Shadow Hunter

CHAPTER 12

A massive, black, wolf-like beast with glowing yellow eyes and a bird-like beak instead of fangs clashed viciously with another monstrous creature—a gorilla-like titan. But this gorilla was anything but ordinary. Towering and brutal, it had four muscular arms, and its chest shimmered like forged black metal.

The two beasts were locked in a brutal, primal battle. The wolf-beast lunged high, slashing downward with its deadly claws. The gorilla, seeing no way to dodge in time, raised one of its arms to block. The claws tore deep into its flesh, drawing a roar of agony from the gorilla. Though the arm wasn't severed, the damage was immense, blood pouring from the gash.

Snarling, the wolf went for a follow-up strike with its sharp, hooked beak, aiming to finish it. But before the blow could land, two of the gorilla's remaining arms shot up, seizing the wolf mid-air. With a thunderous growl, the gorilla delivered a crushing punch to the beast's abdomen, sending it crashing into the dirt.

The wolf wasn't down for long. It sprang back up, its yellow eyes wild, frenzied. It charged again like a creature possessed. Claws met fists. Muscle collided with fang. The very ground trembled beneath their savage exchange, shockwaves rippling outward with each blow.

There was no clear victor. Both monsters were evenly matched in strength and savagery. It was a battle of stamina now—who would last longer, who could endure more.

Eventually, the wolf began to falter. Its body was ravaged—bones cracked, fur matted with blood, and its beak shattered. Its glowing eyes flickered weakly as it stared at the gorilla one last time... then collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. Lifeless.

The gorilla stood victorious, but not unscathed. Two of its arms were completely ripped off, and the remaining pair trembled from exhaustion. Long gashes bled freely across its body, its breath ragged. It was a mere shadow of the monster it had been minutes ago. Still, it had survived—and survival was enough.

But just as it tried to move, its instincts screamed.

Without hesitation, it lashed out with a wounded fist. A shadowy figure slipped from the darkness, narrowly avoiding the strike.

"Woah, easy now. No hard feelings—I just came to say hi," said the figure in black with a sly grin.

It was none other than Conner.

He stood calmly, eyeing the wounded beast with quiet curiosity. Beasts and their instincts were always strange—no matter how injured they were, their hatred for humans ran deep. This one was no exception. Despite its wounds, the gorilla's eyes burned with primal fury.

It wanted nothing more than to rip Conner apart.

For a moment, Conner considered abandoning his plan. Despite the heavy wounds marring the beast's frame, it still looked monstrously formidable. But he shook off the hesitation. Backing down wasn't an option.

Before his thoughts could settle, the gorilla-like beast lunged forward, its massive fist swinging straight for his face. Conner ducked low, narrowly avoiding the blow, and with a sharp, practiced motion, he reached into his sleeve and drew a small dagger. Shadows coiled around the blade, amplifying its edge as he thrust it toward the beast's eye. The dagger plunged in with little resistance.

The beast let out a furious bellow of pain and staggered back, but Conner wasn't about to let it retreat. Not now.

He surged forward, this time aiming for its throat. The beast reacted fast, throwing a punch. Though the distance dulled the impact, the shockwave still knocked the breath from Conner's lungs and made his ribcage creak in protest. But he stayed rooted, feet dug into the forest floor.

With a guttural yell, Conner drove the dagger into the beast's throat and slashed hard to the right. The creature convulsed violently before collapsing with a heavy thud.

> You have slain a Basic-Class Beast. Your shadow has grown stronger.

Conner collapsed beside it, breathing hard. Relief washed over him—but not for long. The forest pulsed with the presence of monsters. Staying here was as good as putting a target on his back.

Before leaving, he carved out the beast cores from the two fallen creatures. His gaze lingered on their bodies. The truth was, he couldn't have taken either of them head-on—not both at once. When he'd first seen them locked in battle, he'd planned to find another route. But the way they fought, viciously and without restraint, told him everything. They weren't allies—they were rivals fighting for territory.

So, he waited. Let the stronger one survive. Then he'd strike.

That plan had worked—but just barely. Even taking down the weakened gorilla had nearly broken him.

Navigating carefully through the dense forest, avoiding signs of other predators, Conner finally reached his destination: a dark, eerie cave. Thanks to his affinity with shadows, the pitch-black interior posed no issue.

He tossed the two beast cores into a small pile beside a few others he had already gathered, then sat down. He drank water and chewed on some leftover roasted meat. In this brief moment of peace, he almost forgot the sharp ache of his injuries.

Still, he believed they'd heal on their own with time. After all, he'd survived the rampage of the Red Horses just weeks ago—something even he thought was impossible. Yet here he was. His body had slowly recovered then… this time wouldn't be any different.

He just needed two to three more days. Maybe less.

And he was more than willing to wait.

Chewing on the fried meat of a beast he'd grown far too used to over the past two week. This godforsaken forest had become his new reality. With a tired grunt, he summoned the system interface to check on his progress.

> Name: Conner Steele

Race: Human

Age: 18

Affinity Core: Shadow

Grade: One

Class: Newbie Bender

— Shadow Affinity: 40 / 200

— Shadow Essence: 500 / 1000

— Shadow Skills:

▪ Shadow Scout (Level 1)

▪ Shadow Augmentation (Level 1)

— Passive Skills:

▪ Shadow Control

▪ Usurper

— Other Affinities:

▪ Fire Affinity: 30

▪ Wind Affinity: 26

Conner let out a long, weary sigh as his eyes scanned the stats. He had gotten stronger—far stronger than he was when he first stumbled into this nightmare of a forest. Somehow, raising his Shadow Affinity had made his physical capabilities grow beyond what he thought was possible. He didn't know exactly what would happen when he hit 200/200, but he could guess—it'd be a game changer.

Still, his gaze drifted toward the "other affinities" section, and his expression darkened. When he first killed a red horse beast and gained a sliver of Fire Affinity, he thought it'd grant him flame powers—maybe let him breathe fire or hurl fireballs. But no matter what he tried, nothing happened. It was like the affinity was just sitting there, mocking him. Decoration, not utility. At least, for now.

Maybe he just hadn't figured out how to activate them yet. That thought gave him a sliver of hope.

Though stronger now, he was still no match for the monstrous lion-like abomination he'd encountered two weeks ago. Honestly, Conner would prefer never to cross paths with that thing again. Just thinking about it made his body tense.

Closing the system screen, he leaned back against the tree and stared out into the endless forest. Nothing but more trees, more beasts, and more danger. He'd been hunting well these past few days, growing stronger bit by bit, but it still wasn't enough. Not yet.

So far, the system had identified every beast he'd fought as "Basic Class." If he had to guess, that meant they were the lowest tier of monsters—and even they were terrifying. Some, like the Running Rats, were fast but fragile. Others, like the Red Horses and the Four-Armed Gorillas, were outright deadly. Interestingly, only some beasts had elemental traits. Killing the Red Horses granted him Fire Affinity, thanks to the Usurper skill. But defeating the Four-Armed Gorilla gave him nothing, confirming his suspicion: some beasts possessed elemental power—others didn't.

Conner grumbled, mind drifting. Was there no end to this cursed place? No exit? He'd wandered for three weeks, seeking caves or dark shelters to rest in, but he hadn't seen a single trace of another human. Not one. Just beasts. Forest. And more beasts.

He rubbed his temple. Thinking too much was making his head throb. Tomorrow would be a new day. He could figure things out then. For now, the hunter needed rest.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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