Nobody moved as the forest seemed to freeze around them. Even the wind had fallen silent, leaving the hunting party standing in an unnatural stillness while the giant wolf watched from less than thirty yards away.Its crimson eyes slowly swept across the group with an intelligence that felt disturbingly human, and beneath its thick black fur, powerful muscles shifted across its massive frame like coiled steel cables. Everything about the creature had been shaped for one purpose: killing.Kael's mouth went dry as he stared at it.He had heard stories about Shadowfangs all his life, just like every other child in Valoria. They were B-Rank monsters that lived in the deeper regions of the wilderness, creatures fast enough to outrun horses and strong enough to tear armored warriors apart. Worse still, they were intelligent enough to set traps and coordinate their attacks, which made encountering one far more dangerous than facing an ordinary monster.A creature like this had no business be

Kael slowly took his attention away from the translucent screen in front of him and gazed at the Shadowfang. His eyes widened instantly when he saw the expression on the creature’s face.The Shadowfang was afraid.The realization struck Kael before he could even begin to understand what had happened. That monstrous creature, the same predator that had slaughtered trained warriors as easily as a wolf tearing through helpless livestock, was staring at him with something Kael had never expected to see in its crimson eyes.But it was not afraid of him. Not exactly.It was afraid of something inside him.Before Kael could make sense of that thought, the frozen world shattered, and time suddenly rushed forward again. The wind swept through the trees, leaves rustled violently overhead, and drops of blood fell from the wounded hunters onto the forest floor as the Shadowfang's massive body completed its attack.Instead of tearing Kael apart, however, the beast landed several feet away and skid

Voices drifted through the darkness, faint and distant at first, until one of them finally pulled Kael back toward consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring up at flickering firelight. For several seconds, Kael remained where he was, trying to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. Slowly, the memories returned.The Shadowfang.The contract.The strange power that had awakened inside him.Kael pushed himself up slightly, and the movement sent a dull ache through his entire body. Every muscle felt heavy, as if he had spent days fighting without rest. He looked around and realized that he was lying beside a campfire in a small clearing. Night had already fallen, and the darkness beyond the fire stretched between the trees like a wall.For a brief moment, Kael wondered if everything that had happened in the forest had been a dream. Then he noticed the enormous black wolf lying several feet away.The Shadowfang was resting near the edge of the firelig

Kael stared at the system panel hovering before him, unable to tear his eyes away from the requirement for his full awakening. He had expected the process to be difficult, but the number displayed beneath the requirement was so enormous that he could barely comprehend it.For several seconds, he simply stood there, reading the same information over and over as though the words might change if he looked at them long enough.They did not.The requirement remained exactly the same, leaving him with a growing sense of disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could form a single word, the sound of footsteps reached him from the darkness beyond the campfire.Kael’s attention snapped away from the panel as he realized someone was approaching. The footsteps were slow and uneven, accompanied by the faint crunch of dry leaves beneath heavy boots.Kael turned toward the trees, his body instinctively tensing as a familiar figure emerged from the shadows and entered the warm glow of

Kael stared at the five strangers, his mind racing as he tried to understand how the leader knew his name, his rank, and the ability he had awakened in the forest.The knowledge was too precise to be a coincidence, and these men had not simply stumbled upon him in the forest. Someone had told them about him, or someone had been watching him long before tonight.The thought sent a cold sensation down his spine.He had spent most of his life being ignored. In Valoria, people knew him as the orphan who had awakened an F-Rank skill, the young man who carried supplies for monster hunters because he had no better way to earn a living. Nobody important had ever shown interest in him.Yet these five men had come into the forest knowing exactly who he was.And they had brought enough power to make even Shadowfang wary.Darius only tightened his grip around his sword, the leather wrapping creaking beneath his fingers. His shoulders lowered as he settled into a more prepared stance, and his eyes