The forest swallowed the last of the sunlight as Vlad stepped into the shadows, moving like he had waited his entire life for this moment.
Behind him, Ridgebrook went silent. No chickens. No goats. No gossip. Only shallow breaths and pounding hearts.
I jogged to keep up.
"You don't get to walk off alone," I hissed. "This isn't a one-man massacre mission."
"It is exactly that," Vlad replied calmly. "I am the man. The forest provides the massacre."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Please stop saying things like that."
He ignored me, cloak brushing softly against the grass. Behind us, Borrik, Lira, and five armed villagers followed with clear reluctance. They looked like people walking toward their own graves.
A third howl tore through the trees.
Closer.
Angrier.
Hungry
"Ranked beast," Lira whispered.
"This is suicide."
"Correction," Vlad said without turning. "This is sport."
We reached the treeline where the forest thickened into darkness. The air smelled damp and metallic, like old blood soaked into the soil. Vlad stopped suddenly.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
"Why?" I asked.
He looked at me like I'd asked why fire burned.
"You die, and your village rots. I die, and I return in a week."
…Fair.
Vlad moved forward silently now, every step controlled and predatory. Even the villagers stopped breathing too loudly.
Then he raised a hand.
Everyone froze.
A low growl vibrated through the bushes.
Branches shook.
Leaves rustled.
The air shifted.
The beast stepped out.
It wasn't a wolf—something larger, broader. Its fur was dark and matted with dried mud and blood. Bone-like ridges ran along its spine. Its eyes glowed amber with hunger.
Rank 2 Beast: Ridgetooth Howler.
Vlad smiled.
"Good," he murmured. "It has teeth."
I whispered, "Everything here has teeth."
The beast lunged.
So fast the villagers didn't even have time to scream.
Vlad was faster.
He stepped forward like he was entering a room—and suddenly his hand was around the creature's throat.
One-handed.
The beast thrashed wildly, claws raking his arms. Vlad didn't flinch. His grip tightened, casual and cruel.
"Pathetic," he said.
He slammed the beast into a tree. Bark exploded outward.
The villagers gasped.
"Liam, stop him before he—" Lira grabbed my arm.
Before she could finish, Vlad drove his knee into the beast's skull.
Crack.
The creature whimpered, claws scraping uselessly at his coat.
Vlad leaned close to its ear.
"You attacked my master's home."
Master.
Still unsettling.
He twisted.
The neck snapped with a wet, sickening sound.
Silence fell over the forest.
Even the wind seemed afraid to move.
Vlad dropped the corpse at my feet, blood soaking into the roots.
"It is done."
Borrik stared in disbelief. "That… that was Rank 2."
One villager whispered, trembling, "What is he?"
I swallowed hard.
Vlad wiped his hands on a patch of moss, expression calm. Almost bored.
"A warm-up."
Then a chime rang inside my skull.
[THE SUMMONER'S LEDGER — BATTLE RECOGNIZED]
Oh no.
[FIRST COMBAT COMPLETE]
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: BOND INTEGRATION]
Another chime.
[VLAD III — BOND LEVEL 1 ACHIEVED]
[Passive Buff Unlocked: Enhanced Qi Growth]
[Summoner Bonus Gained: +1 Intimidation]
I felt it instantly.
A weight behind my voice.
A presence behind my stance.
Something invisible—but real.
The villagers turned to look at me.
And flinched.
I hadn't moved, yet something about me was different.
Not my body.
My presence.
Lira stepped closer, searching my face. "Liam… what happened to you?"
I forced a laugh. "Puberty?"
She didn't smile.
Vlad stepped closer and lowered himself slightly—not submission, but acknowledgment.
"Our bond strengthens, master. Soon, I will grant you greater power."
"Please don't," I whispered.
Borrik approached carefully, staring at the corpse.
"Chief… if this man truly serves you… Ridgebrook might survive."
I looked at the dead beast.
At Vlad.
At the villagers—terrified, exhausted, but hopeful.
Something heavy settled in my chest.
Responsibility.
Real. Crushing. Inescapable.
"We need to grow stronger," I said. "All of us. Together."
Vlad nodded. "Then the hunt continues."
Lira grabbed my sleeve. "Liam, no. This is enough. We need to go back."
The bushes rustled again.
Another howl echoed.
Then another.
Closer.
The villagers went pale.
Vlad's eyes gleamed.
"No," he said softly. "This is only the beginning."
I inhaled sharply.
So this was it.
My first night as chief.
My first summon.
My first monster kill.
I tightened my grip on my crude spear.
"Fine," I said. "But we do this smart."
Vlad grinned, pleased.
"Of course, master. I will kill them efficiently."
"That is not what I meant!"
Too late.
He charged into the forest—
and I followed.
Because I had no choice.
Because the world was coming.
Because Ridgebrook needed me.
Because the Summoner's Ledger had awakened something I couldn't ignore.
And because if I didn't stay close, Vlad would probably slaughter half the forest out of boredom.
The hunt had begun.
And so had our future.