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Chapter 4 - Chapter 4 : Hunt Begins

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The night air bit deeper than before.

Ren Kurozawa slipped through his second-floor bedroom window with practiced ease, landing in a crouch on the dew-covered grass below. The moonlight flickered off the blade strapped to his side—a compact, curved knife he'd taken the time to sharpen. He wore a dark hoodie, its hood up, and fingerless gloves that hugged his palms tightly.

It was his second hunt.

The first—killing that mutated rat in the alley—had shattered the thin veil between the old world and this new, terrifying reality. Since then, everything had changed. His body. His senses. The world itself. There was no going back.

And there was no time to waste.

He cut through the city outskirts like a shadow, his movements silent and swift. Every breath was controlled. Every step calculated. Ahead of him rose the skeletal remains of what had once been Sector 3-D, a middle-class residential zone evacuated after overgrowth and anomalous fauna were reported. Rumors of attacks had circulated—families torn apart, animals warped beyond recognition. The government never acknowledged it, but the barricades and missing persons reports told the story loud enough.

Perfect hunting grounds.

Ren stepped over faded caution tape and entered the ruins. The broken windows of empty houses stared down at him like soulless eyes. Vines crept along the curbs. Trees had burst through sidewalks like invaders, and the distant groan of twisted metal echoed between homes.

He paused.

A rustle.

Then—a low growl.

From the shadows emerged a creature the size of a Doberman. Its fur was patchy, diseased, its spine erupting in jagged bone spikes. It snarled, blood-red eyes glinting.

[Bone-Back Fox – Level 3]

Ren's hand closed around his blade.

The beast charged.

He sidestepped in a blur of motion, slicing low. The knife bit into flesh. The fox yelped, then twisted midair, jaws snapping. It was fast—but he was faster. A roll, a pivot, a drive of his blade into the exposed throat.

The fox let out a choking gasp and collapsed.

A heat rushed through Ren's body.

> [+100 EXP]

[Devourer – Active]

[Devouring… Success]

[Level Up – Level 2 Reached]

[All Attributes Increased Slightly. +1 Free Attribute Point Earned]

[New Talent Acquired: Night Sight]

He stood in the silence, breath steady despite the rush. It was getting easier. Killing. Adapting.

Pulling out his phone, he updated his log.

[Ren Kurozawa – Growth Log]

Date: June 18

Level: 2

EXP: 0/200

Devour Points: 4

Free Attribute Points: 1

Energy Points: 4

New Talent: Night Sight – Passive. Enhances vision in low-light environments.

Attributes:

Strength: 11

Agility: 20

Endurance: 10

Intelligence: 12

Perception: 10

He remained in the ruins for hours, killing silently, cleanly.

A pair of mutated raccoons fell to his blades. Then a beetle the size of a football—its carapace thick but not enough to stop his strikes.

By dawn, Ren was back in his bed, as if nothing had happened.

June 19 – Morning

The scent of grilled fish drifted through the home. Ren sat at the table, eyes slightly hooded. Yuna, his mother, glanced at him over the steaming pot of rice.

"You look exhausted. You sure you slept?"

Ren forced a yawn. "Yeah, just stayed up reading. Couldn't sleep."

Takeshi, his father, sipped his coffee slowly, his gaze sharper. "You've been restless lately."

Ren met his gaze without blinking. "Just stress. No school, nothing to do."

Neither of them pushed further, but Ren could feel the unspoken questions.

After breakfast, he returned to his room, locked the door, and lay back on the bed. His muscles still hummed with energy. He could barely sit still.

He needed more.

June 19 – Night

Sector 3-D greeted him like an old friend.

This time, he brought a second blade—sleek, durable, pulled from his father's old military kit. He moved through the ruins with confidence, dispatching mutated creatures in quick succession.

> Level 4 – Spiny Hound: Killed.

[+120 EXP]

[Level Up – Level 3]

[New Talent: Quick Recovery – Increases stamina regeneration]

> Level 2 – Beetle: Killed.

[+30 EXP]

[EXP: 30/300]

> Level 5 – Bramble Cat: Killed.

[+150 EXP]

[EXP: 180/300]

> Level 1 – Crow: Killed.

[+5 EXP]

[EXP: 185/300]

By June 24, Ren had reached Level 9.

His body had transformed.

His senses sharper. His reflexes faster than human. He could see in the dark, feel vibrations in the ground, suppress his scent, even dull pain at will. He had become something else—something evolved—something more powerful

Something that surpassed the human limits

[Ren Kurozawa – Status Panel]

Level: 9

EXP: 850/900

Devour Points: 124

Free Attribute Points: 9

Energy Points: 124

Main Talent: Devourer

Other Talents Acquired:

Swift Speed

Night Sight

Quick Recovery

Scent Suppression

Minor Regeneration

Enhanced Reflex

Vibration Sense

Adrenaline Burst

Silent Steps

Pain Dampening

Danger Instinct

Attributes:

Strength: 19

Agility: 25

Endurance: 18

Intelligence: 14

Perception: 17

But the night of June 25 would mark a change.

He had just finished off a Level 6 porcupine-like beast, its quills brittle and reeking of acidic blood, when the world seemed to… pause.

A hiss.

Long, drawn out. Cold as frostbite.

Ren turned, every sense screaming.

A pale silhouette slithered along the wall of a ruined home. It moved like smoke over ice—smooth, silent, terrible.

Moonlight revealed its full shape: a massive white serpent. Its scales shimmered with an unnatural gleam. Two short horns curled from its head. Eyes the color of glaciers stared back, emotionless and ancient.

[??? – Level 10]

Ren didn't breathe.

The serpent didn't lunge. It simply watched.

Seconds passed like hours.

Then—with no warning—it vanished into the shadows , slipping between broken houses, disappearing like it had never been there at all.

Ren stood frozen, blade in hand.

His panel blinked in front of him.

> [EXP: 850/900] – Just one more kill to Level 10.

But he didn't move.

Because for the first time since awakening his talent...

Ren felt something close to fear.

He couldn't make up his mind whether to attack or wait .

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