The next morning, Aiden woke with a body that felt like lead. His arms ached, his legs trembled whenever he put weight on them, and his chest carried the ghost of crushing pressure.
He sat upright slowly, the creak of the old wooden bed groaning under him. For a while, he just sat there, staring blankly at the wall. His reflection in the metal basin across the room showed a pale young man with shadows under his eyes, his gaze darker than before.
But beneath the fatigue, there was something else.
Resolve.
The forest had shown him where he stood. That glimpse of Rank 6 had stripped him of any delusion. If he wanted to survive, if he wanted to keep walking this path, he would need to grow faster — faster than anyone before him.
He clenched his fists.
No more hesitation.
---
By midday, he had already returned to the forest.
The villagers whispered behind him as he left, their words a mix of admiration and suspicion. Some thought he was reckless, others whispered that his power was unnatural. But no one stopped him.
Aiden didn't care either way. The only voices that mattered now were the forest's — the growls of beasts, the thrum of his heartbeat, and the whispering hunger that urged him onward.
---
Today, he started small.
A pack of Bloodfang Wolves circled him, their crimson eyes gleaming under the shadows of the trees. Rank 2 beasts — nothing he hadn't faced before.
But this time, he didn't waste movements.
The first wolf lunged. Aiden sidestepped, blade flashing in an arc that severed its throat cleanly. The second came from behind, but his sharpened instincts screamed, and he ducked low, thrusting his sword upward to pierce its chest.
Each movement was smoother, faster. His body was adapting to Rank 4, his senses sharper, his strength surging. The wolves fell one after another, blood spraying against the roots.
And with each kill, he devoured.
The hunger inside him purred with satisfaction, strength seeping deeper into his bones.
But Aiden didn't let it drown him this time. He devoured with restraint, testing how far he could go before the whispers in his mind grew too loud.
The balance was delicate. Too much, and he felt himself slipping. Too little, and he wasted potential.
By the time the last wolf fell, his chest rose and fell steadily. He wasn't staggering with exhaustion. He wasn't drunk with hunger.
He was in control.
For now.
---
He spent the next days hunting relentlessly.
Rank 2. Rank 3. Even Rank 4 beasts fell beneath his blade.
Each battle honed him further. His footing grew precise, his strikes cleaner. He experimented with techniques the village warriors had taught him — simple sword drills, refined with his speed and strength until they became something sharper, deadlier.
But he never forgot the pale eyes.
Every time he closed his own, he saw them watching. Every kill, every meal he devoured, carried the same thought at the back of his mind: Not enough. Not nearly enough.
---
On the seventh day, the forest decided to remind him of his place.
It began with silence. The usual cries of beasts vanished. The wind itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then came the sound.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each footstep shook the ground, heavy enough to rattle his teeth. Birds burst from the trees, fleeing in a frenzy.
And through the trees lumbered a massive creature.
A Dire Bear. Rank 5.
Its fur was dark, matted with scars, its eyes glowing faintly. Its bulk dwarfed the Steelhide Bear he had fought before, its claws long enough to shred a tree in one swipe.
Aiden's body tensed. His heart pounded, instincts screaming at him to run.
But he didn't.
Not this time.
He raised his blade.
---
The bear roared, the sound making the air vibrate. It charged, earth shaking with its steps.
Aiden barely dodged, rolling aside as a claw ripped through the ground where he had stood. Splinters of rock and dirt exploded outward.
He slashed at its leg as he passed, but the blade barely cut through its hide. The beast roared again, swiping wildly, forcing him back.
The gap between Rank 4 and Rank 5 was clear.
But so was his determination.
He gritted his teeth, darting forward again. His blade struck, sparks flying off its thick fur. He twisted, using the momentum to leap onto its back, driving his sword toward its neck.
The bear bucked, slamming him against a tree with bone-crushing force. Pain shot through his ribs, blood filling his mouth.
But his grip didn't loosen.
He roared back, plunging his blade deeper, until at last the beast let out a strangled cry and collapsed, the ground shaking beneath its massive body.
Aiden staggered to his feet, chest heaving, blood dripping from his lip.
The hunger surged inside him, demanding the kill. He pressed his palm to the bear, feeling the strength flood into him. His wounds knit slightly, his muscles pulsed, and his exhaustion dulled.
But his mind… his mind was slipping.
He saw flashes of blood, endless feasts, teeth tearing through flesh. His hand shook, eyes burning crimson for a moment.
Then he forced it back.
He pulled his hand away, gasping, sweat dripping down his face.
"Not yet… I won't lose myself yet."
The bear's corpse steamed, the life sucked from it.
And Aiden stood, taller than before, his aura sharper, heavier. He had taken another step.
---
When he returned to the village that evening, the whispers were louder.
Some stared in awe at the blood-drenched youth who walked with a steady gait. Others muttered in fear, noting how his eyes gleamed unnaturally in the torchlight.
The hunting team watched him with wary eyes. Even Mira looked uncertain, though her worry never left.
Aiden ignored them all.
He had no time for fear or praise.
He was climbing.
And nothing would stop him.
---
That night, as he lay in bed, his body sore and bruised, he whispered into the dark:
"Rank 5… Rank 6… I'll reach them. No matter what it takes."
The pale eyes still haunted him. The sealed demon's whispers still coiled in his chest.
But now, he no longer felt powerless.
Now, he felt hungry.
And hunger, he realized, was the only path forward.
---