The stairwell was dark.
The walls of the old apartment building were damp, and the faint light from above cast long shadows across the floor.
Kaelion gripped the iron pipe tightly.
His heart pounded.
Clawing footsteps echoed from below.
Tap… tap… tap…
Then the sound stopped.
For a brief moment, everything went silent.
And then…
Two red eyes appeared around the corner of the stairs.
Blood Fang Wolf
Rank: F
Level: 3
The wolf slowly climbed the stairs.
Its fur was standing on end.
Saliva dripped from its mouth.
A sharp scent of blood reached Kaelion's nose.
The monster bared its teeth.
Then suddenly—
It leaped.
"Damn!"
Kaelion instinctively jumped aside.
The wolf slammed into the wall.
But it immediately turned back.
It was much faster than he expected.
Kaelion swung the pipe.
CLANG!
The iron pipe struck the wolf's head.
But the monster only stepped back slightly.
As if it had barely felt the blow.
"Is it that strong?!"
The wolf attacked again.
This time it lunged directly at Kaelion's chest.
Kaelion raised the pipe to block.
But the wolf's claw grazed his arm.
SHRAAAK
A sharp pain spread through his arm.
Blood began to flow rapidly.
[HP -10]
Kaelion gritted his teeth.
"Damn it…"
The wolf pulled back.
Lowering its body, preparing to attack again.
But this time Kaelion didn't wait.
He lunged forward.
Swinging the iron pipe with all his strength.
CRACK!
The end of the pipe smashed into the wolf's jaw.
The monster staggered.
But quickly recovered.
Then it jumped onto Kaelion's shoulder.
Both of them crashed to the ground.
The wolf's jaws moved toward Kaelion's throat.
Hot breath hit his face.
Kaelion forced the pipe between them.
The wolf bit the pipe.
The metal screeched.
"Get off!"
Kaelion drove his knee into the wolf's stomach.
The wolf stumbled for a moment.
Kaelion didn't miss the chance.
He flipped the pipe and stabbed it beneath the wolf's eye.
The monster let out a horrifying howl.
Kaelion stood up.
Gathering the last of his strength.
He raised the iron pipe high.
"This ends now!"
He brought the pipe down with all his strength onto the wolf's head.
The wolf's body collapsed heavily onto the stairwell floor.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Only Kaelion's breathing could be heard.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
The wound on his arm burned, and blood was still flowing.
But the wolf wasn't moving anymore.
It was dead.
Suddenly, the purple system screen appeared before him.
[Blood Fang Wolf defeated]
[+100 EXP gained]
LEVEL UP
Level 2
[3 Skill Points gained]
Suddenly, a warm energy spread through Kaelion's body.
The pain around his wounds began to fade.
The cuts on his skin slowly started to close.
His exhaustion was disappearing.
[HP Restored]
Kaelion looked at his hand in surprise.
The blood that had been flowing moments ago had already stopped.
"Leveling up… heals you?"
Kaelion's eyes widened.
A new panel opened.
CHARACTER PANEL
Name: Kaelion
Level: 2
STR: 8
AGI: 10
VIT: 7
INT: 12
WIS: 11
LUK: 9
Available Skill Points: 3
Kaelion let out a small laugh.
"…It really is like a game."
But the screen didn't disappear.
The purple light glowed again.
Infinite Evolution System
[Skill Card Creation Unlocked]
Purple energy gathered in the center of the screen.
Then it condensed into a thin card.
The card was dark purple.
Strange symbols were engraved on it.
Blank Skill Card
A new message appeared.
[Place the card on the target monster]
Kaelion looked at the wolf lying on the ground.
"So…"
"I have to extract its essence."
He carefully walked forward.
The stairwell was silent.
Only the sound of dripping blood echoed.
Kaelion knelt down.
Looking at the wolf's chest.
Then he took out the card.
It trembled slightly in his hand.
[A random ability will be extracted when the card is placed]
"Let's see…"
Kaelion slowly extended the card toward the wolf's chest.
It was just about to touch.
But at that moment—
A shadow appeared on the wall behind him.
Kaelion froze.
His eyebrows furrowed.
"That shadow…"
The shadow stretched.
Its shoulders widened.
And slowly transformed into a figure standing on two legs.
Kaelion's heart began to race.
A heavy breath sounded behind him.
GRRRRRRR…
Kaelion didn't even have time to turn.
A massive claw struck his back.
Kaelion was thrown into the air.
His body slammed into the wall of the stairwell.
The wall cracked.
Kaelion fell to the ground.
The air was knocked out of his lungs.
[HP -25]
Kaelion lifted his head.
His vision was blurry.
But he could still see the creature in front of him.
Two meters tall.
A muscular body.
Long claws.
And glowing yellow eyes.
Werewolf
Rank: E
Level: 8
[Warning]
[This target is stronger than your current level.]
The creature slowly walked toward Kaelion.
Showing its teeth.
Kaelion lay on the ground.
The card was still resting on the wolf's chest.
It hadn't activated yet.
The werewolf growled.
Kaelion clenched his teeth.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
And the fight was far from over.