Chapter 5: Hunting Grounds
Ethan sat in his apartment, staring at the glowing numbers on his phone:
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Quest Timer: 3 hours, 12 minutes.
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The countdown ticked away, each passing second a weight pressing down on his chest. The man's warning echoed in his mind: Don't trust anyone. Don't stop fighting. And if the monsters come here… run.
His body still ached from the fight with the Shadow Stalker, his leg bandaged and his side bruised. He'd spent the last few hours scouring the internet for anything—forums, Reddit threads, conspiracy sites—but there was nothing. Either the people in the Forge were too terrified to talk, or the system made sure they couldn't.
The Forge wasn't just a game. It was a prison, and the walls were closing in.
"Three hours," he muttered, pacing his small living room. "Great. Plenty of time to prepare for my next near-death experience. Maybe I'll get a tutorial this time. Or a beginner's guide. Something with less dying."
He stopped, glancing at the metal pipe he'd propped against the couch. It wasn't much, but it had saved his life against the Stalker. Maybe he could bring it into the dream world again. Or maybe the Forge would decide to screw him over and spawn him into a pit of lava. Either option felt equally likely.
His phone buzzed, breaking his thoughts. He picked it up, expecting another system message, but it was a text from Jenny, his coworker.
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Jenny: Hey, didn't see you at work today. Everything okay?
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Ethan stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the keyboard. He couldn't exactly tell her the truth. Sorry, Jen, skipped work because I was fighting goblins in a magical death dimension and almost got murdered by a smoke demon.
He settled for something vague.
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Ethan: Yeah, just sick. I'll be back tomorrow.
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Her reply came almost instantly.
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Jenny: Don't push yourself. Get some rest, okay?
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Ethan snorted. Rest. If only she knew.
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Quest Timer: 0 hours, 0 minutes.
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The air around him shifted. A deep hum resonated through his apartment, and the edges of his vision blurred. Ethan stumbled, clutching the back of the couch as the world twisted. His body felt heavy, like he was being pulled through water, and then—
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Dream Forge Activated.
New Quest Assigned.
Objective: Eliminate the Alpha Ravager.
Location: The Hunting Grounds.
Reward: +4 Strength, +2 Perception. Failure: Fatal Consequences.
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Ethan opened his eyes, the hum fading as his surroundings solidified. He stood in a dense, shadowy forest, the air thick with mist and the faint scent of blood. The trees were massive, their twisted branches forming a canopy that blocked out the sky. Faint glowing markings pulsed along the bark, a reminder that this world wasn't real—or maybe it was too real.
A howl echoed in the distance, low and guttural, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Great," Ethan muttered, gripping the metal pipe in his hands. "Because I didn't get enough of wolves last time."
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Quest Details:
The Alpha Ravager hunts this forest. It is fast, strong, and cunning. Use the environment to your advantage. Beware: lesser Ravagers may patrol the area.
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"Lesser Ravagers? Fantastic. As if one wasn't bad enough," he said, scanning the forest. The ground was littered with broken branches and jagged rocks, and faint trails of glowing paw prints led deeper into the woods.
He took a deep breath. "Okay, Ethan. Just another death-defying night. No big deal. You've got this."
A sudden rustling behind him snapped him out of his thoughts. He spun around just as a creature burst from the underbrush—a wolf-like beast, smaller than the Stalker but no less terrifying. Its fur was matted and dark, its glowing red eyes fixed on him.
"Right," Ethan said, raising the pipe. "Let's dance."
The Ravager lunged, and Ethan dodged to the side, swinging the pipe in a wide arc. The metal connected with the creature's side, and it yelped, stumbling. Ethan didn't let up. He swung again, catching the Ravager on the head, and it dissolved into a puff of black smoke.
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Enemy Defeated.
+50 XP.
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"Okay, not too bad," Ethan said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Just gotta do that… what? Ten more times?"
A low growl cut through the mist. Then another. And another.
Ethan turned slowly, his heart sinking as three more Ravagers emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing like embers.
"Of course," he muttered. "Because why would it ever be easy?"
The first Ravager lunged, and Ethan barely sidestepped in time. He swung the pipe, clipping its leg, but the second one was already charging. It leapt at him, claws outstretched, and he dropped to the ground, rolling away just as it landed where he'd been standing.
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Skill Activated: Survivor's Instinct.
Reaction speed increased.
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The world seemed to slow, the movements of the Ravagers becoming more predictable. Ethan dodged another swipe, slamming the pipe into the nearest creature's ribs. It yelped and dissolved into smoke, but the remaining two pressed the attack.
One of them lunged at his back, and Ethan spun, his pipe connecting with its skull in a sickening crack. The final Ravager darted forward, claws slashing at his leg. Pain shot through him, and he stumbled, but he gritted his teeth and swung upward, catching the creature under the jaw.
The forest fell silent as the last Ravager dissolved, its smoke drifting into the air.
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Enemies Defeated.
+150 XP.
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Ethan dropped to his knees, panting. His leg throbbed, blood seeping through his pants. The system chimed again.
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Player Health: 65%.
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"No big deal," he muttered. "Just slowly bleeding out in a murder forest."
Another howl echoed through the woods, deeper and more menacing than before. The ground trembled slightly, and Ethan's interface flickered.
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Alpha Ravager Detected.
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Ethan gripped the pipe tighter, his heart hammering in his chest. "Right. Let's get this over with."
The mist parted ahead of him, and the Alpha emerged. It was massive, its fur black as midnight and its eyes glowing like twin suns. Its claws were like daggers, and its growl was low and rumbling, vibrating through the air.
Ethan swallowed hard. "Okay, Ethan. Time to prove you're not as useless as you think."
The Alpha lowered its head, its glowing eyes fixed on him. Then it charged.