Ash woke before the sun.
The fog clung low across the forest floor, veiling the ground in ghostly tendrils.
Birds didn't sing. Even the insects were quiet.
He had no reason to move yet—no hunger, no threat—but his instincts stirred.
Something was shifting.
[Status: Rested]
[Buff: Predator's Path – Duration Remaining: 22:13:47]
[Talent Passive: Killer's Focus – Active]
The Wheel hadn't spoken again since yesterday. But Ash felt it humming somewhere beneath his bones—quiet but ancient. Older than the Echo system itself.
Today, he would test its gifts.
He moved like a shadow. Bark cloak on his shoulders. Spear in hand. The forest swallowed his steps.
[Tracking Skill: 1 (Untrained)]
[Attempting Passive Detection… Success]
— Echo disturbance detected— Signs of passage: bent branches, shallow prints
Target: Duskrunner(Beast – Tier D)
LVL: 4 | Speed: High | Threat: Moderate
Ash's eyes narrowed. Duskrunners were forest raptors—dog-sized, quick, with fangs and a cruel sense of play. Fragile if caught off-guard.
He crouched behind a root and waited.
[Predator Focus Activated]
[+10% Critical Chance vs Unaware Targets]
The beast emerged—slender, pale, snout twitching near the brush.
Ash breathed slow.
One clean hit.
He rose. Quiet. Measured.
Then he lunged.
The spear struck bark.
The Duskrunner wasn't there. It twisted, sensed him somehow,
and bolted—tail lashing like a whip as it vanished into the fog.
"Damn it—!"
Ash sprinted after it, but it was already gone. Even with Time Warp, he couldn't close the gap.
[Target Escaping…]
[Alert: Echo Signature Shifting – Something Else Nearby]
[Warning: Ambient Threat Level Rising]
He froze.
That wasn't the Duskrunner.
A low growl rolled through the trees.
Branches cracked behind him. Heavy footfalls. A looming shadow.
[New Entity Detected – Feral-Class]
Name: Bonehowl Lurker
Level: 9
Type: Corrupted Beast
Rank: Tier C (Moderate)
Special Traits:‣ Camouflage‣ Bone Armor Plates‣ Echo-Infused Scream (Stuns 1–3s)
Ash didn't wait.
He ran.
Bushes tore at his legs. Branches slashed his arms. Footsteps thundered behind him, close and closing.
[Stamina: 48/60]
[Escape Path Marked – South Ridge Stream]
[Chance of Survival: 36%]
He ducked under a fallen trunk, scraping his shoulder. Slid down a mossy slope. Landed hard in mud.
The Bonehowl Lurker slammed into the ridge just above—snarling, massive.
But it didn't leap.
It sniffed the air where Ash had fallen. Slowly—deliberately—it pawed the ground.
Then it turned.
Its skull-face tilted sideways… like it understood.
Then it vanished into the fog.
Ash lay still. Ten minutes passed before he moved.
His hands trembled. Blood streaked his arm. His breath felt thin.
He'd failed the hunt. Lost the kill. Nearly died.
But he lived.
[Status: Rattled – Mild]– Focus -10% for 30 minutes
[Trait Triggered: Tenacity]+1 Grit+1 Stealth Skill XP
[Predator Path – Instinct Node Unlocked]‣ Survivor's Tension: After fleeing a stronger enemy, next attack vs equal or weaker gains +15% damage.
By the time he limped back to his shelter, the sun had risen.
He dropped his gear. Sat in silence. Stirred the fire. Cooked what little remained—dried meat, a dewroot bulb—and stared into the smoke.
No spin. No token.
No voice.
Just quiet.
But he didn't mind.
Sometimes survival was enough.
That night, beneath a sky full of stars, Ash whispered to the flames:
"I'm not strong enough yet. But I'll get there."
No god answered. No prophecy stirred.
Just wind through the trees.
And the quiet ticking of something older than him,
older than fear, turning beneath his skin.