Unholy Player-Chapter 55: The Hunt Continues

Adyr removed his gear, changed into a clean set of blue pajamas, and slipped on his Crocs. Then, using a small amount of energy, he sent all the equipment back to Dawn Land.

Fortunately, transferring everything in bulk hadn’t drained much energy, but when he checked his stat panel and saw it at zero, he couldn’t help but frown. He still had four level-2 and ten level-1 energy crystals—enough to regain five energy—but he had a feeling energy would become a persistent concern.

He tapped his bracelet and opened his profile, noticing a new message. The information he had provided about evolution had earned him exactly 102 merit points. With the remaining 18, his total had now reached 120.

"I’ll wait before spending it," Adyr thought. He decided to hold off until Marielle returned and he had a chance to explain everything to her.

The merit rankings had also shifted slightly. Despite his recent spending, Adyr still sat at the top with 120 points. The third name on the list caught his eye—Eren, now sitting at 108. The others seemed to have used their points, but Eren hadn’t spent anything since yesterday, only added more.

Adyr had a good guess why. A faint smile crossed his lips as he moved on.

He skimmed the forums and found a few new posts. Some users had begun mapping their local areas and were offering the maps for sale to the research team.

Though the maps were small and lacking in detail, they included positions of the sun and moon, as well as seasonal markers—an interesting touch. It was clear these weren’t from his region, but from distant parts of the world.

Adyr briefly considered buying one with merit, but changed his mind. He didn’t need it yet. Better to wait until the maps offer more detail.

With nothing else to do, he left his room and headed upstairs to the playroom.

When he arrived, Dr. Eliot Vance and Nurse Mira were already there, waiting eagerly. Both stood to greet him as he entered.

After yesterday’s events, Eliot looked especially animated—almost childishly excited. The discoveries around genetic mutation and evolutionary mechanics had clearly stirred up the entire department.

After a routine health and condition check, Adyr stepped into the game pod.

"Enjoy the season, Mr. Adyr," Eliot said, smiling. He could hardly imagine what kind of data he might return with next, findings that could push their research even further.

—

Adyr opened his eyes in the dimly lit underground shelter. The villagers were already awake, silently waiting for his return.

"Welcome back," Vesha said with a smile as she hurried to his side. She offered him a prepared breakfast and gave a brief report. There wasn’t much to tell, but she made sure to cover anything he needed to know.

Her attitude today struck him as oddly formal. It no longer felt like she was the daughter of a noble from the Velari Kingdom. Instead, she acted as if he were the one with status—and she, his personal servant.

Power equals status in this world, Adyr thought.

He remembered the sermons preached by the Astra churches. They called on people to serve strength, disguising obedience as virtue. It was a little more than indoctrination.

But that wasn’t unusual. In every world, intelligent social creatures had always worshipped power. The only thing that changed was how each society chose to define it.

After spending some time in the shelter, Adyr set out to hunt. But he didn’t go after the wolves right away. First, he entered one of the houses and retrieved the gear he had previously stored in Dawn Land.

Fortunately, summoning equipment didn’t cost energy—only sending it back did. Once fully equipped, he stepped out and made his way toward the wolves’ cave.

"This is interesting," he muttered, observing the entrance from behind a distant tree.

Lying just outside was the alpha, much larger and stronger than the others. It was the first time he’d seen it waiting beyond the cave itself.

After a few minutes, he noticed the cave was empty. The rest of the pack was constantly on the move. Wolves came and went from the forest, each approaching the alpha briefly, like giving a report, before turning and heading straight back out.

It was a behavior Adyr hadn’t seen before.

Clearly, losing half the pack in a single day had forced a shift in their instincts. Their behavior had become more cautious, more coordinated.

But that only made things easier for Adyr. Now, he could find them scattered across the forest—isolated, one by one.

Their senses had dulled for whatever reason, which meant the forest was no longer their natural hunting ground. They might still be strong, but with Adyr around, they were no longer the predators here.

Adyr moved through the forest and soon picked up a track—his first prey.

With their numbers reduced, the wolves were no longer moving in pairs. They were alone now, worn down by the deaths of their kin and the pressure from their alpha to hunt for the culprit without rest.

Adyr didn’t bother with strategy. He reached over his shoulder and drew both tactical knives with a deliberate motion, then approached the wolf with steady steps.

"You’ll be my first target to test these blades," he said, twirling the long knives once in his hands before lunging forward.

The wolf, though exhausted, still had its reflexes. It dodged the stab from Adyr’s right blade and barely avoided the left-hand swing, escaping with only a shallow cut.

I should raise my Will stat before facing the alpha, Adyr thought mid-fight, already planning ahead.

He didn’t give the wolf a chance to counter. With relentless, precise strikes, he drove it back, wearing it down over several minutes until it was pinned. Then, with a quick slash to the throat, he ended it—blood spilling as the body collapsed.

The blades were razor-sharp—just the way he liked them.

As the wolf twitched in its final moments, Adyr wiped his blades clean and slid them back into place.

He then drew a throwing knife from his belt and pried the energy crystal from the wolf’s skull.

Before moving on to his next target, he consumed two level-2 crystals from Dawn Land, along with the one he had just harvested, bringing his energy back up to three.

He opened the system log and registered three newly acquired talents.

[Talent Recognition: "Throwing (Lv1)" confirmed.]

– Talent has been identified based on consistent use of accurate, mid-range projectile attacks.

[Talent Recognition: "Butchering (Lv1)" confirmed.]

– Talent has been identified based on repeated dismantling of carcasses with precision and efficiency.

[Talent Recognition: "Tactic (Lv1)" confirmed.]

– Talent has been identified based on demonstrated ability to observe, plan, and exploit behavioral patterns in combat.

- Proceed with registration to the Status Panel?

- Cost: 1 Energy per talent

- Reward: 1 Free Stat Point per talent

Then he allocated his newly gained stat point to [Will]. With this boost, the wolves’ reflexes would be a little less of a nuisance.