[Notification: The Goblin Leader has died.]
With that single strike, Leon ended the Goblin's life, severing its head from its body.
[Notification: Player Leon now possesses two unique Magic Traits.]
At this moment, only one thing occupied Leon's mind: the matter of the Magic Trait.
In the world of Wonderland, acquiring a Magic Trait was something bordering on the impossible. Because of this, most players would spend real money on the game just to facilitate obtaining these traits.
But Leon had been poor in his life outside the game; he never had enough money for such luxuries.
Because of this, Leon had faced extreme difficulty playing within Wonderland.
However, that didn't stop him from pushing forward. At one point, the game revealed a different kind of magic—a mysterious power with terrifying strength called Abyss Magic.
Many players tried to learn this magic, but they all failed and eventually gave up.
Except for one player: Leon. He continued to train and study this magic; all it took was three years of persistent effort.
Three years were enough for Leon to master Abyss Magic and become the first player in the history of Wonderland capable of wielding it.
With the help of this unique magic, Leon managed to place his name among the strongest players in Wonderland, eventually being ranked as one of the "Seven Strongest Players" of that era.
But now, losing the magic that represented everything to him was a true catastrophe.
Yet, despite this, the surprise was even greater. Two Magic Traits at once? It was like a dream, something hard to believe. The question swirling in Leon's mind was: How did this happen?
[Notification: After re-auditing the Player's information, it appears that the 'Adaptation' trait has been with Player Leon for a long time.]
Question marks hovered over Leon's head, his face a mask of pure bewilderment.
"For a long time? I don't remember this. Since when have I carried a unique trait? I don't recall this—not at all."
"And what about this new trait?"
[Notification: Player Leon acquired this trait as a result of an anomalous event and the interaction between the Player's survival instinct and the King's Will within him.]
[Notification: This event was sufficient to create a new Magic Trait for Player Leon.]
[Notification: The Player is now a user of two Magic Traits. The first is the 'Adaptation' trait, which allows the Player to adapt to various types of magical effects, as well as providing Auto-Regeneration and the ability to reduce pain.]
[Notification: The 'Dominance' trait allows the Player to impose a form of dominance over opponents, followed by the ability to impose Magic Restraints, Paralysis, and strike terror into the hearts of enemies while lowering their stats.]
Leon marveled at this flood of information. He had always despised trait users because of his own inability to obtain one, but now he possessed two. The feeling was exquisite.
"Hah... now I know how Hysteria and Leonard felt. They enjoyed superhuman Magic Traits that most players described as unfair. But now... it's a wonderful feeling to possess such talent."
After Leon finished checking his abilities with the Alternative Assistant, he shifted his gaze to the decapitated Goblin corpse beside him. He then whispered in a low voice:
"Hey, Alternative Assistant... do you know how the Chaos King gained his power in the past? Ah... by devouring his enemies. That's how it was."
As soon as Leon said this, he began to tear into the Goblin's corpse. Although the taste was foul, Leon was accustomed to it.
[Notification: Warning. The Player is facing the risk of poisoning from eating rotten monster meat.]
Despite the Assistant's warning, Leon paid it no mind. He didn't really care if the meat was rotten or not; that was how the Chaos King had been in the past.
"Heh, shut your mouth. I know. Don't worry, I won't die from eating a filthy Goblin's meat. I've eaten far worse than this... but now I have the Adaptation trait. This poison won't be able to take me down."
[Notification: The Player has been poisoned after eating spoiled food.]
[Notification: Poison adaptation process completed successfully.]
[Notification: Player Leon has gained immunity to poisoning from Goblin meat.]
Leon smiled at this. He realized he had indeed acquired a magnificent power. Even if he had lost his Abyss Magic, possessing two Magic Traits meant everything would be fine.
"Ah, didn't I tell you? No need to worry. I won't die here today."
Once Leon finished his meal, he stood up and headed toward the path the Alternative Assistant had pointed out earlier—the way out of the cave.
As Leon advanced through the dark corridor, his senses began to sharpen in a strange way.
The darkness was no longer an obstacle as it had been before; he could see the features of the path and the surroundings with much greater clarity.
"Hmm... it seems this Adaptation trait is much better than I expected."
But...
Leon suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He could sense something nearby.
The sound of heavy breathing... and eyes glowing in the midst of the pitch-black darkness.
In a single moment, Leon leaped backward.
Anxiety—that was the feeling gripping Leon now as he went into high alert.
A moment of silence filled the area. Leon focused all his senses together in an attempt to grasp the situation and identify the thing emitting such a terrifying aura.
A heartbeat... and the sound of heavy footsteps advancing.
At this moment, Leon could hear only two sounds: the first was his own heartbeat... and the second was the sound of heavy footsteps coming from that dark passage.
Leon realized beforehand: Whatever this thing coming is, I am unable to defeat it. That was the thought that formed in his mind from the very first second.
Inside Leon's mind, a single voice whispered, urging him to flee from this place.
It was Leon's own voice—the voice of the will urging him to survive.
But it was already too late... even when Leon tried to run, it was too late for that.
Leon's legs refused to move; in fact, all his limbs betrayed him and refused to make any motion.
Fear gnawed at Leon's bones from the inside. His eyelids were wide open, not blinking even once.
A dark, gloomy aura—an abhorrent aura—hovered around the place.
While Leon remained in this hopeless state for moments, the sound of footsteps grew sharper, signaling the approach of their owner.
Until it was close enough for Leon to see it.
Long fangs, thick black fur, terrifying black eyes, and cold, abhorrent features... this was the creature emitting that terrifying aura.
To Leon's misfortune, he knew this creature well. "Night Wolf"... a legendary creature that had always existed in the world of Wonderland that Leon used to play in. Although Wonderland was famous for its vast array of various monsters, the Night Wolf was one of the most infamous and rarest of them all.
It was a wolf larger than a human, with black fur, black eyes, and a loathsome, terrifying aura that signaled death...
This was the first time Leon felt despair... a feeling of total despair that was unlike anything he had ever felt.
With Leon's prior knowledge, he stood absolutely no chance against this Black Hunter... even if he regained his strength and status as the Chaos King, facing this hunter wouldn't be easy.
As Leon drowned in this sea of despair, the Night Wolf continued its advance until the unexpected happened... without warning, the Night Wolf completely ignored Leon and continued forward as if Leon didn't even exist.
Suddenly, the air tightened and the silence grew cold; the wolf withdrew, dissolving into the darkness.
With its disappearance, the heavy aura that had been suffocating Leon lifted, leaving behind an eerie silence that made Leon wonder: "Was it really here, or was it just a nightmare woven by fear?"
As soon as the Night Wolf vanished, Leon's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. "Haaah... that was really close."
[Notification: Player data is currently being processed.]
[Notification: It appears the Player is in a state of shock and severe panic.]
[Notification: Recovery process will now begin to restore the Player's health.]
[Notification: Process completed successfully. The Player has been cleared of the negative effects he was suffering from and has regained control over his body.]
Meanwhile, Leon regained control of his legs and was able to stand normally again.
But despite being cleared of the panic and regaining control, the feeling of fear that had gripped him didn't fully vanish.
Leon thought for a moment about what had happened, but he couldn't find a convincing answer. "The Night Wolf, the creature known as the Black Hunter who never gives up on its prey no matter what... why would it leave like that without doing anything?"
Despite Leon's thoughts, he couldn't find a convincing answer except for one... the answer Leon loathed: "That bastard... did he consider me so weak that he ignored me as if I didn't even exist?"
Feelings of joy at surviving and anger from this insult mixed together, forming a complex cocktail of emotions within Leon.
On one hand, he was happy to be alive... and on the other, he was consoling his pride, which had shattered before his eyes.
But despite this, Leon was not one to be bent by storms or broken by defeats and hardships.
He clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white, and the ice of fear that had frozen his heart melted... this survival was nothing but a slap echoing in Leon's face.
He straightened his back in the darkness and raised his head with a majesty that only belongs to those born to be at the top.
At that moment, he realized something he had been oblivious to his entire life... that staying alive is not a victory if the price is disdain.
He realized that weakness is not in losing, but in being invisible in the eyes of your opponent.
Leon looked at his trembling hands, and this time he didn't see fear in them... instead, he saw a void that he must fill with power.
End of Chapter 4