Chapter 8 – The First Hunt
Auther's boots hit the cracked stone below with a sharp thud. The air was thick with dust, blood, and the raw scent of wild mana.
The mutated ape was closing fast, its clawed knuckles slamming into the ground with thunderous impact. The beast was massive — easily over three meters tall, with thick limbs covered in pulsating veins and jagged bone protrusions. A second set of smaller arms sprouted from its torso, twitching erratically.
Definitely F3, maybe even F4.
Suicidal odds for someone like him.
But Auther wasn't planning to win through brute force.
He planned to cut it down with precision.
The two injured Awakeners turned, shock flashing in their eyes as they saw him sprint past. The girl's lips moved, mouthing something — maybe "run."
He didn't.
Mana Edge flared to life in his right hand.
He angled his body and slid between the ape's legs, dragging the glowing blade across the beast's inner thigh.
It howled — a sound like a freight train screaming in pain.
Auther rolled back onto his feet, but the moment his balance settled, a shadow fell over him.
The beast spun and backhanded him with one of its thick arms.
The blow connected like a truck.
Pain exploded in his ribs. He flew back ten meters and slammed into a bent traffic pole, breath knocked from his lungs.
His vision danced.
He coughed, spitting blood onto the rubble.
"Still alive," he muttered. "Barely."
The ape was charging again — faster this time, enraged.
He barely dodged to the side as the creature slammed its fists into the ground, sending a shockwave of dust and cracked earth into the air.
Reflex Boost helped him slip past the second strike, but his body felt like it was unraveling.
"Need defense. Now."
He opened the Skill Creation window while dodging, thinking faster than he ever had.
---
Create Skill
Type: Passive
Name: Reinforced Frame
Description: "Passively strengthens the user's bones, joints, and ligaments. Reduces internal damage from blunt trauma. Slightly boosts durability."
[Rank: F4 – Cost: 12 Points]
Confirm?
---
Confirm.
A pulse of energy washed through him. His breathing steadied. The ache in his ribs dulled — not healed, but absorbed, like his body had braced against the pain.
---
[Skill Created: Reinforced Frame (F4)]
[Remaining Skill Points: 28]
---
The beast was already on him again.
It lunged with a roar, mouth splitting unnaturally wide — revealing a vertical row of jagged, mutated fangs.
Auther ducked and rolled to the side.
The ape slammed into the wall behind him, bricks crumbling.
Auther didn't hesitate.
He spun around, fueled by Fighting Mastery, and drove his Mana Edge into the exposed side of the beast's neck — just under the chin.
It didn't cut all the way.
But it dug deep.
The creature screeched and flailed, catching Auther in the shoulder with one of its lower arms.
Even with Reinforced Frame, the impact spun him like a top and cracked something in his collarbone.
He hit the ground hard and rolled behind a rusted car frame for cover.
Adrenaline buzzed in his ears.
He needed one more clean hit. One critical strike.
But he wasn't fast enough.
Not yet.
---
"Hey!"
A shout from behind.
The male Awakener — the one who'd tried to protect the girl — staggered into position with a battered longsword, holding it like he still had something to prove.
He threw a mana-charged stone at the ape's back.
The explosion was weak — just a pop — but it drew the creature's attention.
Auther saw his moment.
He darted from cover, feet light, breathing controlled.
Silent Star Breathing surged through his veins.
Mana Edge, bright and sharp.
He leapt onto the back of the ruined car, kicked off the hood — and launched himself high into the air.
Mid-air, he twisted, focusing all his mana into a single line — from shoulder to wrist.
As he descended—
"Die!"
He slammed Mana Edge into the beast's spine, just below the neck.
Mana exploded.
Flesh tore. Bone cracked.
The beast screamed and flailed — but this time, it collapsed forward with a massive thud.
It twitched once.
Then fell still.
Auther rolled off its back, panting, covered in grime and blood.
His arms trembled. His shoulder throbbed. His head rang from the repeated impacts.
But he was alive.
And more importantly — he'd won.
---
[Mutated Ape (F3) Defeated]
[Bonus: Killed Enemy Two Ranks Above – +30 Points]
[First F3 Kill – Bonus +10 Points]
[Skill Points Gained: +40]
---
[Skill Points: 68]
---
He dropped to one knee beside the monster and plunged his hand into its chest.
The mana core inside pulsed like a beating heart — large, dark red, veined with gold.
He absorbed it carefully.
Silent Star Breathing guided the flow of wild mana into his own body. The pressure was intense — like trying to drink lava — but he endured it, circulating the energy through his pathways.
When it was done, he exhaled slowly, eyes gleaming.
He didn't know what the core's full effect was yet, but he could feel his mana reserves stretch wider, deeper.
He was changing.
Growing.
---
"Who... the hell are you?" the guy finally asked, walking closer with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Auther glanced at him.
"Just someone trying not to die."
The girl sat up slowly, blood smeared across her temple. She looked at him like he was some kind of ghost.
"That thing would've torn us apart."
Auther didn't respond.
He didn't need thanks. He didn't save them out of kindness.
He saved them because that kill brought him closer to his goal.
Still, he nodded once.
"Stick to the shallows. That kind of beast doesn't belong this close to the city."
They exchanged a glance but nodded.
Auther turned without another word and began walking back toward his base.
---
Later that night, beneath the quiet shelter of the train car, he opened his screen once more.
---
[Name: Auther Finn]
[Rank: F2]
[Skill Points: 68]
[Skills:]
Silent Star Breathing (F5)
Mana Edge (F3)
Fighting Mastery (F3)
Lesser Flesh Knitting (F4)
Reflex Boost (F4)
Enhanced Hearing (F4)
Reinforced Frame (F4)
---
He'd ranked up.
Just barely.
The mana core had pushed him over the threshold. His body felt stronger, denser. His instincts sharper.
It was only a small step.
But it proved something important:
Skill Creation wasn't the only thing leveling him up.
His actions, his decisions, his risk — all of it mattered.
He stared at the glowing mana core he'd pulled from the beast's body and set it in a box beside his makeshift bedroll.
He needed rest.
Tomorrow, he'd create something new. Maybe a skill that let him sense mana. Or one that amplified his strikes.
But for now…
He closed his eyes, and for the first time in weeks—
He dreamed of victory.