and again, my fist striking its face repeatedly before I tried aiming for its throat, slamming my knuckles into the thick fur and muscle beneath its jaw.
But it didn't budge.
Not even a little.
My heart dropped as the terrifying truth became clear.
These weren't normal animals.
They were monsters.
The difference between them and ordinary beasts was ridiculously huge.
Still, I kept hitting it anyway. Punching, scratching, clawing, trying anything I could think of in my desperation. But it was useless.
The wolf's jaws remained locked around my arm like iron, and its teeth dug deeper into my flesh every time I struggled.
And the others…
The rest of the wolves slowly moved closer.
They watched.
They waited.
Their glowing eyes stared at me through the darkness like cruel stars.
They weren't even rushing anymore.
They already knew.
Their prey was finished.
My punches grew weaker as exhaustion overtook me and my breathing became ragged. Blood dripped steadily onto the dirt beneath my feet, staining the ground below.
So this is it…
Am I really going to die here?
Inside some unknown dungeon, torn apart by monsters just like the others?
My vision blurred again as the blood running down my head dripped into my eyes, turning the world red.
But even then, even now, a single thought screamed inside my mind louder than everything else.
I don't want to die.
Not like this.
Not yet.
Not before I see that bastard pay for what he did.
Not before I experience even one small moment of happiness in this miserable life.
I clenched my teeth so hard it hurt.
Even if my body was failing and even if everything felt hopeless, I threw another punch with everything I had left.
"GET OFF ME!"
My fist slammed weakly against the wolf's face again, but this time it barely reacted. My strength was fading fast. The wolf suddenly twisted its head violently and the movement threw me completely off balance. My injured arm burned with unimaginable pain as its teeth tore deeper into my flesh.
I lost my footing.
My body slammed hard against the ground, knocking the air out of my lungs.
Before I could even recover, another heavy weight crashed onto me.
Then another.
And another.
The pack had finally moved in.
One wolf bit into my shoulder, its fangs sinking deep into the muscle while another clamped down on my leg and shook its head violently as if tearing apart a piece of meat.
"AAAGHHHH!"
My scream echoed through the forest.
The pain was unbearable, so intense that it felt like my mind itself was splitting apart.
Sharp teeth tore into my back while another monster grabbed my remaining arm. Their claws dug into my chest and stomach as they fought among themselves for a piece of my body.
Warm blood soaked my clothes almost instantly.
I tried to fight back.
I really did.
My fists moved weakly, striking whatever I could reach—fur, bone, teeth—but there was no strength left in my blows. It felt like trying to fight against a raging storm with bare hands.
My body rolled helplessly across the dirt as the wolves pulled and tore at me from different directions. Something near my side suddenly ripped open, and the pain was so overwhelming that I couldn't even scream anymore.
My vision blurred.
The world spun.
This is…
This is how it ends.
The thought slipped quietly into my mind.
My body had grown too weak, my arms felt numb, and even the pain was slowly fading into something distant.
Strangely, the forest felt quiet now. The snarling of the wolves sounded far away, almost like I was hearing it from underwater.
I stared blankly at the dark sky above the twisted trees.
So this is death.
I thought it would feel scarier.
But instead, I just felt tired.
Memories drifted through my mind like fragments of broken glass—my childhood, my school days, my miserable office life, all those years of being mocked, ignored, and used.
Even now, the last person I tried to help had tried to kill me.
A weak laugh escaped from my blood-filled mouth.
"Seriously… what a shitty life."
Darkness began creeping into the edges of my vision.
Maybe it would be easier this way.
No more running.
No more suffering.
Just sleep.
But then something flickered inside my mind.
A memory.
A voice.
A dream I had seen again and again for the past ten years.
"Don't die..."
A woman's voice.
It was gentle and sweet, as if reassuring and encouraging me.
My fading eyes widened slightly.
Wait…
Wasn't that—
The wolves continued tearing into my body when suddenly a strange sensation spread from deep within my chest, a faint warmth growing stronger with every passing second as if something buried inside me was slowly waking up.
Then a bright window suddenly appeared in front of my fading vision.
Congratulations!
[The Constellation of Gates (GM) offers you a sponsorship. Would you like to accept?]
A status window appeared.
{YES} {NO}