"So…the true trial begins...," she whispered, her voice barely audible against the restless hush of the forest.
From the very beginning, she had sensed something amiss within the structure of the training. It was too… simple. Too predictable. The creatures they encountered were nothing more than beasts feral, instinct-driven, devoid of any semblance of higher cognition. While undeniably dangerous, these beasts lacked the capacity to strategize, to deceive, to truly hunt in the way intelligent beings could just like humans and other beings, not to mention... fallens
There were, of course, rare exceptions certain low-tier beasts that exhibited rudimentary cunning,but even those were incomparable to the true abominations of this world.
The Fallens.
Unlike beasts, the Fallens were horrors incarnate,twisted entities that embodied corruption and malice.
Among them were the thralls,grotesque manifestations that thrived on sheer numbers and unrelenting aggression.
They were not merely creatures; they were a tide of death.
She had never directly fought a thrall before, yet knowledge alone was enough to instill a chilling certainty.
They could kill anyone.
Even the strong were not exempt from their grasp. Their overwhelming
numbers and unnatural resilience made them a terror that few could withstand. A single thrall might be manageable,but the very nature of thralls lay in their countless population. Still, not all were equal. Lower thralls were significantly weaker than their higher counterparts.
Unfortunately, the one before her… was still a thrall,even that was enough to push her to the brink.Its movements were erratic yet forceful, its strikes carrying a savage weight that forced her to retreat again and again. She could barely evade its relentless assaults, each near-miss sending a tremor through her body.
She clicked her tongue softly.
Distance. She needed distance.
Without hesitation, she activated her skill.
"Speed Boost."The words slipped from her lips like a quiet command to fate itself. In an instant, her body responded, her muscles surged with power, her perception sharpened, and the world seemed to slow as her speed doubled.
She dashed backward, her feet barely touching the ground before she propelled herself upward. With a powerful leap, her form ascended onto a nearby tree branch, her movements fluid and precise.
Her bow was already in her grasp while the thrall faltered.
It failed to track her sudden burst of speed, its distorted head jerking in confusion. Slowly, almost mechanically, it tilted its gaze upward.
Too late...
"Piercing Strike."her voice was devoid of emotion cold, unwavering.She released the arrow.It cut through the air with terrifying velocity, faster than the eye could follow, slicing through the distance like a streak of death itself. In a heartbeat, it reached its target.
A sickening impact followed.
The arrow penetrated the thrall's head effortlessly, as though its grotesque flesh offered no resistance. For a fleeting moment, everything seemed still...Then it burst...
The creature's head exploded like a crushed watermelon, fragments scattering in a grotesque display. Its body went limp, collapsing lifelessly onto the ground below.
Silence returned.But she did not move.
For an entire minute, she remained perched on the branch, her eyes scanning the surroundings with unwavering vigilance. Fallens were infamous for their lingering corruption. Even in death, they could spread decay, infecting the environment and bringing ruin to the careless.
Only when she was certain that nothing anomalous would occur did she descend.
Even then, she maintained a careful distance as she examined the remains.
After committing the details to memory, she straightened and continued forward. As she moved, a translucent interface appeared before her eyes, displaying her current status
Name: Raven Wingveil
Points: 974 points
Hunted Beasts /(Fallen):
Lower Beast: Eater Ant, Burrower Rat, Poison Frog…
Normal Beast: Mountain Boar, Giant Bear, Vine Serpent…
Elite Beast: Shadow Stag, Rot Boar, Storm Eagle…
Peak Beast: Dread Serpent, Thunderwing Roc, Black Tortoise…
(Fallen): Dread Stalker
Ranking: 2nd
"Still second place…?"She frowned slightly her voice carried a trace of frustration, though it remained subdued.
"How am I supposed to reach rank 1?"
She already knew the answer.It was futile.
Aiden Drakonis, the name alone carried weight. A prodigy who had displayed monstrous talent since childhood, a figure who stood far beyond the reach of ordinary individuals. Competing with him was like chasing a distant star no matter how fast she ran, the gap remained insurmountable.
She had always existed in his shadow.
And yet despite knowing the futility of it all, she continued to strive. Whether it was pride, stubbornness, or something deeper, even she could not fully comprehend.
But the results were undeniable.
Everything she had accomplished yesterday, today was still not enough.
Still…she refused to stop...
*****
Meanwhile, far from her location, another figure wandered through the forest.
Zephyr walked casually, a chunk of meat in his hand. Though it was far from high quality, it was still a considerable improvement compared to the rats he had previously consumed.
"Hey, Maw," Zephyr said between bites, his tone casual, "I think the direction you gave me is wrong. We've only been encountering lower beasts."
Maw's expression twitched.The sight of Zephyr casually eating while questioning him only served to irritate him further.
"Hehe, don't look at me like that..."
Zephyr continued with a grin.
"Isn't this better? We managed to avoid the more dangerous stuff."
Maw exhaled slowly, forcing down his annoyance.
"…Fair enough," he admitted then continued
"Still, I can't shake the feeling that something is off."Zephyr nodded, though his focus remained on his meal.
"Yeah… same here."Maw fell silent after that.
Internally, however, his thoughts were far from calm.
Impressive…Despite the short time since his awakening as a Wisper, Zephyr was already demonstrating sharp instincts and an uncanny awareness of his surroundings.
'You're learning, Zep...' A faint, almost sinister amusement flickered within Maw's mind.
'But it's not enough,Not yet.You need to see more…To experience it…The true meaning of carnage.'
A subtle grin formed on his face.
'Hehe… I wonder… will you break this time?'
The two continued forward, their journey filled with trivial exchanges questions and answers that gradually wore down Maw's patience.
Yet beneath the surface, something far more ominous was unfolding.
The wind began to shift.
The sky darkened as dusk slowly descended upon the land, painting the horizon in hues of crimson and shadow.
An unnatural stillness crept into the forest.
Even the beast seemed to retreat, as though anticipating something dreadful.
The air grew heavy...Oppressive.
Like the calm before an inevitable storm.
And somewhere, unseen.Something stirred and a storm was brewing.Dusk had arrived.
And with it…
The culmination of carnage had begun...