The sharp virtual morning air did little to cut through the lingering chill in Eron's bones. He opened his eyes, not to the familiar muted colors of his hospital room, but to the rough, moss-covered ceiling of their makeshift Shelter Cave. A sigh escaped him, one that felt real, full of the strength his physical body could only dream of. In here, he wasn't just a paralyzed young man; he was a Tamer, with the world of Online Taming Game stretching out before him.
But that world also included Raiv.
The gray wolf cub lay curled beside him, a small, warm bundle of fur. Raiv was still sleeping, a faint whine escaping his muzzle as if battling some unseen phantom in his dreams. Eron reached out a virtual hand, stroking the soft fur behind Raiv's ear. The cub instinctively leaned into the touch, a low rumble starting in his chest – the closest thing he had to a purr.
F-rank. The system notification had hit Eron harder than any blow. The lowest possible rank, a supposed curse. It echoed the same dismissive glances and pitying whispers he'd known in his real life. He was supposed to get a beast with potential, something to help him clear the Taming Trial and eventually escape this first zone, Wounded Fang Forest. Instead, he got Raiv, a wounded, F-ranked pup.
Yet, there was something about Raiv. Something that whispered of more than just a failure. His eyes, even now in sleep, sometimes held a glint that seemed too knowing for a mere cub. And the way he'd looked at Eron after his own disastrous taming, not with fear, but a strange, quiet understanding.
"Alright, buddy," Eron murmured, carefully shifting to avoid disturbing the still-healing wound on Raiv's flank. "Time to face the music. Or, you know, find some actual music, if food counts."
Raiv's ears twitched, then one eye slowly opened, a cloudy grey iris blinking up at Eron. With a stretch and a yawn that showed surprisingly sharp needle-like teeth, the cub pushed himself up. He still moved with a slight limp, a constant reminder of his injured state.
Their first priority was food. Hunting was out of the question. Even the weakest wild beasts in Wounded Fang Forest were too much for an F-rank cub and a freshly-spawned Tamer. Their current strategy was foraging. Eron had spent the previous evening studying the sparse information available on edible flora in the game's basic interface.
"Okay, plan's simple," Eron announced, more to himself than Raiv as they stepped out of the shallow cave into the dappled light of the forest. Towering, gnarled trees with deep green canopies cast long shadows. The air hummed with unseen life – the buzz of insects, the rustle of leaves, and the distant, unsettling calls of larger creatures. "We look for those Glow-Berries near the river. They're supposed to be safe and surprisingly filling. And, hopefully, nothing tries to eat us while we're looking."
Raiv trotted beside him, sniffing at the ground, his tail giving a tentative, almost imperceptible wag. He seemed to understand the gravity of their situation, or perhaps just the universal language of "food."
The journey to the river was slow. The forest floor was a tangled mess of roots and undergrowth, and Eron had to constantly keep an eye out for dangers. Small, spiny creatures scurried through the bushes, and the occasional rustle in the deeper shadows made the hairs on his neck stand up. He kept Raiv close, the small wolf never straying more than a few feet from his side.
As they neared the river, a faint, sickly sweet scent wafted through the air. Eron frowned. It wasn't the fresh, earthy smell of the forest. He pulled Raiv back, crouching low behind a cluster of thick ferns.
Peering through the leaves, Eron saw it. Not Glow-Berries. A patch of Viper Vines. Their leaves were a sickly purple, and grotesque, bulbous flowers pulsed with a faint, hypnotic light. One of the game's lower-level threats, but still deadly. Their pollen could induce a paralytic effect, leaving prey helpless. And directly in the center of the patch, partially hidden, were the bright, innocuous-looking Glow-Berries they were seeking.
Dammit. Eron felt a familiar wave of helplessness wash over him, a ghost of his real-world limitations. He couldn't just dash in. He had no combat skills, and Raiv was too weak.
Raiv, however, had gone rigid. His hackles rose almost imperceptibly, and a low, guttural growl rumbled in his chest – a sound far deeper and more menacing than Eron expected from such a small cub. The F-rank wolf, supposedly weak and cowardly, was staring down the Viper Vines with an intensity that bordered on furious.
Suddenly, a small, scaly lizard, probably attracted by the Viper Vines' glow, darted out from the bushes, heading straight for the berries. Before Eron could even react, Raiv lunged. It wasn't a well-trained pounce, but a desperate, instinctual burst of speed. He intercepted the lizard, knocking it away from the plants, then, with a shocking display of agility, snapped at a dangling vine.
No, Raiv! Eron mentally commanded, trying to pull him back, but the cub was already retreating, a single purple stamen from the Viper Vine caught on his fur.
The system, however, had other plans.
[System Notice] – Raiv has developed a resistance to environmental toxins due to exposure to concentrated mana decay.
Eron blinked. Mana decay? He hadn't seen that term before. And Raiv had just gained a resistance from a single touch? Not a debuff, a resistance?
Raiv shook himself, the stamen falling away, and then looked back at the Viper Vines with what seemed like a calculated glare, rather than fear. He nudged Eron's hand with his snout, then looked towards the Glow-Berries, a clear message in his intelligent eyes.
He wants to try again. Eron swallowed. This wasn't how an F-rank cub was supposed to behave. It wasn't how any cub was supposed to behave after a brush with poison.
"Alright, buddy," Eron whispered, a new surge of hope blossoming in his chest. "If you say so." He scanned the area around the Viper Vines, looking for a path, a distraction.
Raiv whined softly, then nudged Eron's hand again. This time, a small, almost invisible ripple of energy passed from the cub to Eron. It wasn't mana, but something else, something... primal.
[New Trait Unlocked!] – "Instinctual Forager" activated: Raiv possesses an innate ability to sense edible flora within close proximity, even if hidden by hazards. This trait appears linked to heightened perception.
Eron's eyes widened. "Instinctual Forager"? This wasn't just a resistance; it was a skill. And it had activated just by Raiv nudging him and wanting to find food. This was beyond odd. F-rank beasts didn't get unique, complex traits like this from simple foraging. They were supposed to be… basic.
He looked at Raiv, who was now nudging a specific spot on the ground, away from the worst of the Viper Vines. Following Raiv's gaze, Eron spotted a narrow, almost hidden gap in the foliage, a pathway obscured by hanging vines, leading straight towards the Glow-Berries without touching the main patch of the Viper Vines.
A chill ran down Eron's spine, but it wasn't from fear. It was from a growing sense of wonder, and something else—a faint, almost imperceptible hum that seemed to emanate from Raiv.
This wolf... he's not just F-rank. He's something else entirely.
[System Anomaly Detected] – Raiv's current behavioral patterns deviate from established F-rank parameters. Further monitoring required. Warning: Unregistered Data Signature Detected.