The forest was quieter now — too quiet.
Ethan, Maya, and Riley moved through the thickets, guided only by the faint glow of the moon and the dim blue shimmer of his Panel. The silence wasn't peace. It was pressure. It was the kind of calm that came before something terrible.
Ethan's boots pressed into damp soil, each step muffled by moss and rot. Every instinct he had — both natural and extracted — screamed that they were being watched.
Riley walked a few paces ahead, crouched low, eyes glinting gold as she sniffed the air. Her movements were elegant, efficient — every shift of her muscles calculated. Maya stayed close to Ethan, one hand brushing the back of his sleeve for reassurance.
"Almost there," Riley murmured. "The safe house isn't far."
Ethan nodded, though he didn't relax. His upgraded Tracking Enhancement Module tingled constantly. Movement, faint and distant, flickered through his mind like radar blips.
Something was following them.
He glanced at the glowing script floating over his wrist.
MISSION UPDATE:
Escort Maya Park to Safe House (Final Segment)
Threat Level: High
Active Hostiles: 3+
Reward: 250 ×10 = 2500 PP
Bonus Extraction Opportunity: Adaptive Combat Core (Tier II)
He exhaled slowly. "Three, maybe four," he whispered. "North, closing in."
Riley turned her head slightly, brows furrowing. "You can sense them?"
"Something like that," Ethan said. "Panel trick."
Her lips curved upward in something between admiration and amusement. "Huh. Maybe you're not useless after all."
Maya shot her a look. "He saved us twice already."
Riley smirked. "And I'm still counting."
---
Ambush in the Pines
The first attack came fast.
A black blur shot from the trees, claws flashing. Ethan spun, instincts screaming — he ducked, grabbed the creature's wrist, and used its momentum to throw it headfirst into a fallen log. The impact cracked through the forest like a whip.
Before he could recover, two more figures broke from the shadows — both lean, predatory, feral. Low-tier Omegas. Their eyes glowed with madness.
Riley was already moving. She leapt over Ethan's shoulder, claws extending midair, and tackled one into the dirt with brutal precision. Maya's breath caught; she couldn't look away.
Ethan turned to the second one — the fastest. It lunged at him with claws aimed for his throat.
He met it halfway.
One solid punch.
The creature flew backward, slammed into a tree, and collapsed. The bark cracked. Ethan flexed his hand, eyes wide — he hadn't expected to hit that hard.
The Panel flickered.
MINOR ENEMY ELIMINATED
Base Reward: 20 PP ×10 = 200 PP
Current Total: 3,750 PP
Maya stared at him, mouth slightly open. "You… you hit that thing like it was nothing."
"Guess I've been working out," he said, half-joking, half-stunned himself.
---
System Surge — Mid-Battle Upgrade
Before the group could regroup, the air rippled again — heavier this time. The scent of blood and pine filled the air.
Riley stiffened. "Oh no. That's not an Omega. That's a Beta."
A massive silhouette emerged from the trees. The new arrival towered above Ethan, muscles coiled like iron cables, its skin half-shifted, half-human. Its eyes glowed crimson — a failed transformation.
Ethan felt the ground tremble with its footsteps.
The Panel pulsed urgently.
WARNING: Elite Threat Detected
Type: Rogue Beta Shifter
Strength Level: 8x Normal Human
Mission Modifier: +100% Reward
Reward on Victory: 2500 ×2 ×10 = 50,000 PP
Extraction Opportunity: Adaptive Combat Core (Tier II)
Ethan blinked. Fifty thousand points?
He couldn't back down now.
The Beta roared and charged.
Ethan didn't move. He braced himself, fists raised. Riley hissed, "You'll die if you—"
But she didn't finish. The Beta's fist met Ethan's palm — and stopped.
A shockwave of force rippled through the air, scattering leaves and sending Maya stumbling backward. Ethan's entire arm burned from the impact, but he didn't fall.
"Okay," he muttered through clenched teeth, "that hurt."
He shoved back with everything he had. The Beta staggered a step.
That's when the Panel flared.
EMERGENCY EXTRACTION AVAILABLE:
Adaptive Combat Core (Tier II)
PP Cost: 300
Talent Bonus Applied: +×10 (Free Upgrade)
Activate? [YES]
He hit YES.
Instantly, the world slowed.
He could see the creature's muscles tense before it attacked. He could predict its next strike like a moving diagram. His body adapted on instinct — feet shifting, timing syncing perfectly.
He dodged under a claw swipe, countered with a kick to the knee, then an uppercut to the jaw.
Crack.
The Beta reeled, stunned.
"Ethan!" Maya shouted. "Behind you!"
Another swipe — he spun, ducked, and slammed both palms into the creature's chest. The blow launched it backward, through a tree trunk, splintering it clean in half.
Silence.
Then the Beta fell, unmoving.
---
Victory
The Panel exploded in light.
ELITE ENEMY ELIMINATED
Reward Calculation:
Base: 2500 PP
Elite Modifier ×2 = 5000 PP
Talent Effect ×10 = 50,000 PP
Total Reward: 50,000 PP
NEW MODULE ACQUIRED: Adaptive Combat Core (Tier II)
Effect: Automatically enhances combat efficiency against repeat enemy types.
+50% effectiveness vs. Shifters and Lycanthropes.
Ethan stumbled, catching his breath, feeling power flood his veins. Fifty thousand points — more than he could have imagined.
Riley approached slowly, disbelief on her face. "You just… took down a rogue Beta alone."
Ethan exhaled. "Guess I got lucky."
"Luck doesn't make you that strong," Riley said. "You're hiding something."
Maya stepped in front of him protectively. "He's not your enemy."
Riley's eyes softened slightly. "Maybe not. But if you're staying with us, you'll need to understand one thing — power like yours draws attention. And in this world… attention gets you killed."
---
First Connection
The safe house came into view — an abandoned cabin deep in the forest, moonlight spilling across the roof. Maya leaned against the porch railing, exhaustion in her eyes, but relief too.
"You saved us again," she said quietly. "You could've run… but you stayed."
Ethan smiled faintly. "Running doesn't get you far in a world like this."
She laughed softly. "Then I guess I'm lucky I found you."
The Panel pulsed gently at his wrist:
Affinity Increase Detected:
Maya Park +25
Potential Relationship Evolution: [Friend → Close Bond]
Her eyes lingered on him for a long moment before she turned away, cheeks faintly pink.
Riley watched them from a distance, expression unreadable, a faint smile playing on her lips. "You're full of surprises, Ethan Cross," she murmured. "Let's see how long you can keep it up."
---
End of Mission — New Horizons
MISSION COMPLETE
Final Reward: 250 ×10 = 2500 PP
Bonus Reward: 50,000 PP
Total PP: 56,250
Unlocked Functions:
• Panel Shop — Tier II
• Skill Extraction (Intermediate)
• World Travel (Reactivation)
A final notification scrolled across the panel:
Next Available World Node:
Twilight
Status: Active
Tier: Low-Emotional Supernatural
Recommended Level: Beginner+
Ethan closed the screen slowly, gazing at the forest around him.
He'd faced monsters, earned power, and built trust. He wasn't just surviving anymore.
He was ascending.
And the next world — Twilight — was waiting.
He clenched his fists, feeling the surge of multiplied energy ripple through him. "Alright," he whispered to himself. "Let's see what ten times destiny feels like next."