The trees closed in around him like ribs around a heart.
Black Hollow Forest stretched for milesuntamed, half-myth, full of whispered stories told by drunkards in guild halls. People said it was cursed. That spirits haunted the fog that clung low to the roots. That beasts lived there which didn't fear blades or spells.
Alex didn't care.
He didn't believe in curses anymore. What more could the world take from him?
Fog coiled at his ankles like animal breath. Branches above were twisted, claw-like. Moss hung like flesh off bone. Each step he took into the gloom made the birds quieter. The insects stopped humming. Even the wind began to retreat.
Still, he walked.
He hadn't eaten in a day. His system told him his [STAMINA: 34%], but he didn't slow down. The hunger didn't matter. The cold didn't matter.
The only thing that mattered was "the list".
Gorrin was first.
The others would follow.
The ground shifted underfoot wet roots, crumbling bark. Alex didn't trip. Something about his footing had changed since the system activated. His body was learning. Adjusting. A screen popped quietly beside him:
[Executioner Path Bonus Applied: Terrain Penalty Reduced in Natural Environments - Passive]
He felt it. The way his steps sank more confidently. The way his hearing stretched further than it had before. There was no magicjust refinement.
Somewhere deeper in the trees, a snarl rang out.
Something was watching.
Alex stopped.
His eyes scanned the trees. He didn't need a fight right now. But if it came, he'd welcome it. The dagger in his hand was still chipped. But he'd learnedtools didn't matter. Intent did.
Another snarl.
Closer.
From the fog, a shape emerged. Low to the ground. Four legs. Bristling fur. A jaw too wide for its head, split with teeth like hooked glass.
It wasn't a wolf. Not quite.
It was a mirehound.
[Threat Identified: Mirehound - Rank D-]
Status: Aggressive | Health: 142/142 | Perception: High
Recommended Action: Evasion or Preemptive Strike
Alex didn't move.
The mirehound prowled sideways, testing him. It didn't charge. It was intelligent enough to sense something strange about this boy. Something wrong. Something not human.
Alex crouched low, dagger reversed.
His mind was calm.
Let it come.
The mirehound tensedand exploded forward in a burst of mud and snarls.
Alex side-stepped, pivoting on one foot. The beast flew past him, teeth grazing air. He didn't lunge. Not yet. He let it circle again. Let it see that he wasn't afraid. That he was measuring.
It snarled louder, insulted.
This time it came low.
Alex moved forward to meet it.
They collided and he dropped low, slammed his shoulder into its ribs, driving the blade upward as they rolled.
The dagger cut through fur and into meat, but didn't kill. The beast twisted, clamped its jaws on his arm. Pain bloomed. He grit his teeth and drove his knee into its throatonce, twice. It choked and released him.
Blood soaked his sleeve.
His own.
He didn't stop.
He spun the blade in his hand and stabbed againthis time into the side of the creature's eye. A scream, not canine, not natural ripped from it. The mirehound bucked, flailing. Alex held on.
[Damage Inflicted: 34]
[Weak Point Strike: x1.5 Multiplier]
[Target Health: 48/142]
It tried to run.
He didn't let it.
He lunged, grabbed its fur, dragged it back down, and plunged the blade into its throat. Once. Twice. Blood sprayed up his arm. Hot. Reeking.
The mirehound shuddered, then went still.
[Enemy Defeated: Mirehound - Rank D-]
[Experience Gained: 55]
[Executioner Path Progress: +3%]
[New Record Logged: First Beast Kill]
Alex let the corpse fall.
He looked at his bloodied hands. His arm throbbed, torn and bruised from the bite. He tore off a strip of cloth and wrapped it tightly.
He didn't grimace.
Instead, he smiled.
Small.
Cold.
Satisfied.
[Predator's Bloodline Response: Stirring]
[Bloodline Tab Unlocked: Sealed (1% Awareness)]
[Progressing…]
Inside him, something "moved".
A flicker of ancient breath. A sound like scales grinding against steel. Not words. Not memories. But presence.
The forest around him grew quieter.
Not from fear.
From recognition.
The first drop of his bloodline had awoken.