Shadows and Starfire
Chapter 13 – Shadows and Starfire
Half the time was gone. Five hours remained in the survival test, and the outer edge of the forest had already been picked clean. Flags were stripped from the trees like fruit from a hungry grove, and the G-ranked monsters—fangtails, mosslings, and rootmoles—lay defeated or had fled deeper within.
Now, the only rewards left were farther inside.
Robert moved silently through the underbrush, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his new short sword. The light filtering through the canopy above had changed—from golden afternoon rays to the deeper hues of approaching dusk. This part of the forest was quieter… but not calmer. The stillness felt like a breath being held.
Behind him, faintly in the distance, came the occasional clang of weapons and student shouts. Most had banded together in groups by now, hoping to face stronger monsters through teamwork. Robert, however, remained alone.
His system was evolving—he could feel it. The third portion of it, activated only a day ago, was still revealing surprises. And today's trial, this sudden need to go deeper, felt like something more than just a test. It felt personal. Like the system wanted him to go further.
He passed a natural arch of twisted roots and froze in place.
There, in a clearing softly bathed in pale shafts of light, stood a creature unlike anything he had seen in the bestiary lectures.
It was feline in shape but semi-transparent, like it was half-formed. Its hide shimmered in shifting colors—dark purples, starlight silver, and hints of blue glimmers of deep earthen green. Two glowing orbs pulsed where its eyes should be, and mist clung to its paws. It didn't notice him at first, or perhaps it simply didn't care.
> [SYSTEM ALERT: Rare Entity Detected]
E-RANK HYBRID BEAST – STAR STALKER (NEWBORN)
Origin: Formed by convergence of moonlight, sunlight, and terrestrial mana.
Status: Non-hostile. No physical form unless tamed.
Note: Star Stalkers are unstable hybrids. They appear only once per lunar convergence and vanish if untamed.There form reflects the host personilty and desires.
SYSTEM FUNCTION UNLOCKED: BEASTAMING (RARE ACTIVATION CONDITION MET)
Normal users unlock Beastaming at D-Rank. Due to unique system compatibility, with host this function has been granted early.
Would you like to attempt Taming Protocol?
[YES] / [NO]
Robert stared, heart pounding.
Beastaming? That was supposed to be off-limits at this stage. The instructors hadn't even taught anything about it yet.
He didn't hesitate. He tapped [YES].
The world around him blurred. The clearing seemed to warp with colors deepened, time slowed, and a deep humming filled his ears. The Star Stalker turned to face him fully now, and in its eyes, Robert saw not aggression… but uncertainty. Like a child newly born into a hostile world.
> Initiating Soul Resonance…
Please project two dominant emotion.
[Courage] / [Compassion] / [Dominance] / [Curiosity]
He chose Compassion and Dominance.
His system flared as warmth flowed through him, like threads connecting heart to heart. The beast's body flickered, trembled, and then—suddenly—it stabilized.
The mist cleared. The Star Stalker blinked, real and solid now, and padded softly over to Robert. It didn't bow, but it sat beside him, tail flicking, eyes watchful.
> [TAMING SUCCESSFUL]
You are now bonded to the Star Stalker – E-Rank Familiar
Status: Infant Stage
Traits: Light-Stealth Hybrid, Astral Affinity
Abilities (Locked Until Trust Level Increases)
A Unique Familiar has joined you. Other students may detect this. Proceed with caution.
Robert exhaled slowly.
It was his first real companion in this world.
"I'll named name you Stormy because you're blue color."
---
Elsewhere, the tone was very different.
A trio of students stumbled through a cavern carved from obsidian-like rock. Their torches flickered against the cold walls, and the further they descended, the more distorted their minimaps became.
"Where are the damn flags?!" barked one, kicking over a loose stone.
"Forget flags," another muttered. "If we find just one rare beast, that's worth more points."
Their third member paused and touched her arm. "Wait. My system—"
> [SYSTEM ALERT]
Critical Error: Location is Outside Designated Survival Zone.
Objective Progress Failed.
[TEST TERMINATION INITIATED]
Light flared, and in a flash of white, all three vanished.
---
Back in the monitoring chamber, instructors and staff watched holographic projections of the forest and caves, tracking hundreds of dots. Some red. Some blue. A few flickering gold.
Principal Raevius stood, arms folded. Around him, murmurs were rising.
Instructor Fenna clicked her tongue. "Do they ever read the system warnings? That cave was marked as unstable territory."
Another instructor, Rygal, chuckled. "They thought it was a shortcut. Probably imagined a hidden chest of rare items down there."
But it was Raevius who leaned forward, his gaze shifting to one of the deeper layers of the forest overlay.
"Quiet," he said softly.
The room obeyed.
Because on the projection, a deep-red dot was pulsing awake.
> [ZONE ALERT – DEEP FOREST SUBREGION: THE EMBER ROOT GROVE]
ALPHA BEAST – RED BASILISK – D-RANK VARIANT
Status: Slumber Ended.
Movement: Active.
Aggression Level: Extreme.
Estimated threat radius: 4 km
Fenna's eyes widened. "You didn't disable the basilisk?"
Raevius smiled. "Why would I? It's time they learned what real fear looks like."
---
In the forest, a sound tore through the canopy.
A roar.
Not like the small beasts that students had been fighting. This one was deep, thunderous, primal. It came from the forest's heart and echoed outward in every direction.
Robert felt it in his bones.
Even the Star Stalker flinched and hissed, fur bristling.
All around the forest, students froze.
Groups who had just found their third or fourth flag suddenly dropped them. One duo sprinted for the treeline, only for a warning to flash on their map:
> [Retreat Detected – Partial Points Only]
[Remaining in the Zone Increases Reward Potential]
Some students bolted. Others, like Aria and Kieran—another pair from Earth—clenched their weapons tighter and advanced, grim-faced.
---
Back in the forest's center, chaos was blooming.
The Red Basilisk was no ordinary D-rank beast. It was a mutation, a guardian left behind by the academy's original founders. Thirty feet long, covered in gleaming crimson scales and molten scars, its eyes glowed like lava pits. Each breath steamed. Its scent, sulfur and ash.
A group of upper-tier students—two nobles and a beastfolk—found it first. Or rather, it found them.
They didn't stand a chance.
In the monitoring room, Raevius grimaced. "They were too slow. Should have fled."
> [STUDENT FAINTED – EMERGENCY TELEPORT TRIGGERED]
[STUDENT WOUNDED – 68% HP LOST – Observation Continuing]
[WARNING: CRITICAL COMBAT DETECTED IN MULTIPLE ZONES]
---
Robert moved quickly, keeping low. The Star Stalker flitted beside him, half-shadow even when physical. It seemed to know where to step, avoiding dry twigs and crinkled leaves.
He wasn't running away.
No. That roar—that power—was something he needed to understand.
The system hadn't alerted him of danger yet. And more importantly, he felt it again: that strange pull. As if the system itself was encouraging his steps, threading fate into motion.
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Optional Quest Detected: "Mark the Apex"
Objective: Witness the Red Basilisk. Survive its aura.
Rewards: Bonus EXP. Affinity Increase with ???
Would you like to accept?
He pressed [ACCEPT].
Minutes passed. The forest changed again—darker now, roots thicker, the air heavy with iron and spice. A distant tremor passed through the ground. Then another.
Finally, in a ravine choked with ferns and broken stone pillars, Robert saw it.
The Red Basilisk.
It was feeding—its tongue slicing a massive treekin in half. Fire dripped from its jaws. Every scale looked like cooled magma.
He crouched, heart slamming, as the system updated again.
> [You are within Aura Range of a D-Rank Hybrid Alpha]
Mental Pressure: 12%
Physical Strain: 7%
Survival Tracking…
Time Remaining in Range: 02:00 minutes
The Star Stalker trembled beside him but didn't run.
Robert didn't dare move. He just watched—every line of the beast's body, every rumble of breath, every twitch of its tail.
And his system recorded it all.
> [Progress Logged: Mark the Apex Predator – 65%]
Remaining Time: 00:42 seconds
30 seconds
15 seconds
5 seconds
1 second
The basilisk paused suddenly. Its head turned—too fast—and its eyes stared straight through the trees at different shadow moving around.
Robert didn't breathe.
But the basilisk looked away.
He exhaled shakily.
> [Objective Complete – Mark the Apex Predator]
+1,000 EXP
+Trait Awakened: Predator's Calm – Bonus resistance to fear-based effects.
+Affinity Registered with ??? (Monitoring…)
[Dwarf Moon Necros 7/7] [Moon Blast] [Red Moon Necros]
Robert fell backward, gasping.
The Star Stalker licked his arm.
And the forest began to move again.
---
Elsewhere…
Groups of students were converging.
Some battled an E+ Rank beast with a crystalline hide and lightning fangs.
Others argued about whether to head toward or away from the roar's origin.
Some had broken. Cracked. Cried.
A handful stood tall. Tested. Tempered.
And across the forest, from trees, from shadows, from magical screens, dozens of instructors watched silently.
They took notes.
They whispered names.
They circled lists.
Principal Raevius stepped forward to the center display.
"Now," he said, voice like steel, "Let's see who rises from the ashes."