The apartment walls felt thinner than usual—like the screams outside had learned how to press through concrete. Luis sat cross-legged on the floor, fingers clenched around the last count of Soul Essence.
Three hundred.
Still not enough.
Above him, Zyx floated upside down near the ceiling, idly flipping a phantom coin between his fingers. "Y'know," he drawled, "there is a faster way."
Luis didn't look up. "If you're about to suggest killing other Hosts again—"
"Not just any Hosts," Zyx said, righting himself mid-air. "Just the weak ones. The ones who'll die anyway. Think of it as... mercy with a side of progress."
Luis's jaw clenched. His grip tightened around the wrench.
"No."
"Oh, come on—"
"I'm not a murderer." The words came out harder than he meant. He exhaled and steadied his voice. "If it's life or death, I'll fight. But I'm not harvesting people like loot drops."
Zyx paused, studying him with something almost like respect—then rolled his eyes. "Fine. Enjoy your holy crusade while farming metal rabbits for the next decade."
Grind, Adapt, Survive
Dawn painted the Forest of Low-Level Horrors in streaks of gray gold as Luis returned to the hunt. His shoulders ached from the previous night, his wrench felt heavier in his hand, and the monsters—somehow—had grown bolder.
The Rustfang Hares were smarter now. The Bramble Crawlers struck from higher branches. And the Shade Stalkers? They'd started circling before lunging.
"You're getting predictable," Zyx muttered, arms crossed. "They're learning."
Luis ducked under a web of thorns and baited a Shade Stalker into a clearing. "Then I'll learn faster."
The shadow-wolf lunged. But as it did, something sharp and cold flickered inside Luis's chest—a tingle, a static pulse crawling under his skin. His vision washed in violet.
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: MISFORTUNE'S TOUCH]Inflicts a random debuff for 10 seconds:
Damage Vulnerability (10–100%)
Movement Impairment (10–100%)
Critical Failure (5–50%)
Perception Glitch (10–100%)
Stagger Magnet (Next hit guarantees knockdown)Cooldown per target: 1 hour
The Stalker was mid-leap when its paw snagged on a root—its head whipped down, throat lining up perfectly with Luis's rising wrench.
CRACK.
The beast hit the ground with a limp thud.
[SHADE STALKER DEFEATED][SOUL ESSENCE: +25][MISFORTUNE'S TOUCH EFFECT: CRITICAL FAILURE – 34%]
Zyx let out a low whistle. "Okay… that's handy."
Luis stared at his hands, breath ragged. "Why now?"
"Some god powers unlock under pressure," Zyx replied. "And kid—you're basically a walking pressure cooker."
Nine Hours Later
Night had fallen again when Luis finally dropped against a tree, bruised and bleeding but victorious. Soul essence shimmered faintly in the air around him.
[SOUL ESSENCE: 2,017][LEVEL UP: 1 ➝ 2 (45%)]
He coughed out a laugh, lips cracked and dry. "Finally."
Zyx floated overhead, for once silent. After a pause, he nodded toward the skyline. "Let's go. You're bleeding too loud."
Wolves and Watchers
They were two blocks from the apartment when Luis felt it—wrongness. A pressure in the air like someone pressing hot metal against his lungs.
Then came the stench. Wet fur and rust.
Luis froze as a gust of wind carried the scent around the corner.
There, perched atop the hood of a crushed SUV, was a Silver Wolf King (Lv. 11). Muscles like twisted wire. Eyes lit with stormlight. Arcs of static clinging to its silvered fur.
And five Hosts encircling it.
A woman in molten gauntlets, fists glowing orange.
A man with electrified katanas, blades buzzing with voltage.
A teen whose shadow lashed like tendrils.
A sniper posted on a high fire escape.
And their leader—dressed in black tactical gear, arms humming with gravity distortions.
The fight was a blur of destruction. The wolf carved through the street like a living storm. The gravity-user dented its ribs with a punch that made the air fold. The sniper's shot took its eye. The shadow-user's tendrils locked its limbs. The gauntlet-woman? She cracked open its skull like a melon.
[SILVER WOLF KING DEFEATED]
Then the gravity-user turned. And looked right at Luis's hiding spot.
Luis didn't move. Didn't breathe.
A heartbeat passed.
The man smirked—just slightly—then turned away, joining his team.
Zyx, almost inaudible, whispered, "That was Krathos' crew. And now they know your face."
Luis's pulse thundered in his ears.
He reached into his jacket, clutching the Soul Essence like a dying prayer.
"…Then I better craft something damn good."