📖 Chapter 5 – Instinct of the Awakened
The forest air felt heavier than before.
I leaned against a tree, heart still racing. Cold sweat slid down my temple as I stared at the faint glow hovering above the wolf's corpse.
[Notification]
Skill Acquired: Ghost Dash
You may now use this skill.
"I… really awakened," I whispered, breath shaky. "But how?"
I thought back—back to that place.
The ancient, sealed corridor.
The gods' temple.
The throne.
The notification—right before Velrun appeared…
"What was it… that last message?" I muttered.
Just then, another alert flickered into view.
[Notification]
Your Skill Menu is now accessible.
My vision blurred—and then refocused. Like a menu screen from an old RPG, a semi-transparent interface appeared before me.
Name: Roy
Level: 1
Class: Ghost Summoner (Unique)
Title: None
Age: 24
"This… this is just like the game I used to play."
My hand hovered over the skill tab.
Skills:
Ghost Dash
🔒 Locked (Collect Ghost Corpses)
🔒 Locked (Collect Ghost Corpses)
🔒 Locked (Collect Ghost Corpses)
🔒 Locked (Collect Ghost Corpses)
🔒 Locked (Collect Ghost Fragments)
20 more locked slots
Passives:
Ghost Grimoire (Unique)
Ghost Past (Unique)
Collection of Ghosts (Unique)
Revive of the Past Ghost (?)
13 more locked passive skills
"Collection of Ghosts?" I frowned. "That wasn't in the game. I don't remember this one…"
[Passive Skill – Collection of Ghosts (Unique)]
Description: You may collect the ghost of any fallen entity you kill.
Progress: 0 / 2
Effect: Gain stats from collected ghost or summon it.
Cooldown: 25 minutes per summon use.
"What the hell…? I've never heard of an Awakening class like this."
Heard of Necromancers. Archmages. They dominated the battlefield.
But this?
"Even if this class isn't in the top tiers... I'll make it my own."
I crouched and touched the wolf's corpse again, hoping to activate the passive.
Nothing.
"Damn it," I muttered. "Looks like it doesn't work on the same corpse. Maybe it's a cooldown—or maybe you can only harvest once per kill..."
Still, I wasn't leaving empty-handed.
I pulled a small pocket knife from my belt. Years of military work taught me where to cut.
I jammed the blade into the gums and pried free one of the wolf's sharpest teeth.
[Notification]
Sharp Wolf Tooth (Rare)
Description: Usable in weapon crafting.
"This'll do," I muttered. "With the right blacksmith, I could make a decent dagger. Maybe even carve armor from its hide…"
But before I could start skinning the corpse—
I froze.
My instincts screamed.
Something was watching me.
"No… this feeling. I've had it before—back in the army. When you're being hunted."
I scanned the treeline.
Eyes. Glinting in the dark. Dozens of them.
Fangs. Low growls.
"Sh*t."
A forest wolf emerged. Then another. And another.
My menu auto-updated as they closed in:
Enemies Detected:
8× Forest Wolves – Level 24
HP: 480 / 480
"How the hell am I supposed to survive this? I'm Level 1!"
But something else hit me—hard.
"I can see their levels… their HP… like in a game. Is this what it feels like to be truly awakened?"
Too late for questions.
The wolves howled—then vanished in blur-like motion.
[Enemy Skill Activated: Wolf Dash]
"Damn it, now's not the time to be impressed!"
I reached for my only skill.
"Ghost Dash!"
I vanished.
Their teeth snapped air—my body blinking ten meters away through shadow.
The wolves snarled, confused, searching where I just was.
"Goddamn," I panted, sprinting. "Cooldown's ten minutes?! That's insane for a single dash!"
[Skill Unavailable: Ghost Dash – Cooldown 9:30]
Damage immunity ended.
"I am so dead if I stop running…"
I bolted, feet pounding soil, branches whipping my arms and face.
Clutching the wolf tooth in one hand like it was my lifeline.
"Just wait, mutts… I'll grind every one of you down once I get a weapon."
After what felt like an eternity—I broke through the treeline.
The lights of the outer town gates glimmered ahead.
Safe zone.
I collapsed just past the threshold, chest heaving.
"In… haah… exhale… phew."
"That was too f*cking close…"
Still gripping the wolf tooth, I stood, wiping sweat from my brow.
"…I need a blacksmith."
A memory surfaced—an old man in a soot-stained apron.
He'd helped me once. Long ago.
Not in this time.
But maybe… now, I could reach him before he fell to the invasion.
I stared down at the tooth.
"No more regrets."
My grip tightened.
"This time… I'll change the fate of this town."
🕯️To be continued...