Chapter 7 – The Hunter's Mark
The ground shook.
Every step the Hunter took rattled the dirt, splintering the wooden palisade. It was a monster made of shadow and sinew, twice the size of any wolf, with jagged claws that glowed faintly with green fire. Its face was barely animal—something between a beast and a mask, its eyes glowing like molten gold.
The air itself grew heavier. James felt his chest tighten, every breath labored.
[Combat Encounter: Hunter – Class: Cycle Enforcer]
[Survival Probability: 0.3%]
James' throat went dry. "Zero point three percent? …Are you kidding me?"
The Hunter's eyes locked onto him—not the villagers, not Lira, only him. It knew who it had come for.
The first strike came faster than he expected.
The Hunter blurred forward, its claw scything through the fence as if it were paper. James threw himself aside, dirt and splinters exploding around him. His HP bar screamed.
[HP: 3/45]
"Great. One sneeze away from death," he muttered, staggering to his feet.
The villagers wailed, running for cover. Lira stayed frozen, spear in hand, her knuckles white.
James raised a hand desperately. "Don't! You can't fight it—if you interfere, the system will—"
But she wasn't moving to fight. She was staring at the Hunter, lips trembling, eyes wide with something beyond fear. Recognition.
The Hunter stalked forward slowly now, deliberate, savoring the hunt. James backed up, step by shaky step. His dagger felt like a toy in his hand.
Then came the chime.
[Emergency Protocol Active]
Skill Granted: "Defiance" – +10 Agility, +6 Reflexes (15 seconds)
Stability Cost: 5%
James' breath caught. Fifteen seconds of speed—at the cost of his sanity.
His Stability was already barely holding. Another drop could shatter him. But without it, he wouldn't even last one swipe.
He clenched his jaw. "Do it."
The world exploded into motion.
The Hunter lunged. But this time, James was faster. He ducked under its claw, rolled forward, and slashed upward at its leg. Sparks of shadow burst where the dagger struck, the wound shallow but real.
The Hunter snarled, its mask-like face twisting.
James' heart pounded. He darted left, stabbing at its side, then right, carving shallow cuts across its flank. For a moment, it almost looked like a fight.
But the clock ticked down.
[Time Remaining: 7 seconds]
James pushed harder, his movements blurring with unnatural speed. He leapt, driving the dagger toward the Hunter's glowing eye—
The beast's tail lashed out, faster than lightning. It smashed into his chest.
The world spun. He hit the ground with a bone-cracking thud, air ripped from his lungs.
[HP: 1/45]
[System Stability: 6%]
Everything inside him screamed to stop. His vision warped, the system windows glitching, text overlapping and unreadable.
But the Hunter didn't give him time.
It loomed over him, claw raised for the killing blow.
"James!"
The voice tore through the haze. Not Lira's. Not the Keeper's.
Something else.
In the corner of his vision, a fragment of light flickered—blue, broken, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[Fragment Detected]
[Do you wish to Absorb? Y/N]
James' hands shook. He didn't know what it was, didn't know what would happen. But with one HP left, the choice wasn't really a choice at all.
"Yes!" he rasped.
The light surged into his chest.
Agony ripped through him, fire and ice flooding his veins. He screamed as the world fractured, his body convulsing.
The Hunter's claw came down—
And stopped.
James' dagger had caught it. His hand moved on instinct, strength surging through muscles that shouldn't still be working. Blue light crackled along the blade, eating into the Hunter's shadowy flesh.
The beast roared, yanking its claw back, stumbling for the first time.
James staggered upright, eyes wide with disbelief.
[Fragment Absorbed: Echo of Defiance]
New Passive: Resistance to Cycle Authority (Minor)
Stability Warning: Critical (4%)
He barely understood the words. But the meaning was clear.
For the first time… the Hunter was bleeding.
The villagers gasped from their hiding places. Lira's eyes burned with shock—and hope.
James spat blood, raising his dagger again. His hands trembled, his vision blurred, but his voice came out steady.
"Yeah… that's right. You're not untouchable."
The Hunter's golden eyes flared with fury. It lowered its body, claws digging trenches in the dirt. This time, it wasn't playing.
And James, barely standing, knew the next round would decide everything.