Kael didn't sleep much that night.
Every little sound made him jump. A falling leaf. A distant bird. The wind brushing against the cave entrance. His new Keen Hearing skill was working a little too well.
Crack.
He sat up straight, heart pounding.
What was that?
He listened. Held his breath. Focused.
Nothing.
Just the forest doing its normal nighttime thing.
Relax, he told himself. They're gone. For now.
The wolf stirred beside him. Its amber eyes caught the faint moonlight filtering through the cave entrance. A warm feeling washed through their bond.
Safe.
Kael let out a breath. "Yeah. We're safe."
He wished he believed it.
---
Morning came slowly.
The sun didn't reach the cave directly—too many trees in the way—but the light turned the vines at the entrance into a curtain of gold. Kael sat up and stretched. His back hurt from sleeping on hard stone. His stomach was growling again. But he was alive.
That counted for something.
He looked at the wolf. The creature was already awake, watching him with those glowing amber eyes.
"How's the leg?"
The wolf stood up. Slowly. Carefully. But it stood. It even took a few steps—limping, but moving.
Better.
Kael smiled. "Good. That's really good."
He checked his system screen. It popped up the moment he thought about it.
```
═══════════════════════════════════════
USER STATUS
═══════════════════════════════════════
Name: Kael (Nameless)
Age: 17
XP: 0
Abilities:
- Beast Empathy (Level 1)
- Keen Hearing (Active)
- Light Feet (Active)
Locked Talents: 2
Current Quest: [Survival Instinct]
- Find a safe hiding place for the wolf: COMPLETE
- Gather resources for 3 days: 0/3
- Learn one new skill from the System Shop: COMPLETE
Reward pending: Complete all objectives.
Time left: 1 day, 14 hours
```
One day left. He needed food. A lot of it. Enough for both of them to survive three days without leaving the cave.
"I have to go out again," he said to the wolf.
The wolf whined.
Danger.
"I know. But we don't have a choice." Kael crouched down and scratched behind its ear. "I'll be careful. I promise."
The wolf pressed its nose against his cheek.
Hurry.
Kael stood up, took a deep breath, and slipped out of the cave.
---
The forest was quieter than yesterday.
No birds singing. No squirrels running. Just… silence.
Kael's instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong.
He activated Keen Hearing and listened.
Footsteps.
Not close. But not far either. At least two people. Maybe three. They were moving through the forest, heading northwest—away from the cave.
The hunters.
Kael ducked behind a tree and held his breath. His heart was so loud he was sure they could hear it. But they kept walking. Their voices drifted through the trees.
"…no sign of it. Maybe it died already."
"Master won't be happy."
"Then we search again. The wolf can't have vanished."
"Check the eastern side tomorrow. And keep an eye out for that boy."
"What boy?"
"The one who's been seen around the forest. Nameless kid. The merchant at the gate mentioned him."
Kael's blood turned cold.
They know about me.
"Who cares about some Nameless brat?"
"The master does. If he's hiding the wolf…"
A pause. Then a cold laugh.
"Then we kill him too."
The footsteps faded. The voices disappeared.
Kael stayed behind that tree for a long time.
---
He found food, somehow.
Berries. Mushrooms. A few edible roots he recognized from his years of foraging. He even managed to catch two fish from the stream—bigger ones this time, using a makeshift spear he carved from a sharp stick.
But every snap of a twig made him freeze. Every rustle of leaves made him look over his shoulder.
They're looking for me now.
Not just the wolf. Him.
He filled his bag—an old sack he'd found in the forest—with as much as it could carry. It was heavy. Almost too heavy. But he didn't care. They needed food.
When he finally returned to the cave, the wolf's tail wagged so hard its whole body wiggled.
You came back.
"Told you I would." Kael dropped the bag and collapsed against the wall. "Missed you too."
He fed the wolf first. Pieces of fish and crushed berries, just like yesterday. Then he ate the leftovers—a handful of berries and a few mushrooms.
Not a feast. But enough.
---
The system screen flickered to life.
```
═══════════════════════════════════════
QUEST PROGRESS UPDATE
═══════════════════════════════════════
[Survival Instinct]
- Find a safe hiding place for the wolf: COMPLETE
- Gather resources for 3 days: 3/3 COMPLETE
- Learn one new skill from the System Shop: COMPLETE
All objectives complete.
Quest Reward: 150 XP + Basic Defensive Skill
Reward delivered.
```
```
═══════════════════════════════════════
BASIC DEFENSIVE SKILL
═══════════════════════════════════════
[Dodge] – Active
Predict incoming attacks and move out of the way.
Effect: +20% evasion chance for 3 seconds.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Level: 1
```
Kael read the notification twice.
Dodge.
It wasn't a sword. It wasn't magic. But it was something. A way to not get hit.
In a fight against hunters with silver knives, not getting hit sounded pretty good.
"Alright," he whispered. "One more day. Then we figure out what's next."
---
That night, something changed.
Kael was sitting at the cave entrance, watching the forest, when the wolf padded up beside him and sat down. Its fur brushed against his arm.
Thank you.
The feeling was strong. Clearer than before. Almost like real words.
"You don't have to thank me," Kael said. "You're the only friend I've ever had."
The wolf leaned its head against his shoulder.
You're not alone anymore.
Kael's throat tightened. He blinked a few times—just in case something got in his eyes.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I know."
They sat there together, watching the stars appear one by one.
And somewhere in the darkness, the hunters kept searching.
But Kael wasn't running anymore.
He was waiting.
---
```
═══════════════════════════════════════
SYSTEM NOTE
═══════════════════════════════════════
User's mental state: DETERMINED.
New Quest will be available at sunrise.
Proceed to Chapter 4.