The world didn't just change for Kyle; it shattered.
One second, he was a fragile human boy with a broken spirit, a "trash" noble. The next, he was a mountain of muscle and silver-grey fur. His heart wasn't beating like a human's anymore. It was a heavy, rhythmic drum that echoed in his ears. THUMP.THUMP. THUMP. [System: Integration Complete!]
[Evolution Stage: Fledgling Pathfinder (Level 1)]
[Status: Bloodthirsty – Strength and Agility increased by 50% for 10 minutes.]
Kyle looked at his hands. No, they weren't hands. They were lethal weapons. Five obsidian claws, each as long as a dagger, retracted and extended from his furry knuckles with a metallic click.
SHING!
"What... what is that thing?!" one of the soldiers screamed. His voice was high and thin, the sound of a man who had realized he was no longer at the top of the food chain.
Kyle didn't answer. He couldn't. His vocal cords had thickened, designed now for roaring and tearing, not for petty human speech. He felt a strange, electric heat crawling under his skin. It was the System, mapping out the room for him.
[Target Locked: Soldier A (Level 5)]
[Target Locked: Soldier B (Level 4)]
[Target Locked: Captain Marcus (Level 12)]
"Don't just stand there, you cowards!" Captain Marcus roared, though his own knees were shaking. He raised his heavy claymore, the silver blade glowing with a faint, artificial light. "It's just a beast! In the name of our King, PURGE IT!"
WHOOSH!
Marcus swung his blade. In Kyle's old life, that sword would have been a blur of certain death. But now? The world seemed to move in slow motion. He could see the dust motes dancing in the air. He could see the sweat dripping from the soldier's chin.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Step (Lv.1)]
Kyle didn't move like a person. He blurred. One moment he was standing by the altar, the next, he was a streak of grey mist moving through the shadows.
SWISH!
He appeared behind the first soldier. The man didn't even have time to turn his head. Kyle felt a primal instinct take over. His right claw swiped through the air.
RIP!
The sound was like wet silk being torn apart. The soldier's leather armor offered as much protection as paper. Blood sprayed against the white marble wall, painting a gruesome red streak.
"Gurgle..." The soldier fell, clutching a throat that was no longer there.
[XP +20]
[Energy Absorbed: Hunger Level 90% -> 85%]
A wave of pure, uncut DOPAMINE hit Kyle's brain. It was better than any wine, more addictive than any drug. He wanted more. He needed more. The "Pathfinder" inside him wasn't just a name; it was a destiny of eternal hunger.
"DIE!" The second soldier stabbed his spear forward.
CLANG!
Kyle didn't dodge. He caught the steel spearhead with his bare claws. Sparks flew as the metal scraped against his supernatural nails. With a guttural growl, Kyle twisted his wrist.
CRACK!
The wooden shaft of the spear snapped like a dry twig. The soldier stared at his broken weapon in horror. Before he could scream, Kyle's jaws opened. Rows of razor-sharp fangs, dripping with a thick, predatory saliva, clamped down on the soldier's shoulder.
CRUNCH!
The sound of bone shattering filled the silent hall. It was a sickeningly sweet sound to Kyle's ears.
[XP +20]
[Critical Hit! Life Essence Devoured.]
"Monster! Demon!" Captain Marcus was hysterical now. He charged, his claymore erupting in a blinding white light. "SMITE!"
The blade descended with the force of a falling star. Kyle felt the light burning his fur. It was a searing, agonizing pain. The magic was specifically designed to destroy his kind.
[Warning: Plasma Damage detected!]
[HP: 85/100]
[Regeneration Factor: Active.]
Kyle roared, a sound that shook the very foundation of the temple. ROOOOOAR! He didn't back down. Instead, he met the blade with his bare claws, fueled by pure, unadulterated rage.
BOOM!
The collision sent a shockwave through the room, blowing out the remaining candles. For a moment, there was total darkness. And in the dark, the Pathfinder was the true master.
Kyle's golden eyes pierced through the gloom. He could see the Captain's thermal signature a bright, pulsing red heart. He moved.
SPLAT!
When the dust settled, Kyle was standing over the Captain. His claws were buried deep in the man's chest plate, pinning him to the floor. The light of the claymore was fading, flickering like a dying candle.
"Please..." Marcus gasped, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth. "I have... a family..."
Kyle leaned down. His snout was inches from the Captain's face. He could smell the man's life force, a sweet, golden energy that the System was screaming for him to take.
[Alert: Level 12 Elite Soul detected. Consume?]
Kyle didn't hesitate. He wasn't the "trash" of the Thorne family anymore. He was a predator. He was the King of the Night.
GULP.
As the Captain's eyes went dull, a massive surge of energy exploded inside Kyle. It felt like his veins were being injected with liquid starlight.
[XP +100]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Current Level: 2]
[Stat Points Gained: 5]
[New Skill Unlocked: Bone Armor (Passive)]
Kyle stood up, his massive frame casting a long, terrifying shadow against the altar of the power that had long ago disappeared. He felt... complete. For the first time in his life, he had power. Real, raw, unyielding power.
But then, the System chimed again, and this time, the tone was different. It was a deep, ominous red.
[DANGER! DANGER!]
[High-Level Energy Signatures Detected.]
[Distance: 500 Meters and closing fast.]
[Unit Type: Silver Wing Paladins (Level 30+)]
Kyle's ears flicked. He could hear it now. The rhythmic thumping of heavy warhorses. The clanking of high-grade plate armor. The smell of incense and iron. A lot of it.
If he stayed, he would be executed. Level 2 was powerful compared to common soldiers, but against a squad of Silver Wing Paladins? He would be turned into a rug.
"I need to hide," Kyle thought, his animalistic brain fighting with his human logic. "But I can't run. They'll track the scent of blood for miles."
He looked at his claws, then at the pile of dead soldiers. An idea, dark and twisted, began to form.
[Skill Activated: Human Mimicry (Lv.1)]
"Aaagh... Eaaa!" Kyle groaned as the transformation began to reverse. It was more painful than the awakening. His bones didn't just move; they ground against each other, shrinking and snapping back into human proportions. His fur retracted into his pores like thousands of needles stabbing him at once.
Within a minute, the seven-foot monster was gone. In its place stood a pale, trembling teenager, covered in blood and grime, looking like a victim of a horrific massacre.
Kyle grabbed a discarded dagger and sliced his own shoulder. SHHHH. He needed the wound to look real. He needed to be the "Survivor."
The doors groaned. CREEEEAK.
A blinding light flooded the room as the Silver Wing Paladins stepped inside, their capes snapping in the wind. Their leader, a woman with eyes as cold as ice, scanned the room.
"Search the area!" she commanded. "Find the beast that did this!"
Kyle lay among the bodies, closing his eyes halfway, letting a single tear fall. In his mind, the System was counting down.
[Deception Mode: Active.]
[Goal: Infiltrate the Holy City.]
[The Hunt begins... from the inside.]
He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Kid? Can you hear me? What happened here?"
Kyle looked up, his face a mask of perfect, fragile terror. "It... it was so fast..."
Deep inside his chest, the wolf began to purr.