Tutorial (19)

  ----

  'Finally.'

  A real wound.

  Blood—actual blood, not shadowstuff or illusion—spilled freely from his side.

  Thick, dark, steaming as it hit the scorched ground.

  It oozed down his gut, staining the blackened fur, cutting through the chaos of smoke and flame like a mark of real damage.

  He twisted mid-air, a guttural snarl tearing from his throat as he slammed into the dirt with a thunderous boom, shaking the earth beneath us.

  Ash and fire shot up around him like a shockwave, burning embers raining down in a fiery storm.

  He skidded back, claws digging furrows into the molten soil.

  I staggered to my feet, legs unsteady, my lungs screaming for air.

  The smoke clogged my throat, scratching like sandpaper with every gasp.

  My chest heaved, burning, each breath like I was inhaling coals.

  My eyes blurred, stinging—not just from the smoke, but from tears and blood, dripping steadily down my cheek.

  My vision danced, spinning in and out of focus.

  That single hit—the dagger to his gut—came at a brutal price.

  My left leg.

  While diving under him, dodging his crushing weight, his back claw had caught me.

  SHHNK!

  It wasn’t a slash.

  It was nearly a cleave.

  From mid-thigh down, the muscle had been flayed open.

  Skin peeled like ripped cloth, tendons visible, the bone glinting white through the gore.

  I collapsed instantly, the leg folding uselessly beneath me.

  A wave of pain crashed through my body.

  My thigh spilled heat, blood gushing, mixing with the ash.

  “Uggggh!!”

  I screamed, the sound hoarse, choked—half fury, half agony.

  The limb throbbed with every heartbeat, pulsing like a drum of raw pain.

  Ironblood Regeneration kicked in, but it was crawling—slow and desperate now, like even my cells were tired.

  I gritted my teeth so hard I felt them grind.

  My fingers dug into the hot, ashy dirt, dragging my body behind a half-charred log for cover.

  Hati’s shadows trembled, vibrating in place like something primal, furious, barely contained.

  He rose.

  His gut still leaked.

  Not a deep wound—but it had hurt him.

  His maw curled back—not in pain, not in fear.

  But in pure, unfiltered rage.

  His eyes, once glinting like twin moons, now burned like eclipsed suns—feral and furious.

  He snarled.

  Not just a sound—a sound that shook the burning forest around us.

  A declaration of war.

  I stumbled up, using the log for support, dragging my mangled leg behind me like dead weight.

  I was half-standing, half-dragging, but still moving.

  And he came again.

  CRASH! CRACK!

  Flaming trees erupted as he barreled forward like a beast of ruin.

  Splinters, bark, and flame scattered in his wake.

  I ducked low. Rolled sideways on instinct.

  Just barely.

  His fangs snapped where my neck had been a heartbeat ago.

  FWHOOM! The air exploded around his bite.

  But the attack didn’t end.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  His claws came next—SLASH!

  They raked across my chest again, exactly where old wounds had barely scabbed over.

  I shrieked, the pain incandescent, blood spraying like a mist from the opened gash.

  I crumpled to the ground, my body folding like a rag doll.

  But even in pain, I struck blindly, stabbing upward with a dagger—instinct taking over.

  Nothing connected.

  Only air.

  I rolled onto my side, coughing, gasping.

  My body felt like it was coming apart at the seams.

  Somehow, I got up.

  Somehow, I ran—limped, staggered, pulled myself forward through sheer defiance.

  Around us, the fire raged, no longer a backdrop—a living wall, crackling, seething, watching.

  Flames surrounded us like spectators, their hiss a deafening crowd, their light casting monstrous shadows across the battlefield.

  [Your fatigue has reached 80!]

  [Your combat abilities have been reduced by 20%]

  The message barely registered.

  My body already knew.

  Every breath was fire.

  My lungs were ovens.

  My legs, both good and bad, felt like lead.

  My arms shook, my grip on the daggers turning slick with sweat and blood.

  I could barely see.

  Blood ran freely into my eyes, salty and warm, turning the world into a red haze.

  My arms trembled. Every limb screamed.

  And he was still there.

  Another swipe.

  I saw it coming—too late.

  I raised both daggers.

  CLANG!

  The impact nearly broke my arms.

  My bones felt like brittle branches, and I was thrown backward from the force.

  Another slash across my side—a burning cut, deep, ribs exposed.

  Another bite—this one grazed my neck, tearing open flesh with a wet, horrible rip.

  Blood spurted, hot and fast.

  I had taken more than five wounds now.

  Most were deep. Lethal.

  Any one of them could have ended someone else.

  But I didn’t fall.

  I didn’t die.

  I was still here.

  Still breathing.

  Still fighting.

  Still moving forward through the fire and pain and madness.

  And Hati—finally—finally—was limping.

  Just slightly.

  But it was there.

  That wound in his gut?

  It had cost him.

  It meant something.

  It wasn’t over.

  Not yet.

  Not until one of us stopped breathing.

  I gritted my teeth, the pain screaming through every nerve like lightning in my veins.

  My body felt like a stitched-together patchwork of wounds, exhaustion, and burning will.

  'Now is the chance!'

  I twisted around on instinct—legs trembling, vision spinning—and forced myself into a sprint, dragging my battered body toward the arc of golden sunlight ahead.

  Hati watched.

  His silver eyes narrowed, pupils slit with fury.

  He didn’t hesitate.

  He roared—a sound full of primal hatred—and began to chase me.

  Each of my steps felt like I was stomping on blades.

  My leg ached, searing with every impact, and my muscles screamed, the fatigue spreading like a disease through my limbs.

  [Your fatigue has reached 84!]

  [Your fighting abilities have been reduced by 24%]

  'Come on! Just a little more, damn it—push, push!'

  I ground my teeth harder, nearly cracking a molar.

  I kept going. One step. Then another.

  I was so close.

  The arc of golden sunlight shimmered ahead—a glowing gate, beckoning, promising a final stand.

  It radiated warmth that felt almost divine amidst the scorched, burning battlefield.

  And then—

  Thud!

  The earth trembled behind me.

  Hati had jumped.

  I heard the rush of wind, the crackle of his shadow-choked presence leaping through the air like a falling star of death.

  He came down on me.

  But just before he could land—

  I threw my weight back, bent my knees, and slid backward beneath him, my fingers scraping against hot ash and dirt.

  A fraction of a second.

  That’s all it took.

  He landed on the arc.

  Inside the golden sunlight.

  'Now!'

  I twisted again, not even fully standing—half crawling, half pushing, my hands and knees scraping against the hot, gritty ground, every joint screaming.

  Behind me—

  “Grrrrrr!!”

  Hati growled, a deep, savage sound that vibrated through my bones.

  And then—

  The golden chains returned.

  From air and earth, they shimmered into being—bright, burning, divine—wrapping around his limbs, his torso, his throat, like celestial snakes of pure light.

  They tightened, glowing brighter with every second, pulling him toward the exact center of the arc.

  But Hati struggled, thrashing like a demon unleashed.

  He howled, fought, his claws slashing at the chains, his body rippling with resistance.

  But it didn’t matter.

  No matter how violently he twisted or how fiercely he roared, the chains began dragging him forward, inch by inch, step by step.

  And right there—

  Between Hati and the center of the arc—

  Was me.

  “Inventory!” I shouted.

  The blue screen flickered, hazy and faint from exhaustion—but still there.

  I scrolled fast, shaking fingers smearing the glowing surface.

  And then—I found it.

  A massive, sharpened bone claw.

  The claw of an Ironhide Bear.

  Thick, curved, like a saber made of ivory.

  A relic of power.

  I pulled it out with both hands.

  Its weight nearly dropped me, but I forced myself to plant it into the ground, bracing it, the sharp end angled toward Hati’s chest.

  I crouched low, arms outstretched, holding the claw like a spear stuck in stone.

  The golden chains kept pulling.

  And I stood there. Waiting.

  Hati’s howl changed. No longer just fury.

  There was a flicker of something else.

  Not fear.

  But pain.

  Psssskk!

  The sound was sharp and sickening as the claw’s point pierced his flesh, just beneath his ribcage.

  His momentum drove him into it.

  “GrrrRAAAHH!!”

  He thrashed, his massive muscles convulsing.

  Blood sprayed across my face, hot and thick, soaking my arms.

  Still, I held the claw.

  It felt like I was holding back a charging mountain.

  My muscles trembled.

  My bones cracked under the pressure.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  But—

  "Aggghh!!"

  I screamed and held on.

  The claw pushed deeper, inch by inch, slicing through fur, sinew, and bone.

  The chains kept pulling.

  Hati kept resisting.

  “GRRRGHAAAHH!!”

  He fought like a beast possessed, shadows lashing around him like serpents—but the golden chains didn’t relent.

  “Ugggghhh!!”

  I cried, teeth bared, arms screaming with pressure.

  My fingers were going numb, my shoulders torn between staying locked and giving out completely.

  But I didn’t let go.

  Blood kept pouring, soaking the ground, the air thick with the metallic sting of it.

  Then—

  Hati’s strength faltered.

  His body jerked once.

  Then again.

  Then—he stopped moving.

  He let out one last, rattling growl.

  And then, silence.

  Stillness.

  His massive frame slumped forward.

  And the golden chains—they shimmered—then broke into particles, disintegrating into light.

  He was gone.

  [You’ve slain the hidden boss ‘Hati Hróevitnisson’!]

  The words floated in front of me, glowing softly.

  Then more.

  [You’ve achieved an unbelievable achievement!]

  [The quest has been forcibly completed!]

  [Quest complete!]

  [Rewards are being given!]

  [Portal to next tutorial zone has been opened up!]

  [Shadow wolves would no longer appear in tutorial zone 'Howling Grove'!]

  [Your rewards are being calculated…]

  I didn’t move.

  Couldn’t move.

  I was coated in blood. Shaking. Breathing in short, shallow bursts.

  But I had done it.

  He was dead.

  And I was still alive.

  “Ha… ha… ha…”

  I collapsed onto the ground—my knees gave out, and my body hit the scorched dirt with a heavy thud.

  Every breath came in ragged gasps, my chest rising and falling like a bellows on its last breath.

  My arms trembled.

  My eyes stung with sweat and blood.

  I was done.

  The system messages began to pour in—a cascade of blue windows blinking over my vision—but I paid them no mind.

  They felt distant now, like whispers behind glass.

  My gaze drifted… and locked onto the still form ahead.

  Hati.

  His massive frame lay still, caught forever in that final moment of defiance.

  Even in death, he radiated an almost divine presence—majestic, powerful, a being not of this world.

  His silver fur was stained in crimson, the once fearsome beast now a monument to victory.

  ‘Finally… it’s over.’

  That thought barely passed my mind before I felt it.

  The temperature dropped.

  The wind shifted, becoming hollow—carrying the stench of smoke and ash.

  Around Hati’s corpse, the shadows began to twitch.

  'What the hell is happening?'

  My heart sank.

  Black tendrils of darkness slithered out from beneath him like living smoke, coiling and gathering.

  The ground beneath him began to smolder—not from flame, but from some inner, corrupted fire, a dark ember that fed off death and grief.

  Then—

  Fwooom!

  A low burst of dark fire erupted from the shadows, twisting upward and swirling around itself.

  From that infernal flame, a shape took form—rising like a phoenix born not from ash, but from vengeance.

  It was a wolf.

  A shadow wolf, smaller than Hati—no more than a normal beast—but completely alien in form.

  No fur. No mouth. No markings.

  Just pure, moving shadow, as if flame and fog had been bound into a shape.

  And eyes.

  Two glowing red eyes, burning like coals in the void.

  “What is this…?” I breathed.

  I tried to lift my hands, tried to stand, but—

  [Your fatigue has crossed 100!]

  [Your fighting abilities have been reduced by 50%]

  My body betrayed me.

  My muscles locked up, arms like lead.

  My fingers twitched but refused to grip anything.

  I was powerless.

  The shadow wolf didn’t wait.

  It charged—a blur of darkness, sprinting straight at me.

  The ground beneath its feet singed with each step, leaving small shadow footprints that evaporated instantly.

  'Damn it!'

  I could only watch.

  And then—

  It crashed in my body.

  Literally crashed into.

  But instead of claws and fangs, instead of pain—

  The shadow passed into me.

  I felt cold—a sensation like ice dipped in flame, like my insides were being rewritten.

  My spine arched, and I screamed—though no sound escaped my mouth.

  My vision blurred.

  The world spun.

  My limbs went limp.

  Thud!

  And I hit the ground hard.

  Everything went dark.

  [Your rewards have been calculated!]

  [You’ve gained a lot of Exp!]

  [You’ve leveled up to lvl 25!]

  [You’ve gained enormous amounts of TP!]

  [Congratulations! You’ve absorbed Hati’s shadow!]

  [You’ve gained the title: ‘Moon Eater’!]

  [New Quest: Hati’s Vengeance!]

  And just as my consciousness slipped away, the sounds of messages echoed in my ears.