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Chapter 2 — The Beast in the Smoke
The flames dimmed, but the smoke grew thicker—rolling like dark tides across the ruined courtyard. Jin forced himself to stand, every muscle trembling from the clash he barely survived.
His arm throbbed where the spear had taken the hit.
His lungs burned.
And yet…
He was alive.
For now.
A low growl echoed again, closer this time. Not human. Not even remotely tame. The ground vibrated under Jin's feet, tiny stones dancing with each rumble.
[Warning: High-level beast approaching.]
[Host stamina: critically low.]
"I noticed…" Jin muttered.
He had no energy, no technique, and barely enough weapon to call a stick. Whatever was coming, he couldn't fight it.
The smoke parted—
And two enormous, amber eyes glowed through the haze.
A Shadowfur Dire Wolf.
Twice the size of a horse. Matte-black fur that seemed to drink in the firelight. Fangs like hooked daggers dripping with saliva. It stepped into view, its heavy paws cracking the burned tiles beneath it.
Jin felt the original owner's terror spike inside his mind.
This beast… had rampaged through the sect before.
And the boy whose body Jin now occupied had seen it kill disciples like insects.
The wolf sniffed the air and locked onto him.
A slow, hungry growl rolled from its throat.
Jin's hand tightened on the broken spear. It shook violently—not from fear alone, but from exhaustion so deep he could barely stay upright.
He couldn't outrun it.
He couldn't overpower it.
He couldn't hide.
His only option was—
[Auxiliary Protocol Update: Host distress at threshold.]
[Temporary Directive Granted: Unbroken Resolve.]
A cold sensation washed over Jin, freezing the panic clawing at his chest. His heartbeat steadied, his grip solidified.
Not strength.
Just clarity.
Like the system numbed everything but the will to stay alive.
The wolf crouched, muscles bunching—
ready to pounce.
Jin lowered his center of gravity, raising the spear.
If he died here, it wouldn't be clean.
It wouldn't be painless.
It wouldn't be forgotten.
He refused to go out like the boy before him.
The wolf lunged.
Jin braced—
But something else hit the beast first.
A streak of silver shot from the right, slamming into the wolf's flank. Not a weapon—
a person.
A girl.
No, a young woman, robes scorched and hair wild, moving with the sharp precision of trained martial force. She struck the wolf again with a glowing palm, sending it sliding across the rubble.
"Still alive, Jin?" she breathed hard, eyes never leaving the beast.
Jin blinked.
He didn't know her.
But the body's memories did.
Lin Cael.
The last inner disciple of the fallen sect.
Strong, skilled… and the one person who hadn't abandoned him.
She didn't look at him as she spoke again.
"Can you stand?"
"Barely," Jin answered.
"Then don't fall."
The wolf rose, furious now—its snarl shaking the remaining walls. Cael dropped into a stance, her hands glowing faintly with qi, though Jin could tell from her trembling fingers—
She was exhausted too.
She couldn't win alone.
The system pulsed:
[New Mission: Assist the survivor.]
Reward: Stabilization of host body.]
Failure: Mission 01 compromised.]
Jin swallowed.
Assist?
He could barely breathe.
But when Cael stepped forward to shield him, he knew he didn't have the luxury of weakness anymore.
He lifted his shattered spear again.
The wolf charged, faster than before.
Cael met it head-on, palm slamming into its jaws, forcing its head up. The beast roared and swung a massive claw—
Straight toward her unguarded side.
Jin moved without thinking.
Reflex Stabilization kicked in—
His body shot forward—
And he rammed the broken spear into the wolf's foreleg.
It howled, stumbling.
The impact nearly tore Jin's arm off, but he held on, driving the spear deeper until the wood cracked completely.
Cael seized the moment, unleashing a qi-infused strike directly into the beast's throat.
The wolf convulsed—
then collapsed with a thundering crash.
Silence fell over the ruins.
Jin dropped to his knees as Cael stood over the corpse, chest heaving. She wiped the blood from her lips and finally turned to him.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You… you actually helped."
Jin didn't know what to say.
He wasn't sure he even understood how he'd managed it.
The system chimed softly:
[Mission Complete.]
[Reward: Body Stabilization — Applied.]
Warmth surged through his limbs—subtle, but enough to keep him from collapsing again.
Cael stared at him for a long moment, unreadable.
"…Jin," she said quietly, "just what happened to you?"
Jin exhaled shakily.
If only he knew.
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