Unholy Player-Chapter 56: Unseen Defeat

[Physique]: 20

[Will]: 6 → 9

[Resilience]: 5

[Sense]: 4

As Adyr checked his stats, he could feel the change in his body. The [Will] stat worked its wonders once again. It felt as if every cell in his body had awakened, all urging him to move.

The rustling leaves, the insects crawling on the ground, the drifting clouds above—everything around him seemed to resonate with his motion. He felt as though he was beginning to understand the rhythm behind it all. Even the smallest movement carried intention.

It was like upgrading his brain from Human OS 1.0 to 2.0—a revolutionary shift that delivered maximum efficiency with minimal effort.

He paused for a moment to savor the sensation, then continued his hunt.

This time, he was faster. One by one, he tracked down wolves and took them out.

Unless he launched a surprise attack, the wolves’ reflexes still let them dodge his first strike. But the more accustomed he grew to his blades, the more lethal his follow-up became. By the second strike, most couldn’t recover.

When he found the eighth and final wolf of the day, he didn’t go in for the kill.

Instead, he wore it down with precise attacks, injuring it just enough to incapacitate it. Then he tied it up with a rope from his belt and hid it beneath a tree.

With that done, only one target remained—the boss. The alpha wolf.

When he reached the cave, the alpha was still lying outside, basking in the sunlight. It looked calm, almost indifferent to its surroundings.

But Adyr didn’t take it for carelessness. This wolf was different—and clearly far stronger. Rushing in wouldn’t work this time. He needed a plan.

He rigged the area with thin wire and a few grenades from his bag—precautions in case a retreat became necessary.

The system registered his actions.

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

Adyr chose to register it. He consumed one of the eight level-2 crystals he’d stored in Dawn Land, gaining 1 energy and earning a free stat point, which he allocated to [Resilience].

It would improve his odds of surviving if things went sideways.

Once preparations were done, he began approaching the alpha.

Just like with the previous alpha, his aim was to strike first and gain the upper hand. Even if the attack didn’t land cleanly, acting first could shift the momentum in his favor.

But as he closed the gap, something unexpected happened.

What the hell?

His vision suddenly blurred.

There were barely four or five meters between them, but it felt like he had gone nearsighted in an instant. The glare from the sun fractured strangely in his eyes, as if distorted by astigmatism.

Caught off guard, Adyr decided to retreat. But then something else hit him—something worse.

It wasn’t just his sight. His hearing, sense of smell—everything was gone. His awareness dulled all at once, and in that disoriented state, he stepped on a dry branch.

Crack!

"Oh shit," he muttered, watching as the alpha wolf’s ears perked up and its head snapped in his direction.

He turned to flee.

But after just a few steps, a sharp, crushing force slammed into his back, sending him flying into a nearby tree. He hit the trunk hard and crashed to the ground.

Two rough coughs left his throat, and Adyr forced his breathing back into rhythm. Blood pooled at the corners of his lips as he raised his head, blinking through the blur.

"What the fuck is this? Are you a Spark?" He muttered, confused.

Each step the creature took seemed to unravel his senses further. Vision dulled. Sounds faded. Smells vanished. It was as if the world was being turned down around him. And yet, the system gave no warning. No [Spark Detected]. No notification. Nothing.

Adyr shoved the thought aside. This wasn’t the time to think. He needed to survive.

The wolf crept closer, then suddenly lunged.

Adyr reacted instantly—his arm swung back, ripping the shield from his back just in time to intercept the beast. Metal clanged against teeth. Sparks burst from the impact. The force of it sent tremors through his bones.

The shield held—but just barely.

Three deep gouges ran across its surface, marking where the claws had landed earlier. It was still intact. Still holding.

Until it didn’t.

With a guttural snarl, the wolf bit down, clamped its jaws around the shield, and yanked.

The steel tore from Adyr’s grasp with a jarring screech. The creature’s jaws tightened. With a wet groan of strained metal, the shield crumpled like cheap scrap, folding inward with ease. Then the beast spat it out and pounced again.

But Adyr was ready.

His fingers had already pulled the pin. The grenade in his left hand blinked red.

One second... Half...

He hurled it straight into the wolf’s face.

Boom.

The explosion lit up the forest. A wave of heat and pressure slammed into him, and his body launched backward, his spine crashing into the trunk of the thick tree. Bark cracked. Air fled his lungs. He dropped to the ground like a ragdoll.

Pain shot through his arms as he shielded himself from the explosion. His right forearm was torn open, skin and cloth shredded to reveal exposed bone. His hand was completely useless.

He clenched his jaw.

The smoke was thick, dust rising in columns. Through it, he squinted, trying to see.

And then he saw it.

"You fucking monster," he whispered. It was the first time Adyr had ever called something else a monster.

The wolf’s head emerged from the cloud. Its left side was untouched—having turned away just in time—but the right was a mess. Skin and flesh were gone. Its eye was missing. Only a bloody skull remained.

And yet... it moved without hesitation. It lunged again.

Adyr dove sideways.

Crash.

A tree behind him split down the middle as claws tore through it like paper. The creature had missed him by inches.

His ears were ringing. His eyes are still unfocused. The closer the wolf came, the more his senses collapsed. He couldn’t even tell which way to run.

But his body moved on instinct.

He pushed himself up and sprinted into the woods. Leaves whipped past his face. Branches clawed at his skin.

Just as he sensed a threat closing in behind him, he turned slightly—just enough to raise what was left of his right arm. freёweɓnovel.com

The wolf’s jaws locked onto it, crushing bone as if it were paper.

It thrashed him like a rag doll, then flung him through the air. His body flew, crashing into the underbrush. The only reason he escaped was that his arm had been torn off entirely.

He rolled. Coughed. Spat blood. His shoulder was bleeding out fast.

"Fuck... fuck..." he gasped, dragging himself to his feet. No time to stop. No time to think.

He ran.

The further he got, the clearer his senses became. Sounds returned. His vision stabilized. The trees weren’t just shapes anymore—they were paths. Escape routes.

Up ahead, he spotted one of his traps—a thin wire stretched between two trees. He ducked under it just in time.

A second later, the wolf lunged again. The wire caught its face but snapped instantly, leaving only a shallow cut.

Still, it bought Adyr a precious second—enough to shrug off his jacket.

He braced himself as his wings unfurled. The moment they reached full span, he flapped hard, trying to lift off. It was his only chance to escape the tank-like beast barreling after him.

But it failed.

Just as he left the ground, a sharp pain tore through his left wing.

The wolf had leapt and bitten into it, crushing the bones with a sickening crunch. Flesh tore as it ripped out a chunk.

Adyr realized the wing was crippled—flight was impossible. So he flapped again, not to ascend, but to boost his speed.

He rushed toward another trap.

This one was different: the wire wasn’t anchored to trees but connected to two grenades, each with its timer nearly expired.

Even if it didn’t kill the wolf, it just needed to buy enough time.

Thanks to the burst of speed from his wings, Adyr managed to outrun the beast just long enough to lead it into the trap.

BOOM!

The explosion hurled Adyr forward.

His wings had absorbed the worst of the blast and were torn apart in the process, but he hoped the wolf, caught at the center, had taken even more damage.

Or at least, that’s what he told himself.

He didn’t stay to see the outcome. He was in a critical state, bleeding by the second.

Staggering, he made his way to his next destination—not the village, not the underground shelter, but the wolf he had left alive and tied beneath a tree.

After a short walk, he found it. The beast was still there, struggling weakly against the rope.

Adyr approached, swaying with each step.

It had been his final preparation in case something went wrong during the fight with the alpha—and now, he was glad he’d made that choice.