Digest

Raen crouched low, his breaths shallow as he watched the wolves emerge from their den.

Their glowing eyes locked onto him, hackles raised, and growls rumbling deep in their throats.

They had already sensed him, territorial creatures always knew when their domain was breached.

'No use hiding now.'

His grip tightened around the knife in his hand, but his arm trembled.

A chill crawled up his spine, and he felt his instincts screaming at him to run.

Yet he stood his ground.

Why am I shaking? His jaw clenched as he glanced at the wolves and then at his own trembling hands.

He had prepared for this.

He had come here willingly.

And yet, faced with the pack, fear clawed at the edges of his mind.

"They're just beasts," he whispered under his breath.

"We're at the same level now. I can do this."

The first wolf lunged.

Its claws slashed through the air, aiming for his throat.

Raen sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the attack, and countered with a swift stab of his knife.

The blade missed its mark, slicing empty air as the wolf recoiled.

Another wolf was already upon him, claws raking at his side.

Raen staggered backward, narrowly avoiding the worst of the attack.

Blood trickled from a shallow wound, but the pain was a distant throb compared to the hammering of his heart.

They're faster than me.

Smarter too.

The pack moved as one, circling him like shadows with teeth.

He could feel their predatory intent, their instincts honed through countless hunts.

In contrast, his movements felt sluggish and clumsy.

His mind screamed for a plan, but the wolves gave him no time to think.

One wolf lunged again, and Raen raised his left arm to block, bracing for the pain.

Teeth sank into his forearm, and he gritted his teeth, stabbing downward with his knife.

The blade pierced the wolf's shoulder, and it yelped, releasing its grip.

Raen kicked it away and stumbled back, his blood dripping onto the forest floor.

The wolves growled louder, circling closer.

His breathing was ragged now, his vision blurring slightly.

Yet amidst the chaos, something stirred within him, a warmth that spread from his chest to his limbs.

This isn't fear… it's something else.

The trembling in his hands stopped.

His vision sharpened, and the growls of the wolves seemed to fade into the background.

He could feel the pulse of his own blood, the rhythm of his heartbeat aligning with something primal.

When the largest wolf charged at him, Raen didn't retreat.

Instead, he stepped forward, meeting the beast head-on.

His knife slashed in a fluid arc, cutting deep into the wolf's flank.

The creature howled in pain, staggering as blood splattered onto the dirt.

The other wolves hesitated for a moment, their predatory confidence wavering.

Raen seized the opportunity, rushing the injured wolf.

His blade struck again, this time plunging into its neck.

The wolf convulsed, its body collapsing beneath him.

Blood coated his hands, and he felt a surge of something unfamiliar, satisfaction.

The pack didn't give him time to revel in his small victory.

Two wolves attacked simultaneously, one biting into his left arm while the other clawed at his leg.

Pain flared, but Raen didn't falter.

He slammed his knife into the first wolf's side, then swung his body to throw the other off balance.

He was moving on instinct now, his mind barely registering the pain.

Each swing of his knife was faster, more precise.

Each step he took felt lighter, more deliberate.

One by one, the wolves fell.

His knife found their throats, their sides, their bellies.

The forest echoed with their dying cries until only one wolf remained.

Raen turned, his bloodied knife hanging loosely at his side.

His breaths came in sharp gasps, his vision swimming as adrenaline coursed through him.

Where's the last one?

The silence was deafening now, the absence of growls and howls unnerving.

He scanned the trees, his senses heightened.

A sudden movement caught his eye, and he whirled around, knife raised.

But there was nothing there.

The last wolf was gone, its tracks disappearing into the shadows of the forest.

Raen exhaled shakily, his body finally relaxing.

Pain rushed in all at once, and he dropped to his knees, clutching his bleeding arm.

The ground beneath him was stained red with blood, his and the wolves.

He stared at the lifeless bodies around him, his chest heaving.

The knife slipped from his hand, clattering against the ground.

"This ...This is difficult!?" he muttered, his voice barely audible.

The warmth inside him receded, leaving behind a cold emptiness.

He felt the weight of his actions settles on him, the primal satisfaction giving way to nausea.

He wiped his bloodied hands on his shirt and stood, his legs trembling.

His mission wasn't over yet.

Raen stared at the three lifeless wolves before him, his chest rising and falling as the adrenaline ebbed.

Blood dripped from his arm, pooling on the forest floor.

The fourth wolf was gone, its retreat leaving an empty silence in the air.

For a moment, he debated chasing after it, but the ache in his body and the grumbling of his stomach reminded him of his priorities.

"Secure the gains," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

He dragged the carcasses to the base of a nearby tree and scanned the surroundings.

The dense forest offered no signs of scavengers or predators at least not yet.

Raen sank down beside the wolves, his trembling hands reaching for his knife.

What he was about to do felt wrong, but his body screamed otherwise.

Hunger gnawed at him, sharper than any claw or bite.

"Status," he whispered.

The screen materialized before him.

---

[Status Screen]

Name: Raen Thalor

Race: Human (??? Hybrid)

Qi: 10/50

Energy: 1/20

Cultivation Realm: Primal Awakening Realm (Stage 1)

Beast Core: Fragment of the Eclipsing Fang (Dormant)

Traits: Serpent-Blooded (Locked)

Condition: Stable

---

His gaze lingered on the numbers.

The steady decline in his Qi and energy was concerning.

Without a Qi cultivation technique, the energy loss seemed tied to his physical exertion.

Adrenaline boosts... body functions... The pieces clicked into place, but understanding didn't solve his immediate problem.

His energy was nearly depleted, and the only thing keeping him upright was sheer willpower.

His eyes fell to the nearest carcass.

The idea of eating raw meat churned his stomach, but something deeper whispered otherwise.

'Eat.'

Raen hesitated, swallowing hard.

His hands shook as he skinned the wolf with practiced precision, exposing the flesh beneath.

The dim yellow beast's core caught his eye, and he set it aside, focusing instead on the still-warm meat.

Just a taste...

He bit into the flesh, expecting revulsion.

Instead, an overwhelming euphoria surged through him, silencing his thoughts.

The flavor was indescribable, rich, and primal, and his body craved more.

He tore into the meat with reckless abandon, his knife carving where his teeth couldn't.

Blood coated his hands and lips, but he didn't care.

---

[+5 Energy]

[+5 Energy]

---

A tingling warmth spread through him, starting at his core and radiating outward.

He froze as his skin prickled, and his body stiffened.

Goosebumps rippled across his flesh, and he watched in stunned silence as his injuries began to heal.

Torn skin knit together, leaving no trace of the brutal battle.

Even the deep gash in his arm vanished, replaced by smooth, unblemished skin.

Raen's breath hitched.

He opened the status screen again, his heart pounding.

---

[Status Screen]

Name: Raen Thalor

Race: Human (??? Hybrid)

Qi: 10/50

Energy: 1/20

Cultivation Realm: Primal Awakening Realm (Stage 1)

Beast Core: Fragment of the Eclipsing Fang (Dormant)

Traits: Serpent-Blooded (Locked)

Condition: Stable

---

The energy was gone, but so was the pain.

Raen flexed his fingers, marveling at his restored strength.

"So... this is what it means," he murmured.

His gaze drifted to the remaining wolves.

His stomach growled, the hunger returning with a vengeance.

Without hesitation, he grabbed another carcass, his knife already poised.

He couldn't bring himself to consume the harder parts of the wolf like the head, the limbs, and especially the bones.

The insides were even more repulsive, their stench enough to turn his stomach.

For now, he decided to leave that particular exploration for later.

This time, instead of mindlessly devouring the carcass, he approached it with calculated precision.

Using the knife, he began cutting into the wolf at critical points, carefully peeling away layers of flesh and fur.

It was an odd sight, a young man hunched over a wolf carcass, methodically dissecting it in the dim light of the forest.

Anyone watching would think he had gone mad.

But Raen wasn't mindless.

There was a method to his actions, a goal.

As he worked, he examined the anatomy of the wolf, noting the positioning of muscles, the thickness of the hide, and the vulnerabilities of joints and tendons.

He didn't know why, but it felt important like a primal instinct driving him to understand the creature not just as prey but as an adversary.

When he was finished, he sat back and surveyed his work.

The sight of the blood-streaked carcass and the mess around him made his stomach churn.

Something about it all felt... wrong.

He shook his head, dismissing the feeling, and returned to the simpler task of consuming what flesh he could.

As he tore into the meat, the now-familiar rush of energy filled him.

[+5 Energy]

[+5 Energy]

With two carcasses stripped and his body rejuvenated, he moved to the final wolf.

The moment his hand touched the fur, a sudden epiphany struck him, a thought so sharp and clear it made him freeze.

He had missed something