Senses

Raen turned to the remains of the second wolf carcass, then the first.

His gaze shifted between them, and realization struck, he had almost forgotten the beast cores.

Beast cores were essential for cultivation.

They acted as reservoirs of Qi, a shortcut to power.

A core from a higher-realm beast could provide immense benefits.

Qi cultivators could extract up to fifty percent of the core's essence, beast cultivators up to seventy, and those with bloodlines matching the beast could reach ninety percent.

However, the actual amount extracted depended on skill and compatibility.

Right now, all Raen knew was that he needed those cores.

He couldn't afford to waste them.

Moving swiftly to the third corpse, he abandoned his earlier meticulous approach.

Instead, he hacked off the head, limbs, and organs, digging into the chest cavity until his fingers brushed against the smooth, solid core.

He pocketed it, then carefully skinned the limbs, setting aside clean portions for later.

After consuming what he could, his body surged with newfound strength.

[+5 Energy]

He purposely didn't consume all as he planned to take some of it home.

Raen wiped his mouth, satisfied nevertheless.

His body felt invigorated, his mind sharper.

He stood, surveying the mess he had made.

With a sigh, he dug a shallow grave, pushing the bloody remains into the earth and marking a nearby tree with a faint 'S' shape, just in case he returned.

The thrill of the hunt still pulsed in his veins, but clarity was returning.

For a brief moment, the line between his human mind and primal instincts had blurred.

He wasn't ashamed.

This was natural for Beast cultivators

The hunt was a necessity after assimilation.

But even so... he may have gone too far.

At least he had gained three cores, valuable for someone at his level.

His eyes dropped to his hands, caked in drying blood.

It wasn't his.

The scent would attract predators soon.

Worse, he had strayed deeper into the forest without realizing it.

He wasn't lost, but he was far, too far.

And in these depths, he was the weakest presence.

Just then, a deep, guttural howl pierced the air, freezing him in place.

His blood turned to ice.

'Something powerful' he thought

His heart pounded, primal instincts screaming at him to stay down, to submit.

But another part of him, an unwilling part, pushed back.

He couldn't afford to freeze now.

Run.

Raen bolted before he even decided to do so.

Branches whipped past him, roots threatened to trip him, but he didn't stop.

Panic gnawed at him, but so did determination.

He had to make it out.

Yet, no matter how fast he ran, a shadow flickered at the edges of his vision, stalking, toying with him.

His lungs burned.

His instincts flared, warning him of imminent danger.

Every time the shadow passed him, his gut twisted.

He wasn't being chased.

He was being hunted.

'Since when did the hunter become the hunted?' Raen thought, his chest heaving as he sprinted through the dense undergrowth.

He couldn't see it, whatever beast was after him, but he knew it was there.

The howl had given it away.

A wolf.

His heart pounded even harder.

Another wolf?

Then it struck him, why had such a vast territory been guarded by only four first-stage Primal Awakening wolves? His mind raced with terrifying possibilities, but none that he wanted to face.

Thinking about it would only justify his death.

He couldn't afford that.

Pushing his legs to their limit, he spotted it, light, an opening at the edge of the forest.

Relief flooded him for a fleeting moment before his foot snagged on a root.

His vision spun as he crashed to the ground, tumbling over rocks and branches.

A sharp pain shot through his side, but he scrambled to his feet, driven by sheer survival instinct.

Then he saw it.

A massive figure emerged from the shadows, a beast of dark fur seamlessly blending into the forest.

Its yellow eyes glowed with an eerie intensity and locked onto him.

It was nearly his height, powerful and unrelenting, with ears pricked forward in keen anticipation.

Scars crisscrossed its thick hide, battle-worn but far from weak.

Raen's breath hitched as the wolf remained just beyond the reach of the light, a silent predator sizing him up.

He didn't hesitate, crawling backward, inch by inch, until his fingers scraped against sunlit soil.

The moment he stepped into the light, he looked back, but the beast was gone.

His instincts screamed at him that something wasn't right, but exhaustion drowned his fear.

Bruised, bloodied, and filthy, he took a shaky breath and forced himself to walk home, hoping he'd survive long enough to make sense of it all.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the forest, another figure, no older than Raen sat beneath the shade of a towering tree, his hand running smoothly over the thick black fur of a massive wolf.

The beast lay beside him, its yellow eyes half-lidded in contentment.

The boy smirked, his fingers idly tracing the wolf's scars.

"Who would've thought I'd run into you here, Raen," he muttered to himself.

"Right after Blackie successfully took over his rivals' territory... Consider today your lucky day."

He leaned back against the tree and placed two yellowish beast cores on his lap.

Their faint glow pulsed in rhythm with his breathing as he closed his eyes to cultivate.

The wolf, as if mirroring him, remained still, absorbing the surrounding Qi in its way.

If Raen were here, he'd recognize this very place, the heart of the wolves' territory, the same tree he'd hastily marked with an S-shaped symbol before fleeing.

...

Raen reached the clan gates looking like a complete mess.

Heavily Exhausted despite not using his energy, because he didn't know how to, and somehow he still didn't have steady breaths even after having enough time to get home.

This time, the guards didn't even bother with small talk.

They simply covered their noses and let him through without a word.

Keeping his head down, he moved swiftly through the streets, avoiding the disgusted gazes of passersby.

He understood their reaction, he stank, and some clansmen were especially sensitive to smell.

Upon arriving home, he swung the door open.

His mother and sister were sitting together, deep in conversation.

Without pausing, he muttered,

"It's not my blood," before heading straight to the bathroom.

They barely acknowledged him.

Blood and dead beasts were nothing new to them.

After scrubbing off the grime and changing into clean clothes, Raen emerged, feeling significantly better.

He made his way to the kitchen, still holding the knife he needed to replace without anyone noticing.

The chunk of wolf meat he'd hidden in his clothes was intact, mostly.

Some had fallen off when he tumbled earlier, but there was enough left to cook a meal for himself and his family.

He successfully swapped the knife and prepared the meat, making a simple but hearty meal for a late lunch.

They ate in silence, this was his offering, a quiet tribute to his family for all they had done to support him.

[+5 Energy]

Once they had finished, Raen seized the moment and retrieved the three beast cores he'd acquired.

He placed them before his mother.

"You plundered the cores from the beasts you killed. You're improving," she said, examining them.

"Though... these are low-level. I doubt they'll do much for your cultivation."

Raen wasn't disappointed.

He had something else in mind.

"Mom... do you have a Qi cultivation technique?"

His question caught her off guard.

"Already thinking about that?" she asked, her tone shifting from casual to serious.

Raen stayed silent.

His mother sighed.

"Everyone has a Qi cultivation technique, Raen. We do too. I would've given it to you right after assimilation, but..." She trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I can't sense the type of beast you assimilated with. You shouldn't be able to hide it without cultivating a technique." Her expression darkened.

Now that he had brought up the conversation, then she better stand on it. Besides, she had been wanting to ask him...

"Raen, what beast did you assimilate with?"

Raen blinked.

"Wait... assimilated beasts can be sensed?"

His mother nodded.

"Yes. It's a metaphysical connection. Sometimes it feels like repulsion, irritation, or even familiarity. It manifests in subtle ways and influences how someone cultivates Qi or doesn't."

Selene sat quietly, watching them with wide eyes, absorbing the conversation like a sponge.

Raen's mind raced. He quickly pulled up his status screen.

---

[Status Screen]

Name: Raen Thalor

Race: Human (??? Hybrid)

Qi: 10/50

Energy: 20/20

Cultivation Realm: Primal Awakening Realm (Stage 1)

Beast Core: Fragment of the Eclipsing Fang (Dormant)

Traits: Serpent-Blooded (Locked)

Condition: Stable

...

'Could it be?' His gaze flickered across the glowing green text.

If what his mother said was true, she was likely referring to traits, the hidden essence of his assimilation.

But his was still locked.

He looked up at his mother, who was watching him closely now, her usual warmth tinged with concern.

Raen felt a weight settle in his chest.

He wasn't feeling pressure from her but from the implications of what he might say next.

His eyes darted between the status screen and his mother.

'Should he lie? Confide in her? Or was there another way out of this?' he thought to himself.