A faint breeze brushed against his face.
The air was damp… earthy… and strangely pure.
Rihan slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding. The last thing he remembered was the cold blade piercing his heart… the look of betrayal in his comrade's eyes.
And now—he was lying on soft grass under a silver sky filled with twin moons.
"What… where am I…?"
His voice came out hoarse, animal-like. His body felt heavy, unfamiliar. When he tried to stand, his legs trembled and gave out. He could only crawl, dragging himself toward the faint sound of running water.
At the edge of a small pond, he saw his reflection—
and froze.
A creature stared back at him. Jet-black fur, sharp amber eyes, and a faint symbol glowing faintly between his brows — the mark of the wolf.
"This… this can't be me."
As his breath hitched, the surface of the pond rippled—and suddenly, a blue window appeared before his eyes.
> [Status Window Initialized]
Startled, he stumbled backward and fell straight into the pond. Cold water filled his nose and mouth as he struggled to resurface, splashing wildly before crawling back onto the muddy bank, panting.
After a while, when his heartbeat slowed, he looked at his reflection again.
This time, his eyes were calmer.
His new body—muscular, feral, yet… alive.
Three days passed.
He hid in a small cave, trying to adapt to his body. He could move now, though awkwardly. But hunger gnawed at him—relentlessly. His stomach twisted with pain.
Then, a thought crossed his mind.
> That window… what was that?
As soon as he thought about it, the blue panel appeared again.
---
[Status Window]
Name: Rihan
Race: Shadow Wolf (Fragment of Fenrir)
Level: 1
Skills:
Shadow Claw (Active)
Shadow Movement (Active)
Locked Skills: 5
---
He stared at it, dumbfounded.
"What… is this? A game?"
He wanted to deny it, to believe this was all an illusion. But after days of starvation, the pain felt too real. The hunger, the fatigue, the cold—all of it screamed reality.
A cold smile crept across his face.
"If this is reality… then maybe this time, I can live by my own rules."
He clenched his clawed hands.
"God gave me a second chance… I won't waste it."
He focused on the skill called Shadow Movement.
The moment he thought of activating it, his body dissolved into darkness—merging with the shadows around him.
He could move.
Through the darkness, gliding from one shade to another, silent and unseen. The skill lasted only ten minutes, but it was enough.
As he scouted the area, he spotted a herd of small deer-like beasts grazing near the forest's edge.
His stomach growled.
A predatory grin spread across his face.
"It's time to hunt."