Thalion watched as the healthy warriors sprinted toward the hole in the wall, the big axe man had created, leaving their wounded and most of the healers behind.

Eyeing the easy credits to claim, he waited until most had passed through. Then he struck. Appearing before the first healer, he tore her head off with a swing of his claws. A few swipes later, the remaining eight lay lifeless on the ground. He looted their belongings and waited for the fight inside the base to progress further. From a distance, he observed Steven attacking two mages who stood atop the highest tower.

The man wasn’t much of a fighter. He flew straight at the mages, getting blasted away every time a spell struck his shield.

Steven’s power could have ended the battle swiftly, but fortunately for Thalion, the confrontation dragged on.

Now, Thalion sprinted through the breach in the wall, ready to slaughter anyone in his path.

The large place behind the wall was empty, save for corpses scattered on the ground. He looted their belongings and devoured the bodies with the tendrils of darkness before seeking more fighters. Eventually, he entered one of the larger streets, where he saw twenty people looting corpses in front of a large house, as though they were waiting for something.

Charging at full speed, he caught them completely off guard. The first three fell instantly under his initial attack.

Most of the group screamed in panic, slashing wildly at him. Thalion retaliated with violent swings of his claws, sending bodies flying like discarded puppets.

One man, wielding a large hammer, lunged at him. Thalion seized the hammer’s shaft and hurled the man into the nearest wall. A sickening crack echoed as the man’s bones shattered.

Some continued to slash at him, while a mage hurled a fireball in his direction. Thalion absorbed the strikes, then flung a corpse into the fireball, causing it to explode near the mage, throwing him off his feet.

Thalion dashed toward the mage, and before the man could rise, he was upon him, ripping him to pieces.

The remaining fighters, already gravely injured during his earlier frenzy, were easy prey. Thalion finished them off one by one.

His health had dropped to nearly 50 percent but was rapidly recovering thanks to his high regeneration ability.

The last survivors were the man with the hammer—now fully healed—and a healer standing behind him.

Thalion dashed toward the hammer-wielding man, only to slam headfirst into a mana barrier conjured by the healer. The impact sent him stumbling back. As he rose, the man was upon him, bringing the hammer down with full force.

Thalion rolled to the side, narrowly evading the strike. Springing to his feet, he leaped at the man, his jaws snapping down. The man was too slow to raise his hammer in defense, and moments later, his headless body collapsed to the ground.

Turning his attention to the healer, Thalion advanced as she conjured another barrier. This time, he was ready. He tore through the barrier with his claws, then grabbed the woman by the neck and lifted her into the air. Perhaps she would provide valuable information.

Before he could question her, the door to the large house creaked open, and the man who had destroyed the wall earlier stepped out.

Thalion reacted instantly. He snapped the healer’s neck and tossed her aside before launching himself at the new challenger.

This was no ordinary warrior. His armor gleamed with runes, and his axe radiated a bloody aura—likely a spirit weapon.

Thalion appeared before the man and lashed out with his claw, activating Shadow Claw.

The man screamed in surprise but managed to block with the shaft of his axe. Thalion grabbed the axe’s handle and, with a swift rotation of his body, hurled the man across the street, slamming him into a house on the opposite side.

Thalion leaped after him, aiming to strike before the man could recover. But the axe-wielding warrior was fast. He rolled aside, rising quickly, and swung his axe at Thalion.

Thalion jumped back, narrowly dodging the red, glowing edge of the axe, which had grown in size.

Suddenly, an arrow struck Thalion’s back, dealing massive damage. It had to be a charged shot.

He dove to the side as another arrow whizzed past and spotted the archer perched on a rooftop.

In an instant, Thalion scaled the wall of the building, reaching the rooftop in seconds. The archer tried to stab him with a short sword, but Thalion dodged and dispatched him with a swipe of his claws. Without pause, he leaped back to the street to face the axeman once more. His wound from the arrow had almost fully healed, but unfortunately, the axe-wielding warrior was back on his feet as well.

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Both charged at each other. Thalion dodged beneath the man’s swing and grabbed the man’s leg, hurling him into another wall before the axe could strike.

The man’s enchanted armor saved him again, allowing him to rise quickly. This was annoying since any weaker warrior would have died after such a throw.

The axe began to glow as the warrior unleashed a massive, magical slash. The attack resembled the active ability of a mana blade and would have killed Thalion instantly if it hit.

Thalion leaped onto the nearest wall, narrowly dodging the spell. The man unleashed a second slash. This time, Thalion dropped to the ground as the attack obliterated the house behind him.

He sprinted at the warrior, closing the gap before the axeman could swing again. Grabbing the axe’s shaft, Thalion wrenched it aside while slashing at the man with Shadow Claw.

The warrior managed to evade by releasing his weapon and diving away, but not completely—Thalion’s claws tore through his armor and nearly severed his arm. The man screamed in agony.

Thalion pounced, driving his claws into the man’s chest and pinning him against the wall. Activating Abyssal Bite, he prepared to end the man’s life.

Before Thalion’s jaws could close around the man’s head, a beam of light struck him, hurling him into a nearby house.

A figure with radiant, glowing wings descended, unleashing a torrent of white flames at Thalion. Recognizing the danger, Thalion pushed his body to its limits, dashing aside to evade the flames. With a powerful leap, he landed on the roof of the large house and fled across the rooftops. A final jump carried him over the wall, where he landed on soft grass and sprinted toward the jungle. He glanced back but saw no one pursuing him.

Thalion sprinted deep into the jungle, the dense canopy swallowing him in shadow. His wounds healed rapidly, thanks to his regeneration ability, though his body still bore the lingering ache of the intense battle. As he reached a familiar clearing where even many plants with dark affinity had fully regrown.

Tonight had been a complete success. His credit score now stood at over 90,000—enough to purchase advanced materials and items for his experiments. More importantly, he had gained two levels. He carefully allocated his free points. Dexterity for the umbral predator and wisdom to enhance his human abilities. The increased speed and precision would make him deadlier, while the wisdom would bolster his spellcraft.

As he leaned back against a gnarled tree, Thalion allowed himself a rare moment of reflection. The raid had gone almost too well. The warriors had been disorganized and the healers were woefully underprotected. Even the so-called elite fighters had fallen far too easily. Was this truly the best the settlement had to offer?

He closed his eyes, sorting through the scattered memories of the fight. The winged figure. That one was different. The radiant energy he had wielded was potent, almost holy in nature—an unusual challenge for Thalion as umbral predator, whose power thrived in darkness. That man would need to be dealt with carefully.

<--

“Are you alright?” Steven asked Thorwald, who was slumped on the ground, visibly drained, as two healers worked to mend his injuries.

“Yeah, the healers are doing their job. But what was that thing?” Thorwald replied, his voice strained and his teeth clenched in pain.

“I think that was the umbral predator,” Steven responded grimly. “Come on, we’re done here. Michael has escaped, and the rest of the citizens either joined us or... didn’t make it.”

“Let’s hope Michael doesn’t join Kael,” Thorwald muttered as he slowly got to his feet, still unsteady but determined.

“Maybe we can use that to our advantage,” Steven said thoughtfully, his expression darkening.

“Kael’s too smart to get taken out by Michael,” Thorwald replied, though there was doubt in his tone.

“No, I mean something else. The fear of the umbral predator might work in our favor,” Steven mused, lost in his thoughts.

“That could work,” Thorwald said, a sinister smile creeping across his face. “Kael’s soft. He wants to protect everyone and bring them to the next stage. If a monster is stalking humans in the jungle, he might even ask us for help.”

<--

Kael stood atop the highest tower of his fortress, his piercing gaze fixed on the dark expanse of the forest. The night was unusually quiet. No one had dared attack his base tonight, though other settlements hadn’t been so lucky. News had already reached him that some survivors intended to seek refuge with him by morning.

But things weren’t so simple anymore. Kael couldn’t accept every stray wanderer seeking safety. They could be spies sent by Steven or assassins lying in wait. Especially tonight. He’d ordered anyone arriving at the gates to remain outside until sunrise.

Tomorrow, Kael planned to search the system shop for a solution. Perhaps something like a binding contract or restraining cuffs to neutralize potential threats. But even that idea posed challenges—those with combat skills would gain an unfair edge in negotiations.

His thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected flash of light in the distance. A fireball streaked through the sky, arcing toward his base. It was still hundreds of meters away, but its trajectory was unmistakable. Activating Ranger’s Sight, Kael focused his enhanced vision and saw the figure in front of it. He looked utterly exhausted.

“What’s going on?” Kael murmured.

Moments later, Michael landed outside the gates, collapsing to his knees. He shouted up to the guards, his voice hoarse and desperate.

“Steven raided my base! Everything’s gone! I have nothing left. Please, Kael—I want to join you!”

Kael leapt down from the tower to the wall below, his movements fluid and powerful, a testament to the system’s enhancements to his body. He regarded Michael coldly.

“Explain yourself,” Kael demanded, his tone sharp. “You knew how close your base was to Steven’s. An attack was inevitable.”

“Yes, I knew,” Michael admitted, desperation thick in his voice. “But we prepared for it! He was too strong. Please, Kael, you’re the only one left who can stop him. I can help you. I’ve fought him before!”

Kael studied him in silence for a moment before responding. “You’ll wait here with the others until morning. I need to verify a few things before deciding whether to let you in.”

Michael hesitated but nodded reluctantly, stepping back toward the other refugees waiting outside the gates.

Later that night, Kael stood with Kai, one of his best friends in this new world, surveying the fortress grounds.

“We’ll need to expand,” Kai said bluntly. “It’s already getting overcrowded.”

Kael sighed in frustration. “I know. But Steven will attack us long before the next system shop. The other bases won’t be able to hold him off much longer.”

“I’m not so sure he’ll come after us immediately,” Kai replied calmly. “There’s still the Water People and the orc clans. They could slow him down.”

“Maybe. But I don’t want to gamble on it.” Kael ran a hand through his hair, deep in thought. “Let’s consult the others. I don’t want to burn through all our credits on expansion again.”

Kai nodded, though his expression was grim. Both men knew the fortress needed to grow if they were to survive what was coming. But the cost—both in resources and time—was a heavy one.