The gauntlet pulsed with a faint, golden light—a quiet hum that thrummed through my wrist, as if the artifact were alive. I flexed my fingers, feeling the weight of its power within me. "Essence Absorption." It wasn't the kind of power most hunters would boast about, the kind that could scorch the earth or summon devastating storms. No, it was subtle, tactical, built for patience and cunning. But for me, it was a weapon none could ignore, a gift that would let me move quietly, invisibly, and strike when least expected.
I was no longer the king of haldrave, seated on a throne of marble and blood. I had shed that life as easily as a snake sheds its skin. Now, I was just a boy again, but one with a terrible advantage. The rules had changed, and I was ready to play the game.
I crept out of the dark alley, the wet cobblestones beneath my boots sending sharp sounds into the night. The air was thick with the stench of decay—rotting food, human waste, and the crushed dreams of those who had lived and died in these streets. I could feel the weight of my past life pressing against me, but I ignored it. My brother was still asleep in that narrow corner of the alley we shared, a shivering, dreaming fool. He would wake soon enough, but by then, I would be long gone, moving toward my future. He was nothing but a piece on the board, an obstacle to be managed. His betrayal had sealed my fate once; it would not happen again.
I was going to hunt.
The city's outskirts beckoned. That was where the low-level monsters roamed, just beneath the crumbling walls of Haldrave. The creatures that the hunters sought to slay for coin and glory—weak, Common-rank beasts with little more to offer than a swift death or a few scraps of essence. But that was not my goal. I had a different plan, one that none would see coming.
The Common Gauntlet on my wrist was laughable to most hunters, nothing but a tool for beginners—weak and useless, they said. But they were blind. They couldn't see the secret it held, the power that waited to be unlocked. In my past life, I had learned the value of knowledge over brute strength, the art of patience over impulsive action. Today, I would put that knowledge to work.
I reached the outskirts by dawn. The streets grew quieter here, the cobbled paths giving way to dirt roads and makeshift markets where only the poorest bartered for scraps. The ground was sticky with mud, and the air had a sharp, acrid bite to it. A few hunters wandered the streets, their faces as gaunt as the monsters they hunted. They had no idea what was coming, what was about to shift beneath their feet.
My first target appeared within minutes. A slime—a grotesque, gelatinous mass that sloshed slowly across the ground, leaving a trail of viscous residue in its wake. It was one of the lowest-tier monsters, an insult to any hunter's reputation. But I didn't need strength to kill it. A single rock, thrown with a well-practiced hand, struck the slime's core, causing it to dissolve into a shimmering, sticky essence.
I knelt down and picked up the translucent card that drifted from the creature's remains.
Slime Card (Common Rank)
Uses: Can create a small, sticky puddle to slow enemies.
Benefits: Often discarded as a weak, worthless tool for combat.
I didn't need to read the description—I knew what it did. It was worthless in most hunts, but for me, it was the first step. I absorbed the essence, and the gauntlet on my wrist flared to life, the faint golden light brightening a little more. I could feel the warmth spread up my arm, a small but steady sign that my power was growing.
I moved on, my pace steady, my focus unbroken. The next hour passed in silence, punctuated only by the dull thud of my hand striking monsters—Sewer Rats, Giant Spiders, Poisonous Mites—all weak, all simple. I took their cards, their essence, and absorbed them into the gauntlet, knowing that each addition brought me closer to my goal. My body had already grown accustomed to the drain on my energy. It was nothing new.
As I absorbed the essence of the last monster—a particularly irritating Poisonous Mite—the gauntlet hummed louder. It had leveled up, crossing the threshold I'd been waiting for. I could feel the gauntlet's power swell within me, and with it, my first real advantage. "Essence Absorption" was now fully activated.
I had the tools I needed.
Now, I needed the beast.
The Carrion Crawler was a monster of rare ferocity, a creature whose very name inspired terror among hunters. Its thick chitinous shell and venomous fangs made it nearly impossible to kill, and it fed on the refuse of the city, lurking in the gutters and abandoned alleyways. But it wasn't the creature's strength that made it dangerous. It was the fact that it was a Rare-ranked monster, a beast that no low-level hunter would dare face. For most, it was a death sentence.
But I was not most hunters.
I made my way to the monster's den, a rotting dumpster behind an abandoned factory on the edge of the city. The stench of decay was overpowering, and I could hear the low, rasping sounds of the creature as it fed. Its mandibles scraped against the refuse, and I could feel the oppressive aura of danger thick in the air. I paused, gathering my thoughts, focusing on the strategy I had devised.
I couldn't defeat the Carrion Crawler with brute force. That was for the foolish hunters, the ones who believed in strength over intelligence. I had something far more dangerous than raw power—I had subtlety.
I pulled the Sewer Rat Card from my pouch and slipped it into my gauntlet. A low rumble emanated from the artifact, and I immediately followed it with the Slime Card. The gauntlet's hum grew louder, and I knew that the combination was taking shape. Finally, I added the Poisonous Mite Card. The gauntlet flared to life, its energy crackling through my arm as the combined abilities formed into something entirely new.
"Scavenger's Deluge."
The air grew still for a moment, and then the world exploded with sound. A thousand phantom rats, covered in slime and dust, surged from my gauntlet. Their screeches filled the air, deafening, disorienting. The Carrion Crawler froze, its mandibles snapping furiously at the air as the phantom swarm attacked its senses. It shrieked in confusion and pain, but it couldn't escape the illusion.
This was my chance. The Carrion Crawler was distracted, its mind overwhelmed by the phantasmal swarm. I darted forward, closing the distance between us in a matter of seconds, and plunged my gauntlet into the creature's chest. The energy within the gauntlet surged, the golden light flaring as I initiated the "Essence Absorption."
The Carrion Crawler shrieked, its body thrashing violently, but I held firm. The power of the monster fought against my gauntlet's pull, a tidal wave of energy that threatened to rip me apart. The pain was unbearable, searing, but I held on. This was the cost of power—the price I had to pay for the ability to absorb essence.
With a final, terrible screech, the Carrion Crawler's body disintegrated, leaving behind a glowing essence. The air around me crackled with energy as I absorbed it into my gauntlet. I had done it. I had killed a Rare-ranked monster with nothing but a few useless cards and a bit of clever thinking.
The essence flowed through my gauntlet, and I felt the power surge within me. My "Essence Absorption" ability had evolved. I was stronger now—far stronger than any other hunter with a Common Gauntlet. The gauntlet's light had changed, now darkened to a deep, obsidian black, and it hummed with an almost dangerous energy.
I had done it. I had crossed the threshold.
The Carrion Crawler Card was my reward—Carrion Crawler Card (Rare Rank). I turned it over in my hand, studying it for a moment before slipping it into my pouch.
There would be time for that later.
For now, the game had truly begun. And I was already several steps ahead.
End of Chapter 2