Mutant
The first mutant beast lunged.
I twisted my body, barely avoiding its massive claws as they tore through the tree behind me, splintering wood like paper. Damon swung his sword in a brutal arc, slicing through the shoulder of another beast, but the creature barely flinched.
"These things are tougher than normal," he grunted.
I clicked my tongue. They weren't just mutated—they were enhanced. The black veins pulsing through their bodies weren't natural.
Varian had left traps.
[DING!]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
▶ [Enemy Identified: Corrupted Nightfang (B-Rank)]
▶ Special Traits: Enhanced Strength, Shadow Resistance, Berserk State
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"Of course they're B-Rank," I muttered.
Damon ducked as a beast lunged at him, barely avoiding its fangs. "Any helpful advice from your system?"
"Yeah. Don't die."
Damon scoffed. "Brilliant."
I didn't have time to argue. One of the beasts rushed me, and I barely managed to roll to the side before its claws dug into the dirt where I had just been standing.
I needed an edge.
[DING!] [New Skill Available: Swift Counter (E)]
I didn't hesitate.
The moment the beast struck again, I sidestepped and let my body move on instinct. My dagger shot out, slicing across its exposed throat.
Blood sprayed, and the beast let out a strangled snarl before collapsing.
Damon whistled. "Not bad."
But there were still nine more.
And then—the air shifted.
The remaining beasts suddenly stopped.
Their glowing eyes focused on something behind us.
Damon and I turned at the same time.
A figure stood at the edge of the trees.
Cloaked. Unmoving. Watching.
A cold chill ran down my spine.
"That's not Varian," I muttered.
The figure didn't speak. Didn't move. But I could feel their presence—heavy, suffocating.
Then, without a word, they vanished into the shadows.
The beasts howled—then turned and disappeared into the forest, following their master.
Silence.
Damon let out a slow breath. "What the hell was that?"
I didn't know.
But whoever that was… they weren't normal.
And I had a bad feeling we'd see them again.