---
As Kamigan was sucked into the portal, he felt a strange sensation. It was as if his existence was fading, his consciousness slipping away. He felt like he lost it just for a moment—like dozing off and waking up almost immediately.
In the next instant, Kamigan found himself falling from the sky, plummeting at an incredible speed. If he kept falling like this, it meant certain death.
"I'm going to die already," he muttered in a flat, emotionless tone.
As he continued falling, he caught sight of an island far below. Despite being isolated in the middle of a vast ocean, the landmass was large enough to harbor at least four countries.
A sudden, powerful gust of wind tossed his body around like a piece of paper caught in a storm, pushing him toward the land. Just as he was about to crash, a barrier activated around him. He slammed into the ground at insane speed, creating a small crater. Once the dust settled, the barrier disintegrated as if it had never existed.
Looking beneath him, Kamigan saw the corpse of something resembling a wolf—only much larger and covered in thick fur.
"Did it perhaps die from the impact of my fall?" he wondered aloud. "Anyway, it seems I've been transported to some kind of forest. While I was falling, I did see a city in the distance... but which direction was it in? Left? Right? Ughhh, I can't even tell in this thick forest. Who the hell builds a city in the middle of a fore–"
Before Kamigan could finish his sentence, his instincts screamed at him. A strange sensation tingled down his back, and without thinking, he threw himself to the ground and rolled forward.
A whipping sound sliced through the air behind him. Tilting his head back to find the source, Kamigan's eyes widened in disbelief.
He saw a towering beast—at least twelve feet tall—covered in obsidian-black fur streaked with glowing silver lines. The patterns pulsed with every heartbeat. Its eyes resembled pools of silver, and its limbs were beastly and muscular, ending in sharp silver claws.
Then, he heard a voice:
[ You have encountered the monster: Moonbane Howler. ]
Kamigan didn't pause to process the voice. He immediately picked up the pace and sprinted.
(What the hell is that thing? Some kind of wild animal? And is it trying to kill me I don't wanna be anyone's dinner?!) he panicked.
As he ran, he kept glancing back to ensure it wasn't catching up. One moment the creature stood still, and in the next, it vanished—then reappeared directly above him, claws descending.
His instincts kicked in again. Kamigan remembered the blessings the gods had given him, ones he had yet to use. He used the key, and time seemed to freeze for an instant before resuming.
In that split second, he saw two bright lights dissolve into dust and flow into his body through his nostrils. A surge of energy flooded him, and he was suddenly brimming with vitality.
The voice returned:
[ You have absorbed Essence. You have awakened. ]
[ Activating unique skill: "Eyes of Alethia" ]
[ Skill Description: Allows you to see the general combat power of an entity (Passive Effect) ]
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Reflexively, Kamigan dodged the descending claws and rolled sideways. He quickly got up and kept running much faster than he was just moments ago everything seemed clearer in his eyes and it was as if the world became slower and finally the Moonbane Howler gave up the chase.
Exhausted, he settled by a small pond and drank deeply. When he looked up, he could clearly see the sea in the distance—and in it, a figure steadily growing larger.
Thanks to his newly acquired skill, Kamigan's vision was perfect. He could clearly make out the approaching Leviathan. It was at least five times larger than a great white shark… and its mouth was filled—Needle-like fangs. The creature surged through the water, approaching Kamigan with terrifying speed. But as he watched it from afar, something felt… wrong. Its movements were erratic, unnatural. It wasn't targeting him—or even the island. It thrashed with tension, as though it were fleeing from something unseen.
And then, from the abyss below, something far larger emerged.
A colossal figure—ten times the size of the shark—rose from the depths. Shaped like a human hand, though far too immense to belong to anything mortal. With terrifying ease, it snatched the beast and dragged it beneath the waves, vanishing without a trace.
Kamigan stared in stunned silence.
In that moment, the realization hit him like a cold gust: Even as a human, in this strange land… he was nothing but prey.
---
He continued walking across the massive island, every footstep cautious. His senses were heightened now—sharpened by fear, by instinct, by the surge of Essence within. He avoided every Moonbane Howler he came across, slipping through shadows like a ghost.
Eventually, he saw movement. A humanoid figure—smaller than the Howlers—staggering, injured. As he moved closer, his heart skipped.
It was a girl.
Her hair was jet black, cut at shoulder length. Eyes like sapphires—deep, tired, and haunting. She stood around 5'6", clad in a makeshift gown fashioned from seaweed that clung loosely to her slender form. Her pale stomach and thighs were exposed to the cold air. She was barefoot. A rusted iron sword trembled in her grip.
She looked like a painting—fragile yet fierce, beautiful and broken.
She turned to Kamigan, breathing heavily. Her gaze lingered for a moment.
Kamigan opened his mouth to speak—
But in an instant, she moved.
Like a blur, she dashed forward, lifted him with unnatural ease, and pulled him behind a thick tree. Kamigan barely had time to process what had happened.
How is she so strong… so fast…? he thought.
Pressed against the bark, the girl silenced him with a gesture—one finger across her lips. He obeyed. Then he followed her gaze… and froze.
A pack of seven Moonbane Howlers stood nearby, sniffing the air, their glowing eyes searching.
Kamigan's breath caught in his throat. Cold sweat slid down his cheek. But it wasn't just their presence that terrified him.
It was their behavior.
They were tense. Alert. And they were moving like… prey.
Kamigan's thoughts spiraled.
(They're not hunting us. They're running… terrified. That shark… those wolves… they're not the predators here. There's something more. Something that even monsters fear.)
And then—
The wolves turned. And they ran.
Straight toward Kamigan and the girl.
His heart raced. Each beat like a war drum in his chest. One more leap—and they would reach them.
And then—
The world shifted.
The air grew heavy. The wind died. The night went still.
With a deafening crash, something struck the ground.
The wolves were obliterated.
Their bodies torn apart—limbs, fur, and glowing blue blood flung in all directions. Chunks of flesh hit the trees like rain. In an instant, they were reduced to nothing. Crushed like insects.
And that thing—that unfathomable abomination—was right next to Kamigan.
---
Another thunderous thud echoed behind it. Then another. And another. Heavy footsteps, impossibly large, drawing closer.
Kamigan's breath slowed—but each inhale felt heavier, more suffocating. He hadn't even seen the creature clearly… but every instinct screamed that it was not something a human should ever witness—not in one lifetime… not in seven.
It loomed.
He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Not even the crickets dared sing. The night had been swallowed by silence—an oppressive void broken only by the beast's growls, low and monstrous.
And yet…
The girl beside him didn't flinch.
She stood still. Calm. As if this nightmare was something she'd faced a thousand times before.
Kamigan stared at her, awe and sorrow coiling in his chest.
(How is she so calm? What did she go through to become like this? What does it take to look into the abyss… and not even blink?)
Then—
A roar. Piercing. Earth-shattering.
Far off in the distance, an explosion lit up the night.
The beast turned, and without hesitation, charged toward it—leaving Kamigan and the girl untouched in the stillness.
---
They stepped out from their hiding place, and the girl swayed. Her eyes fluttered, her breaths ragged.
Then—she collapsed.
Kamigan rushed to her side. "Are you okay?"
He winced, slapping his forehead. (Of course she's not, you idiot…)
Her hand trembled as she raised it and pointed toward the horizon. Her voice was barely a whisper, raw and dry.
"...Shelter."
She went limp.
Kamigan picked her up and carried her in the direction she'd shown. Eventually, they reached a cave—well-hidden, almost as if the forest itself was guarding it. Kamigan figured this must be her camp.
He stepped inside and gently laid her on the stone floor.
Then—
Something towered over him.
Kamigan turned slowly. A cold shiver ran down his spine.
A beast. Enormous. Obsidian fur. Glowing silver veins.
A Moonbane Howler.
Kamigan's breath caught in his throat.
"…Shit."
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