Night in the Core Dimension was not silent. It was a symphony of噩梦 (nightmares).
Ren stood on the roof of the cabin, the shingles rough under his boots. The purple twilight had faded into a heavy, suffocating darkness, illuminated only by the faint, bioluminescent fungi glowing in the valleys below and the shimmering blue dome of the Territory Barrier.
The 30-day protection timer ticked in his peripheral vision. *27 Days, 14 Hours.*
Down in the courtyard, Thorne was pacing. The new Arachnid-Kin didn't sleep. He didn't even seem to blink. His eyes, now a multifaceted grey, reflected the moonlight, scanning the perimeter with predatory focus.
"My Lord," Thorne's voice carried up to the roof, not loud, but piercing. "The wind changed."
Ren crouched, his hand resting on the handle of his axe. It was a new axe, forged by Elara under Merrin's supervision. It wasn't rusty iron anymore; it was *Chitin Iron*—a mixture of spider carapaces and the iron ore, lighter and sharper than steel.
"What do you smell?" Ren asked.
"Musket," Thorne growled. "Fur. And... fresh meat. They've been watching us for an hour."
Ren looked toward the tree line. To his normal vision, it was just darkness. But thanks to his **[15 Agility]** and the **[Enhanced Senses]** he gained from his Level 5 physique, he could pick up movement.
Shadows detaching from shadows.
"Alpha approaches," Thorne whispered. "Eight... no, nine shadows. One is big."
Ren checked his own stats.
**[Level 5]**
**[Strength: 30]**
**[Agility: 25]**
**[Physique: 30]**
**[Spirit: 20]**
He was stronger than he had ever been in his life. But these weren't the Level 2 spiders he had been farming. These were pack hunters. Organized.
"Jace, Elara," Ren said, his voice calm despite the adrenaline flooding his veins. "Get inside. Barricade the door. Merrin, prep the fire bombs."
"Yes, my Lord!" the three of them scrambled. Merrin was already uncorking a vial of glowing green liquid, pouring it into a clay jug.
Ren leaped off the roof.
*THUD.*
He landed in a crouch, the force of the impact cracking the earth slightly. He stood up, rolling his shoulders.
"My Lord?" Thorne looked at him, a question in his alien eyes.
"I'm fighting too," Ren said. "I need the XP."
Thorne didn't argue. He knew better than anyone that Ren was the engine of their survival. He merely drew the twin short swords Ren had commissioned—chitin blades that looked like oversized daggers.
"They are at the edge," Thorne warned.
The blue shimmer of the barrier rippled.
From the dark treeline, a low, resonant growl vibrated through the ground.
The Dire Wolf emerged. It was magnificent. Unlike the moss-covered brute from his first day, this one was sleek. Its fur was midnight black, blending into the shadows, and its eyes burned with a cold, intelligent blue fire.
**[Monster: Shadow Mane Alpha]**
**[Level: 8]**
Behind it, eight smaller wolves—**Level 5 Shadow Mane Scouts**—fanned out in a semi-circle.
Ren's heart hammered. Level 8. That was nearly double his own level.
"They know about the barrier," Thorne muttered. "They are testing it."
The Alpha stepped forward. It opened its jaws and bit the air.
*CLANG.*
Its teeth struck the invisible barrier. Sparks flew. The blue energy flickered but held.
"System," Ren thought. "Does damage to the barrier reduce the timer?"
**[Warning: Barrier Integrity is tied to Territory Defense. However, direct attacks will not drop the timer. Only time depletes the Protection.]
Ren let out a breath. The barrier was safe for another 27 days. But he couldn't hide. He needed the resources these wolves dropped. He needed the Evolution Points.
If they couldn't get in... he had to go out.
"Thorne," Ren said softly. "Can you take the Alpha?"
Thorne stared at the Level 8 beast. "I can hold it. I cannot kill it alone, my Lord. Its hide is too thick."
"Then I'll kill it," Ren said. "You handle the pack."
Ren looked at the pack. Eight wolves. Level 5. Perfect.
"I'm opening the barrier," Ren announced.
"My Lord?" Thorne's head snapped toward him. "If you open it, they all rush at once."
"Merrin," Ren called out to the window of the cabin. "Do you have that adhesive mixture?"
"Yes, my Lord! It's like glue!"
"Pour it in an arc in front of the barrier. Now!"
Merrin threw the jug out the window. It shattered on the stone perimeter, splashing a sticky, clear fluid across the grass.
Ren focused on the System interface. **[Territory Management]** -> **[Barrier Control]**.
"Open a three-meter gap. Directly in front of me."
The blue curtain vanished.
The smell of the wild hit Ren—blood, musk, and old death.
The Alpha didn't hesitate. It roared, a sound that shook the leaves off the nearby trees, and charged.
Behind it, the eight wolves sprinted.
They hit the adhesive zone. The first three wolves stumbled, their paws sticking to the ground. They yelped, their momentum breaking, tangling into a furball of snapping teeth.
But the Alpha and the five behind them jumped. They cleared the glue.
"Now, Thorne!"
Thorne launched himself like a missile. He didn't aim for the Alpha; he aimed for the rear guard.
Ren faced the Alpha.
The beast was massive, the size of a small tank. It came at Ren with jaws wide enough to swallow his head.
Ren didn't dodge. He planted his feet.
*30 Strength.*
As the Alpha descended, Ren swung the axe upward with everything he had. It wasn't a technique; it was raw, unadulterated power.
*CRUNCH.*
The axe bit into the Alpha's shoulder, burying deep. The momentum of the wolf carried it forward, knocking Ren backward, but the blade held. Black blood sprayed across Ren's face, blinding him in one eye.
The Alpha crashed to the ground, thrashing, trying to shake the axe loose.
Ren rolled to his feet, gasping. The Alpha howled in rage and turned its attention fully to him. It ignored the injury to its shoulder, eyes burning with hate.
It lunged.
Ren sidestepped—*Agility 25* saving his life as the jaws snapped shut where his neck had been a second before. He brought the axe down again, this time aiming for the spine.
*THUD.*
The axe rebounded off the thick spinal ridge. The Alpha slammed Ren with a massive paw.
Ren flew.
He smashed into the wooden wall of the cabin, ribs cracking. He slid to the ground, gasping for air.
**[Physique: 30]**
*Notification: Minor Rib Fracture detected. Regeneration active.*
Ren coughed, tasting blood. The Alpha was coming. It knew he was hurt.
Suddenly, a black shape intercepted the wolf.
Thorne. He had killed three of the smaller wolves already and was moving faster than Ren's eyes could track. He leaped onto the Alpha's back, driving his chitin daggers into the creature's neck.
"Kill it, my Lord!" Thorne screamed, straining to hold the beast's head back as the Alpha bucked wildly.
Ren forced himself to stand. Pain lanced through his chest. He looked at the Alpha's exposed underbelly. The fur was thinner there.
He grabbed a potion bottle from his belt—a *Strength Draft* Merrin had brewed. He smashed it between his teeth.
**[Temporary Strength Boost: +10]**
**[Current Strength: 40]**
Ren roared. The power surged through him, making his muscles bulge. He sprinted, not away, but *under* the Alpha's thrashing claws.
He slid across the grass, grit and mud flying. He looked up. The belly was there. The Alpha was trying to shake Thorne off.
Ren gripped the axe with both hands. He screamed with exertion and drove the axe upward with the force of a battering ram.
The axe tore through the soft flesh, slicing the belly open from groin to chest.
The Alpha froze. Its eyes went wide.
Intestines and dark blood poured out onto Ren, drenching him.
The beast collapsed, its strength leaving it in a rush. Thorne leaped off gracefully as the Alpha hit the dirt with a wet thud.
Ren lay there, staring up at the purple sky, covered in gore. His heart was racing so fast he thought it might explode.
**[Target Defeated: Shadow Mane Alpha (Level 8)]**
**[Massive XP Gained]**
*Ding.*
**[Level Up!]**
Ren's ribs knit together. The pain vanished. Strength flooded him, permanent and heavy.
He stood up. The remaining wolves, seeing their Alpha fall, didn't run. They were intelligent. They backed away, growling, looking for an opening.
"Thorne," Ren said, his voice vibrating with power.
Thorne was covered in blood, his chitin armor cracked. "Yes, my Lord."
"Clean up the mess."
Thorne grinned, a feral, terrifying expression. He vanished into the darkness.
Screams echoed out. One by one. Short, brutal. The spiders and the glue had weakened them. Thorne was the executioner.
Ren walked over to the Alpha's carcass. It was already dissolving.
The loot was massive.
* **50kg Shadow Mane Meat (High Tier)**
* **Shadow Mane Hide (Rank A Material)**
* **Claws (Weapon Material)**
And then, the lights.
**[Drop: +2 Strength Points]**
**[Drop: +1 Agility Point]**
**[Drop: +1 Spirit Point]**
Ren absorbed the points. He felt his body harden further, his mind sharpening.
**[Strength: 32 -> 35]**
**[Agility: 25 -> 26]**
**[Spirit: 20 -> 21]**
And the final prize.
**[Evolution Essence: 500 Points]**
Ren smiled, wiping blood from his eyes. Five hundred points. That was enough to evolve Thorne to a true monster.
He looked at the cabin. Jace and Elara were peeking out, terrified but in awe.
"Merrin!" Ren shouted. "Get out here! We need to harvest this carcass before the bigger things come!"
Ren looked at the timer. *27 Days.* He was ahead of schedule.
He looked at the dark forest, where Thorne was finishing off the last wolf.
"I am the Sovereign," Ren whispered to the empty night. "And this is my hunting ground."
***