The ten wolves that had been feasting on corpses suddenly froze, their blood-drenched maws dripping crimson strands of flesh onto the dirt. Their eyes—glowing like lanterns in the shadows—snapped toward Airen. The Elite Wolf, standing like a sentinel, also turned its massive head, golden eyes narrowing.
"Grrrrr…"
Low growls rumbled through the air, vibrating in Airen's chest. The sound wasn't just animalistic—it carried fury, hunger, and pure malice.
Airen's face twisted. "Damn it… shit."
[ They might be angry because you disturbed their meal. ]
"I can see that!" he snapped, sweat beading on his forehead.
And then, all at once, the forest exploded into chaos.
The ten wolves and their towering Elite leader charged, blood still dripping from their jaws, eyes locked on Airen like he was their next feast.
Seeing the wave of death rushing toward him, Airen ripped his katana out from his inventory. "Come then!"
The Elite Wolf reached him first, its massive jaws opening wide to crush him whole. Airen dodged left, but four wolves immediately leapt at him from that side.
"Shit!"
He slashed downward, cutting one clean in half.
[ Exp: 11,000 ]
[ Points: 110,000 ]
The panel flashed, but he ignored it and kicked another wolf midair, sending it flying meters back into the dirt.
But pain struck him instantly—one wolf's teeth clamped down on his leg.
"Arghhh—shit, that hurts!"
Before he could recover, the Elite Wolf lunged again, jaws wide. Airen shoved the katana straight into its mouth.
Steel sank deep into gums and flesh.
"GRRRROOOAAARRR!!"
The Elite howled, the sound echoing through the forest like a monstrous trumpet. The trees shook. The other wolves went berserk.
The nine remaining wolves pounced in unison, their bloodstained bodies becoming a blur.
Airen cursed and yanked his crimson-handled sword out from his inventory. The blade gleamed faintly in the faint dawn light.
First, he slashed clean through the neck of the wolf gnawing on his leg.
[ Exp: 11,000 ]
[ Points: 110,000 ]
[ Level Up! Current Level: 12 ]
"STOP showing me this while I'm fighting!" he roared, veins bulging.
[ …Hiding notifications. ]
"Good!"
But four wolves latched onto him at once—two biting his left leg, two biting his right. His balance shattered and he crashed to the ground.
"Arghhh—damn it!"
As he fell, another wolf lunged for his skull, jaws wide enough to crush bone. At the last second, Airen slashed its stomach open, hot guts spilling over his chest.
"Seven… still remaining…" he growled, blood dripping from his lips. "I'll fucking kill you all."
His body twisted, muscles burning. He kicked the two wolves on his right leg so hard that they flew meters away and slammed into a tree. Both coughed blood and went limp.
"Five left…"
The remaining wolves howled in rage, eyes burning brighter, more aggressive now that their packmates lay dead.
One lunged and clamped down on his sword arm. His right hand—his dominant hand—burned with agony as blood poured out. His sword trembled in its grip.
Airen's face twisted into pure fury. His body language was animalistic—shoulders hunched, eyes wide, veins bulging.
"DAMN—YOU—!"
With raw strength, he grabbed the wolf's skull with his free hand and crushed it, bones cracking under his grip.
"Four!"
The other two still clamped onto his left leg, dragging him across the dirt. With a roar, Airen rammed his crimson blade through one's neck, then kicked the other away with brutal force.
"Three left!"
Airen staggered up, body shaking. His legs were shredded, blood dripping freely. His right arm was torn and numb.
"…Damn… it hurts."
But even through the agony, he felt something strange—strength bubbling inside. His wounds burned, but his senses sharpened.
He realized. "…System… I feel like I'm getting stronger."
[ Correct. I hid the panels as you requested, but your levels are still rising. That is why your body feels different. ]
Airen's lips curled into a bloody grin. "…Good. Then I'll tear them apart."
The three remaining wolves circled Airen, blood dripping from their teeth, their glowing eyes burning with primal rage. Behind them, the Elite Wolf staggered, choking and snarling, the katana still embedded deep in its maw. Its golden eyes shone with fury even as crimson poured from its throat.
Airen's entire body trembled with pain, blood streaming from wounds across his arms and legs. Yet his grip on the crimson-handled blade was unshakable, his eyes burning with madness.
"Come on then…" he muttered, voice low and broken, but his posture screamed defiance. "Who's next?"
This time, there was no waiting. Both Airen and the wolves charged, their snarls and his roar crashing together in the suffocating silence of the forest.
The first wolf leapt at him, claws spread wide, jaws snapping for his throat. Airen didn't even raise his blade. Instead, he drew back his fist and slammed it straight into the wolf's skull midair.
CRACK!
The wolf's body flew several meters before smashing into the dirt, its head bent at an unnatural angle. It didn't rise again.
"Haah… one."
The other two wolves came immediately, coordinated—one darting low for his left leg, the other snapping at his left arm. At the same moment, the Elite Wolf lunged with its massive frame, the ground trembling under its weight.
Airen didn't flinch. His bloodied body twisted, and with raw strength he kicked one wolf aside while slamming his fist into the other's jaw. Both were sent flying, bones snapping on impact as their bodies skidded across the ground. They whimpered once—then fell silent.
Only the Elite remained.
It roared, a guttural, broken sound through the katana wedged in its mouth. Its movements were heavy, slower than even the normal wolves. Its strength was failing.
Airen's grin widened, teeth red with blood. "You're already dead."
He dashed forward. With one clean, savage swing, his crimson sword sliced upward—splitting the wolf's head in half, katana and all, until its skull tore apart like paper.
The beast staggered once, choking on its own blood, then crashed into the ground with an earth-shaking thud.
Airen's chest heaved, his body dripping sweat and blood. His lips curled into a mad smile. "Ha… ha ha ha… now no one remains. I killed them all."
But then—pain. A weak sting in his right leg.
Airen's eyes shot down. One wolf—half-dead, trembling, its body broken—had somehow stood again. Its teeth clamped weakly around his leg, barely able to hold on.
For a moment, Airen stared. Then his grin widened into something cruel.
"You just don't know when to die."
He lifted his leg high and smashed it down with all his weight.
CRUNCH.
The wolf's skull burst under his heel, blood splattering across the dirt. Its body twitched once, then went still forever.
Silence fell.
Airen stood among the corpses, surrounded by the stench of blood and death. His body was battered, torn, and dripping crimson… but his eyes gleamed with savage triumph.
He tilted his head back, chest heaving, and laughed hoarsely. "Ha… ha ha… now. Now no one remains."
[Do you want me to display your accumulated results? ]
Airen grinned, wiping blood from his face with the back of his arm. "Show me everything."
Panels appeared before him, glowing faintly in the dawn light.
[ Exp: 148,000 ]
[ Points: 1,480,000 ]
[ Current Level: 17 ]
Airen froze for a second, then laughed again, his voice echoing through the forest. His arms spread wide, body shaking with joy. His eyes gleamed like fire.
"Level 17…! I jumped all the way to 17!"
He clenched his fist tight, feeling the new power coursing through him, muscles trembling with hidden energy.
"But… tell me, System. How much did I get for the Elite?"
[ Exp: 60,000 ]
[ Points: 600,000 ]
Airen let out a slow exhale, almost reverent. "…Heh. Worth it."
His bloody grin remained as he stared down at the battlefield of corpses.
For the first time, he felt like a predator in this world.