Kael lay beneath the tangled roots, his breath controlled and steady as he focused inward. His core pulsed dimly, gradually filling as the spiraling pull of Essence filled it with each round.
It’s getting easier.
Like all his Essence-related things, the technique that had once felt mentally exhausting, just keeping it up for a bit, was now much easier. It was almost becoming second nature. He didn’t have to force the flow as much and didn’t have to strain his focus to maintain it. The image of how the essence flowed became easier to imagine after all the uses, as though his core space had adapted to the technique.
As the last traces of energy settled within him, Kael finally exhaled and pushed himself up from his hiding place. His limbs felt light despite the long night behind him. The fatigue was there lingering in the background, but it was manageable.
Now—back to work.
Kael stepped carefully out into the forest, leaving his hiding spot, he stayed low, creeping forward, scanning the trees for movement. After making his way around searching for the monsters he had left behind, he found something, not having to search for long.
Not far ahead, he heard movement—the faint rustling of leaves, the dragging of feet, and the quiet guttural murmurs. He moved toward the sounds, weaving through the undergrowth, his footsteps silent.
Then, he saw them.
A small group of Gloomkin, no more than four, searched the area aimlessly. From what he could tell, their movements appeared sluggish and tired from a distance. Their shoulders slumped, their heads drooped, and they weren’t communicating much anymore. Not like the way they were when they were actively hunting him or at their homes, no this was different.
They were exhausted, not having the same amount of endurance as him, the difference between their levels showing. That chase through the grasslands had cost them. Now they were wandering blindly in the dark forest, their sluggish body language betraying their fatigue.
Perfect.
He took his time studying them. One of them held a crude bow, another two carried axes, and the last one a spear. Kael decided the archer needed to die first. With that declaration followed by a silent step forward, Kael launched himself into action.
Before any of the monsters could react, he closed the distance with terrifying speed.
The archer barely had time to turn before Kael’s fist buried itself in its head. The creature's head let out a cracking sound as it dropped its bow and started to fall. Kael grabbed it by the hand before it could, then quickly followed up with another hit to the head, finishing the monster for good. Then letting go and stepping past the dead body.
[ Experience Gained! ]
The two axe-wielders lunged, their surprised reactions were sluggish due to exhaustion.
Kael caught the first one’s wrist, twisting hard, snapping bone with a sickening crack. The creature barely had time to scream before Kael drove its own axe into its skull. The handle of the weapon shattered on impact, the wood snapping apart, but it did the job.
[ Experience Gained! ]
The last axe-user swung wildly, but Kael ducked under the attack, twisting behind it. In one smooth motion, he grabbed the Gloomkin’s arm from behind, then its weapon, and buried it into the back of its neck. It fell with a guttural gasp, choking as blood pooled beneath it.
[ Experience Gained! ]
Leaving only the spear-wielding Gloomkin to remain. Kael faced the monster, gazing coldly at it and seeing it was now frozen in terror, gripping its weapon tightly, its eyes flickering between him and the corpses of its fallen kin.
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Kael tilted his head. “Go on. Try it.” As if waiting for the command it let out a guttural cry and lunged.
Kael sidestepped, his left hand moving in a blur as he caught the spear shaft. With a violent jerk, he pulled the creature forward—directly into his waiting elbow. The monster hit it hard and fell back on its behind, its nose broken and bleeding. Before it could do anything else, Kael kicked it on its back and plunged the spear through its chest pinning it down on the ground.
The creature spasmed, grasping desperately at the shaft trying to get it out, Kael twisted the weapon ending the monster, its lifeless fingers slipping, its hands falling to its body.
[ Experience Gained! ]
Kael stepped back, surveying the bodies. The individual fights were easier when it was a small group like this, making eliminating them easier. But now, he needed to wait. Instead of leaving, Kael hid nearby, concealed behind a thick foliage.
He didn’t have to wait long. Not even 5 Minutes later, another group arrived.
Their guttural voices grew uneasy as they spotted the corpses. One stepped forward, mouth opening, preparing to alert the others.
Kael’s hand was already moving.
Having picked up a rock from the ground, Kael threw it as hard as he could. The fist-sized rock flew through the air, slamming into the creature’s skull with a dull thud. The Gloomkin staggered, dazed, then collapsing.
[ Experience Gained! ]
Before the others could react, Kael was already upon them. What proceeded was just as brutal as last time, Kael showing no mercy. The Experience notifications showing up one after the other.
In the end, one of them did end up screaming, the sound piercing through the forest before Kael silenced it with a brutal slash. He cursed under his breath. But it didn’t matter now.
[ Experience Gained! ]
With no reason to stay quiet anymore, Kael made quick work of the rest, dismissing the last notifications. Then, without hesitation, he vanished back into the darkness. He didn’t wait for more to arrive. Instead, he moved deeper into the forest, seeking another group. And then another. And another.
Time blurred as Kael hunted through the night.
He moved like a phantom, attacking isolated groups before they could react, then fading into the shadows before reinforcements arrived. The few that were still exhausted had their exhaustion worked against them—they weren’t alert, weren’t expecting him.
One by one, they fell.
Kael kept an eye out for traps, knowing the Gloomkin had placed some of them around. But so far—he hadn’t come across any, at least from what he could tell.
As the night wore on, his body count increased. Then, finally—An expected notification flashed before his eyes.
[ You have leveled up! ]
Kael smirked, as he felt himself getting stronger. He was now at Level 11, the kills it took to get there were even more than what was needed for Level 10.
Kael felt that the exp he gained from the Gloomkins was starting to be irrelevant, the Chieftain and its guards were the only ones left that would provide any significant amount. But he would think about that later. Right now, he still wasn’t done.
He continued his bloody work, carving through more searching Gloomkin as the night slowly faded. Soon, the darkness began to lighten.
The first signs of morning crept through the canopy. As the night wore on Kael had been killing his way back toward the treeline. And now—he saw them.
Several straggling groups of Gloomkin were walking out of the forest, many having given up looking for him. Kael suspected that most of them were the ones who ended up far behind the others, those who weren’t part of the faster groups who had chased him deep into the forest, and as such lost track of him early on.
Kael watched from a concealed vantage point as they moved toward the grasslands. He followed silently, watching as they exited the forest and into the open grasslands.
From his position behind a tree, he studied them. He could try to kill some. He had already butchered many of their kin. And now—the survivors were retreating, not truly knowing how many had died tonight. Their numbers were smaller now than when they had first pursued him from the village. But even then more and more of them were getting out of the forest and into the open. The total amount being enough that it could get out of hand. Especially with those archers, no matter how bad they were at being one.
Kael did not want to overextend his advantage and take unnecessary risks. He was satisfied, and his work for the night was done.
He turned away from the sight, ready to make his way home. Then—he hesitated. He frowned slightly, his thoughts shifting. Throughout the entire time of hunting, he hadn’t seen a hint of the Chieftain or its two bodyguards.
Not among the groups he had hunted or seen, and now, as he looked at the remaining survivors trudging back to the village, he saw nothing.
They never left the village.
The Chieftain had let its weaker kin chase him—while it remained safe behind. That decision had cost them. Given that it might have stopped him from killing so many groups, by cordinating its lesser kin better. And seeing that Kael had never seen the Chieftain leave the village, it was safe to say it wouldn't.
I guess some of the cowardice is inherent in the species.
The realization made him smile ear to ear. That meant he didn't have to worry about stumbling on them outside the village, and that he could continue thinning more of their numbers, now even more aggressively than before.
This night had gone much better than hoped, or expected. Much better.
It might have gone so well, that Kael might be able to accelerate his plans, further along than he thought. With one final glance at the distant figures, Kael turned and disappeared into the forest.