Chapter 2
Kai Louvan had always imagined that if he ever fought a monster, it would happen in a heroic way.
Something dramatic.
Something impressive.
Maybe he would be standing on a hill with a sword in his hand while lightning flashed behind him. Wind would blow his coat dramatically. People would shout his name as he defeated some terrifying creature with skill and courage.
That was how heroes fought monsters.
Instead…
Kai was standing in the middle of Rustland Settlement holding a bent potato shovel.
Facing a giant mutant wolf.
He slowly lifted the shovel and inspected the slightly crooked metal blade.
"…You and me are both unqualified for this."
The Ironfang Alpha snarled.
Its massive paws crushed broken pieces of the settlement gate as it stepped forward. The wood cracked under its weight like dry sticks.
Its glowing red veins pulsed beneath thick black fur, and its iron-colored fangs looked capable of biting through metal.
The creature's eyes locked onto Kai.
Hungry.
Focused.
Absolutely certain about what it wanted to eat first.
People ran in every direction.
Guards shouted orders from the walls.
"Move! Move!"
"Get everyone inside!"
Someone screamed somewhere behind him.
Kai stood frozen for half a second longer.
Then he turned slowly to the blue system screen floating in front of his face.
"System," he said calmly, "I think there has been a mistake."
The screen flickered.
Host classification confirmed.
Worst Possible Host.
Kai pointed angrily at the wolf.
"That thing is the problem!"
The system answered without hesitation.
Incorrect.
Host survival strategy is the problem.
The wolf roared.
The sound vibrated through Kai's bones.
Kai yelped and jumped backward.
"Okay! New strategy!"
The monster lunged.
Kai dove sideways just in time as massive claws ripped through the dirt where he had been standing.
Mud exploded into the air.
Kai rolled across the ground, splashing through a puddle, and scrambled back to his feet.
"This is not a good plan!"
Host currently has no plan.
"Exactly!"
The wolf spun around again with terrifying speed.
Its glowing eyes burned with hunger.
Kai's heart pounded wildly against his ribs.
He looked around desperately.
Broken carts.
Scattered tools.
A chicken coop that was now empty because the chickens had apparently made smarter survival decisions than he had.
None of these things were helpful against a monster the size of a truck.
Kroko chirped softly from his shoulder.
"Kro."
Kai glanced sideways.
"You got anything useful?"
"Kro."
"That sounded like a no."
The Ironfang Alpha attacked again.
This time Kai ran.
Not in a heroic way.
Not in a graceful way.
In a very fast and extremely terrified way.
He sprinted across the muddy settlement square while the wolf smashed through everything behind him.
Wood shattered.
Barrels rolled across the ground.
A crate of tools exploded as the wolf crashed through it.
Someone yelled from behind him.
"RUN FASTER!"
"I AM!"
Kai slipped on mud and barely caught himself before falling face-first.
The wolf's breath was right behind him now.
Hot.
Hungry.
Extremely close.
Kai's brain raced desperately.
He couldn't outrun this thing forever.
He needed something.
Anything.
Then he saw it.
The tall wooden water tower near the center of the settlement.
A very unstable water tower.
Kai slowed slightly as an idea formed in his head.
It was a terrible idea.
But terrible ideas were apparently his specialty.
Kai turned sharply toward the tower.
"Come on, big dog!"
The wolf followed immediately.
Its claws tore deep trenches in the dirt as it chased him.
Kai sprinted straight past the base of the tower.
At the last possible second he dropped and slid through the mud.
The wolf tried to follow.
Its massive body slammed directly into the wooden support beams.
The tower shook violently.
Kai looked up.
"Oh."
The structure groaned.
Tilted.
And then—
began to collapse.
Kai rolled away just as tons of wood and water crashed down onto the Ironfang Alpha.
The impact shook the entire square.
Mud and splintered wood sprayed everywhere.
Water flooded across the ground in a rushing wave.
Kai sat up slowly, soaked from head to toe.
"…That counts."
For a moment everything was silent.
Even the people hiding behind the nearby buildings stared in disbelief.
Then the debris moved.
Kai's smile vanished.
"You have got to be kidding me."
The wolf burst out of the wreckage.
One eye bleeding.
Fur soaked.
Very angry.
Kai stood up slowly.
"That felt like it should have worked better."
The wolf lunged again.
Kai raised the shovel in pure panic.
Before the monster could strike—
Kroko jumped.
The tiny caterpillar launched from Kai's shoulder straight at the wolf's face.
Kai blinked.
"…Wait—"
Kroko landed directly on the wolf's nose.
The giant predator froze.
Cross-eyed.
Confused.
The caterpillar opened its tiny mouth.
And bit it.
For one second nothing happened.
Then the wolf screamed.
Green energy surged through the wolf, glowing lines ripping across its body.
The glowing veins under its fur flared violently.
The monster staggered backward.
Its legs trembled.
Kai stared in disbelief.
"What did you do?!"
Kroko chirped proudly.
"Kro!"
The Ironfang Alpha collapsed.
Hard.
Dust rose into the air.
The entire settlement went silent.
Kai slowly approached the body.
"…Did my caterpillar just defeat a giant wolf?"
The system chimed.
Mission Complete.
Ironfang Alpha defeated.
Kai blinked.
"I'll take it."
Another screen appeared.
Reward Unlocked
Ability Acquired:
Predator Sprint
Before Kai could react—
a surge of energy rushed through his body.
He gasped.
Heat burned through his legs like lightning.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened.
Kai nearly fell over.
"What is happening?!"
Ability integration in progress.
The energy slowly settled.
Kai stood again.
Everything felt different.
Sharper.
Lighter.
Faster.
He took a step.
Then another.
Then suddenly—
he moved.
Fast.
Very fast.
One moment he stood beside the dead wolf.
The next he had crossed half the square.
Kai skidded to a stop in the mud.
"…Oh."
Predator Sprint activated.
Kai grinned.
"I'm fast."
The system replied immediately.
Correction:
Host is less slow.
Kai rolled his eyes.
"You are the worst system ever."
Then someone screamed.
Kai turned toward the settlement gate.
Outside the broken entrance—
something enormous moved through the dust.
The ground trembled.
A massive shape emerged slowly from the wasteland.
Stone-gray armor.
Four massive limbs.
A head like a living boulder.
The creature was even bigger than the wolf.
Kai's smile faded.
"…No."
The system flashed red.
WARNING
High-Level Monster Detected.
Kai swallowed.
"What is that?"
The system answered calmly.
Titan Gorger.
The monster stepped closer.
The earth shook under its weight.
Kai stared.
"…That looks expensive."
The system displayed new text.
Survival Probability:
1%.
Kai pointed at the screen.
"One percent?!"
Congratulations.
Host survival probability has improved.
Kai slowly looked back at the massive monster approaching the settlement.
"…I hate this system."
The Titan Gorger lifted its massive head.
Its glowing eyes locked directly onto Kai.
And it began walking toward him.
Kai tightened his grip on the bent shovel.
"Okay," he muttered.
"Maybe if I run really fast—"
The monster roared.
The sound shook the entire settlement.
Kai stared at it.
"…I'm going to die."
Kroko glowed softly on his shoulder.
"Kro."
And somewhere deep underground…
Dr. Erjuc Jayvex watched the battlefield through a glowing monitor.
The scientist smiled slowly.
"Interesting," he murmured.
"Very interesting."
"Let's see how long the worst host survives."