In the Brink of Death

The full moon shone perfectly in the night sky, accompanied by twinkling stars and a breathtaking galactic veil. The sight painted a celestial canvas of indescribable beauty.

However, none of that wonder could be seen within Aden Forest. The dense canopy of leaves formed a thick green curtain that blocked out the sky, leaving only darkness, faintly illuminated by the dim light seeping through the gaps in the branches.

Fwoosh!

The sharp whistle of an arrow cut through the night's stillness, followed by a precise stab. The arrow struck with incredible speed, piercing right between the eyes of an unfortunate deer. The creature didn't even have the chance to make a sound before its body collapsed to the ground.

But the deer was not the archer's true target.

A tall young man stood upright within the shadows of the trees. His attire and cloak bore the emblem of a griffin with flaming wings spread wide, with the words Emberwing Academy embroidered above it. Before him stood a grotesque figure—a humanoid creature with sickly green, mucus-covered skin, radiating a vicious aura that made it seem more like a monster than anything else.

Without warning, the creature lunged at him with absurd, unnatural movements, its sharp claws extended, ready to tear him apart.

The man—Adam Suchel—reacted instantly. With agile precision, he flipped backward into the air, narrowly dodging the attack. While still midair, he nocked another arrow and fired it directly at the creature.

Thuck!

Yet, no blood spilled. The creature showed no sign of pain. Instead, it simply yanked the arrow from its body as if it were nothing, its eerie glowing eyes locking onto Adam with an even greater fury.

Landing gracefully, Adam let out a sharp breath and clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Tch. I didn't expect a rift to bring something like this here…" he muttered.

He had been fighting this creature for over ten minutes, yet he still hadn't found its weakness. He considered retreating, but the possibility of obtaining a Crystal Core—a valuable item often dropped by creatures from Dimensional Rifts—made him discard that thought.

Crystal Cores contained immense mana energy and were classified into four tiers: low, medium, high, and profound. Adam was fairly certain that this monster would drop at least a medium-tier core.

For an academy student without a wealthy background like him, a medium-tier Crystal Core was an invaluable treasure.

"Raaaargh!!"

The creature lunged again, its movements still grotesque but now more aggressive. Its razor-sharp teeth gleamed in the dim light, and its slimy body trembled violently.

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"Looks like I need to kill you a different way."

With swift motion, he slung his bow across his back and unsheathed a sword from his waist. As the monster charged at him, the blade in his hand began to glow with a faint blue light, a thin layer of energy coating its edge.

The power of his class - Knight.

The moment the creature entered his striking range, Adam swung his sword in a quick, precise slash—but what happened next was beyond his expectations.

The creature caught his sword.

"What?!"

Adam's eyes widened in shock, but he had no time to react. The monster's grip tightened around his blade, preventing him from pulling away. Then, before he could attempt to break free—

Chomp!

The creature bit into his shoulder with brutal force.

Srekk!

Fabric tore. Pain erupted through Adam's body like fire as fresh blood spurted from the wound, staining his clothes deep red.

"Fuck!" Adam cursed.

Acting on pure reflex, he kicked the creature hard in the stomach, sending it stumbling backward with a guttural growl before it finally crashed to the ground.

Adam staggered back, gripping his bleeding shoulder. His gaze flickered to the wound—and his heart sank.

A faint green hue was beginning to spread around the torn flesh.

Poison.

His expression darkened. If the toxin spread too quickly, he might not last long enough to finish the fight.

His grip on his sword tightened, his gaze now filled with nothing but rage.

Without hesitation, he charged forward, leaping high into the air before bringing his sword down in a devastating strike.

BOOM!

The blade's blue energy exploded upon impact, carving a deep gash into the creature's body.

The monster let out an agonized roar, but Adam didn't stop.

Slash after slash rained down without mercy, the sound of metal tearing through flesh echoing through the forest. Black blood and foul mucus splattered across the ground, painting the battlefield in a grotesque display.

But even with its body mangled and shredded, the creature refused to die.

And just as Adam prepared to deliver the final blow, the monster's grotesque hand latched onto his ankle with monstrous strength.

CRACK!

A sickening snap echoed through the night.

"AAAAARGH!!"

Adam's agonized scream ripped through the forest.

His leg twisted at an unnatural angle, an unbearable pain shooting through his nerves like wildfire. He nearly collapsed, his body trembling violently—not out of weakness, but from the sheer intensity of the pain.

His knee buckled, but he refused to fall.

Panting heavily, he glared at the monster with a look that carried only one thing—murder.

"You bastard!"

With all the strength he had left, Adam raised his sword and plunged it straight through the creature's head.

BOOM!

Another surge of energy erupted, shattering the monster's skull into chunks of flesh and bone. White smoke rose from the gaping wound.

Adam staggered backward, finally collapsing onto the ground.

His hands trembled as he reached for his broken leg, his body still quivering from the poison spreading through his veins.

"I didn't think… it would turn out like this…" he muttered, his voice weak.

But before he could even catch his breath—

THUD!

A shadow slammed into him from the side, pinning him down.

Adam's breath hitched in panic.

The creature—was still alive!

The monster that should have been dead was now pressing him into the dirt, its jaws wide open, ready to rip out his throat.

With his broken leg, Adam had no way to escape.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I can't die here!"

Desperation surged through him as he struggled with every ounce of strength he had left. But no matter how hard he fought, the creature's grip was relentless.

His expression twisted in horror.

If this continued—he was going to die.

"Damn it!"

But before the monster's fangs could sink into his flesh—

BANG!

A shadow streaked in from the side, delivering a vicious kick that sent the creature flying.

Adam gasped for air, his chest heaving as he turned his head.

A man stood before him.

His clothes were in tatters, his body smeared with blood.

Wounds covered his face, yet his eyes held an eerie calmness.

A chilling calmness.

Eryon.