The foliage parted.
A shadow padded into view, low and slow.
Glowing red eyes. Fangs dripping black fluid. Fur like matted ash and smoke, rippling with every breath. It moved like a hunter—but one that didn't need to stalk. One that wanted to be seen.
Silias's eyes narrowed.
A Darkbeast.
He knew the look. The way the skin shifted over bone like it was barely holding together. The way the aura bled off its body like a second skin — oily, dark, and wrong.
He'd seen their kind before.
Back at the clan.
Before the extermination.
He didn't let his thoughts go further. The weight in his chest snapped tight, but his eyes sharpened. The gloom vanished from his face, replaced with something colder.
He moved just as the beast lunged.
It bounded forward, claws slamming into the tree trunk, scaling it in seconds.
Silias dropped.
His body bent, twisted, fell — a perfect spiral downward into a shorter tree below. He landed without a sound. The beast growled behind him, circling higher in the branches.
Silias moved.
A flick of his wrist and a dagger snapped out of his sleeve, metal catching the moonlight. The blade gleamed, thin and curved — barely visible, barely real.
He exhaled through his nose.
Of course. The one time I leave home without half my gear…
He studied the blade.
Guess this'll have to do. At least the poison's still fresh.
Behind him, the beast dropped. A snarl in the dark.
Silias hit the forest floor first and turned, dagger held loose, almost lazily.
The creature stood across from him — crouched, tense. A low growl reverberated from its chest like a broken horn.
Elemental base... Wind? And Dark.
Silias watched as a dark wind stirred around it, circling its limbs. The leaves at its feet twitched.
Interesting...
He was not in a good mood as he just heard he would die soon.
The good news is the fact that the Darkbeast in front of him would not be the culprit of his foretold death.
Sure, each and every Darkbeast were dangerous, especially for Normies and Initiates, as the weakest of them had Awakened level power.
But, Silias was no mere Normie now was he?
Rank: None (>) Awakened
His mind reached for the System, his new toy. He might as well use it a bit before his untimely demise.
He let the System expand his Physicality sub-stats with a thought.
[ Physicality ] – 156
— Strength: 158
— Endurance: 118
— Vitality: 35
— Stamina: 30
— Speed: 163
— Agility: 204
— Dexterity: 177
— Recovery: 38
He gave a slight shrug. "Yeah. The Combat Prodigy."
With his casual tone and polite manner, most would assume Silias was humble. They'd be wrong. Wildly wrong.
He was arrogant.
Very much so.
Who would not be though?
When you could wrestle a bear down with ease. Comprehend skills and techniques that would normally take years to master in a mere glance. Use all kinds of weapons at the proficiency of a Master.
Why would you not be arrogant?
The only reason Silias is not in a city somewhere challenging all teens his age to a fight is because he was handicapped. He was born a superhuman. Unfortunately, as he grew, his body's vitality growth lagged behind his speed and strength.
Now, he could not use his power to its fullest.
Of course, over 30 stat point is in no way small.
For reference, a Normie maximum limit is 10 for all physical stats. The said 10 is the absolute limit for humans, any above is superhuman level. Without the specific enhancement of Senar, 10 to 30 stat point was the norm for Initiates. Then, 30 to 70 for Awakeners.
So, Silias weakest stats still places in Awakened level. But, he apparently did not see this as a worthy feat.
This imbalance had carved deep into his mind. It became fuel for his nonchalance to life and drinking habits — till a week ago.
Too bad, it seems his new found determination and aspiration would be cut short as his death was looming over him.
Well, it was a good thing there was something here he could vent on.
The Darkbeast snarled again.
The air shifted around it, pressure dropping like a coming storm. Wind gathered around its limbs — dark and swirling, pulled from nothing. Leaves fluttered. The ground trembled.
The beast blurred forward, kicking up dirt as it charged low — a crackling gust launching with it. Wind screamed past Silias's shoulder, carving into the trunk behind him.
He was already gone.
A flash of movement.
He launched himself upward, boot catching a branch overhead. He swung around it once and flung himself toward another tree, body tight, balanced. The beast followed, crashing into the base with a roar, claws tearing through bark.
Silias's voice came from above.
"You're fast. I'll give you that."
The beast twisted, eyes snapping upward, mouth foaming dark mist. It leapt again, tail cutting the air behind it.
Silias moved. Not to run — to reposition.
He danced from tree to tree. Fluid. Fast. His dagger flashed with every landing, every pivot, every brush past a trunk.
The beast followed, always a half-second late.
Another leap. Another slash.
Blood.
Just a flick of the blade across the shoulder.
The beast snarled and threw a gust straight upward — a wind bomb. Leaves exploded. Branches cracked.
Silias dropped from the blast radius like a diver, flipped once midair, and landed on the beast's back before it could register.
Slash.
A shallow cut down its flank. He flipped off immediately and vanished into the trees again.
The Darkbeast spun, wheezing.
Its breath was heavy now. Unbalanced.
Poison's working.
He waited until it charged again, this time wild, desperate.
He let it.
He let it close.
At the last second, he jumped — a low spin under the swipe — and scored a cut across its inner leg tendon. The beast stumbled mid-step.
Silias didn't stop.
Another branch. Another leap. Another strike.
By the seventh wound, it was visibly slower.
By the tenth, it was confused.
It snarled, but its mouth didn't open properly. It tried to roar, but the sound came out strangled.
Paralysis setting in.
He landed ten feet away, crouched low, watching it stumble.
"Starting to feel it?" he asked calmly.
The beast swiped half-heartedly at the air.
Its back leg buckled. Blood dripped from a dozen small cuts — none fatal. Not on their own.
But poison didn't need to be loud. It just needed time.
Silias stood slowly and stepped forward.
"Let me guess," he said. "You thought I was some lost Normie in the woods."
The beast growled — then choked.
"Too bad."
He blurred forward. Grabbed its skull.
Snap.
The neck twisted clean.
The beast fell like a puppet with its strings cut.
Silence.
Then—
Ding.
A golden screen flickered into view.
[ System Notification ]Target: Darkbeast (Scout-Class)Rank: AwakenedStatus: TerminatedCombat Assessment: Double Rank-Crossing KillSystem Rank: Unranked → Awakened (projected)Reward Available: [Click to view]
Silias raised an eyebrow.
"Double rank-crossing?" he muttered, stepping back from the corpse. "Guess the System doesn't count me as an Awakened but still a Normie. Even though..."
He tilted his head at the screen.
"Reward, huh…?"
His hand lifted—just as his nose twitched.
Smoke.
Burnt wood. Oil. And something darker.
Then came the sound.
Screams.
Faint, but rising. From the direction of the village.
Silias's expression sharpened in an instant.
"No."
He didn't hesitate.
He turned and ran.
Towards the village.