The fight had been raging long before Nam understood just how badly he was losing.
The forest bore the scars of their war. Trees lay toppled, their trunks split down the middle by lightning. Deep claw gouges raked across bark. Earth was torn and scattered, as if giants had wrestled across the clearing. The air still pulsed with mana from earlier attacks.
Nam skidded across the dirt again, boots carving trenches as the wolf's paw smashed into the ground where he'd stood a heartbeat earlier. The impact sent a tremor up his legs and a crack booming through the forest.
Move, Nam. Keep moving.
He forced himself upright, fingers twitching as weak sparks danced between them. He had fought smart in the beginning—hit-and-run, terrain usage, stuns, arcs of lightning to interrupt the wolf's momentum. When his mana had still been plentiful, he had even pushed the beast back.
Back when he was still human enough to think.
He remembered the earlier exchange:
The wolf had lunged—a blur of white fur and murderous intent—and Nam had countered with a lightning arc that carved a burning line across its flank. As it recoiled, he rushed in, mana flooding his limbs, and slammed a shock-charged kick into its jaw. The beast reeled. Nam followed up with a bolt that tore open its shoulder, filling the air with the smell of scorched blood.
That felt like ages ago.
Now his breath rattled in his chest. His legs trembled. The sparks around his fingertips fizzled into nothing. Even his passive defense sputtered—barely activating, draining what little mana he had left.
He dodged another bite by the width of a breath. The wolf's jaws snapped shut where his head had been, teeth clashing with a metallic crack. Nam dove behind a fallen log, gasping.
Just one second. One second to think—
The wolf crashed through the log like it was made of paper.
Shards of wood peppered his skin. Nam rolled away and slammed into the roots of an enormous oak. Pain shot down his ribs. His vision blurred. His body refused to listen.
And his mana was gone.
Completely.
"I can't…" He swallowed dryly. "I can't even hold my stance…"
Hunger twisted his gut violently. Days of living on herbs had left him hollow. Light-headed. Weak. His body was screaming for fuel.
The wolf stalked toward him, bleeding but unbowed. It lowered its stance, muscles bunching like drawn steel cables. It wasn't just attacking now—it was savoring his collapse.
Nam tried to muster another spark.
Nothing.
The wolf's lips peeled back, revealing blood-slicked fangs.
This is it… this—
His thoughts broke off.
Not because he found a strategy.
But because a scent hit him.
Warm. Metallic. Thick.
Blood.
The wolf's blood.
The smell crawled down his throat, clung to his lungs, seeped into him like steam. His eyes fixed on the raw wound he'd burned earlier—red, glistening, pulsing.
His stomach cramped. His breath hitched. His tongue brushed his lips.
Meat…
The idea slid into his mind without shape, without voice. A primal whisper.
Meat.
Food.
Strength.
His fingers twitched.
The wolf stepped closer.
Nam swallowed.
The last rational thought he had was a jagged whisper:
If I eat… I can fight…
Then instinct drowned him.
He moved.
A blur. A lunge. A predator's strike.
Nam's teeth sank into the wolf's exposed flesh.
Warm blood burst across his tongue, thick and electrifying. The wolf howled and jerked violently, smashing Nam against the ground—but he didn't let go. His jaws locked tighter. He ripped free a chunk of flesh and rolled away.
Mana surged into him like fire.
A flood—immediate, overwhelming, intoxicating. His limbs buzzed with power; his veins lit with raw lightning.
More…
The wolf charged him in rage. Nam dodged without thinking—his body reacting faster than fear, faster than thought. He felt light, sharp, alive.
Then something shifted.
A prickling sensation ran along his fingertips. His nails lengthened—subtle at first, then unmistakable. Sharp. Curved. Metallic at the tips. Predatory.
Nam slashed.
The nails sliced through hide like steel.
Blood fanned across the ground in a hot spray.
He stared at his hand—at the claws that should not exist—panting, trembling, adrenaline burning in his veins.
What… is…
The question never finished.
Instinct crushed it.
Fight.
Eat.
Survive.
The wolf lunged again, roaring in fury. Nam surged forward to meet it—no hesitation, no fear. He ducked beneath its jaws, his movements fluid and animalistic, and dragged his claws down the beast's belly. Flesh split. Heat spilled over him.
The wolf twisted to bite him.
Nam was already behind it.
He bit into its neck.
Deep.
Savage.
Final.
The wolf shrieked—an agonized, thunderous howl that shook loose leaves from the trees.
Nam didn't stop.
He tore another bite of meat, mana exploding through him, sharpening every sense until the world felt painfully clear. He could hear the wolf's hammering heart. Smell its terror. Predict every twitch of muscle before it lunged.
A feral growl rumbled from his chest.
The wolf hesitated—its instincts finally recognizing something more dangerous than itself.
Nam attacked.
He vaulted up its injured side, claws flashing, tearing open new wounds in swift, brutal arcs. The wolf bucked, but Nam clung tight, ripping through fur and muscle. Blood soaked the battlefield, steaming in the air.
The wolf twisted. Nam raked its face, carving crimson lines across its muzzle. The beast tried to clamp down on him—teeth grazing his shoulder—but he retaliated instantly, biting at the soft patch beneath its ear.
Pain. Shock. Panic.
The wolf stumbled.
Nam didn't give it room.
He slammed into it again, claws and teeth working with terrifying precision—an apex predator born in the span of minutes. The forest quaked with their struggle, every movement violent enough to leave new scars on the earth.
The fight devolved into pure instinct.
Blood
Heat.
Hunger.
Survival.
One boy turning beast.
One beast realizing too late it was prey.
The clearing echoed with snarls, claws, lightning bursts, and the thunder of bodies colliding—two creatures locked in a savage battle neither intended to lose.
The wolf's enraged howl rolled through the trees, echoing like thunder across the ruined clearing. The beast's paws scraped against the soil as it recovered its footing—it wasn't dead, not even close. Despite the chunks of flesh missing from its flank and neck, the creature surged forward with ferocity renewed by sheer instinct and hatred.
Nam crouched low, electricity crackling faintly along his forearms. Sparks danced between his fingertips, flickering like dying stars. Blood matted his hair, streaked across his cheeks, warm and sticky. It wasn't clear how much of it belonged to him.
His senses sharpened to a frightening level.
Every breath the wolf drew vibrated through Nam's bones.
Every drop of blood hitting the dirt sounded like rain on metal.
Every heartbeat—his and the wolf's—throbbed in his skull.
He could smell the creature's fear beginning to ferment beneath its fury.
A thin smile tugged at Nam's lips—feral, hungry, wrong.
The wolf lunged.
Nam moved first.
He dashed in with a speed he hadn't possessed minutes earlier. His muscles felt spring-loaded, his joints loose and elastic. He bent under the wolf's jaws again, but this time not just to evade—he pivoted around the beast, slicing his claws across its hind leg as he passed.
The wolf staggered as its tendon split.
A yowl split the air.
Nam's growl answered it.
He pounced, landing atop the beast's back, claws digging into its hide. His nails sank deeper than before—almost effortless—like pushing fingers through wet paper. He dragged them down, peeling fur and flesh in long strips.
The wolf convulsed, bucking, trying to throw him off.
Nam clung on like a shadow glued to its spine.
The forest shook as the monster rolled, slamming its weight onto him. The air whooshed out of Nam's lungs. Bones cracked. Pain burst across his torso.
But instead of weakening—
The pain fueled him.
His body burned with mana, cells knitting together at frantic speed, regeneration flaring beneath his skin. Warm currents surged through his limbs, sealing small tears, numbing deeper wounds.
Nam hissed in satisfaction.
The wolf sensed the shift.
It pushed itself upright, gasping, eyes widening with a mix of panic and animal disbelief. This prey—this thin, hungry boy—was no longer dying. He was accelerating.
Nam's hand shot out.
His claws pierced the wolf's foreleg.
He dragged downward, slicing through muscle.
The wolf collapsed forward with a strangled bark.
Nam followed it down like a falling blade.
Lightning rippled through his arms. He planted his clawed hand on the wolf's neck—electricity arcing into flesh. The beast convulsed violently, whole body seizing beneath the shock. Smoke rose from its wounds.
Before the paralysis faded, Nam lunged.
He drove his teeth into the wolf's shoulder.
Rip.
Tear.
Warmth.
Mana hit him again—heavy, intoxicating, a torrent that surged through his spine and into every cell. His vision flashed white. His breath caught.
He wanted more.
The wolf's hind legs lashed out in reflex, catching Nam in the side. He slid across the dirt, tumbling over stones and shattered branches. But he rose immediately—before the wolf even regained balance.
His shoulders rolled. His neck cracked. His wounds closed with an audible squelch.
The wolf's eyes widened further.
It understood.
Finally.
It wasn't hunting anymore.
It was being hunted.
Nam exhaled once—slowly, deliberately—like a predator preparing the finishing kill. His claws shimmered with a thin coating of crackling blue lightning. His pupils narrowed. Instinct overtook every remaining thread of logic.
He dashed.
The wolf tried to dodge—too slow.
Nam tore through its muzzle, carving deep crimson lines that split fur and flesh. Blood sprayed across his face. He didn't blink.
He attacked again, and again, his movements blinding and accurate—every slash deliberate, every bite placed to hit nerves or arteries. Claws gouged deep trenches across the wolf's ribs. Flesh peeled under his nails.
The beast roared, half-choked with blood.
Nam roared back—voice raw, animal, vibrating with mana.
The wolf staggered back, legs trembling, chest heaving, blood pouring from its wounds. It planted its paws shakily, lungs rasping. Its tail tucked subconsciously.
But desperation forced it forward one last time—a final charge powered by fading pride.
Nam welcomed it.
He ducked under a swipe that would have severed his head minutes earlier. His claws crackled with lightning. He drove both hands into the wolf's chest—buried to the wrist—fingers sliding between ribs.
The beast howled, kicking up dirt as it thrashed.
Nam bared his teeth and bit down on the exposed tendon near its throat. Flesh tore free. Hot mana surged again.
He ripped his arms outward.
Bones snapped.
Ribs cracked open like wet branches.
The wolf's roar choked mid-air.
The beast collapsed to its side, trembling violently, breath shallow and broken.
Nam rose above it, trembling—not with exhaustion, but with the aftershock of raw instinct. Blood dripped from his chin. Lightning flickered around his fingers, dancing like eager prey-seeking serpents.
His chest heaved.
His pulse pounded.
He felt unstoppable.
Invincible.
More beast than boy.
He stepped forward, claws raised for the killing blow—
Then something shifted.
A breath drained from him.
A tremor shook his hands.
The world flickered.
Like a cord snapping, the feral haze began to crack.
Nam blinked once.
Twice.
His claws shrank slightly.
His teeth no longer felt sharp.
The taste of blood on his tongue felt suddenly—disgusting.
"What… what did I…"
His voice broke.
The wolf collapsed fully, body twitching as life bled out of it. Nam stumbled back, breath ragged, mind swimming with fragments of instinct he didn't understand.
He looked down at his hands—at the blood, at the faint traces of electricity still dancing along his fingers.
Then the whispers came.
Not from outside.
From within.
[ Skill Acquired: Reinforced Body]
[ Skill Acquired: Regeneration]
[ Skill Acquired: Shock]
Nam stared blankly as each new line echoed through his consciousness, feeling the truth of them humming under his skin.
His body had changed.
His instincts had changed.
He had changed.
And the forest, silent and scarred, bore witness to the birth of something new.
Something dangerous.
Something no longer fully human.
----
✦ End of Chapter.