Chapter 19: The Start of the Hunt

The deeper I went, the stronger the feeling became.

Something was off in this direction.

The air felt thicker. Heavier. Like it was pressing down on my skin.

Five minutes later, I heard it.

Voices.

No… not voices. Growls. Wet. Guttural. Low and animalistic.

I dropped to the ground, heart slowing. Breath steady.

Then I crawled—quietly—through the underbrush, inching toward the sound.

The trees here were thick, their trunks wide enough to hide behind. I moved from one to the next like a shadow, inch by inch, careful not to snap a single twig.

The noise grew clearer. Snarling. Slurping. Bones cracking.

I slipped behind the last tree and peered around it.

Five of them.

Monsters.

They crouched in a clearing, hunched over a torn carcass.

Their faces were twisted, dog-like but grotesque—snouts too long, teeth jagged like broken knives. Their limbs were thick and muscled, and their eyes glowed faintly red beneath the moonlight.

Each one was at least twice the size of a normal hound.

Demonic Hounds.

C-rank at the very least.

I recognized them from the bestiary entries burned into my mind. Fast. Brutal. Known for traveling in packs. And worse—if they howl, they call more.

They were feasting on something… or someone.

The body was unrecognizable—mangled, shredded beyond identification. Fur, maybe. Claws. Could've been a monster… or not.

Didn't matter.

I swallowed hard.

"…Fuck," I whispered, barely audible.

I couldn't go any further.

Not in this direction.

That pack… I wouldn't survive even one of them, let alone all five. C-rank demonic hounds weren't just dangerous—they were death wrapped in muscle and teeth. Fast. Coordinated. Bloodthirsty.

I backed away slowly, breath held tight in my lungs.

This area was off-limits. Completely.

If I kept pushing forward now, I'd die. Simple as that.

I turned, careful to avoid any sudden movements, and began retracing my steps.

But then—

Crack.

My foot landed on a branch.

It snapped.

Loud.

Too loud.

I froze.

One of the hounds stopped chewing. Its head slowly turned—those glowing red eyes scanning the treeline.

Right toward me.

My heart hammered in my chest.

I'm going to die.

The thought slipped out of my mouth in a breathless whisper.

I didn't move.

Didn't blink.

Didn't even breathe.

Seconds dragged like hours.

The hound stared.

Then—

It turned back to the corpse… and resumed eating.

I didn't wait.

Didn't hesitate.

I turned and slipped away, faster now—still silent, but no longer crawling. The forest blurred around me as I weaved between trees, retracing every mark I'd left on the path.

Only when the fortress's moss-covered wall came into view did I finally let out a breath.

Thank you.

I didn't know who I was thanking—maybe the god of luck, or just whatever force had kept me alive tonight—but I meant it.

That direction was a death trap.

I'd need to chart a new path tomorrow. One with fewer corpses.

Still shaken, I crawled back through the tunnel beneath the wall and slipped into the fortress unseen.

Next Midnight again.

And once more, I was in the forest.

A different path tonight. Deeper. Wilder.

The trees stretched high into the sky, their gnarled limbs blotting out even the faintest starlight. Shadows lay thick over the earth like a second skin. The air was damp, still, almost suffocating.

But I walked with focus.

Every step calculated. Every breath controlled.

I'd learned to move like the forest—quiet, deliberate, always watching.

And that's what saved me.

A whisper.

Barely a sound—just a faint rustle from the side.

If I hadn't been completely focused… I would've missed it.

Instinct screamed.

I threw myself to the side, hitting the cold ground just as something slashed through the space I'd stood a heartbeat before.

Vishhh.

A blur of motion.

I rolled to my feet, heart pounding, and looked up.

Standing in front of me was a… rabbit?

No.

Not a rabbit.

Its body was small, yes—but its eyes glowed crimson. Fangs jutted from its mouth like a predator's. Thick claws curved from its paws, sharp enough to gut a wolf.

It glared at me with pure malice—feral, twitching, tense.

Not prey.

Predator.

A beast that had tasted blood before.

Its legs tensed.

And then—it vanished.

My eyes barely registered the movement before it was in front of me—fangs bared, claws aimed at my face.

Too fast—!

I twisted, narrowly dodging to the side.

But not fast enough.

Slash.

Pain flared on my cheek.

A shallow cut—but enough to sting. Enough to bleed.

I staggered back, katana half-drawn, heart hammering like a drumbeat in my ears.

This wasn't a monster to be underestimated.

It looked small.

But this thing… it was trying to kill me.

And it almost succeeded.

I raised my katana.

The small white beast stood in front of me, fangs bared, red eyes gleaming like burning coals in the dark.

It snarled again—angry now, as if furious that it had missed its prey.

Me.

Then it moved.

Fast.

But this time—I was ready.

As it lunged, I slashed my katana in a clean arc—

—but it twisted mid-air.

I blinked.

It changed direction mid-leap.

Impossible. Or at least, it should've been. But the thing kicked off the air itself, landing on the side, claws tearing into the dirt. Without losing a second, it sprang again—straight for my throat.

I brought my blade up just in time.

Clang!

Its claws slammed against the steel with a screech. Sparks danced in the darkness.

It hissed and retreated, skidding backward—but something in its stance had changed.

It stopped going straight for me.

It had realized something.

It couldn't win head-on.

Now it started circling.

Fast.

Left. Right. Forward. Back.

Each bound was faster than the last, its red eyes blurring into a ring around me. And in between those leaps—it struck.

From behind. From the side. From angles I couldn't even predict.

The rear attacks glanced off my armor—thank the gods for that—but the rest came dangerously close. Claws slicing the air an inch from my neck, my arms, my eyes.

I was surrounded by a storm of white fur and fangs.

I held my ground.

Eyes narrowed. Focus absolute.

I didn't swing wildly.

I waited.

Breathed.

Watched.

Then—I saw it.

A misstep.

The creature jumped from the right—just slightly too close, its path predictable for the first time.

Now.

I sidestepped—

—and slashed.

Steel met flesh.

A shrill scream tore through the silence.

The blade tore across its side, leaving a long, red gash as it crashed to the ground, rolling back with a screech of pain.

It glared at me—rage overtaking its cunning.

And then—it snapped.

Gone was the precision. Gone was the calculation.

It lunged at me again, mouth wide, claws raised, shrieking like a beast gone mad.

But it had lost its edge.

It had lost its mind.

I didn't move.

I let it come.

And when it was close—too close to change course—

I cut.

A clean, brutal arc.

The katana sliced through fur, through flesh, through bone.

The rabbit's body dropped to the ground in two pieces.

Its red eyes slowly dimmed.

I stood there, breath heavy, chest rising and falling. Blood dripped slowly from the cut on my cheek—thin, stinging, but shallow.

I looked down at the corpse.

Small. Savage. Dead.

And I was still alive.

I took a deep breath.

Slow. Steady.

My hands were trembling slightly—not from fear. From something else.

Adrenaline.

Excitement.

It was my first real battle. A fight where one mistake… could've ended in death.

And I survived.

I looked down at the rabbit's corpse—what was left of it.

The blood had already soaked into the soil. Its body was twitching no more. Just a lifeless husk.

I knelt beside it, examining the beast.

It was a Mad Rabbit.

Small. Fast. Unnaturally aggressive.

An E– rank monster.

Same rank as me… but lethal all the same.

They were named for their temper. Unstable. Savage. Once injured, they lost all sense of self—lashing out with mindless fury, just like this one did.

That rage… had been its downfall.

I exhaled again, calming the thudding in my chest.

I pressed my fingers lightly against its chest.

Nothing.

No core.

As expected.

Not all monsters had mana hearts. The lower their rank, the lower the chance of forming one. Only higher-ranked beasts consistently had them.

Once you reached B-rank and above, it was a certainty. Not only did those monsters have cores—they could use magic too. Spells, elemental affinities, cursed abilities… it depended on their nature.

If this thing had a core—if it could cast even a basic spell—I might not be standing here.

That thought alone chilled me more than the forest air.

I stood and held out my hand.

Mana gathered in my palm. A soft orange glow. I sent a spark to the body.

Fwoosh.

The corpse caught fire immediately.

The scent of burning fur filled the clearing.

I watched the flames for a few seconds before stepping back.

Mad Rabbits are territorial.

They don't live alone.

If one is here… others won't be far.

that's works for me.

Because when I was fighting…

I didn't feel fear.

I didn't feel scared.

I felt excited.

For the first time since I came to this world, I wasn't weighed down by anger or regret. I wasn't haunted by betrayal or drowning in shame.

I felt alive.

Every breath.

Every heartbeat.

Every swing of the blade.

It was real. Pure. Raw.

And I wanted to feel it again.

No, I needed to.

These monsters… they were dangerous, yes.

But they were also honest.

No lies. No schemes. No noble politics.

Just survival.

Them or me.

And in that clarity—I found something worth chasing.

Not just strength.

But purpose.

The training, the drills, the aura practice—it all had meaning now.

Because I knew what waited beyond those walls.

And I knew what kind of man I had to become if I ever wanted to stand against it.

So let them come.

Mad Rabbits. Demonic Hounds. Whatever this cursed forest holds.

I'll fight them all.

Again and again.

Until the fear is gone.

Until I stop trembling.

Until this excitement becomes my new normal.