"Did I really sign up for this? "Ling Xi muttered, her voice barely audible over the low hum of the old air conditioning unit in the corner of her dimly lit hotel room. She was lying flat on her back on a thin, lumpy mattress, her limbs sore and bruised. The pale yellow curtains were drawn, but the city lights of Cebu still crept through the gaps, casting shifting shadows on the cracked ceiling above her.
Her entire body ached from the two-night hunting spree deep in the jungle. It was supposed to be a focused reconnaissance mission—eliminate scattered monster groups and gather information—but instead, it turned into a brutal series of survival encounters. She'd fought more creatures than she could count, and in three of those encounters, she'd almost lost a limb—or worse, her life.
She rubbed her arm, still faintly stinging from a deep gash left by a saber-fanged beast that leapt at her from a tree. "I swear they get uglier every night," she whispered.
It wasn't just the monsters. It was the ambushes. Each time she nearly wiped out a cluster of creatures, more would arrive—stronger, more vicious, like they were protecting something.
But it was the last encounter that truly rattled her.
It started at dusk. Ling Xi stood in a clearing surrounded by mangled tree roots and thick undergrowth. Her mana was low, but her instincts told her the area needed cleansing. Her predator's intuition buzzed in her head—something was nearby. She blinked forward in a blur using Blink Step, perching on a tree limb for a better view.
That's when the first wave came. Goblin-like humanoids, skin blackened and cracked like burnt wood, swarmed in from every direction. Ten of them, at least. Maybe more.
She reacted instantly. Winter's Grasp! she shouted mentally, slamming her staff into the earth. Ice tendrils erupted from the ground, freezing the first three attackers mid-sprint. Their screeches were silenced in seconds.
The next two leapt at her from above. She twisted sideways, barely avoiding a swipe to the neck. Silent Pounce activated on instinct—she vanished for a heartbeat, reappearing behind one of them mid-air. Her staff spun like a blur—Triple Blow—and the creature was reduced to a pile of cracked bones and steam.
But there was no time to celebrate.
One of the larger goblin beasts, eyes glowing like molten coals, crashed through the ice and smashed into her side. Pain exploded through her ribs. Her Mana Shield flared, absorbing the worst of the blow, but she was thrown back into the trees.
She coughed, blood on her lips, vision swimming. Another one closed in. "Not today," she hissed. Lightning Ball.
The magical orb launched forward, crackling with blue energy, blasting two more creatures off their feet.
Another swiped her thigh. A sharp pain. She screamed in anger, activating Gorilla's Strength. Her muscles bulged momentarily, and she cracked the monster's skull with a single overhead smash.
Two more. The last two.
They were fast. Too fast.
One came from the left, the other from behind.
She focused—time slowed. Her Snake Reflexes kicked in. She ducked, spun, and used Arcane Blast, sending a surge of energy in a wide cone.
Both monsters disintegrated in a flash of light.
Panting, drenched in sweat and blood—some hers, some theirs—Ling Xi staggered forward, weapon trembling in her hands. Her arms ached. Her left shoulder throbbed. She was covered in cuts, burns, and bruises.
But she was alive.
Back in the present, she sat up in bed and pulled her knees to her chest.
"I have to be more careful next time," she muttered.
Ling Xi closed her eyes and focused inward. The familiar blue interface lit up in her mind, her current status displaying itself.
Name: Ling Xi
Race: Human (Awakened)
Age: 25
Class: Battle Mage
Health: 180/180
Energy: 120/120
Core Stats:
Strength: 14 (x5) = 70
Wisdom: 16 (x4) = 64
Agility: 13 (x3) = 39
Constitution: 11 (x5) = 55
Intelligence: 17 (x3) = 51
Perception: 10 (x3) = 30
Vitality: 10 (x3) = 30
Stamina: 11 (x5) = 55
Acquired Abilities:
Snake Reflexes – Enhanced reaction time and evasion
Gorilla's Strength – Short-term physical power boost for melee combat
Silent Pounce (from wildcat) – Temporary invisibility and high-speed burst attack
Predator's Intuition (from wolf) – Can sense nearby hostile entities within a 20-meter radius
Ancestor's Blessing:Elemental Resonance (Lightning and Ice)
Battle Mage Class Skills:
Battle Mastery (Passive)
Staff/Polearm Mastery (Passive)
Triple Blow
Heat Bomb
Winter's Grasp
Magic Missile
Blink Step
Mana Shield
Energy Drain
Lightning Ball
Arcane Blast
Illusion
Ling Xi sighed. The skills she had received as rewards after finding and helping other Awakened had definitely added more layers to her combat ability. She could feel the improvements in her body—sharper reactions, stronger strikes, and a better grasp of elemental control. But even with all the power she had earned, something still gnawed at her.
It was the silence.
The solitude.
"It would've been great if I had someone to fight beside me," she muttered to the empty room. "Or better, a team of my own, just like in those old RPGs I used to play."
For a second, she allowed herself a smile at the memory. Days spent strategizing, coordinating with a party, knowing someone had her back.
Then her smile faded.
"It's really harder to find friends in real life... especially those you can trust with your life," she whispered, lying back and staring at the cracked ceiling of the cheap hotel room.
She knew the jungle didn't care about her loneliness. Neither did the monsters. So after a few minutes of rest, she sat up again, refocused her energy, and began preparing for her next hunt.
Her energy was almost full again. Her health was restored. She reached for her water bottle, downed the last few drops, and stood up. Her legs still felt like jelly.
Her predator's intuition flared.
Not in the room. Not in the city.
From the jungle—still miles away—but the presence was strong. A swarm. A massive cluster of dark energy.
"A nest?" she muttered.
She pulled up the sentients map in her head. It flickered to life, and at the heart of the dense jungle, a red cluster glowed. That's where they were.
"I guess we're not done," she said, already gathering her things.
She packed light—just her enchanted robe, her reinforced boots, a combat pouch of potions, and her staff.
She left the hotel at sundown, her gear packed neatly in her bag. Her hired tour guide took her to the foot of the mountain just like before.
The trek back into the jungle took hours.
By midnight, the moon lit her path. Her boots sank into damp soil as she navigated a narrow trail. The trees here were thicker, the air heavier. Even the insects were quiet.
This time, she took her time—moved with caution, like a hunter stalking her prey. She avoided the trails she used before, weaving through underbrush and using Silent Pounce to cross areas with dense magical signatures.
She felt the pull—stronger, closer.
She stopped near a ravine and crouched low. Her instincts were tingling.
Using her Predator's Intuition, she close her eyes slightly.
The world dimmed briefly as her awareness expanded. Twenty meters. Two… no, three creatures nearby. Hiding. Watching.
She ducked behind a tree.
One of them—a goblin scout—stepped into the moonlight, sniffing the air.
She waited until it passed beneath the overhanging branch.
"Blink Step."
In a flash, she was behind it. Her staff cracked its skull before it made a sound.
The other two leapt from the shadows.
"Arcane Blast!"
The energy burst flung them into opposite trees. She ran forward and finished them off with two precise strikes.
She kept moving.
Near dawn, she found it.
A cave. Hidden behind an ancient tree's roots, surrounded by dead flowers and scorched earth.
Her heart rate spiked.
From within, she could feel them—at least a dozen life signatures. Strong. Feral. Hungry.
She whispered, "So this is where you're hiding."
She didn't rush in.
The cave mouth yawned wide at the foot of a hill covered in moss and vines. Bats squealed somewhere inside. The Sentient in her mind pulsed with heat—this was it.
She stepped in.
The air grew colder. Damp. The walls glowed faintly with strange fungi. Her footfalls echoed off the stone.
After ten meters, the tunnel split into three paths.
She use Perception Scan.
Nothing obvious. But something was breathing in the dark.
She went left.
Thirty paces in, the floor dropped slightly, and suddenly—eyes. Dozens of them.
A pack.
Ten? No. More.
"Mana Shield!"
The goblins rushed her from every direction. She deflected the first strike and responded with "Triple Blow," clearing space. Her "Lightning Ball" knocked two off a ledge. But they were swarming.
She fought like a cyclone—dashing, blocking, and countering. The staff became an extension of her will. Fire burst from her fingertips. Ice froze the floor. She used "Silent Pounce" twice to escape a dogpile, but they were organized.
They wanted to trap her.
A larger creature appeared—ogre-sized, horned, and carrying a crude hammer. A champion.
She had no time.
"Heat Bomb!" she roared, tossing the orb at the brute.
It ignored it—charged straight through the fire and slammed her shield. The Mana Shield cracked, then shattered.
Ling Xi use her Gorilla's Strength.
Her arms surged with raw power. She met the hammer with her staff, parried, then jumped and drove the obsidian dagger into its eye.
It roared once and collapsed.
The others hesitated.
Bad idea.
"Winter's Grasp!"
Frost swallowed the cavern floor, freezing limbs and legs. She waded through them, striking mercilessly, until none remained standing.
Panting. Bleeding. She leaned against the wall, staring at the carnage.
Dark blood pooled across the floor. Something dripped from the ceiling—she didn't want to know what.
And deeper still, something growled.
Low. Rumbling. Ancient.
The Sentient pulsed again.
She wasn't done.
Not even close.