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Chapter 5
Ren heard the wolves before he saw them.
Low growls slid through the trees like knives scraping stone. They were close—too close. His instincts screamed even before his eyes caught movement between the trunks.
Two shapes.
Lean. Gray. Fast.
Wolves.
Ren's breath caught. His legs were still weak from earlier, his body screaming in protest with every step. He turned, searching for an escape route, but the forest closed in around him like a cage.
The first wolf burst from the brush.
Ren barely had time to react.
He threw himself sideways as the wolf lunged, jaws snapping shut where his neck had been a heartbeat earlier. He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind from his lungs.
Pain flared.
The second wolf came immediately.
Ren rolled, barely avoiding a set of claws that tore through the dirt where his chest had been. He scrambled backward, hands clawing desperately until his fingers wrapped around something solid.
A broken branch.
Thick. Heavy. Crude.
A club.
Ren forced himself upright as the wolves circled him.
They didn't rush.
They watched.
Their eyes were sharp—calculating. These weren't the mindless goblins he'd seen before. These were hunters.
The first wolf lunged again.
Ren swung the branch with everything he had.
Crack!
The blow connected with the wolf's skull. The impact reverberated through Ren's arms, numbing his hands. The wolf yelped and stumbled—but it didn't fall.
The branch split down the middle.
The second wolf seized the opening.
It slammed into Ren's side, its weight knocking him off balance. Teeth sank into his thigh.
Ren screamed.
Agony exploded through his body as the wolf shook its head violently. Flesh tore. Warmth flooded down his leg.
Blood.
Ren swung blindly, striking the wolf again and again until it finally released him. He collapsed onto one knee, gasping, vision blurring.
The wolves backed away.
Waiting.
They knew.
Ren tried to stand.
His leg buckled instantly, pain ripping through him like fire. He hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from his lungs again.
Cold crept into his fingers.
His heartbeat thundered unevenly in his ears.
Get up, he told himself.
His body didn't listen.
The forest seemed to grow quieter. Even the wind faded, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
The first wolf approached slowly.
Its jaws opened.
Ren's vision darkened at the edges.
So this is how it ends.
Abandoned.
Mocked.
Left behind.
Dying alone in a forest that didn't care.
Something inside him twisted—not fear, not anger.
Refusal.
Ren clenched his fists, nails biting into his palms. He forced his arms to move, muscles screaming as he pushed himself up inch by inch.
The wolf lunged.
Ren didn't dodge.
He met it.
He dropped the broken branch and threw himself forward, wrapping both arms around the wolf's neck. Its weight crushed him to the ground, claws ripping into his chest, but Ren held on.
They rolled violently.
The second wolf attacked, sinking its teeth into Ren's shoulder.
Pain vanished.
Not because it stopped hurting.
But because his body had reached its limit.
Ren's grip tightened reflexively.
His heartbeat stuttered.
Then—
Everything went black.
For a moment that felt endless, there was nothing.
No sound.
No pain.
No thought.
Then something pressed back.
Hard.
Air slammed into his lungs as his body convulsed violently. His heart kicked back into rhythm with brutal force. Sensation flooded back all at once—burning, tearing, overwhelming.
Ren gasped, coughing blood and dirt.
He was alive.
Barely.
And something had changed.
Not outside.
Inside.
His body moved.
Not stronger—clearer.
The wolves hesitated.
Ren pushed himself upright, legs shaking, blood soaking his clothes. He felt the pain, but it no longer drowned him.
The first wolf lunged again.
Ren sidestepped.
Cleanly.
His hand shot out, gripping the wolf's jaw. He twisted sharply.
Crack.
The wolf collapsed, lifeless.
The second wolf froze.
Ren moved before it could react.
He slammed his shoulder into the beast, driving it to the ground. His fist came down once.
Twice.
The wolf stopped moving.
Silence reclaimed the forest.
Ren stood there, swaying, breath ragged.
Then his legs gave out.
He collapsed against a tree, sliding down until he hit the ground.
Only then did it appear.
Not in front of his eyes.
Not glowing.
Just there.
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[Task Completed.]
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Ren's breath hitched.
Before he could react, more followed.
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[Skill Unlocked.]
Martial Arts — Level 1
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Ren felt it immediately.
Not knowledge.
Not techniques.
But alignment.
His body remembered the fight—every movement, every mistake, every correct decision. It settled into him like muscle memory carved by pain.
Another pulse followed.
Heavier.
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[Skill Unlocked.]
Rapid Healing — Level 3
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Heat spread through his torn muscles and bleeding wounds. Not regeneration. Not miracles.
But survival.
The bleeding slowed.
The tearing pain dulled.
Ren slumped fully to the ground, shaking violently as exhaustion crashed over him like a wave.
"No explanation," he whispered hoarsely. "Figures."
The presence didn't respond.
The forest remained silent.
Ren stared up through the trees at the darkening sky, chest rising and falling unevenly.
He didn't know what the task was.
He didn't know why he alone received this.
He didn't know what the system wanted.
But one thing was clear.
He had stood at the edge of death—
And something had decided he wasn't done yet.
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