The Price of Weakness

Axel didn't hesitate at the edge of the tunnel. Without bothering to pause or scan the surroundings from a distance, he stepped into the wide, lush expanse ahead. His movements weren't rushed, but they were deliberate, each step steady and purposeful.

He stretched his heightened senses outward, letting them sweep across the forestry landscape. The area teemed with life, subtle shifts in the air, faint sounds of movement in the undergrowth, but nothing immediately alarming. Yet, as he continued deeper into the woods, something shifted. A slight frown crept across his face, and his steps unknowingly slowed.

Stopping at the base of a towering tree, Axel reached out to touch its rugged bark. His fingers trailed along a deep groove etched into the surface, his expression contemplative.

"Hmm…" he muttered in a low voice. "Looks like there's been some activity here. Could the other participants have gotten this far already?"

The groove wasn't random. A sharp claw mark cut through the bark, jagged and deliberate. A beast had left this behind, no doubt one of the Mutated Dire Wolves that claimed this dungeon as their hunting ground.

Axel lingered, his sharp gaze taking in the scene. It wasn't just the claw mark. Blood stained the bark near the cut, dark streaks smeared across the tree's surface, with more pooling on the ground beneath it. The signs were unmistakable: a fight had taken place here.

And yet, there was something else. Something that prickled at his senses, faint but undeniable. A trace of foreign energy lingered in the air, scattered and fragmented, like the fading embers of a dying fire. He closed his eyes briefly, letting the sensation wash over him.

"A fight, then," he said quietly, his tone edged with curiosity. "From the residual traces… an elemental attribute? Fire, maybe. But did the person survive?"

The question hung unanswered in the stillness of the forest. Axel straightened, his focus sharpening. The only way to find out was to move forward.

He pressed on, his measured pace carrying him deeper into the woods. The further he went, the clearer the picture became. More signs of battle littered the area. Trees stood scarred and splintered, their branches snapped and leaves scattered. The air grew heavier with the acrid scent of something unnatural, the same energy he'd detected earlier, but denser now, almost suffocating.

"How many people fought here?" he wondered aloud, his brows furrowing. The scale of destruction suggested more than just a lone combatant.

As he pushed further, the answer became grimly apparent. From where he stood now, he could see them: bodies. Scattered across the forest floor, lifeless forms sprawled as though discarded by the battle.

Axel moved closer, his sharp gaze scanning the corpses. He crouched by one, noting the torn clothing and the pallor of death. A quiet sigh escaped him as recognition dawned. Even at a glance, he knew several of them.

Although Axel had only taken a brief glance at the group he'd entered the dungeon with, his sharp memory rarely failed him. Even now, he could recognize several of their faces, albeit battered and lifeless.

Despite the pang of pity that welled up within him, he understood the harsh truth of this world. Strength ruled above all, and these people, like him, had known the risks when they chose the path of an active awakened. Dungeons were unforgiving places, where survival was never guaranteed. That unspoken rule was etched into the lives of everyone who stepped into one.

Even so, the state of the bodies left him momentarily stunned. Their wounds were brutal, limbs shredded, torsos mangled, flesh torn apart as though they'd been fed to a meat grinder. The sight was disturbingly familiar, reminding him of the last Mutated Dire Wolf he'd killed.

"These monsters are vicious, aren't they?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Axel's composure held, though not entirely from his own fortitude. His monster state dulled some of his more human reactions, making it easier to face such carnage. Still, even the muted part of him couldn't completely ignore the gruesome details. Many bodies were missing parts—arms, legs, even heads.

His gaze lingered on one in particular: a girl, her lower half entirely gone. Axel let out a slow sigh, the memory of her determined expression at the dungeon's entrance flashing in his mind. He'd noticed her then, her face set with resolve, eyes burning with unyielding purpose. Now, she lay here, a lifeless corpse.

And yet, even in death, she clung to her sword. Her delicate, bloodied fingers wrapped tightly around its hilt, as if refusing to relinquish her grip on life or admit defeat. The sight struck a chord, making Axel pause. His crimson eyes grew distant, abstract. Whether it was this scene or something deeper, a murderous, detached look overtook his features. The slit-like pupils in his eyes gleamed with cold intent.

Suddenly, his blood-red aura flared to life, an explosion of raw energy that rippled outward.

"So, you're hoping to ambush me," Axel said, his voice low and venomous. "Do you think I'm the same as these weaklings?"

He turned slightly, his gaze snapping to the bushes behind him. At first, nothing stirred, just the seemingly quiet forest. But he knew better.

Then, with a rustle of leaves, the ambushers revealed themselves. Two monsters burst forth from the undergrowth, their fangs bared and claws extended. Perhaps they had realized their hiding was pointless now that Axel had sensed them.

Axel's lips curved into a predatory smile. The dark, inky color spread across his fingers, transforming into razor-sharp claws that gleamed in the dim light.

"You're not the first to try," he said, his voice carrying a cold confidence as he surged forward.

Axel's figure moved with blinding speed, cutting through the air like a streak of shadow. The two monsters reacted instantly, their claws lashing out in tandem, swift and vicious like snapping whips.

Just as the first claw sliced toward him, Axel's motion came to an unnatural halt. With a fluid twist of his body, he bent and rotated at an impossible angle, evading the attack by the slimmest margin. The second monster's claw descended almost simultaneously, closing in on his new position. Yet again, Axel moved without taking a single step, his body twisting in the opposite direction to avoid the strike.

If anyone had been watching, they would've been left dumbfounded. His movements were so smooth, so precise, that they seemed almost automated, like a perfect machine executing an intricate program.

Even Axel felt a flicker of surprise. This monster body of his had adapted instinctively to the attack patterns of the Mutated Dire Wolves. It felt as though he was built for this.

But he didn't linger on the thought.

"Oh, wow," he drawled, his voice carrying an edge of mockery. "Such vicious attacks. You two work together quite well, don't you? Almost makes me feel bad. Almost."

His crimson eyes gleamed with a crazed intensity as he lunged forward. His claws extended like dark, glinting blades, piercing deep into the abdomen of one wolf. Blood spurted from the wound, and a sharp whimper escaped the creature's lips. Before it could react, Axel shifted his position again.

The second wolf charged, jaws wide, aiming to tear him apart with its fangs. Calmly, Axel wrenched the impaled wolf's body upward, using it as a shield. The second beast's fangs sank deep into its own comrade's flesh, and the anguished whimpers grew louder.

Axel didn't hesitate. He moved like a shadow, slashing out once more. His claws tore through muscle and bone, ending the fight as quickly as it had begun.

The aftermath was brutal. Both wolves lay motionless in a growing pool of blood, their bodies battered and broken. Axel wiped a stray splatter of crimson from his face, inspecting his work with a detached expression.

"These ones weren't as strong as the last ones I faced," he mused aloud. He could feel it, their energy, their aura. These two Mutated Dire Wolves were a level or two weaker than the ones he'd fought earlier in the tunnel. "So, this is what the system meant by 'difficulty may scale unpredictably,' huh?"

He crouched and began harvesting the valuable materials from the corpses. The process was mechanical, his claws making quick work of the task. Once he finished, he rose and turned his attention to the pile of human bodies strewn a short distance away.

One corpse in particular caught his eye, a young man with blood-matted blond hair. Just like the others, this body had a battered appearance, but it was among the few that were intact. It held a still position, sprawled awkwardly among the rest. 

Axel studied it for a moment, his gaze narrowing as his brows knit together in suspicion. Without hesitation, he delivered a sharp kick to the body.

"Cut the act, who do you think you're trying to fool?"