Prodigy...?

The moment Christopher's foot touched the ground—

He was screwed.

FWISH.

The Razor Wolf lunged without hesitation. Despite his lack of mana, the beast didn't rely solely on magical senses — its primal instincts were more than enough to detect a living threat.

CLANG.

Steel clashed with fang as Christopher barely raised his dagger in time, blocking a deadly bite aimed straight for his throat.

'I'm gonna die!'

His mind screamed in pure panic. Adrenaline was the only reason his body was still moving, reacting faster than he could think.

But the next strike? Or the one after? That would be it.

Sudden death.

SLASH.

A brutal claw tore through his right arm, three jagged gashes bursting open with fresh blood. The pain was immediate — raw and blinding.

"Ack!"

Another strike came without pause.

CLANG.

He blocked the second claw with sheer instinct, but the force behind it rattled his bones. The shock ran down his arms and into his spine, leaving his muscles trembling.

"Nngh!"

'I can't die yet!'

Gritting his teeth, Christopher switched his grip, forcing his left hand to hold the dagger. His dominant right arm hung limp — all but useless now.

SLASH.

He lashed out in return, dragging the blade across the wolf's flank. It struck — but barely. The blow only scraped its tough, coarse fur, leaving a shallow cut.

"Tch!"

It wasn't enough.

The Razor Wolf snarled, enraged. Being wounded — even slightly — by a feeble human was an insult it wouldn't tolerate.

CRACK.

It retaliated with a savage headbutt to his chest. Its skull, dense and reinforced by mana-hardened bone, struck with a sickening crunch.

"Fuck—!"

THWACK.

The impact sent Christopher flying. His back slammed into a nearby tree, knocking the breath from his lungs. Blood spewed from his mouth as his body crumpled downward. His foot and one remaining good arm were impaled by thorny undergrowth that clung to the tree's roots.

"Shit… my back…"

His vision swam. The pain was overwhelming — bone-deep and suffocating. Every breath scraped like glass inside his lungs. He couldn't even think straight.

"...Prodigy…" he muttered weakly, coughing blood again.

Scarlet droplets fell and stained the grass beneath him.

Across the clearing, the Razor Wolf crouched low, growling. Its teeth were bared, eyes sharp, locked onto him like a predator watching its prey squirm.

It was waiting — not out of caution, but to see if Christopher had any last tricks. Any ace up his sleeve.

But the moment it sensed he didn't…

It moved.

A spell circle formed beneath the wolf's paws. A low hum echoed as air condensed and mana pulsed.

[Wind Slash]

Its fur shimmered with a faint green hue as wind gathered, coalescing into a razor-thin crescent.

It launched it without mercy.

The cutting gale ripped toward Christopher with deadly speed, aimed to cleave him in two.

But he only laughed.

It was dry. Broken. Regretful.

"Fuck… that…"

He raised his arm — or what was left of it — not in defense, but in defiance. A final act. If he was going down, it'd be with middle fingers raised at the world.

[User: Christopher Matthew Augustus]

Condition: Critical

Mana: None

Determination: Enough

[Requirements Fulfilled]

A pulse.

From within his chest, a light flared. A soft blue glow, faint at first — then radiant. It pierced through skin, through bone, through blood, illuminating the space around him in a dim, surreal light.

His hand responded.

Fingers opened as the incoming spell neared — just inches from impact.

SWIRL.

Instead of tearing through flesh and bone… the wind curved. Folded. Collapsed into his palm.

The gale vanished in an instant, devoured without a trace.

[Spell Devoured]

[Using consumed magic for recovery]

[Complete]

[Temporary Mind Override]

[Self-Defense Mechanism Activated]

The Razor Wolf froze.

Something changed.

And Christopher — bloodied, broken, barely breathing — began to move.

His blue eyes dulled, fading from clarity into a ghostly, inky white — like all life had been drained from them.

His body shifted unnaturally, no longer moving with intention — just a limp frame being puppeted by an unseen force.

FWISH.

He lunged forward in a sudden blur, completely silent. The wounds across his arms, chest, and side — all of them began to seal shut at a visible pace, the gashes mending like time had reversed their damage. The blood stopped flowing. Skin reknit itself.

He was healing. Rapidly. Unnaturally.

The Razor Wolf froze mid-step, its instincts screaming.

It hadn't expected this. Not from a human who was one breath away from death.

SNARL.

The wolf lowered its body, growling louder this time. No hesitation. No curiosity.

Just a primal decision: end it now.

A new formation lit beneath its feet.

[Wind Slash – 2x]

Twin emerald crescents shimmered into existence — two compressed blades of pure wind, sharper and denser than before.

They launched in rapid succession, screaming toward Christopher.

But this time—

He was ready.

[Devour]

His left arm moved first, catching the first Wind Slash as if grabbing a solid object. It vanished into his palm in an instant.

Then he turned with a smooth spin.

The second blade met his right hand — same result.

[Devour]

Both spells disappeared, absorbed without resistance.

His hands moved again, clapping together with deliberate force — mana flaring between his palms as the absorbed spells reacted.

[Combine]

[Wind Severance]

The wind surrounding his arms whirled and surged, gathering at his side before forming into a solid shape — a sleek, double-edged sword, forged entirely of concentrated wind mana. Its edges shimmered, vibrating with lethal energy.

He didn't hesitate.

SLASH.

One clean motion.

The sword cut through the Razor Wolf in a single, seamless arc — cleaving its body from shoulder to flank.

Bloodless. Precise. Absolute.

The beast didn't even have time to cry out. Its upper half collapsed forward, the rest falling behind it.

The fight was over.

And just like that—

The light in his eyes flickered out.

[Self-Defense Mechanism Deactivated]

The sword of wind dissolved into nothing.

His knees buckled, strength leaving his body all at once.

He fell forward, collapsing onto the bloodstained grass.

No more movement. No more light.

Just Christopher — unconscious — and the Razor Wolf's mangled corpse beside him.