*Chapter 8 — The Price of Blood*
Arin disappeared from the branch.
He fell silently through the leaves, body tucked, every muscle controlled. The wind didn't even whistle past him.
Below him, the pale wolf continued circling the tree, its nose close to the ground. It sniffed, pawed at the dirt, completely unaware that death was dropping from above.
It was only about the size of an ordinary wolf. Maybe 70 pounds. Nothing about its appearance suggested the strength hiding beneath its pale fur. It looked almost delicate.
But Arin knew better.
His Sanguine Sense had already warned him the moment he climbed the tree. Dense blood qi. Far denser than his own. It pressed against his senses like an invisible weight, thick and hot and wrong.
The wolf's physical aura was oppressive. Its spiritual aura, however, was ordinary. Not overwhelming. Not even particularly frightening. Like a candle next to a bonfire.
The contrast was strange.
Its spirit was only that of an Awakened-rank creature. Same rank as him. But its body was the terrifying part. The part that could kill him in one good hit.
Arin's eyes narrowed as he fell. _This is what an exotic beast is like?_
The memories of Pangu had mentioned them countless times in school. Mutated animals from the Grand Calamity. Bodies reforged by mutation energy. But memories were one thing. Feeling one in front of him was another.
The wolf suddenly raised its head. Its golden eyes locked onto him through the leaves.
Too late.
Arin struck. He put his entire weight behind the punch.
His fist slammed into the side of its skull.
CRACK!
The sound was like a branch snapping. The wolf's head snapped sideways. Its body rolled across the ground, kicking up dirt.
Arin landed immediately after it in a crouch. He didn't celebrate. He knew that attack hadn't been enough. He could feel it. The skull hadn't caved. The blood qi hadn't dimmed.
The wolf slowly stood. It shook its head once. Blood trickled from the corner of its mouth. It stared at Arin.
Then it moved.
Fast.
Arin barely saw it. A pale blur crossed his vision.
He raised his arm on instinct.
CRACK!
The wolf's claws tore across his forearm. Four parallel lines opened up instantly. Arin stumbled backward, blood spraying.
Three lines of blood opened across his skin, deep enough to see bone. His expression changed.
_Too fast._
The wolf lunged again.
Arin twisted his body at the last second. Its jaws snapped shut where his neck had been. He could feel the wind of it. He punched its ribs as it passed.
The impact made the wolf slide sideways, skidding through the dirt. But the beast recovered almost instantly. It was already turning back toward him.
It wasn't just fast. Its body was ridiculously tough. His punch should have cracked ribs.
Arin took another step backward, putting distance between them. The wolf lowered itself. Its muscles tightened under the pale fur. Dense blood qi rolled from its body in waves, making the air feel heavier.
Arin felt the pressure against his skin. His heartbeat quickened.
"This is just an Awakened-rank beast..." He clenched his fists. Blood dripped from his arm. "And I'm already struggling."
The wolf attacked.
Arin dodged left. A claw passed his face close enough to cut a strand of hair. He countered with a punch to its shoulder.
The wolf's shoulder absorbed the blow and kept coming. Arin felt pain shoot through his knuckles. _What kind of body is this?_
The wolf twisted. Its tail flicked.
Arin didn't understand the movement until it was too late. The wolf's body spun, using the tail for balance. Its hind leg came around in a kick.
BOOM!
It struck his stomach. The air left his lungs. Arin flew backward and crashed into a tree. Bark exploded around him. For several seconds, he couldn't breathe. His vision went white.
The wolf approached, padding silently through the dust.
Arin forced himself upright. He coughed. Blood dripped from his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.
The pale wolf stopped several meters away. It tilted its head, watching him. Then a thin green mist began leaking from its fur. It seeped out like smoke.
Arin's eyes narrowed. He immediately retreated two steps. "Poison..."
The mist spread across the grass. Wherever it touched, the blades of grass shriveled and turned black. The earth itself seemed to sizzle.
Arin's expression became grim. He couldn't allow that to touch him. Not with open wounds.
The wolf moved with the mist, using it like a shield. Arin backed away. But the forest was tight. Trees everywhere. There wasn't much room to maneuver.
The wolf suddenly lunged through the mist.
Arin jumped sideways. The green mist brushed against his arm anyway.
A burning sensation immediately spread across his skin. Like acid. Arin looked down.
The veins beneath his skin were beginning to darken. Black lines crawled up his arm from the point of contact.
His eyes widened. _It's already inside me._ The poison wasn't merely on his skin. It had entered his bloodstream through the cut.
His body suddenly became heavier. His breathing grew rough. His vision blurred slightly at the edges.
The wolf came again.
Arin raised his arm. The claw struck. He was thrown backward. He landed hard on his shoulder.
The poison spread further. His fingers trembled. "So this is the effect..." His voice was strained.
The wolf approached slowly. It knew he was weakening. It could smell it.
Arin could feel it. His body was fighting the poison, his Vitality trying to burn it out. But it wasn't enough. His thoughts became slower. His heartbeat became irregular.
Then Arin remembered his Spiritual Trait.
Sanguine Emperor. Blood. He could control blood.
Arin closed his eyes. The wolf was coming, but he had no choice. He focused inward.
At first, everything was chaotic. His blood was rushing through his veins too fast. The poison had mixed into it, black and corrosive. He could feel something foreign moving through his body, eating at him from the inside.
_There._
Arin concentrated. He separated his own blood from the poisoned blood as best he could. Pushing, pulling, trying to isolate the toxin.
It wasn't easy. His control was crude. He wasn't some master of blood manipulation. He was a seventeen-year-old who had only awakened this ability a few hours ago.
The poison fought against him. It wanted to spread. His head throbbed.
The wolf charged.
Arin opened his eyes. He jumped backward. The wolf's claws narrowly missed him, tearing through the tree behind him.
He couldn't fight and remove the poison at the same time. Not like this. He needed a solution. A desperate one.
Arin looked at the blood running from his wounds. Dark. Tainted. Then an idea came.
If he couldn't neutralize the poison... He could remove the blood carrying it.
Arin clenched his teeth. He forced the poisoned blood toward his wounds. Using his will to push it through his veins toward the cuts in his arm and side.
Pain exploded through his body. Like his veins were on fire. His veins bulged. The poison-infused blood began pushing toward the cuts.
Then— Pfft!
Darkened blood burst from his wounds. Black and thick. It hit the ground and sizzled.
Arin staggered. More poisoned blood followed. He kept pushing until the pressure inside his body gradually weakened. His breathing steadied. The darkness in his veins faded.
Arin stared at the blood on the ground. It was still moving, eating into the dirt. He had actually done it. He had purged it.
But he could feel the cost. He had lost a considerable amount of blood. His head was light. His body was weaker.
The wolf didn't care. It attacked again.
Arin raised his fists. His arms felt like lead. _I need more power._ He knew what he had to do. He just didn't like it.
"Bloodthirsty."
Crimson energy erupted from his body. It exploded outward, burning away the last of the mist. His heartbeat became violent, hammering in his chest. His muscles tightened. His physical strength surged.
The world seemed sharper. Colors brighter. The wolf's movements became easier to read, like it was moving through water.
Arin stepped forward.
BOOM! His fist slammed into the wolf's chest. Ribs cracked.
This time, the beast was thrown backward. It crashed into a tree and slid down, dazed.
Arin stared at his hand. The difference was enormous. For the first time, he had managed to physically overpower the wolf.
But then— Something inside his mind shifted.
His breathing became rough. His heart raced. A strange hunger rose within him, clawing at the back of his skull.
The wolf stood again, snarling.
Arin stared at it. And suddenly... He didn't see an opponent. He saw prey. Weak. Bleeding.
His pupils narrowed to pinpricks.
_Kill._ The thought appeared in his mind, uninvited.
Arin's fingers curled. "No." He forced the word out.
The wolf charged.
Arin met it. His fist collided with its jaw. CRACK! The wolf's head snapped backward.
Arin followed. Punch. Punch. Punch. Right into its face. The beast tried to bite him. Arin grabbed its muzzle and forced it aside. The wolf's claws tore across his side in return.
Pain exploded through him. Arin didn't retreat. He struck again. The wolf staggered.
Arin raised his fist. Then stopped.
For a moment, he couldn't remember why he had stopped. The wolf was still moving. It needed to die. That was all that mattered.
Arin's fist trembled. _Why am I hesitating?_
The bloodlust surged again, louder this time. He raised his fist. "Kill!"
He brought it down. The wolf twisted at the last second. The blow missed its skull and struck its shoulder instead.
The wolf immediately counterattacked. Its claws tore across Arin's chest. Blood sprayed.
Arin stumbled backward. His concentration broke. The crimson energy flickered.
The wolf lunged. Arin barely dodged. Its jaws snapped beside his ear. He rolled across the ground.
His breathing was ragged. The bloodlust was becoming stronger. Drowning out everything else.
_Think._ He forced himself to focus. _Think._
The wolf circled. Arin realized something with cold clarity. _I'm not fighting the wolf anymore._ Arin clenched his teeth. _I'm fighting myself._
He took a slow breath. In. Out. The beast attacked. Arin watched its movements. Left paw. Right shoulder. Weight shift.
Then— He moved.
The wolf's claws missed. Arin grabbed its neck with both hands. The beast fought back violently. Its muscles were stronger than his. It dragged him across the ground.
Arin's arms trembled. He was losing. His grip weakened. The wolf opened its jaws, going for his throat.
Arin's eyes widened. "Not yet!"
He forced more crimson energy through his body. Ignored the warning. The bloodlust exploded again.
Arin roared. He twisted his body and slammed the wolf into the ground. BOOM! The beast struggled, snapping.
Arin pinned its neck with his forearm. His fist rose.
The wolf kicked him away with its hind legs. Arin rolled. The wolf immediately charged.
Arin stepped aside. Then grabbed its injured foreleg. He pulled. The wolf stumbled.
Arin drove his knee into its chest. Then his fist into its throat. The wolf collapsed, choking.
Arin didn't stop. He couldn't stop. He struck again. And again. His knuckles split. Blood covered his hands. His and the wolf's.
The wolf's resistance weakened. Its legs stopped kicking.
Arin raised his fist one final time. His mind screamed at him to kill. To finish it.
He brought it down. CRACK!
The wolf stopped moving.
Silence.
Arin remained frozen over the corpse. His chest rose and fell violently. The crimson energy still burned around him, waiting for more.
Then he whispered: "Stop."
Nothing happened. His mind was still filled with bloodlust. Images of tearing, ripping, more.
"Stop!" Arin grabbed his own head with both hands. His fingers dug into his scalp.
The desire to kill was fading slowly. Like a tide going out. But it didn't disappear immediately.
He forced himself to breathe. One breath. Two. Three.
The crimson energy finally began receding. Sinking back into his skin.
Arin collapsed onto one knee. His entire body trembled. He looked at the corpse. Then at his blood-covered hands.
His expression was grim. "If I keep using this..." He swallowed. His throat was dry. "...one day I might not come back from it."
Arin sat there for several seconds. He didn't feel victorious. He felt exhausted. Hollow.
His body hurt. Every muscle screamed. His mind hurt even more. The memory of that hunger was still there.
But he was alive. That was enough.
Arin looked at the dead wolf. Then remembered another ability. The one that had helped him after the bear.
Blood Devour.
He hesitated. Then activated it. He didn't have a choice. He needed to recover.
The wolf's blood began flowing toward him. Not much. Just what remained. The remaining blood qi within the corpse entered his body in thin streams.
Warmth spread through his veins. His wounds slowly began closing. The cuts on his arm and chest sealed. His exhaustion eased.
But unlike before, Arin didn't feel invincible. He didn't feel powerful. He simply felt capable of standing again.
The corpse gradually dried. Its blood qi and remaining spirituality had been consumed. What was left was a pale husk.
Arin stared at his hands. Clean now. He had gained something. +2 Strength. +3 Vitality. +2 Agility. +1 Spirit.
But he had paid for it. His body had been pushed to its limit. His mind had nearly slipped away. The bloodlust was still whispering at the edge of his thoughts.
And this was only the first beast. Only the edge of the forest.
Arin slowly stood. His legs shook. He looked deeper into the forest.
The darkness between the trees suddenly felt much heavier. There were countless creatures somewhere beyond his sight. Some weaker. Some stronger.
And perhaps some far beyond what he could currently imagine.
Arin understood something now. The fact that he possessed a Unique Spiritual Trait didn't mean he had become invincible. It only meant he had been given the possibility to survive.
Exotic beasts possessed bodies humans could hardly compare with. Even at the same Awakened rank, their physical strength, agility, and vitality could be frighteningly higher than a human's. They were built for this world.
Only rare talents could truly contend with an exotic beast in pure physical strength. Arin wasn't one of them. Not yet.
His advantage was different. His strange constitution. His unusually high Vitality. His blood. His ability to endure. And his willingness to keep fighting when a normal person would already be dead.
Arin looked at the corpse one last time. Then summoned his panel.
*Name:* Arin
*Rank:* Awakened
*Strength:* 24
*Vitality:* 26
*Agility:* 17
*Spirit:* 17
He turned toward the darkness. There was no going back. Only forward.
He didn't know that somewhere deeper in the forest, another pair of eyes was already watching. Golden. Patient.
And this time... Arin didn't know it was there.