World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 61: Savage

They ran through the forest, the sounds of snapping branches close behind them. Nox moved easily from one thick tree to the next. He used his Parkour skill, the dangerous run feeling almost easy.

Serian was a different story. She was an elf and this was her natural terrain. She was graceful but her injured ankle made her slow. She was lagging behind, her breathing coming in ragged bursts.

Nox glanced back, annoyance crossing his face. ’She’s too slow. She’s going to get us both killed.’ He was about to yell at her to keep up when he saw her land awkwardly on a thick root. Her ankle gave out completely.

She cried out, a loud sound of pain, and tumbled from the branch. She hit the forest floor with a heavy thud.

He kept going for another ten feet, then skidded to a stop, crouching on a low branch. He looked back. Serian was trying to push herself up, her face pale. The sounds of the pack were getting closer, low growls echoing through the trees. He could see the red glow of their eyes appearing in the darkness. They were closing in on her.

’Leave her,’ the old part of his brain screamed. ’She’s a liability. You have your own mission. Survive.’

He stayed there for a long second, his muscles tense, ready to run. He saw one of the farewolves, a huge, dark shape, step into the small clearing around Serian. It lowered its head, a hungry growl rumbling in its chest.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. He wasn’t sure why he was doing it, but he knew he couldn’t just leave her.

He jumped down from his branch, landing softly on the ground a few feet away from her. The wolves stopped, their glowing red eyes shifting to him, the new, bigger threat.

"Stay behind me," he said, not taking his eyes off the pack. There were at least five of them, circling slowly.

Serian pushed herself up, leaning against a tree for support. "Nox, no," she said, her voice tight with pain and urgency. "I can still fight. I can create a distraction, you can get away."

"It’s fine," he said, a strange sense of calm settling over him. "This is the perfect opportunity to test something out."

The lead farewolf, the biggest of the pack, decided it was done waiting. It leaped, a blur of dark fur and snapping teeth aimed right for his throat.

’Activate Primal Strength.’

He didn’t feel a warm rush of power. It was a cold, brutal surge, like ice water being injected directly into his muscles. The world seemed to slow down for a fraction of a second. He could see the individual teeth in the wolf’s open mouth, the slobber flying from its jowls.

A dark, smoke-like energy escaped his lips with every breath, and his eyes began to glow with the same unsettling, corrupted light.

He didn’t sidestep. He didn’t block. He just met the charge head-on.

He punched the wolf in the face.

His fist connected with its snout with a sound like a sledgehammer hitting concrete. The creature’s head snapped back with a sickening crack. The farewolf, which weighed as much as a small car, was thrown backward through the air. It crashed into a tree and slid to the ground in a boneless heap, its red eyes dark.

The other four wolves froze, the aggression in their glowing eyes replaced by a flicker of confusion, then fear.

The god chat exploded in his head.

[Lord of Carnage] YES! THAT’S what I’m talking about! Pulverized it with one punch! That’s real power!

[Baron Von Cynic] My, my. The whelp has learned a new trick. How delightfully savage. Still, there are four more. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks] He’s so strong! 😱 But that power... it looks so scary! Please be careful, Nox!

He didn’t have time to read their comments. The remaining farewolves got over their shock and attacked together, a coordinated wave of claws and teeth coming from all sides. He didn’t try to dodge them all. He let one of them get close, its claws raking across his back. The pain was a distant thing, easily ignored.

He spun, his elbow catching the wolf under its jaw. It stumbled, and he grabbed it by the thick fur on its neck with one hand. He lifted it off the ground, the creature kicking and snarling, and threw it into another wolf that was lunging at him. The two monsters went down in a tangled mess of fur and limbs.

He moved to the next one, his feet steady on the uneven ground. This one was smarter, it feinted high then tried to bite his leg. He just stomped down hard on its head. There was a dull crunch, and the wolf went limp.

He was a whirlwind of brutal, efficient violence. He wasn’t a swordsman, he wasn’t a mage. He was just a raw force, punching, kicking, and throwing creatures twice his size around like they were stuffed toys.

Serian watched from the base of her tree, her mouth slightly open. The sight was terrifying. This wasn’t the boy she’d raced through the city. This wasn’t the human who had looked so lost in the arcade. This was something else. The dark energy flowing from his mouth was visible to her, a constant stream of corruption. His eyes were not human; they were glowing pits of cold power.

’He is a monster,’ she thought, her hand tightening on her sword hilt. But then another thought followed, unbidden. ’A cool monster.’

He took down the third wolf, his breath coming in heavy gasps now. The Primal Strength skill was potent, but the stamina drain was immense. His muscles were starting to burn, and his movements were getting a little slower.

The last farewolf saw its chance. It didn’t charge him head-on. It circled, looking for an opening.

’It’s waiting for me to get tired,’ he realized. ’Smart.’

He let his arms hang at his sides, deliberately making himself look exhausted. The last farewolf took the bait. It lunged, a dark shape of pure hunger aiming for his exposed side.

He moved at the last second, sidestepping the attack with a speed that belied his fatigue. As the wolf shot past him, his hand shot out, not to grab its leg, but to seize its head. He clamped one hand over the creature’s upper snout, his fingers digging in. His other hand grabbed its lower jaw, forcing the wolf’s mouth open in a silent snarl.

The monster thrashed, its powerful body twisting, trying to shake him off. Its claws raked at the ground, but his grip was absolute. A low growl ripped from his own throat, the dark, smoky energy of his corrupted mana swirling from his lips.

He squeezed, his muscles screaming with the effort of the Primal Strength skill. He felt bone give way beneath his grip, the massive skull of the wolf collapsing inward.

The creature’s struggles stopped instantly.

He let the dead thing fall to the ground and looked down at his handiwork. A cold, vicious smirk spread across his face. It wasn’t a smile of victory, it was a look of pure, savage satisfaction.

The forest went quiet again. The only sound was his own harsh, ragged breathing. The cold power of Primal Strength receded, and the pain from his wounds hit him all at once. His back felt like it had been shredded, and his whole body ached. He swayed on his feet, his vision blurring.

A series of blue screens lit up his vision, one after another.

[Farewolf Defeated! x4]

[EXP Gained: 32,000]

[Level Up!]

[You are now Level 19!]

[All stats increased by 1!]

[You have 5 unallocated stat points!]

[Level Up!]

[You are now Level 20!]

[All stats increased by 1!]

[You have 5 unallocated stat points!]

[Skill: Primal Strength has leveled up due to repeated, high-stress use!]

[New Description: (Lvl 2) Temporarily flood your muscles with raw power, significantly increasing unarmed damage and Strength. Stamina drain is moderately reduced.]

[Skill: Parkour has leveled up from navigating hazardous terrain under pressure!]

[New Description: (Lvl 2) Further enhances agility and coordination. Significantly reduces fall damage and improves climbing speed. Increases movement efficiency on uneven terrain.]

[Skill: Regeneration has leveled up from sustained critical damage!]

[New Description: (Lvl 2) Regenerates health at a moderately increased rate. Less effective during active combat.]

[Skill: Indomitable Will has leveled up from overcoming extreme pain and exhaustion!]

[New Description: (Lvl 2) Greatly increases resistance to mental attacks and pain. Grants a chance to ignore minor staggering effects from damage.]

He barely had time to process the skill-ups before his full status screen appeared, a detailed report of his current condition.

[Player Status]

[Name: Nox]

[Level: 20]

[Title: Anomaly Slayer, Dungeon Conqueror, Mercenary Hunter]

[HP: 90/280]

[MP: 5/60]

[Strength: 49]

[Agility: 49]

[Stamina: 27]

[Endurance: 44]

[Perception: 37]

[Luck: 24]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 40]

[Divine Coins: 100]

[Gods Watching You: 53]

[Skills:]

[Regeneration (Passive) - Lvl 2]

[Indomitable Will (Passive) - Lvl 2]

[Weapon Mastery (Passive) - Lvl 1]

[Appraise (Active) - Lvl 1]

[Soul Link (Passive) - Yeda, Kendra, Vasa]

[Lesser Mana Weaving (Active) - Lvl 1]

[Parkour (Passive) - Lvl 2]

[Core Integration (Passive/Active) - Lvl 1] freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

[Primal Strength (Active) - Lvl 2]

[Skill Tree: Corrupted]

- [Unseen Blade (Active) - Lvl 1]

- [Shadow Mend (Passive) - Lvl 1]

Serian pushed herself up from the tree and limped over to him, her own pain forgotten for a moment. She knelt in front of him, her expression a mixture of awe and absolute terror at what she had just witnessed.

"Nox?" she asked, her voice quiet. "Are you alright?"

He just looked up at her, his face pale and covered in sweat and dirt. "Peachy," he rasped, before he pitched forward onto the ground, completely unconscious.

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