The forest fell silent.
It wasn't a peaceful quiet; it was a vacuum before an explosion. The birds had ceased their songs. The wind died in the canopy. Even the insects stopped their eternal, buzzing motion. Nature itself held its breath, sensing the presence of two opposing forces about to collide on the narrow mountain path.
On that path, clamped within the jaws of the **"Wolf's Jaw"** trap, Leo screamed.
"AAAAHH! MY LEG! GET IT OFF! GOD, GET IT OFF!"
His shriek bounced off the canyon walls, returning as a hollow echo that seemed to mock his agony. The bone spikes of the trap had bitten deep into the calf muscles, splintering the tibia. Blood pooled beneath him, dark and thick.
Alex stood at the edge of the cliff, sighting down the shaft of his makeshift crossbow. His finger rested heavily on the trigger mechanism.
In the crosshairs trembled **Oliver**—one of Ren's "slaves." The young warrior walked in front, shielding his master with his own body. There was no life in his eyes, only a primal, broken terror.
And behind him, maintaining a safe striking distance, **Ren** ascended slowly.
He walked as if this forest already belonged to him. The black greatsword, **[The Devourer]**, rested casually on his shoulder, emitting wisps of dark smoke that dissolved into the air. He wore the rusted steel chainmail stripped from the dungeon boss, but his head remained bare—his matted hair whipped around in the breeze, revealing eyes burning with madness.
"The game has begun, Alex!" Ren’s voice boomed, amplified by his Aura, shaking the very leaves on the trees. "Show me your resolve! Shoot through the meat! Or I will feed them to my sword... slowly. Piece. By. Piece."
Sven stood beside Alex. His new **[Wolf Guard Shield]**, reinforced with the Alpha’s fangs, looked massive, but the giant’s knuckles were white from the strain of gripping the handle.
"We can't shoot our own people," Sven rasped, his voice tight.
Alex exhaled slowly. His mind raced, calculating probabilities like a cold machine.
*Shot at Oliver: Obstacle removed. Chance to hit Ren: 20%. Result: Loss of a potential ally, severe morale penalty for Elias.*
*Hold fire: Ren closes the distance. Melee combat on the high ground. Group survival probability: Less than 15%.*
"I'm not shooting," Alex said dryly, lowering the crossbow.
"What?!" Elias gasped, clutching his staff.
"We won't play by his rules."
Ren saw the weapon lower. He grinned, a predator baring its fangs.
"Predictable. Weakness."
He shoved Oliver in the back with the pommel of his sword.
"Forward. Clear the path for me."
Oliver took a stumbling step and tripped a tripwire. A heavy log studded with sharpened branches swung out from the bushes.
*THWACK!*
The impact was instantaneous. Oliver was thrown sideways, ribs shattering with a sickening crunch. He landed in the brush and went still.
"Excellent," Ren stepped over the body without glancing down. "Minus one trap."
***
### THE GUARDIAN'S DECISION
Sven looked down. The path was narrow, a choke point. But if Ren reached the plateau where Alex and Elias stood, he would have room to maneuver. And you never gave a "Berserker" room to move.
"Commander," Sven said quietly. "I'm going down."
Alex turned sharply. "What? You'll lose the high ground advantage."
"If he climbs up here, he'll kill Elias with the first swing. I have to meet him there. At the choke point. Where he can't flank me."
Alex hesitated for a split second, calculating the trade-off. Then he nodded.
"Hold him. I'll take his back."
Sven vaulted over the edge of the cliff. He landed heavily on the path, five meters below, kicking up a cloud of dust. He positioned himself directly in front of Ren, blocking the passage with his massive frame and shield.
He looked like a boulder that had fallen from the mountain.
"You shall not pass, monster!" Sven roared, slamming his mace against his shield to activate his Class Stance.
Ren stopped. His eyes flared with a crimson light.
"The Tank came down to me? I love canned food that opens itself."
> **[Skill Activated: CHARGE]**
The air around Ren shimmered. He launched himself forward with unnatural speed, transforming into a blur of steel and rage. The ground beneath his feet cracked from the force of his pushoff.
It wasn't a run. It was the flight of a projectile.
Sven managed to raise his shield and trigger its unique ability.
> **[Shield Ability: WOLF'S HOWL!]**
A spectral, mournful howl erupted from the shield's surface, designed to terrify beasts.
**[Fear Effect: NEGATED BY AURA OF EVIL]**
*BOOM!*
The collision was like being hit by a freight train.
Ren rammed his shoulder into Sven's shield.
The shockwave scattered loose stones. Sven was dragged backward, his boots carving deep furrows into the earth, but he did not fall. He held the line.
> **Sven: HP 100/100 -> 85/100** (Damage mitigated by Block)
> **Stamina: -30%**
"Not bad," Ren hissed, bouncing back. "How about this?"
He swung **[The Devourer]**. The black blade, thirsty for blood, whistled through the air, aiming for Sven's head.
Sven took the hit on a block, but the recoil nearly broke his arm. Metal screeched against the Alpha fangs embedded in the shield.
"My turn!" Sven bellowed.
In his right hand, he held the **[Poison Mace]**, tipped with spider chelicerae. He lunged, thrusting the weapon toward Ren's exposed neck, where the chainmail ended.
Ren leaned back, but not fast enough. The spikes raked across his shoulder, piercing the cloth beneath the mail.
> **[Ren: POISONED! -2 HP/sec for 10 sec]**
Ren didn't even wince.
"Pain makes me stronger!"
His eyes filled with blood. He ignored defense entirely, raining a hailstorm of blows upon Sven's shield.
*CLANG! CRACK! CRUNCH!*
The **[Wolf Guard Shield]** began to splinter. The item's durability bar was melting away.
***
### MAGIC AND GUILE
"Now!" Alex shouted from above.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Elias raised his staff. His eyes glowed with emerald light.
> **[Skill: ROOTS OF THE EARTH (Empowered by Aura of Good)]**
Thick, knotty vines burst from the rocky soil. They wrapped around Ren's ankles and calves, freezing him mid-swing.
"What?!" Ren tried to jerk free, but Nature held him fast.
This was Alex's moment.
> **[Skill: DASH]**
He jumped from the ledge, using gravity and momentum. In his hand, the **[Bone Knife]**—crafted from the rabbit tooth—gleamed.
Alex landed silently behind Ren and drove the blade into the base of the neck, seeking the gap in the armor.
> **[Skill: ANATOMY]**
> **[CRITICAL HIT!]**
> **Ren: HP 92% -> 75%**
Blood sprayed in a fountain. Ren roared—a sound that was no longer human.
But instead of falling, he exploded with energy.
> **[Passive Skill: BERSERK]**
> **[Condition:** Critical Damage sustained (>15% in one hit). **Effect:** Strength +50%, Pain Immunity.]
Ren spun around with terrifying velocity, tearing the magical roots as if they were rotten threads. He swung his elbow backward blindly, catching Alex square in the chest.
The impact was brutal. Alex was thrown backward, slamming into a tree trunk.
The crack of ribs breaking was audible even over the noise of battle.
> **Alex: HP 100/100 -> 65/100**
> **[Status: Broken Ribs]**
"You've pissed me off," Ren's voice dropped to a vibrating growl.
He gripped his sword with both hands. A crimson glow enveloped the black blade.
"SVEN! FALL BACK!" Alex screamed, spitting blood.
***
### THE GUARDIAN'S SACRIFICE
Sven knew he couldn't fall back. Ren was in a Berserk state. If Sven took a step back, Ren would simply leap over him and slaughter Elias, who stood defenseless with zero mana.
The giant smiled sadly.
"Commander... thanks for the shield. It was a good shield."
Sven poured every ounce of his remaining Stamina into the remnants of his defense.
> **[Skill: LAST BASTION (Activated)]**
> *Effect: Absorbs 100% of the next attack at the cost of Armor Destruction.*
Ren brought **[The Devourer]** down in a vertical overhead strike.
It was a blow meant to cleave boulders.
*CRACK!*
The Rare-rank shield exploded into a thousand splinters.
But the force of the blow was too great. Sven's skill couldn't bridge the gap in stats—Ren's boosted Strength of 36+ crushed Sven's Endurance of 22.
The black blade sheared through the wooden fragments, sliced through Sven's raised arm, and drove deep into his chest, pinning him to the ground.
Time seemed to freeze.
Sven looked up at Ren. There was no fear in his eyes, only defiance.
"You... will still... lose..." he whispered, gripping the blade with his remaining hand to stop Ren from pulling it out for another strike.
Ren leaned in close, his face inches from Sven's.
"I've already won."
He yanked the sword free. The black blade, imbued with Vampirism, drank the last of Sven's vitality in a second.
The giant's body slumped to the earth.
> **?? PLAYER SVEN HAS DIED.**
And then, something unexpected happened.
Above Sven's body, a bright golden mist rose—the essence of his **Aura of Good**.
Ren inhaled deeply. The black Aura around him surged forward like a hungry beast, swallowing the light and turning it into darkness.
Ren's interface erupted in black flames.
> **?? SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT**
> **[First Kill of a Light Bearer]**
> You have destroyed a protector of the Balance. Darkness triumphs.
>
> **?? AURA OF EVIL UPGRADED TO LEVEL 4!**
> **Bonus:** +8 to All Attributes. +4 Luck. Full Stamina Restore.
> **Effect:** [Aura of Terror] — Weak enemies enter a state of stupor.
***
### SLAUGHTER AND ESCAPE
Leo, still lying in the trap, witnessed Sven's death.
"Bruno! Kill him! Kill him now!" he shrieked hysterically.
**Bruno**, the last defender of Leo's group, tried to charge Ren. He had no magic, only his chitin-reinforced club and his loyalty.
Ren, overflowing with new power, didn't even look at him. He simply swung his sword in a wide backhand arc without breaking stride.
Bruno was bisected at the waist.
"Weakness annoys me," Ren muttered.
**Sarah**, the archer, tried to nock an arrow, but her hands shook so violently from the **[Aura of Terror]** that the arrow clattered to her feet.
Ren walked past her. He didn't even dignify her with a killing blow. To him, she was no longer an enemy; she was furniture.
Alex realized: *It’s over.*
He locked eyes with Elias. The Druid was pale, shaking, his mana depleted.
"Grab Leo! We're leaving!" Alex shouted.
He reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a **[Smoke Bomb]** (crafted from puffball mushrooms).
He hurled it at Ren's feet.
*POOF!*
The clearing was instantly engulfed in a choking, yellow cloud of spores.
Ren coughed, squeezing his eyes shut. The spores blinded him for precious seconds.
Alex scrambled to Leo.
"Get up!"
With one yank, he released the trap's mechanism. Leo howled as the pressure released, blood gushing anew.
"I can't walk..."
"Do you want to live?! Crawl!" Alex roared, hauling Leo's arm over his shoulder.
Elias grabbed Leo from the other side.
They ran into the dense forest, stumbling over roots, leaving a trail of blood and the bodies of their friends behind.
***
### RESPECT FOR THE ENEMY
The smoke slowly dissipated.
The clearing was empty, save for the corpses. The fugitives were gone.
Ren stood amidst the chaos. He could have chased them. With an Aura of Level 4, his stats were monstrous; he could catch them in seconds.
But he stopped.
His sword vibrated, satiated. He had killed Sven, Bruno, Oliver. The experience points were overwhelming.
> **[Experience Cap Reached]**
> **?? LEVEL 5 (ZONE MAXIMUM)**
He felt the power tearing at him from the inside.
Ren slowly walked back to **Sven's** body.
The giant lay on his back, his dead hand still gripping the handle of the shattered shield. His face was frozen in an expression of stubbornness, not fear.
Ren wiped the blood from **[The Devourer]** on the grass and sheathed it on his back. Then, he knelt on one knee.
With his massive, rough hand, he gently closed Sven's staring eyes.
"You didn't beg. You didn't run," Ren said quietly. His voice lacked its usual mockery. "You were the only one in this forest with a steel spine."
He picked up a shard of the broken shield—the piece containing the Alpha Wolf's fang—and placed it on the dead giant's chest, like a medal.
"Sleep, Tank. You were worthy."
He stood up and looked into the dark forest, in the direction Alex and Elias had fled.
"Now, let's see if your friends are worth anything without you."
***
### CHAPTER EPILOGUE
Alex, Elias, and the semi-conscious Leo collapsed in a ravine a kilometer away from the battleground.
Alex clutched his side—every breath was a jagged shard of pain.
"We lost Sven..." Elias whispered, tears streaking his dirt-stained face.
"We are alive," Alex said harshly, though his own voice wavered. "That is the only metric that matters right now."
Suddenly, inside the heads of all three—Alex, Elias, and Ren back on the mountain—a low, vibrating sound resonated. It wasn't the usual system *Ding!*. It sounded like a massive iron bell struck deep underground.
Before their eyes—and **only their eyes**—words materialized, written in liquid gold. Other players (like Leo) saw nothing.
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ??? SYSTEM: FATEFUL MESSAGE ║
║ (Recipients: Aura Bearers Only) ║
║ ║
║ ?? COORDINATES: [Sector 0, Temple Ruins] ║
║ 45.912, -12.004 ║
║ ║
║ ? ARRIVAL TIME: BEFORE SUNRISE ║
║ ║
║ [NO FURTHER DATA AVAILABLE] ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Alex read the message. He froze, staring at the numbers.
"Coordinates..." he whispered, looking at Elias. "This isn't a quest. It's an invitation."
Elias looked confused and terrified.
"Where to? And why?"
"I don't know. But the System is calling only us."
Back on the mountain, amidst the corpses, Ren read the same message.
He looked at his hands, where dark energy pulsed beneath the skin. Then he shifted his gaze to the floating numbers.
A slow smile stretched his lips.
"A new arena."
***
### ?? CHARACTER STATUS (End of Chapter 7)
**CASUALTIES:**
?? **Sven** (Hero, Tank) — Killed by Ren.
?? **Bruno, Oliver, Mira** (Leo's Group) — Eliminate.
**SURVIVORS:**
1. **Alex (Level 3)** — HP: 35%. Status: Broken Ribs. Aura of Good (1).
2. **Elias (Level 3)** — HP: 90%, Mana: 0%. Aura of Good (2).
3. **Leo (Level 2)** — HP: 15%. Status: Amputated Leg (Functional loss), Broken Spirit.
**ANTAGONIST:**
**REN (Level 5)** — Aura of Evil: **Level 4**.
The real game of survival was just beginning.
- 4 hours of life force
- 2 cups of coffee
- 1 sanity point
- +10% Faster Chapter Releases
- +5 Author Morale
- +1 Hidden Bonus Chapter Chance
- Permanent Gratitude Buff
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