The red-blue hound rose, body trembling, breath ragged. But before it could strike again, Ethan surged forward and with a fierce roar, grabbed it by the throat. With a final, desperate twist of his strength, he hurled the beast across the crumbled stone like it was weightless.
[QUEST COMPLETE]
[SYSTEM: Level Up Achieved]
[SYSTEM: Distributing Stat Points…]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 20]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Charisma: 20]
[Endurance: 20]
[Stealth: 20]
[Perception: 20]
[Combat Skills: 20]
[Magic/Abilities: 20]
[Speed: 21]
[Reward Unlocked: Fang's Slash – A dagger forged from the fang of the Red-Blue Hound. Though lightweight and unassuming, it mirrors its wielder's stats and grows with them. It cannot cut through anything unless wielded with intent.]
[Skill: Fang Drift – A short-range teleport-like dash. Appears as a visual glitch. Cooldown: 10 seconds.]
Ethan looked down as a shimmering blade formed in his hand. Its surface gleamed with a ghostly blue hue. It wasn't heavy—but it pulsed like it was alive. Around him, the red hounds began backing away. One by one, they turned and sprinted off, disappearing into the void of the ruined structure.
Ethan vanished—his body flickering like broken pixels.
"Lia," he said calmly, "be careful. Your face is in every precinct now. Cops will be watching. If you see Ethan… tell him to go to the Hunters HQ."
Lia nodded. The Rolls-Royce Phantom stopped at her place. She stepped out, heels crunching against gravel, exhaustion dragging at her limbs. Her hand touched the door, but she hesitated. The living room was dim. She stepped in and threw her pass down—but stopped.
There it was.
The golden axe, cleaned and gleaming, lay under the golden sun filtering in through the window. A folded letter beneath it. The breeze brushed her hair, the scent of outside air rushing in.
She dropped to her knees. Picked it up.
She held it to her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Be safe," she whispered. "I'll be waiting, Ethan."
In the dark sky above the city, Ethan walked alone, hoodie drawn up, hands deep in his pockets. His steps echoed on the damp sidewalk. Drunkards sat nearby, laughing too loudly. One stumbled and slammed into him.
Ethan paused. Turned his head.
The man's eyes widened—and he ran.
Ethan took off after him. With inhuman grace, he leapt forward, twisted mid-air, and flipped over the man. A swift strike to the head—precise and brutal—left the guy out cold on the concrete.
Back on the island, high up in the trees, Sean crouched.
He jumped.
His body cut through the air like a blade, landing silently.
Agung stood nearby, fists trembling. He fought the command. He screamed in defiance.
"You want it to end?" Sean said coldly. "Then throw yourself into the sun. That's the only way now."
Agung raised his head, bloodshot eyes glowing red. His scream pierced the jungle—and he bolted toward the coast.
A cop carried a greasy box of pizza.
The window shattered behind him.
Agung lunged, sinking his fangs into the man's throat. Blood sprayed across the wall. His colleagues shouted in horror.
"It's Agung! Detective Agung—he's attacking us!"
The bitten cop dropped, body twitching violently.
Another officer raised his weapon—but Agung vanished.
He reappeared beside another cop, biting deep.
"I thought his skill was just Hardening—" someone gasped.
Agung appeared again—face blank, blood on his lips.
In the narrow alleyway soaked in crimson shadows, Kato crouched low, his monstrous arms slick with blood. A half-devoured corpse lay beneath him—tattoos still visible on the man's torn chest. Kato's face was twisted in anguish, black tears streaking from eyes that burned with red pupils.
"I didn't want this... I didn't ask for this…" he muttered, his body trembling.
From above, the rooftop wind stirred sharply.
Then came the voice.
"You've fed on the living," the woman said as she landed with grace, her silhouette outlined against the moonlight. "Whatever you are… your time ends here."
She stood poised, a long, elegant katana gripped in both hands. Her uniform bore the crest of the Swordbearers—a legendary hunter faction known for delivering justice with ruthless precision.
Kato stumbled back, his arms retreating slightly into human shape. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice strained. "Just leave… I don't want to hurt anyone."
She tilted her head. "You already did."
Without warning, she vanished from sight.
FWIP.
She reappeared right beneath him, blade arcing upward. Kato dodged, the steel grazing his chin—blood flicked into the air. Her second slash came instantly, swift and sharp, but he ducked again, spinning backward.
The third strike was aimed to kill.
CLANG.
Kato caught the blade.
With his bare hand.
The woman's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible…"
Kato's body convulsed, veins bulging, bones stretching into jagged, dark protrusions.
"I told you… I didn't want to hurt anyone."
He launched forward like a blur. His elbow struck her ribs—crack—she gasped as she was flung across the alley, colliding with the wall. Bricks crumbled under the impact. She hit the ground, one knee down, but still breathing.
"You… you're fast," she said, lifting her blade again. "But justice doesn't bleed."
Kato's breath was heavy, shoulders hunched. His shadow seemed to crawl behind him.
"I don't even know who you are," he whispered. "Why would you try to kill me?"
"I don't need to know a monster's name."
She dashed again—her swordmaster technique blurring her form. Each swing aimed to slice tendons, sever limbs, disable without killing. But Kato was faster now. Darker. The air bent around his movements.
She slashed.
He vanished.
Then—BOOM.
Kato appeared behind her, landing a spinning kick to her midsection. Her body shot back—crashing into a parked car. The frame crumpled around her as glass rained down.
Smoke rose from the wreck.
The woman coughed, blood on her lips, still alive… but barely.
Kato approached slowly, his monstrous arms twitching with restraint.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, standing over her. "But if you came to kill me… you should've finished it before I got hungry."
She looked up, dazed.
"You're not human," she whispered.