Ezreal let out a slow breath, removing his dual blades from his inventory. Cold steel settled into his hands, their edges catching the fractured light filtering through the forest canopy.
The Emerald Forest Cat lay stretched out on the grass a short distance away, its massive body rising and falling in a slow, rhythmic purr. Its eyes were half-lidded, unaware.
Now's the time, Ezreal thought.
"Shadow Step," he whispered.
The spell activated instantly.
His form blurred, dissolving into a swirl of dark red mist as space folded around him. In the same heartbeat, he reappeared directly above the forest cat, suspended for a fraction of a second in midair, blades raised high.
"Backstab."
A crimson sheen coated his daggers as gravity reclaimed him.
Ezreal descended like a guillotine.
Steel punched into flesh.
A bright red damage number burst above the creature's head, accompanied by a rapidly forming HP bar. The strike landed clean—a critical. Nearly half of the cat's health vanished in a single blow.
The forest cat shrieked, its body convulsing as blood sprayed from the deep wound carved into its back. It lurched violently, claws tearing into the dirt as it tried to rise.
Two icons appeared above the HP bar: a dripping blood droplet and a fractured femur. The health bar began to drain steadily.
A slow smile crept across Ezreal's face.
So it really does matter where you strike.
He had aimed deliberately—right along the spine. A tactic he'd learned long before Eden. In real life, disabling the spine meant ending a fight before it truly began.
"This should be easy," he murmured, raising his blades again.
The forest cat roared.
Rage overtook pain as the emerald gem embedded in its forehead flared with light. The bleeding status faded, flesh knitting together unnaturally as green energy wrapped around its body. Muscles tensed, claws digging deep into the soil.
With a violent snarl, it lunged.
Ezreal reacted instantly.
He pivoted on his heel, using the momentum of the creature's charge against it. His blade carved across its side in a clean arc as he twisted away, then backstepped hard, putting distance between them.
<-35>
The damage was minimal.
Still slow, he noted. The fracture hadn't healed completely.
Good.
He exhaled once.
End it.
Ezreal lifted his blades again.
"Shadow Step."
Red mist swallowed him as his body vanished.
The forest cat snarled, assuming a defensive posture, eyes darting wildly. It braced for an attack from the front
but it never came.
Ezreal materialized above it once more.
"Backstab."
This time, he didn't hesitate.
His blades plunged downward in a ruthless cross, slicing cleanly through muscle, sinew, and bone. The cat's head separated from its body in a single fluid motion.
The body collapsed.
A heartbeat later, it began dissolving into shimmering green particles, scattering into the forest air like fading embers.
Ezreal crouched, scanning the loot list.
"No heart…" he muttered.
He frowned briefly before shrugging.
Must be a rare drop.
Guess I'll just have to kill more.
Much later, Ezreal sat with his back against a thick tree trunk, the forest quiet once more.
At his feet lay the corpse of another Emerald Forest Cat—intact, this one not yet dissolved. The faint glow of its gem had already faded.
He opened his inventory.
Ten Emerald Forest Cat Hearts sat neatly stacked inside, alongside piles of pelts, copper coins, and a handful of emerald crystals. Twenty-five kills.
That took longer than I thought.
He leaned his head back against the bark, letting out a tired breath.
Ezreal opened his status window.
Name: RhaastRace: HumanLevel: 10Class: AssassinEXP: 0 / 48,000
48,000
At level five, it had barely taken ten thousand experience to level up. Now it was nearly triple that—and he could already feel the curve steepening with every level gained.
"So this is how they slow progression," he muttered.
No shortcuts. No rushing to the top.
Only time. Effort. Survival.
He shifted his gaze to the stat allocation screen.
Stat Points Available: 25
Ezreal stared at the numbers, considering his build carefully. The fights had been clean, but mana management had already started to matter. Longer engagements drained him faster than he liked, and relying on burst alone wouldn't always be enough.
He distributed his points with measured precision.
Speed remained his priority—always. Intelligence followed, ensuring he wouldn't be crippled mid-fight. A few points into stamina for survivability.
Name: Rhaast
Race: Human
Class: Assassin
Level: 15
EXP: 0 / 42,000
Coin: 8 silver, 34 copper
Health Points: 420 / 420
Mana: 780 / 780
Strength: 22
Intelligence: 17
Stamina: 28
Speed: 38
Durability: 11
Wisdom: 10
Then he finished, he leaned back again, satisfied.
"This should hold," he said quietly.
The forest was beginning to darken. Shafts of orange light pierced through the trees as Eden's artificial sun dipped toward the horizon. Somewhere in the distance, creatures stirred—new hunts waiting.
Ezreal glanced at the quest tracker.
Objective Complete: Collect 10 Emerald Forest Cat Hearts
A small smile tugged at his lips.
Time to head back.
He exhaled slowly.
And maybe… log off.
His body felt heavy in a way that had nothing to do with stamina bars or health points. The kind of exhaustion that lingered even when the system said you were fine.