The world came back in pieces.
First sound—muffled growling and footsteps like distant thunder.
Then pain—sharp and full, centered in Conner's ribs.
Then light—soft, flickering violet from the now-dormant structure behind him.
He opened his eyes.
He was flat on the ground, blood in his mouth, lungs barely working. Above him, the bear loomed—more beast than monster now. Its eyes glowed a furious red. Cracks had formed in its bones, steam rising from its body like it was overheating.
And then the System pinged.
[Bone-Twisted Alpha has activated Skill: Berserk (B-Rank)]
[Effect: Intelligence, Wisdom, Magic temporarily reduced by 80%. Strength, Agility, Vitality increased by 60%. Duration: 3 minutes]
The change was immediate.
The bear's breathing quickened. Its muscles swelled. Its growls lost all rhythm—now raw, mindless rage. It reared back and slammed both front paws into the ground, splitting the earth in a straight line. A shockwave ripped outward.
Conner rolled to the side—barely—still dazed, his bow half-buried under rubble.
The bear howled and turned toward Joey's unconscious body.
"No—" Conner tried to move, but his legs weren't ready. He forced his body upright, ignoring the screaming in his back.
Then a voice cut through the chaos.
"Down."
A blur dropped from above.
A figure hit the bear mid-charge like a missile—boots first, slamming into the monster's head and flipping away in a tight, fluid spin.
The bear stumbled.
The newcomer landed lightly, crouched low, black cloak fluttering behind him. He stood slowly, body tall and lean, eyes like coals—burning gold with slitted pupils.
"Name's Chadwick," he said calmly, barely breathing hard. "Looks like you need a little help."
Conner blinked. The man had to be at least 6'3"—not as massive as Joey, but solid. Defined. His movements were sharp, his black hair cut short on the sides but longer on top, slicked back and unbothered by the wind. He wore light, armor-like gear made of flexible plates that shifted like cloth. No flash. All function.
[Trait Detected: Black Panther (S-Rank)]
Conner's Scope Eye pulsed. Even without analyzing him, the difference was obvious. The man moved like a shadow—fluid, fast, quiet. Deadly in a way that didn't need to announce itself.
The bear roared again, enraged at being interrupted.
"Still up?" Chadwick muttered, cracking his neck. "Fine."
He shot forward like a bullet.
One moment he was standing. The next, he was on the bear's back, his hands crackling with kinetic energy. He dragged twin daggers across the beast's spine in a flurry of precision slashes, targeting the gaps between bone plates.
The bear swatted blindly.
Chadwick was already gone, flipping off its shoulder and landing near Conner.
"Got any firepower left, Archer?"
Conner grunted, grabbing his bow. "A little."
"Good. You've got clean eyes. I'll open a weak spot. You aim."
The bear let out another roar and charged again, mindless and fast. Its claws tore into stone, carving trenches with every step.
Chadwick sprinted left, drawing the beast off-course. Conner pulled his string back, even though every muscle screamed in protest.
The bear turned with horrifying speed—closer now, faster than before.
Chadwick darted in low, sliding under a swing and jamming one of his daggers directly into the beast's inner leg joint. It howled.
[Weak Point Exposed – Rear Tendon | Target Lock Enabled]
Conner fired.
The mana arrow streaked forward and pierced through the wound, deep into muscle.
The bear stumbled.
Chadwick struck again, slashing up its exposed stomach as it fell to one side.
"We're cutting it down," he said, voice calm. "You see the core yet?"
Conner scanned the bear as it twisted in pain.
Nothing yet.
No visible glow. No heart. No classic weak spot.
And then—his Scope Eye shimmered faintly.
There.
At the base of the throat. A flicker. Like a false rib with a light behind it.
[Weak Point Identified: Core Growth – Semi-Exposed]
Conner cursed under his breath. "I've got it."
"Then I'll hold the door," Chadwick said.
He charged again—this time climbing the bear like a wall, slamming his blades into bone ridges to keep hold. The bear thrashed wildly, trying to throw him off. Each strike from its limbs cracked the ground. Trees snapped. Dust filled the air.
Katie stirred behind a broken slab of wall, barely conscious, watching through blurred eyes. Neive lay beside her, clutching her head, summoning flickers of a half-formed wolf that refused to stabilize.
Joey, bloodied and battered, finally groaned—and saw the monster towering above them all.
He tried to rise.
Conner didn't wait.
He drew his final arrow. Everything went quiet around him.
[Magic Scope Eye – Target Locked]
[True Draw – Charged]
Three seconds.
The wind calmed.
The bear reared back for one final slam—arms raised above Chadwick, who was still clinging to its back.
Two.
Conner focused on the gap in the throat—just beneath the warped bone.
One.
Release.
The arrow flew, wrapped in mana, sharp as vengeance.
It struck.
Dead center.
The Core cracked. Mana surged through the wound.
The bear froze.
Chadwick leapt clear.
Then the monster detonated.
A wave of dark mana blasted outward as the bear collapsed, bones splintering, fur burning from the inside out. Its body hit the ground with an earth-shaking crash.
Then—silence.
[Boss Defeated: Bone-Twisted Alpha Lv. 9]
[EXP Gained: 840]
[Level Up: Conner Hayes – Lv. 7]
Conner dropped to one knee, heart still racing.
A new window appeared.
[Quest Complete: Final Blow Delivered]
[Trait Evolving…]
[Hollow Marksmanship (F) → Hollow Marksmanship (D)]
[New Passive Unlocked: Hollow Bind]
Successful hits on marked targets slow movement speed for 2 seconds (scales with Perception).
[Trait Description Updated: You are the whisper between targets and their end. Your aim echoes beyond skill—into instinct.]
He stared at the text, still catching his breath.
His Trait was changing.
And it was only just beginning.
Loot windows opened in front of the group.
[Drop Acquired: Skill Scroll – Berserk (B-Rank)]
[Drop Acquired: Bonepiercer – Uncommon Bow (2x Perception scaling)]
Chadwick walked past the fading corpse without a glance.
"That bow's yours," he said. "No question."
Conner picked it up carefully. The grip was curved, made of pale, ridged bone with veins of black metal running through it. Lighter than his old one, but solid. It vibrated faintly with dormant mana.
He liked it.
Chadwick knelt beside Joey and handed him the glowing scroll.
"What's this?" Joey groaned.
"Berserk. From the bear. You look like the type who could use it."
Joey blinked, then grinned through the blood on his teeth. "Hell yes."
Later, once the group had stabilized and everyone could stand, Chadwick finally explained himself.
"I've been watching this structure zone from a distance," he said. "You triggered something big. I stepped in before it ended in a bloodbath."
Katie was standing now, her coat torn but frost still clinging to her fingers. "Why help?"
Chadwick gave a tired smile. "Let's just say I'm not fond of dying. And I figured you had some idea what you were doing."
Neive, still pale, nodded toward Conner. "He's the one who landed the final shot."
Chadwick looked at Conner.
There was no praise. No flattery. Just respect.
"You've got good eyes," he said. "Don't waste them."
Then he turned and walked toward the edge of the zone.
Conner stood with his new bow in hand, breathing steady again.
They'd survived.
Barely.
And now?
Now, the System had noticed them.