The camp was in chaos.
Panicked screams echoed through the trees as giant wolves fell upon the students.
Their fur shone silver in the moonlight, and their eyes glowed red with hunger.
Humans fled in every direction. Some employed makeshift clubs, others froze in terror.
Leo was one of the latter.
His hands shook as he clutched a sharpened stick—a sorry substitute for a weapon.
The Class President, Rika, shouted commands.
"Get in line! Defend the weak! Don't be afraid!"
Some of the students followed.
Most didn't.
The wolves moved at lightning speed.
One knocked one student to the ground, its jaws snapping over his arm.
A screaming shriek.
Blood sprayed.
Leo stepped back. Then another.
Then—
A growling rumble.
Behind him.
His breath caught in his throat.
He turned very slowly.
A wolf bigger than the others by at least twice stood behind him, fangs bared.
It attacked.
Leo barely had time to dive out of the way, but the beast's claws ripped through his shoulder.
Pain seared through him.
He staggered to his feet, clutching the wound.
He was going to die.
The wolf crouched, poised to strike again.
But then—
A deafening roar shook the forest.
The wolves froze.
Leo's stomach dropped.
Something far worse was coming.
The wolves whimpered and fled.
A shadow loomed between the trees.
A hulking monster stepped into the moonlight.
It was huge—easily two meters tall.
Crimson matted fur, muscular limbs, and eyes that glowed like hot embers.
A bear.
Leo's body locked up.
The beast's eyes locked onto him.
A shiver shot down his spine.
Then it attacked.
Leo's instincts wailed.
He turned and ran.
Branches whipped across his face as he ripped through the dense forest.
Behind him, the ground trembled under the sheer bulk of the Bear's chase.
Every step it took sent shockwaves through the earth.
Leo wasn't fast enough.
He needed a strategy.
He activated God's Eye.
Bloodclaw Ursan (Rare Beast): Territorial hunter with enhanced senses. Will pursue marked prey ruthlessly. Weak point:???.
Danger Level: Extremely High.
No weak points. Useless.
He cursed under his breath.
Before him lay a fallen tree.
A chance.
He approached it and leaped over it at the last moment.
The Bloodclaw didn't halt.
It simply tore right through the barrier, splintering wood in every direction.
Leo's stomach dropped.
He needed something bigger.
The forest unexpectedly cleared.
Leo skidded to a stop.
Dead end.
A cliff stood in front of him.
Below, a raging river.
No turning back.
A low growl sounded behind him.
He spun just in time to see the Bloodclaw charge.
There was no escape.
If he jumped, he'd drown.
If he stayed, he'd die.
So he fought.
He gripped the most pointed rock he could find.
The Bloodclaw attacked with an immense claw.
Leo simply dodged, going sideways. The ground creaked where it landed.
He hit its leg with the rock.
It did not even flinch.
Instead, it backhanded him.
A red haze washed through his ribs as he was hurled backward against the rock wall.
He struggled to breathe.
The Bloodclaw did not delay.
It attacked.
Leo barely dodged again, but it crashed into his shoulder.
Blood splashed onto the earth.
He was slow.
Weakened.
He could not possibly triumph.
The Bloodclaw growled and stood on its hind legs to finish it off.
He threw up his arms in a desperate defense—
Slash.
Blazing agony sliced across his face.
The world turned gray.
Blood dripped down his cheek, into the dirt.
His right eye…
Shattered.
The Fall
The Bloodclaw charged at him again—but Leo's body reacted.
He stepped back—
And his foot slipped out from under him.
The next he knew, he was in mid-air.
The roar of the river grew louder.
Then—
Impact.
The icy water swallowed him up.
Everything went black.