The fox looked like any other Yin or Yang Fox—but I had to remind myself that the system wouldn't throw something normal at me.
It began circling, movements graceful and silent, then vanished—shrouded in a faint veil that concealed its presence completely.
I activated Blood Sense. A faint pulse rippled through the air—its heartbeat—moving swiftly around me. Then I felt it rise behind my back. It had crept close, jaws opening, blood surging toward its fangs for a single killing bite.
At the last second, I sidestepped. Its fangs grazed my shoulder instead of tearing through my neck. I countered instantly, slashing across its flank. The cut wasn't deep, but it drew blood and forced the creature to recoil—its form flickering back into visibility.
As it landed, its body melted into the ground again—vanishing into a nearby shadow.
I scanned the area, eyes darting between the shifting silhouettes. Every time I saw a ripple in the dark and turned toward it, the motion stopped, as if mocking me.
It felt like playing whack-a-mole.
Or in this case, whack-a-fox.
The rippling stopped. Silence.
Then, through Blood Sense, I caught something approaching fast—too fast. It must have reemerged from a shadow outside my detection range and was already charging straight at me.
I steadied my stance, tracking its blood flow as it closed in. The moment it broke through the foliage, I triggered Dash, closing the distance and bringing my blade down in a clean arc.
But instead of cutting, my blade slid off its body—like slicing through slick oil. A black film shimmered across its fur.
Then came the messages.
[Error Encountered]
[Difficulty Increased by Appearance of a Variant]
[Forfeit Battle and Retry / Complete the Ordeal as it is]
[Compensation / Additional Rewards will be Provided]
A variant.
Of course. I knew something was off about this trial.
I selected Complete Ordeal as It Is. I wanted to see what kind of reward came from this.
The fox was still small, but its aura had changed—its body now wrapped in a cloak of writhing shadow that made it appear larger and far more menacing. The dark veil shielded its body and distorted its outline, making it impossible to pinpoint where to strike.
It began circling me again, no longer bothering with illusions. Its movements were confident, even arrogant.
Then, in a blur, it struck.
But this time I was ready. Blood Sense flared, tracing its real position. I sidestepped its pounce and countered immediately—channeling the flow of its momentum into my strike.
[Flow Counter] Activated.
My blade pierced through the shadow cloak and bit into flesh. A sharp yelp echoed across the clearing.
The fox hit the ground, rolled, and sprang back up—still fighting. It leapt again, faster this time.
I moved to block, but my blade passed clean through its body.
An illusion.
In the heat of battle, I'd deactivated Blood Sense to save energy. That mistake cost me.
A burning pain tore across my ribs—its real attack. I staggered back, reactivating Blood Sense just in time to sense the creature's fading presence slipping away into another pool of shadow.
I scanned the darkness again, searching for the telltale ripple. Nothing—until I caught it, at the far edge of the clearing.
The fox emerged from the ground, its dual-colored eyes locking onto mine—one gold, one crimson. It lunged.
Blood Sense screamed—two signatures. The one in front of me… was fake. The real one was flanking from behind.
The illusion raced ahead, faster than the original. I kept my gaze fixed on it, waiting for the moment both would align. As they closed in, I gathered my mana and focused—channeling Blood Burst into my blade.
When the duplicate leapt, I swung. My blade sliced through it, the illusion bursting apart into a flash of blinding light.
Eyes seared white, I pushed through the glare and continued the motion—turning my strike into a full 270-degree arc.
The real fox was already mid-leap, fangs bared—
—but my blade found it first.
Steel met flesh. The shadow cloak shattered like smoke, and the beast was sent flying across the clearing.