You have killed Shadow Wolf x25.
Exp earned
You have gained 5 Levels to the Path [Warrior]
You have gained 1 Level to the Path [Outworlder]
Attributes Points Allocated +260 Free Points
Skill [Eyes of Nighthawk] has reached Level 6
Skill [Resonant Aura] has reached Level 5
Art [Void Edge] has reached Level 5
Azriel stood in the center of the field, catching his breath as the last of the shadow wolves faded into wisps of dark mist around him. His chest heaved, exhilaration pulsing through him with each beat. His power had surged with multiple level-ups from the relentless waves of wolves. He felt stronger, sharper, each level-up fueling his newfound abilities like a fire just beneath his skin.
But a nagging thought crept in as he scanned the empty field, frowning. Why had so many shadow wolves attacked him all at once? He knew that the yokai of this forest were territorial, but this felt different, almost as if he’d been deliberately lured here. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and he turned his gaze to the tree line; he saw four glowing red eyes lurking in the shadows.
Azriel’s gaze sharpened as he spotted four menacing, red eyes glowing from the darkness beyond the tree line. Emerging from the shadows was a colossal shadow wolf, far larger than any he had fought before, its fur bristling like jagged shadows. Behind it, more wolves prowled silently, their own eyes gleaming with eerie intent.
“Oh, so you’re the leader of the pack, huh?” Azriel called out; his voice edged with defiance as he faced the enormous shadow wolf with its piercing, crimson eyes. The beast snarled in response, muscles coiling as it prepared to charge, its pack fanning out in a wide circle behind their Alpha. Without warning, the giant shadow wolf lunged forward, covering the distance between them in a heartbeat. Its jaws snapped open, teeth glinting like razors in the dim light. Azriel barely had time to react, raising Myth Maker to block as the beast’s force crashed against him, its claws swiping dangerously close.
Azriel staggered back under the force of the shadow wolf’s relentless assault. The beast was faster than he’d anticipated, each strike fierce and precise, forcing him to defend at a pace that made his arms ache. He could feel the strain with every parry, each snap of the wolf’s fangs grazing closer to his skin. It was almost as if it knew his every move before he made it, and for a moment, doubt crept into this creature that might overpower him.
As the wolf lunged again, Azriel drew on the power within Myth Maker, letting the weapon's energy pulse through him. With renewed determination, he sidestepped a vicious claw strike, bringing his gunblade up to deliver a powerful counter. The blade connected with the creature’s shadowy flank, causing it to howl in pain. Shadows dispersed from the wound like ink in water, but the wolf snarled and rebounded, circling him with a wave of wary anger. Azriel could feel the tides beginning to shift; he was faster now, and his strikes were landing with more impact.
Adaptation has activated combat ability has improved.
The wolf charged once more, but this time, Azriel met its advance with unwavering confidence. He sidestepped the beast’s teeth, swung around, and delivered a blow to its back with his gunblade, a surge of light bursting from the blade. The shadow wolf yelped, stumbling under the assault, and Azriel pressed his advantage, each strike now precise and fueled by the growing strength inside him. The pack in the shadows grew hesitant, sensing their leader’s weakening power, and Azriel knew this was his moment to turn the fight in his favor.
“[Stun Bullet]!” he shouted, firing his gunblade in a flash of violet light. The blast struck the alpha dead center, and the beast stumbled, its body seizing momentarily. Azriel seized the opportunity, rushing in to slash at its side with a fierce strike, every blow fueling his momentum.
[Stun Bullet]
A Stun Bullet is a specialized round infused with mana designed to incapacitate rather than kill. When fired, it delivers a concussive shock that disrupts the target’s nervous system, leaving them momentarily paralyzed or disoriented. With each level gained in the skill, both the stun duration and the number of targets affected increase.
“It’s over!” Azriel shouted, his voice filled with confidence as he watched the alpha wolf stagger back, its eyes dimming. But before he could deliver the final blow, a searing pain exploded in his back. A shadow wolf had launched itself from the perimeter of the pack, sinking its claws deep into his flesh. The attack sent him crashing to the ground, and his health bar plummeted by half in an instant.
Azriel staggered to one knee, the world blurring around him for a brief moment as he looked at his health, which was represented by a red bar and mana, a blue bar flashing at the corner of his vision. His heart raced, his breath shallow. Half of my health, he thought bitterly, anger bubbling up from within. The wolves circled, sensing weakness, their growls louder, more taunting.
Suddenly, a notification window flickered in his vision:
[Mentality of Nemesis] has activated.
Strength and Presence have increased by 200%.
***
Hours before, the Alpha shadow wolf sat in the dark shadows of his cave, the eerie glow of his glowing red eyes the only source of light. His pack had always been strong, territorial, and feared by all who ventured too close. But there was something different in the air today. A strange feeling had washed over him as he watched several figures draped in dark robes making their way slowly toward the border of his territory. These figures were not like the humans who typically wandered into his domain; these were more deliberate and focused as if they had a purpose.
The Alpha’s mind whirled with thoughts of these strange, robed individuals. His instincts told him that they were not ordinary humans. Something was off. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he stared into the darkness, his thoughts interrupted by a sharp rustling outside his cave. A wolf emerged, its fur ruffled, breathing heavily from the chase.
"Leader, there’s a human," the young shadow wolf said, its voice heavy with tension. "A strange one. He’s been killing members of the pack... one by one. Stronger than any we’ve encountered. I barely escaped with my life."
The Alpha's eyes narrowed. A human? In his domain? His pack was formidable, and no human could ever hope to challenge them. But this one was different. The wolf continued, its tail tucked between its legs.
"I tracked him. He's not like the others. He fights with some unnatural power. I couldn’t get close enough to attack. He’s fast, too fast, and has some strange abilities. His aura is overwhelming. He’s like nothing I've ever felt before."
The Alpha stood slowly, his sharp claws scraping against the stone floor as he processed this information. His curiosity peaked. A human who could kill his pack? Something had to be done. Without a word, the Alpha growled lowly, signaling the wolf to lead him to this intruder.
With fluid movements, the Alpha followed the wolf as it led him through the dense forest. As they approached the location, the Alpha used his abilities to cloak himself, blending into the surroundings, his form melding with the shadows. He watched from afar as the human, strong, focused, yet distinctly mortal, killed another of his pack; the man’s odd weapon was a blur of motion.
The Alpha's eyes gleamed with quiet intrigue as he observed the human’s movements. There was no fear, no hesitation. The man was ruthless, calculating, and driven by something deeper than simple survival. The Alpha knew then this was no ordinary human. He was something to be reckoned with, a force of nature.
The Alpha waited in the shadows, his glowing red eyes fixed on the human. The battle had begun, and the human stood tall, sword in hand, his movements sharp and confident. The Alpha had watched him carefully, studying his fighting style. He was strong, undeniably so, but the Alpha could see the signs of hesitation, the brief moments of uncertainty. This will be easy, he thought to himself.
The Alpha lunged forward with a roar, his massive claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. The human was quick, dodging to the side, but the Alpha’s speed was unmatched. A strike here, a swipe there, and the human stumbled back. His defense was solid but not perfect. The Alpha grinned, feeling the surge of victory course through him.
"You're strong, human, but you cannot defeat me," the Alpha growled, his voice deep and menacing.
For a moment, the Alpha was right. His attacks were faster and stronger, and the human was beginning to show signs of wear. He landed a blow to the human’s side, and blood splattered onto the ground. The human grimaced but refused to retreat, tightening his grip on his weapon.
The Alpha felt it, something shifted.
The human's stance changed, becoming more calculated and precise. His eyes narrowed, and his breathing became more controlled, like a hunter sensing the smallest movements of its prey. The Alpha felt a change in the air, a shift in energy. The human was adapting, learning, and adjusting to the Alpha’s fighting style. What had been an easy fight was now turning into something far more dangerous.
The Alpha growled, frustrated, and pushed harder. His claws raked through the air, each attack coming faster, harder than the last. But the human was no longer scrambling. Instead, he met each strike with a counter, each movement a mirror of the Alpha’s own. Where the Alpha had once been in control, now he found himself reacting, dodging and blocking the human’s relentless advances.
The Alpha snarled, anger rising within him. He had yet to expect this level of adaptability. The challenge was exhilarating, unlike anything he had ever faced. For the first time in his long life, he felt the true thrill of battling a worthy opponent. But as the fight dragged on, the Alpha began to feel the sting of fatigue. The human’s endurance seemed endless, his movements growing sharper with every passing second.
"Impressive," the Alpha admitted with a growl, his voice laced with both admiration and frustration. "But it will not be enough."
And yet, even as he spoke, he knew that the human was not far from pushing him to his limits. The Alpha’s instinct for dominance was fierce, but this human, this strange, relentless human, was a challenge like no other. And for the first time in a long while, the Alpha realized he might not be the one in control of this fight.
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The one-pack members attacked from behind. The Alpha growled, its muscles tensing in frustration as it watched the human stumble from the sneak attack. Its pack had taken the opportunity to strike, but that attack, that cheap shot, irked the Alpha. It wasn’t the way it wanted to win.
It had been intrigued by this human, fascinated by his strength and adaptability. At first, the challenge had been thrilling. The human had fought back, using his skill and ferocity in ways the Alpha hadn’t anticipated. The battle had been exhilarating, pushing the Alpha to its limits, but now? Now, it felt cheated.
The Alpha wanted a fair fight to prove its dominance through strength alone. Instead, its pack resorted to underhanded tactics, ambushing the human when his focus was on the leader. It was a cowardly move that the Alpha did not respect.
Its eyes narrowed, glaring at the wolf who had made the sneak attack. The Alpha's fur bristled, a deep growl rumbling in its chest as it stepped forward, its fangs bared. The pack watched in silence, sensing their leader’s displeasure. This wasn’t a victory; it was a mockery.
Something shifted again. The air felt colder than any winter it'd lived through, though. The human’s eyes flared with an intense glow, his body rising as though drawn by some unseen force. The Alpha's willpower faltered as it realized this human wasn’t just fighting for survival; he was fighting for something more. The Alpha watched as the human raised his odd weapon.
“[Astral Barrage]”
The Alpha’s fur bristled as it saw the human speak those chilling words. The air around the human seemed to warp, bending unnaturally as ripples in space shimmered into existence. The very fabric of reality twisted, an eerie, almost otherworldly energy crackling at the edge of his weapon. At that moment, a wave of unease swept over the Alpha. It could feel the power raw, unpredictable pulsing from the human, the same human who had been a mere mortal moments ago, a challenging but manageable foe. Now, in this instant, he was something more. Something that made the Alpha’s instincts scream at it to flee. But it was too late.
With a snap of his fingers, the air exploded, and the space around them fractured. A barrage of destructive energy, forged from the very stars themselves, rained down in an unpredictable storm of light and force. The Alpha’s pack howled in terror as they were shredded apart in an instant, their forms disintegrating into nothingness under the onslaught.
The Alpha could only watch, frozen in place, as its pack was annihilated. A few scattered cries echoed, but the barrage quickly silenced them. The ripples in space continued to spread, tearing through everything in their path with brutal efficiency. The wolves that had once filled the battlefield were now little more than memories, fragments of fur and black black scattered across the ground.
As the last of the pack fell, the Alpha stood, its heart pounding, its red eyes wide with disbelief. Fear surged through it, mingling with a desperate, primal instinct to survive. Many foes had tested it in its long life, but never had it felt such pure power directed at it. The human, the one who had been so easy to underestimate, stood in the center of the carnage, his weapon still crackling with power, his eyes cold and calculating. The Alpha snarled, but there was no defiance in its voice, only a reluctant recognition.
This human was not like the others.
In the face of the human’s wrath, the Alpha was no longer a conqueror. It was a hunted beast.
And now, it was just trying to survive.
***
Azriel stood amidst the battlefield ruins, his breath steadying as the adrenaline began to ebb. The sound of crackling energy faded into the distance, leaving only the faint scent of scorched earth and blood in the air. His hand tightened around the grip of his gunblade, the weapon still humming softly though the fight had long since ended. The once-strong pack of shadow wolves lay around him, their bodies torn apart by the force of his attack.
The weight of the battle slowly sank in, and he took a deep breath, feeling the exhaustion setting in, his body sore from the relentless struggle. He glanced at the notifications flashing before him, but his eyes focused on the now-dimming energy in his core, the strength that had surged within him moments ago fading away.
He exhaled slowly, surveying the devastation he had caused. The leader of the pack, the one who had seemed so confident moments before, was now nowhere to be found. A small part of Azriel felt a flicker of satisfaction at the thought of the wolf retreating in fear, but it quickly dissipated. That wasn't the kind of victory he was after. He had only survived because he had pushed beyond his limits, tapping into something he still didn't fully understand.
Azriel turned, his thoughts momentarily clouded by the feeling that there was more to this battle than he'd realized. These wolves hadn't just been attacking him; they'd been testing him, perhaps even driven by something more than simple hunger. But now, in the aftermath, that thought seemed distant. All that mattered was that he'd emerged victorious, though he couldn't shake the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time something or someone would come for him in this world. A soft voice suddenly broke his reverie.
"You did well."
Azriel turned to see a figure step from the shadows of the trees. It was a woman with white hair who stepped into the clearing with an aura of quiet strength. Her hair, stark white and almost ethereal, cascaded down her back in soft waves, contrasting with the dark green of the forest around her. A few faint tiger-like stripes ran through her hair, blending into the silvery strands in an almost otherworldly pattern. Her ears, subtly pointed, gave her an air of something not entirely human, adding to the mystery surrounding her.
Her eyes, a deep shade of emerald, gleamed with a sense of wisdom far beyond her apparent age, though her youthful appearance suggested she was no older than her early twenties. The faint glow in her eyes was almost invisible but intensified whenever she focused on something of importance as if attuned to things others could not see. Her posture was relaxed but graceful, exuding an innate confidence that came from years of survival and knowledge.
She wore simple yet practical combat robes, a deep, dark blue top embroidered with intricate patterns resembling storm clouds paired with form-fitting black pants that allowed her to move swiftly and quietly through the woods. A faint silver sheen ran through the fabric, hinting at hidden enchantments or materials meant to aid in stealth or protection. A katana, sheathed at her side, was the only weapon visible, though its polished edge suggested it had been used in many battles.
"Who are you?" Azriel asked, not losing his grip on his weapon.
"Someone who was watching... and waiting," the woman smiled slightly. She stepped closer, her gaze flicking to the fallen wolves. "It’s rare to see someone handle the Shadow Wolves so efficiently, especially the alpha."
"It’s not something I expected.”
“It’s always the way of these things, isn’t it? You think you’re in control, and then they pull something out of their sleeve," the woman chuckled softly, her green eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
“Yeah, I’m getting real tired of that. This world’s got a way of keeping me on my toes,” Azriel sighed and slung his gunblade over his shoulder.
"You’ll find this world will test you like that. Every step forward, something is waiting to knock you back." Her tone was almost sympathetic
“I’m used to that. What I’m not used to is being blindsided,” Azriel said. “That damn wolf got me good should’ve been faster.”
“You did well enough,” she replied, her voice steady and calm. “But next time, don’t be afraid to finish what you start. Don’t let yourself hesitate. The moment you doubt, the moment they’ll strike.”
“I won’t. I’ll be ready next time. And next time, I won’t give anyone a chance to surprise me,” Azriel said, clenching his fists.
The woman nodded, her eyes piercing into him for a moment before she turned away.
"Good. You’ll need that resolve.”
Azriel took a moment to gather himself, the adrenaline finally starting to leave his system. With a final glance at the fallen wolves, he turned to the woman.
"What’s next then? We’re both here. You might as well tell me what you’re really after."
She didn’t answer right away, but when she did, her voice was laced with a quiet intensity.
“The path you’re on is not as simple as surviving these wolves. There’s something much darker, much larger at play in this forest. And soon, you’ll be dragged into it whether you want to be or not."
Azriel’s brow furrowed, but before he could respond, she disappeared into the forest, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
“Darker... larger…” he muttered to himself, “Isekai great destiny trope, yay.”
Shaking his head, Azriel reached for the loot from the fallen creatures, his hands still a little shaky from the fight. He had a long road ahead of him, and the power he'd just tasted was only a small glimpse of what this new world might hold. One thing was clear: his journey was far from over. Whatever was coming, he had no choice but to face it head-on. One thought surfaces at the forefront after thinking about isekai tropes.
“There better not be a demon lord waiting for me.”
***
Name:
Azriel Nighthawk
Race:
Umbral Human/ Radiantborn
Path:
Outworlder [Level 3]
Warrior [Level 10]
Rank:
Iron
Health:
8090/16180
Mana:
2051/7450
Born Trait:
Adaptation [+10 Agility, Awareness, and Willpower per Level]
Outworlder Trait:
Unbound [+5 Willpower per Level]
Strength:
348
Agility:
380
Intellect:
295
Willpower:
450
Awareness:
460
Presence:
455
Skills:
Acting [Bronze] [Lv.60]
Anomalous Insight [Iron] [Lv.1]
Astral Breathing [Iron] [Lv.55]
Cold Resistance [Iron] [Lv.45]
Eyes of Nighthawk [Iron] [Lv.6]
Firearm Mastery [Bronze] [Lv.60]
Gunsmithing [Iron] [Lv.25]
Make an Entrance [Iron] [Lv.1]
Mentality of Nemesis [Iron] [Lv.25]
Pierce Resistance [Iron] [Lv.5]
Resonant Aura [Iron] [Lv.5]
Slash Resistance [Iron] [Lv.10]
Sword Mastery [Iron] [Lv.60]
Arts:
Astral Barrage [Iron] [Lv.10]
Shatter Bullet [Iron] [Lv.1]
Stun Bullet [Iron] [Lv.2]
Void Edge [Iron] [Lv.5]
Spells:
Astral Veil [Iron] [Lv.1]
Dimension Door [Sliver] [Lv.1]
Phoenix Resurrection [Iron] [Lv.1] (Hidden)
Titles:
Artifact Holder [+25 Presence]
Patriarch [+25 Presence & +25 Willpower]
Skill of a Legend [+50 Intellect +50 Presence]
Wolf Killer [50% Damage Increase to all Wolf-like Creatures +50 Presence]
Free Points
400