The jungle stretched endlessly before them, its thick canopy filtering dim violet light from the sky. Kyle moved ahead of the group, eyes sharp, muscles tensed. The hunt wasn't over. He had already taken down one Gorefang Wolf and one Stormclaw Panther, but the system's counter demanded more.
[Objective: 10/10 Gorefang Wolves, 2/2 Stormclaw Panthers]
They needed the crystals.
More importantly—Kyle needed the experience.
Darius walked beside him, rolling his shoulders. "You're really not holding back today."
Kyle didn't respond. His mind was already elsewhere. Calculating. Searching.
Jace, trailing behind, sighed dramatically. "Y'know, we could take a break before throwing ourselves at another death trap."
Lena ignored him, scanning the area. "There's movement ahead. At least four."
Kyle's fingers twitched. "Gorefangs?"
Vivian, who had been quiet since the last fight, suddenly spoke. "No."
Her gaze locked onto the darkness beyond the trees.
"More."
A low growl rippled through the air.
Then—
A flash of glowing yellow eyes.
One pair.
Two.
Five.
Eight.
Ten.
Jace groaned. "Oh, fantastic."
The pack had found them first.
---
Kyle vs. the Gorefang Pack
The Gorefang Wolves weren't mindless beasts. They were pack hunters—fast, ruthless, coordinated.
And now, they were surrounding them.
Lena drew her daggers, eyes flicking between the shifting figures in the underbrush. "They're waiting for an opening."
Vivian steadied herself, mana flaring. "Then let's not give them one."
The first wolf lunged.
Kyle moved before anyone else.
His body flickered—Shadowstep activated.
One instant, he was standing still.
The next—
He was behind the attacking wolf.
His blade flashed.
A precise, brutal strike.
CRACK.
The wolf's body went limp before it hit the ground.
[Kill Confirmed: 2/10 Gorefang Wolves]
Before Kyle could fully turn, two more wolves lunged.
Darius intercepted one, slamming his forearm into its ribs with a force that sent it crashing into a tree.
Lena's viper struck the second, fangs sinking into its neck.
Kyle pivoted just in time to catch another oncoming wolf.
It was mid-air—mouth open, fangs glistening.
Kyle didn't hesitate.
His fist met its skull before its jaws could snap shut.
BOOM.
The impact echoed through the trees.
The wolf's head snapped back unnaturally.
Dead.
[Kill Confirmed: 3/10 Gorefang Wolves]
Jace's Nightpiercer Hawk screeched from above, diving into the chaos, its obsidian talons raking across another wolf's spine.
Lena's dagger flashed, slitting the throat of another.
Vivian unleashed a burst of mana dust, disorienting two at once.
Darius grabbed one by the scruff of the neck, lifting it off the ground before slamming it spine-first into a jagged rock.
Kyle wasn't done.
Another wolf lunged.
He stepped into the attack, grabbed its lower jaw—
And tore it clean off.
[Kill Confirmed: 5/10 Gorefang Wolves]
---
The Final Wolves – Kyle Finishes It
The remaining wolves hesitated.
Kyle exhaled. His stance shifted.
The system whispered to him.
[New Skill Acquired: Phantom Repeater – Strike multiple times in an instant, overwhelming a single target.]
Kyle didn't need the system to explain.
His body moved instinctively.
The next wolf charged.
Kyle met it halfway.
One hit. A blow to the ribs.
Two. A strike to the throat.
Three. A crushing impact to the skull.
It didn't even have time to yelp.
[Kill Confirmed: 6/10 Gorefang Wolves]
The others tried to flee.
Kyle didn't let them.
A single step—
Shadowstep activated.
He reappeared behind the closest one.
His arm blurred.
CRACK.
Dead.
[Kill Confirmed: 7/10 Gorefang Wolves]
Darius finished another.
Jace and Vivian handled one together.
That left one.
Kyle didn't hesitate.
His final strike was fast, clean.
It collapsed instantly.
[Kill Confirmed: 10/10 Gorefang Wolves]
---
The Final Stormclaw Panther – A True Elite Fight
Before they could even process their victory—
A deep, thunderous growl shook the jungle.
Kyle's head snapped up.
Another panther.
But this one...
Was bigger.
Its fur crackled violently with energy.
Lena tensed. "That one's different."
Darius clenched his fists. "Stronger."
Kyle wiped the blood from his knuckles. "Good."
The beast flickered—instantaneous movement.
Kyle barely dodged as it appeared beside him, claws swiping through empty air.
It was fast.
Faster than the last.
But Kyle was ready.
He engaged head-on.
---
The Last Battle – Stormclaw's End
Lightning surged through the panther's body.
Every hit Kyle landed, the beast absorbed the impact.
Just like the first one.
But Kyle had already adapted.
He didn't aim for the body this time.
He aimed for the joints.
The knee. The ankle. The base of the spine.
Strike.
Strike.
Strike.
Each blow forced the beast to stagger.
Its movement slowed.
Kyle's vision sharpened.
A final chance—
He Shadowstepped, appearing right above the panther's back.
His heel dropped.
CRACK.
The spine shattered beneath him.
The beast convulsed—then went still.
Dead.
[Kill Confirmed: 2/2 Stormclaw Panthers]
---
[System Alert]
✔ Task Complete: 10/10 Gorefang Wolves.
✔ Task Complete: 2/2 Elite Veil-Tier Panthers.
✔ EXP Gained.
✔ New Skill Unlocked: Phantom Repeater (Rank 2).
✔ System Function Detected: Absorb Crystal?
[YES] / [NO]
Kyle dismissed it.
He wasn't absorbing anything.
Not yet.
They weren't done.
Because what came next…
Was worse.
---
Ambush – The Dominion-Tier Nightmare
They moved toward the lair, confidence growing.
They had fought hard. They had won.
But the system never let them relax for long.
The ground shook.
A presence unlike any before flooded the jungle.
Their instincts screamed.
Then—
A shadow larger than anything they had encountered stepped from the cavern.
Darius froze.
Lena's breath hitched.
Vivian whispered, "That's... impossible."
Because the beast before them—
Was Dominion-Tier.
Kyle's hands clenched.
Their instructor's report had been wrong.
This planet wasn't safe.
And now?
They were prey.
---