I leaned against a tree trunk, letting the remains of the fight slough off me. The bark felt oddly spongy for wood, and it exuded a faint smell of decay. Not that it mattered—with all the smells I’d endured today, it barely registered.
I took a moment to check my notifications.
Level Up!
Level 5 achieved!
(156 / 210 XP to Level 6)
I assigned my attribute points to Astral Mind and pushed my Manifestation skill to level 7. Progress like this made it hard not to feel a twinge of pride, even in this hellhole.
With my energy levels back to full, I didn’t want to waste more time. I activated Astral Sight, scanning for my next destination. A long-awaited notification appeared:
Skill Upgrade!
Astral sight(Common) has leveled up! (Level 0 → Level 1)
Grinning, I moved deeper into the forest. I had a working strategy now—target the leader first. Wolves seemed to naturally follow a hierarchy, and taking out their alpha slowed the rest, leaving gaps in their formation. It wasn’t flawless yet; I still had plenty of kinks to iron out, but it was progress.
My first victims were a group of five. They huddled together in a shallow cave, seemingly secure. A spike trap outside the entrance took care of the leader, and the chaos that followed made cleaning up the rest straightforward. Hit-and-run tactics worked beautifully with the infighting they always fell into.
Deeper in, I fought five more groups of Rotwolves. My combat style began to feel less like flailing desperation and more like deliberate precision. I experimented, throwing energy spheres as I darted behind trees, and twice managed to take out stragglers silently before the others even noticed me. Stealth kills were rare, but they were damn satisfying.
I even started incorporating levitation to avoid being overwhelmed when the wolves tried to pile onto me. It was far from perfect, but I could feel myself adapting.
The deeper I ventured, the higher the stakes became. The wolves were climbing a level or two on average, and I began noticing larger paw prints in the mud. Faint howls echoed in the distance, unnervingly deep and resonant. Was this the alpha? Did it patrol this far into the forest?
After dispatching the last group, I slumped against the base of a small cliff, the adrenaline fading. I needed to check my progress. My skills were advancing steadily, and seeing my character sheet gave me a rare moment of elation:
Name: Alex
Titles: Ascendant (???)
Level: 11 (728 / 780 XP)
Attributes:
* Astral Body: 18
* Astral Mind: 31
* Astral Spirit: 21
Skills:
* Levitation (Common): Level 5
* Manifestation (Common): Level 9
* Astral Sight (Common): Level 4
* Inspection (Common): Level 3
Active Quests:
Rot and Redemption
* Kill 100 Rotwolves (40 / 100)
* Kill the Alpha
Leveling skills seemed to slow the higher they went, which made sense, but it still nagged at me. I had 15 skill points banked, tempting me to burn through them, but natural progression was working for now.
By my estimate, I’d been in this alien world for about five hours. Something felt... off.
The golden tether that connected me to the unknown still shimmered faintly, stretching out from my chest and disappearing into the distance. A strange, frantic pull began to build at the core of my being, urging me to follow it.
Velarion had said a few hours, right? Was I supposed to return to where we’d parted? I’d heard that ancient beings liked to speak in riddles, but damn, it was inconvenient. Surely, it was watching over me... probably. Yeah, I’d go with that to keep myself sane.
My thoughts were shattered by a deep, resonating howl that seemed to vibrate through my bones. My hands flew to my ears instinctively.
A massive beast leapt down from the cliff above, landing with a thundering crash that sent shockwaves through the ground.
Elder Rotwolf (Level 26)
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What was once a protector of the pack, lost its battle against corruption.
The creature was enormous, easily the size of a pickup truck. Its metallic silver fur was riddled with sores and oozing wounds. Old scars crisscrossed its body, a testament to battles fought long before the corruption claimed it.
Its eyes still held a glimmer of intelligence, but that was drowned beneath a haze of hunger and madness. One ear was torn to shreds, and its tail hung limp, a shadow of its former strength.
It prowled toward me, its movements jittery but still carrying a faint echo of predatory grace. The remains of its charges littered the ground, smoking and dissolving. It sniffed the air, letting out a long, haunting howl that resonated with grief.
And then, hunger overtook it. The beast tore into one of its fallen kin, gulping it down in a single, sickening bite.
My heart pounded as I bolted for the forest. I needed cover, anything to buy time.
“Well... fuck.”
As I neared the tree line, the elder let out a deep, guttural howl. The sound resonated through my body, breaking my focus and making me stumble. My legs faltered, and for a fleeting moment, I felt exposed. Vulnerable.
I barely managed to dive behind a tree just as its massive claws slashed through the trunk, carving out a splintered crescent that nearly bisected it. The ground trembled as the beast roared, sending another wave of dread coursing through me.
I bolted, half-running, half-staggering, weaving between the trees with desperate unpredictability. Behind me, the elder barreled through the forest, smashing aside anything in its way. The sheer force of its movements was terrifying—it was slowed only momentarily by the trees it shattered. My lungs burned as I gasped for air. This couldn’t go on. One wrong step, one slip, and it would be over.
I spun around, hurling an energy sphere at my feet. The wolf lunged, its massive paw swinging down to pin me, but I leaped backward, manifesting a spike just in time. The glowing shard pierced its paw clean through.
The elder let out another howl, a thunderous, ear-splitting cry that rattled my bones. This one wasn’t enough to break my focus. Guess it had to be deliberate, I thought grimly.
The energy spike dissolved, rushing energy back to me as I stumbled away, sparing a glance behind me. The wolf limped now, slowed slightly, but it wasn’t enough. It would catch me eventually unless I did something drastic.
Before I could form a plan, another howl ripped through the air. This time, the sound felt alive, like claws dragging across my mind. I dropped to my knees, clutching my head. My ears rang, and when I looked up, I was pinned under its massive weight.
Its rancid breath washed over me, thick and nauseating. Drool dripped onto my face in slimy rivulets. Then, with almost sickening amusement, it gave me a long, slow lick, tasting its prize before the feast.
The jaws clamped down on me. My head disappeared into the rot-riddled maw.
This is it, I thought.
This is how I die. RIP Alex: lived a shallow life, became zombie wolf shit.
Panic set in as I felt my energy draining away, but instinct overrode despair. Manifesting a spike, I hammered it into the side of the wolf’s head. The awkward angle and its natural armor made it almost useless, but I kept going.
The wolf’s grip was hasty, driven by hunger more than precision. It hadn’t secured me properly, its teeth digging into my right shoulder. Agonizing, yes, but survivable.
I hammered at it again, feeling bits of my energy breaking off from the spike and lingering within the beast. Suddenly, echoes surged into my mind. Faint whispers of confusion. A hollow, all-encompassing sadness. A hunger so vast it drowned everything else.
A chime rang in my ears, but I couldn’t check the notification. Not yet. With no other options, I latched onto the connection, sending a jolt of my consciousness into the wolf’s essence.
Its jaws slackened. I hit the ground in a heap, a broken, slime-coated mess with a mangled shoulder. I scrambled backward, pressing my back against a tree. My energy felt like a flickering candle.
The beast was drowsy, shaking its head as though trying to clear an invisible fog. My connection to it snapped, leaving me drained but stable.
Status Update:
* Total Energy: 61/210
* Rot: -1/s (1 minute remaining)
* Multiple Injuries: -4/s (5 minutes remaining)
I couldn’t afford to stop. Clutching my shoulder, I forced myself to run again, weaving through the forest. The elder’s cautious chase trailed behind me, slowed but relentless. I aimed for a ravine ahead—a twisted passage that might buy me time.
The wolf squeezed through, its decaying flesh scraping against the rock walls. Black ooze left streaks behind as it pressed forward, driven by an unyielding hunger.
I reached the end of the ravine, only to find myself cornered. Sheer walls boxed me in on three sides, and the narrow passage ahead was too small to crawl through. Climbing was suicide. If it howled while I was halfway up, I’d be a sitting duck.
My back pressed against the wall. The elder clawed its way into the opening, its movements slow but unyielding.
In desperation, I manifested a small energy pebble and hurled it into its panting maw. The wolf froze, its confusion almost tangible. Why was I feeding it?
That fleeting connection reappeared, stronger this time. My energy seeped into its essence, and the storm of emotions crashed into me again. Hunger. Sadness. Frustration. I clung to the link and sent my own feelings in return—a burst of fear and raw desperation.
For a moment, my consciousness drifted. I wasn’t in my body anymore. I was a drop of light in a vast, golden ocean. The void felt peaceful, like home, but a faint urgency pulled at me, warning me not to stay.
I heard distant howls and whimpers, then the pull yanked me back to reality.
The elder wolf staggered, pawing at its head. Black ichor oozed from its eyes and muzzle. It swayed, disoriented, as though the bond had fractured something deep within.
I was barely better. My limbs felt like lead. My thoughts were foggy. But I couldn’t waste this chance. Dragging myself toward the wolf, I morphed my hand into a spike and plunged it into its hollow, bleeding eye.
Elder Rotwolf (Level 26) killed!
+26 XP (+15 bonus due to level difference)
Skill Learned!
Skill learned! Astral Echo (Unique): Forge a tenuous bond with a being's essence, glimpsing its innermost thoughts and emotions—yet beware, for in reaching too deep, you may forget which echoes are yours.
“That’s not terrifying at all…”