The wyvern did not attack immediately.
It watched.
Its massive head tilted slightly, slit pupils narrowing as if trying to understand something that did not belong. Smoke curled lazily from its nostrils, drifting into the air like a warning.
Kang Seo-jun stood still.
Not frozen.
Not afraid.
Just… calculating.
The pressure bearing down on him intensified, no longer spread across the area but concentrated, focused entirely on his position. It felt like standing beneath a collapsing mountain, invisible weight pressing against his bones.
"A test."
He muttered under his breath.
Or a hunt.
Either way.
Running blindly would get him killed.
The wyvern's wings shifted.
A low rumble followed.
Then it moved.
Not with a sudden strike, but a slow, deliberate step forward. The ground cracked beneath its weight, fragments of stone sinking into the fractured earth.
Closer.
Seo-jun exhaled slowly, forcing his body to remain loose.
Think.
Not panic.
The difference in power was absolute. That much hadn't changed.
But this situation.
This moment.
It was different from the past.
And different meant opportunity.
His eyes flicked around the battlefield, scanning for anything he could use. Broken structures. debris. corpses. fire still burning in scattered patches.
Nothing strong enough to kill it.
But enough to survive.
Maybe.
The wyvern lowered its head further.
Its gaze never left him.
Then it opened its mouth.
Heat gathered instantly.
Seo-jun moved.
Before the flames could erupt, he sprinted sideways, pushing his body to its limit. The moment he left his original position, fire crashed down where he had been standing.
The explosion of heat tore through the ground, sending fragments of burning debris outward.
Seo-jun rolled, barely avoiding the edge of the flames as they spread.
Too close.
Even now.
Still too close.
He pushed himself back to his feet, breathing controlled despite the rising heat.
"Faster."
His body responded immediately.
Abyss Adaptation.
He could feel it working.
Each movement grew sharper. Each reaction slightly faster than before. It wasn't dramatic, but it was constant.
The wyvern noticed.
Its wings spread wider.
Another step forward.
It wasn't chasing.
It was closing in.
Herding him.
Seo-jun's eyes narrowed.
"Smart."
That confirmed it.
This wasn't just a monster.
It was thinking.
That made things worse.
But also.
Predictable.
He shifted direction suddenly, sprinting toward a collapsed section of the campus where concrete slabs formed uneven cover.
The wyvern reacted instantly.
Fire followed.
Seo-jun dove behind the debris just as the flames struck, the heat washing over him in a violent wave. The concrete shielded him for only a moment before cracks spread across its surface.
Not enough.
He moved again.
Never staying still.
Never giving it a clear target.
Each second he survived mattered.
Each second made him stronger.
That was his advantage.
That was his only advantage.
The wyvern roared.
This time, there was frustration in it.
Seo-jun almost smiled.
"Good."
If it was frustrated.
It was making mistakes.
He pushed forward again, this time circling, forcing the creature to turn its massive body to track him. The movement was slower, heavier.
There.
A delay.
Small.
But real.
Seo-jun's eyes sharpened.
That was what he needed.
He grabbed another piece of debris as he ran, testing its weight before hurling it toward the wyvern's face.
It shattered instantly against its scales.
Pointless damage.
But not useless.
The creature flinched.
Not from pain.
From irritation.
Its attention shifted for half a second.
Seo-jun moved.
He sprinted toward the edge of the fractured ground where the earth had split open into a deep, jagged trench. Smoke rose from within, heat pulsing upward like a living thing.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Perfect.
The wyvern followed.
Its wings beat once, lifting its body slightly before it landed again, closing the distance far faster than before.
Too fast.
Seo-jun's heartbeat spiked.
For a moment.
He almost miscalculated.
The creature was adapting.
Faster than expected.
He reached the edge of the trench.
Stopped.
Turned.
The wyvern lunged.
Its jaws opened wide, flames gathering again, ready to consume everything in front of it.
Seo-jun didn't move.
Not yet.
Closer.
Closer.
At the last possible moment.
He stepped back.
The ground beneath him crumbled instantly, giving way as he dropped into the trench.
Fire followed.
It tore past him, slamming into the collapsing edge, causing the entire section to break apart further.
Seo-jun twisted mid-fall, grabbing onto a jagged outcrop before he could drop deeper. His muscles strained as he caught himself, boots scraping against loose stone.
Above him.
The wyvern roared.
It couldn't follow easily.
Its size worked against it now.
Seo-jun pulled himself onto a narrow ledge, breathing steady despite the fall.
"Not a kill."
He muttered.
"But enough."
For now.
The wyvern paced along the edge, its massive head lowering as it searched for him. Smoke poured from its nostrils, anger building with each passing second.
Seo-jun remained still.
Hidden.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because this fight was never about winning.
It was about surviving long enough to grow.
A faint glow appeared before his eyes.
[Skill proficiency increased.]
[Predator's Instinct has evolved.]
Seo-jun's gaze sharpened.
"…evolved already."
That was fast.
Too fast.
But he didn't question it.
Instead, he opened his status again.
Name: Kang Seo-junLevel: 4
Class: Player
Profession: Abyssal Regressor (Hidden)
Stats:
Strength (STR): 24Agility (AGI): 24Vitality (VIT): 21Intelligence (INT): 18Perception (PER): 28
Skills:
• Regression Memory (Passive)• Abyss Adaptation (Passive)• Predator's Instinct (Enhanced) – Detects killing intent and weak points
Seo-jun exhaled slowly.
"Good."
That would make things easier.
Above him, the wyvern let out one final roar.
Then.
Silence.
Seo-jun frowned slightly.
He waited.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Nothing.
Carefully, he shifted his position and glanced upward.
The edge of the trench was empty.
The wyvern was gone.
His eyes narrowed.
"…no."
Not gone.
Just out of sight.
A faint shadow passed over him.
From above.
Seo-jun's body reacted instantly.
He looked up.
And his expression hardened.
Because the wyvern wasn't at the edge anymore.
It was in the air.
Wings fully spread.
Circling.
Waiting.
For him.