***
Author's Note – A Little Chat Before the Chapter ☕
Hey there, reader! 👋Before you dive into today's chapter, I just wanted to take a quick moment to talk to you. Yes, you—the awesome person reading this right now.
Lately, I've been thinking about how I can make this story even better, and I realized that your feedback means more than you probably think. Whether it's a comment, a review, or even just a sentence saying "I liked this part!", it helps me a lot—and it honestly makes my day.
I'm also planning to go back and polish some of the earlier chapters when I get the time. So if anything felt weird or off in previous parts, don't worry—I see it and I'll work on it soon! 🛠️
By the way… the daily chapter streak is about to end soon. 😅 I know, I know—some of you might have gotten used to the daily dose of this madness. So here's a question for you:Would you prefer 3 chapters per week or 5 chapters per week going forward?Let me know what works best for you!
And finally… if you've been enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a review or rating. It seriously helps the story grow and reach more people (and also feeds the algorithm gods 🌌).
Thanks for being here—it really means a lot. Enjoy the chapter!
Warmly,Your sleep-deprived author still pretending to have a plan
***
'Not fucking again.'
The moment the horn blew, Vio ran like a man possessed, desperate to put as much distance between himself and his pursuers as possible. But it didn't take long before they found him, as if he'd never moved at all.
That wasn't the real problem, though. The way they handled him was completely different this time.
As Vio sprinted through the snow, a soldier suddenly appeared in front of him. Naturally, he prepared to take the man down as quickly as possible—but to his surprise, the soldier didn't engage. Instead, he turned and ran.
Vio had two choices: chase him down, knowing he was faster, or ignore him and continue on his path.
The decision was obvious—eliminate him before he could alert the others.
But just as Vio was about to land a punch to the soldier's face, the man unleashed a powerful gust of wind, throwing him backward. By the time Vio regained his balance, the soldier had already gained distance and was whistling loudly.
"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuuuuuuuuuuu!"
Vio didn't bother chasing him after realizing the soldier had no intention of fighting. Instead, he seemed fully focused on creating wind blasts every time Vio got close.
So he resumed running, trying to escape as far as possible. But the scene repeated itself.
Another soldier appeared, standing ready—not to fight, but to flee and whistle the moment Vio spotted him.
'What is going on?'
His eyes widened as he suddenly stopped.
Ice formations blocked his path.
He turned to the side and saw a soldier perched on a hill, riding a wolf, watching him with a grin. More soldiers, also riding wolves, appeared beside him.
Vio's senses screamed danger, and he jumped away, avoiding ice arrows.
'Bows? When did they start using those?'
With no other choice, he took a turn into a snow-covered path—one that hindered movement and was lined with trees that blocked vision. Still, he ran, feeling their presence closing in behind him.
Arrows rained from multiple directions, not just from behind.
They knew the terrain well—moving effortlessly through it—while Vio struggled to keep his footing.
Dash was useless on such uneven ground, and jumping was much more difficult.
Vio leaped and turned mid-air, locking eyes on one of his pursuers before lunging straight at him.
The soldier, riding his wolf, immediately realized he was the target. He patted his wolf, signaling it to stop while using the trees to limit Vio's approach.
Vio had no choice but to halt.
He jerked his head back just in time to dodge an arrow, faster than any projectile that had been shot at him before.
Even with all that, he realized they were still avoiding direct combat.
His eyes scanned the surroundings. In an instant, he detected a gap in their formation—an opening where no one was positioned. He immediately bolted toward it.
As he ran, dodging arrows, a strange feeling gnawed at him.
'I need something.'
Stats:
Agility: 37
Perception: 40
(Available points to distribute: 91)
'What's the point of other stats if I can't even predict their attacks or reach them? Distribute all points into Agility and Perception'
Stats:
Agility: 82
Perception: 85
(Available points to distribute: 1)
It was as if he'd been reborn. His body felt lighter, and his vision sharpened dramatically.
Re-scanning the area, he sensed multiple soldiers at varying distances.
Some were retreating. Some were approaching. But... why were some staying perfectly still?
The sound of wolves' footsteps reached his ears.
His instincts mapped out their positions perfectly.
Arrows that once seemed too fast were now easy to avoid.
But the real problem wasn't dodging them—it was understanding their true goal.
Among the pursuing soldiers, some exchanged uncertain glances.
"Am I imagining things, or did he suddenly get faster?" one muttered.
"You're imagining it. He's just catching on to our movement patterns. Change directions!" their leader ordered.
They split up.
At the same moment, Vio jumped onto a tree branch—but the force of his legs shattered it, launching him forward like an arrow.
His unexpected acceleration caught one soldier off guard.
The soldier instinctively raised his hand, summoning another powerful gust of wind that blasted Vio away.
'This is getting ridiculous!'
Vio descended to the ground with all his weight.
"BOOM!"
He didn't move, keeping his eyes on them as they circled him, just like wolves surrounding a sheep.
One of them drew a bow and fired an arrow straight at Vio's head.
He caught it effortlessly, stunning them all.
The arrow moved so slowly in his enhanced vision, while to them, he appeared impossibly fast.
The same soldier fired several more arrows, but they were just as useless. Vio snatched them out of the air and crushed them with his fingers.
"FIIIIIIIIIIIIUUUUUU!"
Another whistle echoed through the forest.
Vio's gaze swept across the battlefield, immediately sensing the previously idle soldiers beginning to move.
'So that's how it is... They're herding me somewhere.'
With a smirk, he dashed in the opposite direction—toward where they had originally come from.
Panic spread among them.
Two soldiers, positioned ahead, raised their hands, summoning large blocks of ice to block his path.
Vio punched through them, channeling electricity into his leap.
"BOOM!"
[EP: 97/100]
Ignoring them completely, he continued running.
'Whatever trap they've set, I'm not stupid enough to walk into it!'
Then something odd happened.
They stopped chasing him.
'...?'
The moment his foot touched a particular spot, a familiar sensation hit him.
Vio instantly activated his propulsion module, flames bursting from his foot, launching him into the air just as an explosion erupted beneath him.
"BOOM!"
The entire area froze over, transforming into a layered ice trap.
Grabbing onto a branch, he hoisted himself up, standing atop the frozen battlefield as he scanned his surroundings.
'Damn it. Trap. They set a trap!'
He turned toward the direction they had come from, narrowing his eyes.
Then he looked back at the grinning soldiers, his frown deepening.
They had been planting traps the entire time.
That's why they never fully chased him.
They were different from the ones before.
And what made things even worse?
Unlike the past two days, when Vio had been catching them off guard, this time, they were prepared.
"Not bad..." Vio smirked. "But what about this?"
Instead of running on the ground, Vio leaped between the tree branches.
The moment his foot landed on one, that same eerie feeling returned.
His eyes caught sight of a frozen eye, hidden between the leaves.
'shit!'
He jumped fast.
"BOOM!"
The eye exploded the instant it detected him trying to escape, releasing a blinding cloud of ice and snow.
At the last second, Vio curled his body into a tight ball, but the impact still sent him flying.
He crashed through trees and rocks along the way.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
[HP: 5,427/6,000]
Finally, his body came to a stop among the rubble.
Using his leg, he pushed aside debris and slowly stood up, coughing several times.
"Aghhh!" he groaned as a burning cold sensation spread through his joints—layers of frost forming painfully over them.
[HP: 5,221/6,000] [Agility reduced by 10%]
He clenched his teeth and summoned a surge of electricity, letting sparks dance across his body.
The frost shattered and dispersed instantly.
[Agility restored] [EP: 89/100]
"What happened?" one of the soldiers sneered as the others surrounded Vio. "Did you fall into our trap?"
[Difficulty level increase detected]
[Analyzing...]
[Mission updated]
[Main mission: 'The Hero's Journey.']
[Mission #1: 'The Hero Must Survive']
Type: Story Mission
Requirements: Activate story mode.
Restrictions: 2 days.
Description:
The hero awakens to find himself in a hostile place. Since the hero is still weak and pathetic, he must do what pathetic people do: run away.
Objective:
Save your skin, boy—or should I say, save your metal.
Rewards for Mission Completion:
1,000,000 XP
220 Plastic
200 Metal
50 Steel
Item: The Unseen Eye That Sees All.
Side Missions and Their Rewards:
1 point for every life taken by the hero.
2 XP for every 1% of battery recharged.
Penalty for Failure: Moderate punishment: The hero will see what he does not wish to see.
Vio suddenly remembered the bear from when Zaves and his men were hunting it.
For the first time, he truly understood the bear's terror.
For the first time, he knew what it felt like to be prey.