The wolves had barely finished dissolving when the rain began.
Not heavy.
Not violent.
Just steady.
Grey sat on the damp earth, breathing hard as the system windows hovered in front of him.
Level 8.
Two levels gained in a single fight.
His hands still trembled from adrenaline.
Lyra stood unnaturally still, watching the treeline.
"You said this was a growth moment," Grey muttered. "You could've led with that."
"You survived," she replied calmly.
"That wasn't guaranteed."
She didn't answer.
Grey focused inward, studying the evolution preview again.
Fortune Walker. Probability Breaker. Stormbound.
The last option pulsed faintly.
Lightning flickered inside the text.
He closed the window.
Not yet.
The rain intensified slightly.
Lyra's gaze sharpened.
"Someone is coming."
Grey immediately activated Emotional Insight.
At first, nothing.
Then—
Cold intent.
Focused.
Controlled.
Not animal.
Human.
From the north.
A figure stepped through the trees as if he owned the forest.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark coat reinforced with leather and chain. A long spear strapped across his back.
Grey Appraised him.
The system hesitated.
Then complied.
Kael Virek – Lv. 28HP: 1,200/1,200Class: Relic HunterPrimary Traits: Suppression Field, Mark of PursuitEmotion: Calculating
Grey's stomach dropped.
Level 28.
That wasn't a gap.
That was a canyon.
Kael's eyes settled on Lyra.
Not on Grey.
Never on Grey.
"Found you," he said evenly.
Lyra's posture shifted.
Not fear.
Preparation.
"You shouldn't have followed," she replied.
"I was paid well."
Kael's gaze flicked briefly toward Grey.
"Collateral?"
Grey forced himself not to step back.
Emotional Insight surged.
Kael felt… mild curiosity.
Nothing more.
Grey was not the target.
Lyra stepped forward slightly, placing herself between them.
"I won't go back."
Kael sighed.
"They all say that."
The air shifted.
Grey felt it physically.
Pressure.
Kael activated something.
[Warning: Suppression Field Detected]Stat Efficiency Reduced by 15%
"What—"
Lyra's hand clenched.
The rain began to hiss against the ground.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Still unstable," he observed. "Interesting."
Grey's mind raced.
Level 28.
They couldn't win.
Not directly.
Luck.
He needed an angle.
Micro-Analysis triggered.
Kael's breathing steady.
Stance perfect.
But his boots—
Mud.
Heavy ground.
Forest slope.
Grey's Luck Alignment tingled faintly.
He took one step backward.
And "accidentally" kicked a loose stone downhill.
It rolled.
Knocked into another.
The slope shifted slightly beneath Kael's footing.
Barely.
But enough.
Kael's weight shifted instinctively.
Lyra moved instantly.
Her blade flashed.
Kael blocked without looking.
Metal rang.
The ground beneath him gave another inch.
His suppression field flickered.
Grey felt his stats return briefly.
He lunged forward without thinking.
Not at Kael.
At Kael's spear.
He grabbed the shaft and twisted.
Kael reacted instantly.
Too instantly.
He overcompensated for the unstable terrain.
The spear tore free from its strap but slid in Grey's direction.
Grey stumbled back with it.
Kael clicked his tongue.
"Annoying."
Lyra pressed the opening.
Her movements were sharper now.
Faster.
Lightning crackled faintly along her blade.
Kael saw it.
And for the first time—
His emotional state shifted.
Interest.
"Ah," he murmured. "There it is."
He disengaged suddenly.
Stepped back.
The suppression field collapsed.
"You're closer than they predicted."
Lyra didn't chase.
Kael's gaze moved to Grey again.
"Protect her well, Level Eight."
Grey stiffened.
"How do you—"
"Mark of Pursuit."
A faint symbol glowed briefly on Lyra's wrist.
Grey hadn't seen it before.
Kael adjusted his coat.
"I will return."
Then he stepped backward—
And vanished into the forest.
Not teleportation.
Just speed beyond Grey's perception.
Silence returned.
Rain softened.
Grey turned to Lyra.
"Okay," he said slowly. "You want to explain?"
She stared at her wrist.
The faint mark dimmed.
"…We need to leave this region."
"That wasn't an explanation."
"He won't stop."
Grey's heart still pounded.
"Who is he?"
"A collector."
"Of what?"
Lyra met his eyes.
"Me."
Thunder rolled in the distance.
And somewhere deep within Grey's status window—
Stormbound pulsed brighter.