He turned his gaze toward the hatchling, which was still deep in its slumber. For a split second, a thought crossed his mind: Could I use this creature to get down the mountain faster? But he immediately dismissed the idea. That would be inviting disaster. In a forest this ruthless, there was no way a mother Griffin would ever lose track of its young. Besides, this chick—though the size of a cheetah—was nowhere near capable of flight. What should I do?
His eyes drifted to the remaining egg. Without hesitation, he stashed it into his system storage. The interface immediately updated: the egg weighed a staggering 40 kg. Including the herbs he had gathered earlier, his storage was now at 45 kg/50 kg. He only had 5 kg of space left.
Suddenly, a piercing screech echoed through the nest. The hatchling had awakened. Though it wasn't strong enough to launch a full attack, it began to wail loudly. He stiffened. He knew that cry all too well—it was a summons. Predators like these had an instinctual clock; they knew exactly when their mother was returning with food.
In that moment of extreme pressure, his mind shifted into a state of hyper-focus. Before this life, he hadn't just been an ordinary student; he was a High-Tier Chess Player, a master of calculated risks and cold strategy.
His eyes turned cold. With a swift, decisive strike, he ended the hatchling's life.
[System Window: +200 Experience Points.]
[Total XP: 360/1000]
He was momentarily stunned by the massive XP gain. Two hundred points? Was it because of its royal bloodline or its potential? There was no time to ponder. He had just created a bloody mess, and the clock was ticking.
"Time to play my best move," he whispered.
He ripped off a piece of his tattered clothing and tossed it onto the nest's floor near the carcass. Then, he addressed the system with a sharp command: "System, activate the mask. Change my form into a small insect."
Minutes later, a massive shadow eclipsed the sun. The mother Griffin landed, dropping several small but incredibly powerful monsters from its beak—creatures so high-level that his scan couldn't even register their stats.
But as the Griffin looked at its nest, the air turned frigid with rage. Its child was dead. Its egg was gone.
The Griffin's eyes turned a deep, vengeful crimson. It shrieked in agony, a sound that shook the very foundation of the mountain. Just as he had predicted, the Griffin's gaze fell upon the blood-stained scrap of cloth he had left behind. Its fury blinded its senses.
It never noticed the tiny insect clinging to the coarse fur of its hind leg.
The Griffin took to the skies once more, fueled by a primal need to hunt down the 'murderer' associated with that scent. It flew with a terrifying velocity, covering miles in heartbeats.
In what felt like only a few moments, the towering walls of the city appeared on the horizon. The Griffin soared past the outskirts, unknowingly delivering its child's killer right to the City Gate
The moment the Griffin's colossal silhouette breached the horizon of the Capital, the atmosphere shifted. Crimson flares shot into the sky, and the harrowing sound of the city's emergency sirens wailed through the streets. High-level security protocols were initiated instantly.
"Prepare for combat! Siege weapons, aim for the heart!" a Commander's voice thundered.
Below, the Hero watched through the eyes of an insect, clinging to the Griffin's matted fur. Hundreds of Knights in shimmering silver armor poured onto the ramparts. A volley of enchanted arrows, trailing streaks of blue light, whistled through the air. The Griffin screeched, its wings batting away the projectiles with hurricane-force winds, but the sheer number of attackers was overwhelming.
The battle turned visceral. A squad of Knights leaped from the towers, their greatswords glowing with holy mana as they clashed against the beast's talons. Suddenly, a stray arrow—black-tipped and jagged—pierced through the chaos and plunged directly into the Griffin's left eye.
A roar of agony shook the very foundations of the city walls.
Driven by primal rage, the Griffin gathered a pulsating sphere of violet energy in its beak. [Mana Blast: Ethereal Shockwave].
The explosion was deafening. A massive dome of energy expanded outward, a ripple of raw power that shattered stone and sent Knights flying like ragdolls. Nearly sixty soldiers were incinerated instantly, and twenty Elite Knights were thrown back, their armor cracked.
But the humans were relentless. Before the Griffin could recover, several Elite Knights used tethering spells to vault into the air. With synchronized precision, their blades flashed. In one brutal movement, they sliced through the Griffin's primary feathers, severing the tendons of its massive wings.
The beast began to plummet.
"System, initiate Form Shift: Avian," the Hero commanded, his voice cold despite the chaos.
A flash of light enveloped the insect, and a small, inconspicuous bird soared away from the falling Griffin. He glided over the city walls, weaving through the smoke, and finally tucked his wings to land in a desolate, shadowed alleyway.
Reverting to his human form, he checked his status.
[Item: the legendary mask]
Durability: 7/100
He leaned against the damp
brick wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He had survived. He had profited. But as he looked toward the city gate where the screams of dying men still echoed, a cold weight settled in his chest. Over a hundred lives were extinguished because of a single 'move' he made on his mental chessboard. For the first time, the "Chess Player" felt the blood on his hands. He hadn't predicted the cost of his survival would be so high.
Suppressing his guilt, he made his way to a high-end apothecary. He laid out the rare herbs he had harvested from the depths of the Forbidden Forest. The shopkeeper's eyes widened; such herbs were rarely seen because no one was suicidal enough to go where the Hero had gone.
"200 Golden Coins," the merchant whispered, handing over a heavy silk pouch.
Next, he visited an Armory. He searched for Magical Armor, but the master blacksmith shook his head. "Magical plating is reserved for the High Nobility, lad. It's too rare for the common market."
Instead, he purchased a simple, enchanted ring.
[Item: Iron-Will Band]
Effect: Defense +2
Cost: 20 Golden Coins
As he walked out, a small, obsidian-black dagger caught his eye in a glass case. It was crafted from the fang of a Calamity Serpent. One scratch from this blade would deliver a lethal dose of neurotoxin.
"100 Golden Coins," the seller demanded.
The Hero didn't hesitate. A hidden, poisonous edge was worth more to him than any shield.
Now, with only 80 Golden Coins left and a heart heavy with the ghosts of the fallen Knights, he checked into a quiet tavern. He collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow was the Academy Entrance Test.The next morning, the Hero arrived at the Academy to take his entrance test. The atmosphere at the Academy was heavy and somber, the mood dampened by the tragic events that had unfolded the previous day.
Among the crowd, he spotted several familiar faces. There was the wealthy, cold-blooded girl, her face completely void of any emotion, as stoic as ever. He also saw the arrogant rich boy along with his friend.
Without drawing too much attention to himself, the Hero walked over toward his friend.