The deeper Sebastian ventured into the Gray Zone, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. The trees here grew at odd angles, their roots twisted like arthritic fingers clawing at the soil.
He had been hunting for an hour.
His tally was decent. Three Iron-Tooth Rats and a Mist Snake.
The Rats had been easy...too small to survive even a grazing hit from the Corrosion Intent. The snake had been trickier, blending into the fog, but Sebastian's heightened senses from Void Respiration had picked up the disturbance in the mana flow just before it struck.
He was currently crouching over the snake's corpse, extracting the venom sac, when a heavy footfall crunched behind him.
Sebastian spun around, dagger raised.
Standing ten feet away was a woman.
She was imposing. Tall, with broad shoulders clad in scarred leather armor. Her gray hair was pulled back in a severe bun, and a jagged scar ran from her forehead to her jaw.
In her hand, she held a long, coiled steel whip that crackled with faint blue electricity.
[Scanning...]
[Target: Hattie (Instructor/Gatekeeper)]
[Rank: Super Awakener (Level 1)]
[Talent: Thunder-Steel Whip (C-Grade)]
[Danger Level: Deadly.]
Sebastian lowered his stance but didn't sheath his weapon. He recognized her. Instructor Hattie. She was a legend among the slum kids—the gatekeeper of the Gray Zone who supposedly ate rookie hunters for breakfast.
Hattie stared at him, her eyes narrowing. She looked at the dead Mist Snake, then at the dissolving Iron-Tooth Rats nearby.
Finally, her gaze landed on the rusty piece of junk in Sebastian's hand.
"You're the kid from the ceremony," Hattie said, her voice like gravel grinding together. "The one with the scrap metal."
Sebastian straightened up slightly. "Yes, Instructor."
Hattie took a step forward, the steel whip trailing behind her like a metallic serpent. She kicked the corpse of the Mist Snake. The flesh around the wound was black and bubbling.
"Nasty," she grunted. "Poison attribute?"
"Something like that," Sebastian replied vaguely. He wasn't about to reveal he had a Level 50 Intent skill attached to an F-Grade weapon.
Hattie snorted. "Don't get cocky, kid. I saw the Boar carcass back near the entrance. You got lucky. The decay weakened its leg before it could gore you."
She looked him up and down, her gaze piercing. "You're moving well for a Level 1. Better than most of the nobles who come through here with their daddy's bodyguards."
"I'm Level 2," Sebastian corrected.
Hattie raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Advanced quickly. Did you overdose on Mana Potions?"
"Just hard work," Sebastian lied smoothly.
Hattie laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Right. Hard work. Listen to me, boy. The Gray Zone isn't a playground. That rusty toy of yours might kill a few rats, but the deeper you go, the beasts get smarter. They have resistance."
She pointed her whip toward the north, where the fog was darker.
"Don't go past the River Line. There's a Wind Wolf pack hunting there. They move faster than you can blink. With that heavy, unbalanced piece of junk you call a weapon, you won't even touch them before they rip your throat out."
Sebastian looked at his dagger. "It's balanced enough for me."
Hattie shook her head, turning away. "Stubborn. Just like your aunt."
Sebastian froze. "You know Elara?"
Hattie paused, her back to him. "Everyone from the old 4th Division knows Elara. She was a damn good shield. A shame about her leg."
She glanced back over her shoulder. "Don't die, kid. I'd hate to be the one to tell her that her nephew ended up as wolf scat."
With that, she vanished into the mist, moving with a speed that made Sebastian's eyes water.
Super Awakener Level 1.
The gap was immense. Sebastian clenched his fist. Hattie had dismissed him, even after seeing his kills. To her, he was just a kid with a lucky poison weapon.
"Wind Wolves..." Sebastian murmured.
Hattie had meant it as a warning. A "Do Not Enter" sign.
But to Sebastian, hearing "Wind Wolf" didn't spark fear. It sparked an idea.
He pulled up the System Shop. Most tabs were grayed out, requiring higher levels or specific achievements. However, the [Skill Book Exchange] was viewable.
[Generic Speed Skill: 5,000 Points.]
Too expensive. He couldn't afford to buy a speed skill from the system yet.
But monsters dropped loot. And Wind Wolves were notorious for dropping Agility-type skill books or cores.
"She said I'm too slow," Sebastian said, a grin spreading across his face. "She said I can't touch them."
He checked his stats again.
[Agility: 18]
It wasn't enough. Not for a wolf pack.
But he had Void Respiration. He had stamina that didn't end. And he had a weapon that killed in one hit.
"I just need to hit them once."
He turned North, toward the River Line. Toward the danger.
The System pinged.
[Quest Generated: The Predator becomes the Prey.]
[Objective: Hunt a Wind Wolf.]
[Reward: Random Skill Book (Agility Type).]
[Penalty for Failure: Death.]
"Accept," Sebastian said instantly.
He moved out, his footsteps silent on the mossy ground. The encounter with Hattie had lit a fire under him. He didn't want to just survive. He wanted to dominate. He wanted to reach a point where no one—not Hattie, not Jax, not the Academy—looked down on him again.
The fog swirled around him as he crossed the shallow stream that marked the boundary of the beginner area.
Across the water, pair of glowing yellow eyes blinked open in the darkness.
Then another pair. And another.
A low growl vibrated through the air, harmonizing with the wind.
"Found you," Sebastian whispered