Unluck

After a long walk, the boy finally arrived home. He had been fishing for the past four hours and caught three fish—two small ones and one large. He had wrapped them in bandages so their scent wouldn't attract monsters from the forest. The small ones fit into the compartments sewn into the inside of his cloak, but the large one he had to carry by hand.

The big fish was almost a meter in length and, unlike the other two, it could likely be categorized into the level system—probably a Level 1 creature. His own wolf, Leo, was also Stage 1, but among others at that stage, Leo was like an Elite. Compared to his peers, he was much stronger, and his rare nature gave him more complex powers.

The big fish probably had light-based abilities. In the dark waters, many creatures had an affinity for light and powers to control it. This one was clearly among them—its massive jaw and the small glowing orb on its forehead made it appear terrifying. But having lived in the Inksworn Depths, he was used to terrifying things.

When he finally reached home, he paused and looked at it. Building this shelter had been a huge challenge. His "home" was made of one large, twisted tree and two fallen, rotted ones leaning against it like support columns. Stretched between them was a massive tarp made by stitching together skins from various dhunes. It was fastened with dhune claws and was quite hard to pierce. He had once thought of carving out a window, but gave up after realizing how tough it was.

He sometimes lit a fire inside, so he had created a vent at the top of the tarp. He had covered it with a special design using found materials—it allowed smoke to escape but kept rain out. The structure, being roughly cone-shaped, didn't require a second hole, so he left it at that.

He had put so much effort into building the shelter that he got a little emotional just standing in front of it. Then, holding the fish, he stepped inside. There wasn't a real door—he just detached a claw from the tarp's corner, created a gap, slipped inside, then reattached it. It worked like a crude lock.

The floor was covered with dhune hides, most of which he hadn't hunted himself—he had scavenged them from corpses. To eliminate the stench, he briefly burned them using Soul Wolf's soul-burning flames, which removed all traces of blood and odor.

The location also added safety. His home was situated on a small peninsula extending into the lake where he fished. It was surrounded on three sides by water. The water itself wasn't too close—he had built the shelter at the peninsula's center. Still, having a nearby ink source was a blessing, considering the lack of fresh water in the area and the fact he drank ink instead.

The interior of the home had two levels—upper and lower. The upper floor was tiny; he had built a ladder up the tallest, still-standing tree and constructed a small second floor attached to it. He preferred sleeping up there. The lower level served entirely as a kitchen. It housed various dhune skeletons and the tools he'd made from them—swords, axes, spears—all forged with soul fire. He would heat the bones in flames, mold them while hot, and sharpen them.

The dagger he always carried was his best work yet—crafted from the only Level 3 dhune corpse he had ever found. Level 1 dhunes were easy to come by, Level 2 ones he could find once a month. But Level 3? He had only encountered one so far.

He pushed past the clutter of bones and tools and approached a large, nearly square flat stone he used as a cutting table. At its base, one word was carved:

– Kyuvel –

That was his name—pronounced Yuel. He had carved it to avoid forgetting, as no one here ever called him by name. After all, there were no other humans here.

After a moment of quiet sadness, he placed the fish on the stone and grabbed a large machete beside it to begin slicing.

"Luo, you better hurry up. If this thing's scent spreads, they might come..."

Luo's flames had multiple functions, but Yuel mostly used them to erase the scent of cooked food. This way, titans and dhune packs wouldn't be drawn to him.

After minutes of slicing and cleaning, Leo arrived just in time. Yuel recognized his calm "Wofk" sound at the door. Because of the injuries on his head, Leo couldn't vocalize properly. Still, Yuel knew it was him. He opened the flap and let the giant wolf in.

He led Luo to the cleaned meat. Luo opened his mouth, and a white flame gathered within, forming a small orb—like a spell.

Creatures aligned with the Level system could perform magic. Yuel hadn't reached that category yet. Humans had a separate stage system of their own—six stages in total. However, even the best humans had only reached Stage 2 so far. Unlike titans, humans started from Stage 6 and progressed to 1. But Yuel wasn't even at Stage 6 yet.

It was a bit humiliating, but in four years, he hadn't made any real progress.

The white flames hit the prepared fish. The heat wasn't really the point—it was the soul-burning nature of the fire that mattered. Still, if Luo wished, those flames could become extremely hot.

Luo curled up next to Yuel, knowing the fish would take time to cook.

Yuel didn't plan to wait around either. The flames weren't hot enough to burn the fish black, so he figured a nap wouldn't hurt...

He leaned back onto Luo's warm fur and closed his eyes.

He awoke to a soft sensation on his face—Luo was licking his head. Yuel playfully tackled the big wolf, not letting him escape. They wrestled and played around for a while—their home was spacious enough for it.

Eventually, it was time to check the fish... and they were pitch black. Damn it!

Still, even if the day's meal was burnt... at least it was still food. Sometimes it was important to look on the bright side—he could've gone the day with nothing. Luo had it worse anyway; he ate the internal organs that Yuel cleaned, and those tasted even worse when burned. But Luo wasn't picky like Yuel, so it was probably fine.

The two ate their meal. They were both starving—especially Yuel, who usually had only two meals a day, and the second one hardly counted.

After the short meal, Yuel felt full. He loved that feeling. Maybe he should nap a bit longer? …No, wait—how hadn't he noticed this before?

He must've been too distracted while eating, because now he realized daylight had arrived. The crystals on the ceiling glowed bright enough to light the surface for exactly five hours each day. No more, no less. When time was up, darkness would return.

He had no clock, so he tracked time based on his sleep pattern and the brightness of the crystals. But now, he couldn't rely on that. Any moment now, the light could vanish, and it'd be dangerous to be outside.

At least… it would be dangerous alone. But he had Luo. They could go forage for edible plants—the source of his second daily meal. He could just eat meat twice, but fishing was boring.

He climbed onto Luo's back, got ready to leave, and grabbed a glass flask—filled with ink, not water. It wasn't real glass, actually—it was made from crystals that had fallen from the ceiling. Still, it was close enough.

He glanced around and thought, Maybe I should tidy up a bit. The place was a mess—bones everywhere, and the weapons made from them too.

After one last look, he jumped on Luo's back and left.

It would be a long walk. In Inksworn Depths, the only edible fruits were trap fruits.

There were many of them—but as the name implied, they were traps. Even though they tasted good and seemed to strengthen the eater, there was always a dhune, titan, or monster tree nearby, waiting to devour whoever picked them.

But if someone could outsmart the fruit's guardian, they could eat it safely.

Of all the trap fruit types, Yuel had only ever tricked one—a cluster of seed-covered, grape-like fruit. But its source was... unpleasant.

They grew on a large, open hill. When someone plucked one, a huge bird—seen only from a distance—would attack.

Still, there was a simple trick. The open hill allowed the bird to swoop in unchallenged. But like all Inksworn Depths creatures, it hated light. And during the crystal's five-hour shine, the whole area lit up, forcing dhunes, titans—and even the bird—to hide. So, during daylight, he could safely steal one fruit. But more than one might alert the bird.

He wasn't sure, but the bird could be anywhere from a Level 2 dhune to a Level 4 titan. Level 2 wasn't too smart, but Level 3 and 4 were clever. Yuel didn't like gambling, so he only ever picked one fruit—and not the large ones up front, but the small ones in the back.

As these thoughts flooded his mind, minutes passed. After about half an hour, he arrived at the familiar plains.

As the crystals shone, he drank the last of his ink and slid off Luo's back. The grass was tougher than near his home—likely because this area was deeper into the region. Beneath his oversized cloak, his feet were clad in thick sandals that crunched the grass beneath them as he moved toward the trap-fruit tree.

The view was incredible. The ceiling crystals lit up the entire plain. Such wide open space was rare, and when found, rewarded you with this majestic sight… Then, a crystal fell from above—like a shooting star. Yuel tracked its descent. It seemed to fall toward his home. He listened—no splash. That meant it landed nearby. He'd check it out when he returned.

He smiled at the scenery. After a long walk, he finally reached the tree. It didn't grow upward but sprawled along the ground, making fruit picking easy—because it wanted to be picked.

Yuel reached through the branches and plucked one. Then he slowly ate it. He wasn't very hungry after the large morning meal, but he had to eat it—there wouldn't be a third meal tonight.

Once he finished, his mouth was full of tiny seeds. He pocketed them to discard later—throwing them here might alert the guardian bird.

He was done. Now he could return home and rest. Maybe? Huh?

FLHHHHHH—

"W-what? This can't be happening!"

Yuel turned his head quickly—but it was happening. He had misjudged the timing, and no matter how fast he moved now, it wouldn't be enough. The crystal lights were fading—one by one. They were so fast that in mere seconds, everything plunged into darkness.

He had to get out of there. Now.

He sprinted through the grass, giving it his all. For a moment, he believed he might make it. But then, a sound crushed that hope.

KRRUUAAAKKK—

That sound… was definitely the guardian bird.

"No, no… It can't have awakened this fast. No way. You've got to be kidding me!"