Elias Vale crouched high in the silver-veined canopy, heart hammering as his Thread Sense thrummed with alien rhythm.
Below, the ruins rose from the earth like the ribs of a long-dead beast. Stone walls jutted half-buried beneath moss and roots, etched with faint, glowing sigils that pulsed like breaths. Within, human figures moved—thin shapes carrying tools that rang faintly on stone.
But they weren't alone.
A heavier vibration prowled through the ruins, slow and patient. Each step pressed into Elias's senses like the toll of a drum.
The humans hadn't noticed.
I should wait. Watch. Learn if they're safe. His fingers tightened around the carapace shard at his belt. But if I wait too long, they're dead.
The decision pressed heavier than the shard in his hand. He had chosen Threadbearer's Path for control, for timing, for shaping the fight. Now that meant weaving threads not just for himself—but for others.
"Alright," Elias whispered, jaw set. "We do this."
He cast a line and swung.
The RuinsHe landed silent atop a cracked wall. The sigils beneath his boots glowed brighter at his touch, but he kept low.
Thread Sense sharpened—three humans clustered near the center, a man and two women, dressed in patched leather tunics and carrying rough chisels and lanterns. Their faces were tired but alive.
The monster was closer.
Elias shifted. Through a split wall, he saw it.
A hulk of shadow, carapace ridged like broken armor, a face dominated by a beak of stone-like fangs. Six legs braced against the earth, each tipped with a claw that gouged marks into stone. Its back carried jagged protrusions glowing faintly with green fire.
Stonebeak Ravager.
The name seared into his mind with the System's cold clarity.
[Threat Identified: Stonebeak Ravager]
Level: 6
Danger: High. Capable of shattering stone and steel.
Elias's stomach dropped. He was only Level 4. Even with Threadbearer bonuses, this thing could crush him with a swipe.
But the humans below would never survive.
Control the field. Don't meet it head-on.
The First MoveElias anchored twin threads to the ceiling of a crumbled arch and pulled himself up, weaving fast. His fingers flew, Rapid Weave sketching a net across the opening. The Ravager's claws scraped stone as it turned toward the humans, who were still oblivious.
Elias dropped a stone. It clattered. The monster's head snapped toward him instantly.
Eight glowing eyes burned in his direction.
"Come on," Elias hissed, firing another anchor.
The Ravager roared, a sound like boulders grinding. It lunged toward the arch. Its head hit his net.
The weave stretched—then Weave Stability held. The Ravager screeched, tangled for a heartbeat. Elias swung down, shard ready, and slashed across its glowing eye.
Ichor sprayed. The monster thrashed, snapping threads, roaring with pain.
[Damage inflicted: Minor]
Stonebeak Ravager HP: 92%
"Not enough," Elias cursed.
The humans finally looked up, eyes wide with terror. One screamed.
"Stay back!" Elias shouted, though he doubted they understood. His silk lines sang, and he vaulted away as claws shattered the arch where he'd stood.
Stone chunks rained down. The humans scattered, barely dodging.
The Web and the BeastElias darted along the wall's remains, firing threads at pillars and rubble. Nets crisscrossed the ruins, ugly but functional.
The Ravager charged, smashing through one net, then another. Each slowed it for only seconds, but seconds mattered. Elias reeled with Tether Pull, swinging wide, baiting it away from the cluster of humans.
"Come on, ugly. Dance with me."
It roared, spittle sizzling against stone.
It lunged. Elias leapt, Aerial Recovery twisting his body mid-air. He cast twin anchors to the walls, swinging in a circle. His shard blade raked across the Ravager's back. Sparks flew as the fangs tied to its edge scraped chitin.
Not deep enough.
The monster spun, tail slamming into the wall. Elias barely cut free before debris crushed him.
[Health -4]
Vitality: 6 → 5
He gritted his teeth, ribs screaming.
This wasn't enough.
Thread Sense pulsed. The humans were moving—one raised a lantern and hurled it. Fire burst against the Ravager's flank. It shrieked, swiping blindly.
"Idiots—get clear!" Elias snapped, but their distraction bought him a breath.
Turning the FightHe scaled a pillar, weaving rapidly. Silk lashed stone, threads pulling taut into a tense triangle trap. He cast two more anchors to the Ravager's forelegs.
"Let's see if this works."
He pulled.
Tether Pull Lv. 3 yanked hard. The monster stumbled forward, chest slamming into the triangular net. Threads groaned but held for a heartbeat. Its beak slammed down, jaws trapped halfway shut.
"Now!" Elias roared, diving. His shard stabbed into the glowing seam of its mandible. Ichor exploded hot across his arm.
The Ravager screeched, thrashing. Threads snapped one by one. Elias fired anchor after anchor, layering more silk, each strand slowing it just long enough for him to climb higher, carving shallow wounds across its ridges.
The monster's health ticked lower.
Stonebeak Ravager HP: 62% → 51% → 47%
"Almost—" Elias grunted, before a claw slammed into his side. He flew, hit stone, and the world went black for a second.
[Health -10]
Vitality: 5 → 4
Blood filled his mouth. His chest burned.
The Ravager tore free of his webbing, staggering but furious. Its eyes locked on the humans again.
No. Don't you dare.
Threadbearer's EdgeElias forced himself upright, pain screaming. He steadied his breath, let Thread Sense guide him.
Lines appeared—Thread Map glowing faintly. Branch to wall. Wall to pillar. Pillar to Ravager's wounded eye.
Three anchors. Three choices.
He fired all at once.
The world blurred as he shot upward, rebounded, and swung back down. Velocity surged. His shard glowed faintly as the crystal shard in his hand resonated, feeding power.
He plunged straight onto the Ravager's wounded eye.
The shard sank deep.
[Critical Strike!]
Stonebeak Ravager HP: 47% → 12%
The beast howled, stumbling, ichor gushing. Elias ripped free, fired one last anchor, and swung the carcass sideways into the half-collapsed wall. Stone caved. The Ravager crumpled.
Its legs twitched, then stilled.
System Rewards[Boss-Class Enemy Defeated: Stonebeak Ravager]
EXP Gained!
Level Up! → Level 5
+1 Strength, +2 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception
Loot Acquired:
Ravager Carapace Fragment (Armor potential)
Stonebeak Fang (Weapon potential)
Ravager Core (Sealed)
Elias dropped to his knees, chest heaving, body trembling. His vision blurred, but he was alive.
The humans stared at him, wide-eyed. Their tools clattered against stone as one whispered something Elias couldn't understand. But their eyes said it all.
They had seen him fight.
They knew he wasn't just another man.
[Status Screen – Elias Vale]Level: 5
Race: Human (??? – Synchronization 39%)
Path: Threadbearer
Condition: Wounded / Exhausted
Attributes:
Strength: 10
Agility: 14
Vitality: 7
Intelligence: 7
Perception: 10
Skills:
Basic Thread Projection Lv. 5
Wall Adhesion Lv. 2
Thread Sense Lv. 3
Web Weaving Lv. 2
Rapid Weave Lv. 3
Tether Pull Lv. 3
Aerial Recovery Lv. 1
Thread Map (Passive)
Titles:
[Survivor of the First Hunt]
[First Defender]
Loot:
Ravager Carapace Fragment
Stonebeak Fang
Ravager Core (Sealed)